Rare Sheffield Dunelt motorbike to go on show in city after campaign to bring it home

It was called the Sheffield Dunelt and, unusually for the time, it was marketed with women in mind. Now few remain but if a band of enthusiasts get their way, a 600cc model will soon be on show in Sheffield.

Sheffield motorcycle fan Chris Rogers spent 20 years tracking down a specific model and with the help of a company in the city he managed to repatriate it from Sweden. A similar model sold for £20,000 in Las Vegas.

Now he is on the cusp of restoring it to its original condition.

"I can't believe how the city has come together to restore it," he said. "A man called Stephen Whittaker has restored the engine. Another lad Michael Milthorpe has painted it - not just once, but five times before he was happy with it.

"It's an amazing story of how Sheffield has come together to realise this dream of bringing the bike back home."

The bike, a 1932 model, will go on display Kelham Island Museum in the city next year.

Dunelt was a Sheffield based motorcycle and bicycle manufacturer, founded by steelmakers Dunford & Elliot in 1919. They began making motorcycles in their Birmingham factory and later moved to Attercliffe in Sheffield.

The firm won many prestigious titles and trophies and in 1924, a Dunelt motorcycles was the first to cross the desert from Cairo to Siwa and back.

They were also one of the first manufacturers to market motorcycles to women. Suzanne Kroerner from Germany rode a Dunelt non-stop from Berlin to Birmingham in 1927.

In 1931 the manufacture was moved from Birmingham to Sheffield and the motorcycles were named Sheffield-Dunelt for a few years until it changed back to Dunelt.

The range then reduced considerably and 1935 was the final year of production. The company went on to produce outboard motors for boats. Only a handful of models survive today and are revered by owners and enthusiasts alike.

The model Mr Rogers is working was bought by the H E Barnes electrical contractors and engineers and will give it on long term loan the museum.

Mr Rogers said: "Without H E Barnes, this project wouldn't have got off the ground."

The model has a 600cc sidevalve engine and gearbox. It was one of the last machines made in Sheffield and is one of just two known to still exist, and thought to be the most complete example. It is the deluxe version with electric miller lights and chrome tank with two-tone paintwork.

It was the largest capacity motorcycle made by Dunelt and was ideal for sidecars.

It was found on a farm in northern Sweden where it had been stored since before the Second World War. Little is known of its history.

It is in red and cream with chrome trim and black body. An eminent signwriter Phil Appleyard of Milnrow near Oldham has recreated the decals on the fuel tank.

And Sheffield firm Broadblast has shotblasted many of the parts while Robin Penny's hydraulics company of Clowne in Derbyshire has been heavily involved. Mr Penny has been invaluable as a consultant.

Kelham Island Museum is said to be thrilled to be involved in this project and the bike will be a working exhibit sent out to shows.

The museum is already home to several Sheffield motorcycles including a 1922 Wilkin and two 1926 Ner-a-Car models.

The reason this machine ended up in Sweden owes much to Sheffield's trade links with Scandinavia.

Dunford & Elliott brought ore by ship from Sweden which sailed down the Humber, Trent and canals to Attercliffe. On the return journey the boats took motorcycles to Scandinavia, which became a popular market for Sheffield Dunelts.

Part of the factory in Attercliffe, Sheffield, still exists as a fabrication plant. Yorkshire was a centre of excellence for motorcycling with companies such as Panther and Scott earning global reputations.

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