Eight motorcycle brands you’ve probably never heard of

1. Ajax
Believe it or not, there were actually two different companies which built motorcycles bearing the Ajax name. An English company was first, assembling four different Ajax-branded motorcycles between 1923 and 1924. The bikes were powered by 147cc, 247cc or 269cc Villiers two-stroke engines or a 346cc Blackburne four-stroke engine. Twenty five years later, between 1949 and 1953, a Belgian company would build small-capacity Ajax-branded motorcycles using two-stroke Sachs and NSU engines.

2. Herbi
Like its four-wheeled Love Bug namesake, Herbi motorcycles were built in Germany, but only for five years between 1928 and 1932. Using the same frame and running gear, Herbi owners could choose between a unit powered by a Blackburne 198cc side-valve engine or a Kuhne-built 498cc OHC three-valve engine.

3. Kram-it
Yes, really. This Italian manufacturer appeared in the late 1970s and built trials bikes using other firms’ engines. It offered 50cc and 80cc Minarelli-powered machines as well as 125cc, 250cc and 300cc Rotax-engined bikes.

4. Typhoon
Typhoon-branded motorcycles were produced in both Sweden and The Netherlands during the mid-21st century. For three years between 1949 and 1951, the Swedish-built Typhoon motorcycle was powered by a 200cc two-stroke engine designed by Folke Mannerstedt. Mannerstedt is synonymous with another motorcycle brand of Swedish origins, Husqvarna, where he designed race engines for many decades with much success. From 1955 until the early 1960s, Dutch-built mopeds were produced carrying the Typhoon moniker and were powered by 50cc engines sourced from various manufacturers.

5. Hobart
An English company which operated from 1901 through to 1924, it produced many machines during its time including a female-specific model, which featured an open frame and a low-mounted engine.

6. Moonbeam
Not to be confused with the better-known brand Sunbeam, these English motorcycles were produced by the London-based M.R.P Trading Company in 1920 and 1921 and were powered by the 269cc Villiers two-stroke engine.

7. Lube
One of the pioneers of the Spanish motorcycle industry, Lube produced NSU-powered motorcycles using both two and four-stroke engines ranging from 49cc through to 247cc. It operated between 1949 and 1965 and even had several grand prix appearances.

8. Holden
The first four-cylinder motorcycle was built in Britain in 1897 by a bloke named Colonel Holden. It was a flat-four with direct drive to the rear wheel and had pedals fitted to the front wheel to assist the rider when starting the bike.