Val Page
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Val Page | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1891 Hackney England |
| Died | 1978 (aged 86–87) Cheltenham England |
| Occupation | Motorcycle designer |
Valentine Page (1891–1978)[1][2] was a British motorcycle designer. He worked for leading UK marques including JAP, Ariel, Triumph, and BSA.[3] Page was an innovator whose radical designs include the Triumph 6/1; BSA Gold Star, M20, and A7; Ariel Leader; and the JAP engine of the Brough Superior SS100.
Val Page served his apprenticeship as a motorcycle engineer and designer with JAP. Page designed the engines used in the Brough Superior SS80 and SS100 luxury motorcycles,[4] and developed the racing motorcycles which made riders such as Bert le Vack famous.
Ariel
Page spent most of his career with Ariel Motorcycles, which he joined in 1925.[4] Eventually he became chief designer and developed a new range of engines for the 1926 season. For the 1927 season he designed a new frame, but it had a weakness that led to breakages and warranty claims. He rectified this with a revised frame for the 1928 season.[5]
Page's designs formed the basis for what became the Red Hunter, which continued until Ariel ceased production of four-strokes in 1959.[6]
Triumph
Page left Ariel in 1932 to become chief designer at the rival Triumph where, with Edward Turner, he developed Triumph's first parallel twin, the model 6/1,[7] and a range of singles, including a 150cc two-stroke and 250, 350 and 500cc four-strokes.[citation needed]