Coventry-Eagle
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.JPG) | |
| Industry | manufacturing and engineering |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1903 |
| Defunct | 1939 |
| Fate | Closed by World War II |
| Successor | Falcon Cycles |
| Headquarters | Coventry, England |
| Products | Motorcycles and bicycles |
Coventry-Eagle was a British bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer. Established as a Victorian bicycle maker, the company began under the name of Hotchkiss, Mayo & Meek. The company name was changed to Coventry Eagle in 1897 when John Meek left the company .[1] By 1898 they had begun to experiment with motorised vehicles and by 1899, had produced their first motorcycle. The motorcycles were hand built from components and finished carefully, Coventry-Eagle motorcycles proved reliable and by the First World War the range included Villiers Engineering and JAP engines.[2]
In the early 1920s, Coventry-Eagle changed its models, depending on what engines were available. It swapped between five engine manufacturers: Villiers; JAP; Sturmey-Archer; Blackburne; and Matchless.[3] The model Flying 8 bore a resemblance to the contemporary Brough Superior. During the depression of the 1930s, the company concentrated on producing two-strokes. Production continued until the start of the Second World War in 1939.[4]
In the 1930s they had launched a range of sporting bikes under the "Falcon" brand. After the war, and not of a scale to continue competitive motorcycle manufacture, the company concentrated on their racing bicycles. It was under this marque that the company relaunched itself as Falcon Cycles, now a division of Tandem Group.
