Lot 426: 1923 Levis Lightweight

Manufactured by Butterfield Ltd of Stechford, Birmingham, the Levis motorcycle derived its name for the Latin word for ‘light’, which was one of the diminutive machine’s many virtues. One of the pioneers of the two-stroke motorcycle, the firm commenced manufacture of its 211cc, single-gear lightweight in 1911. Soon dubbed ‘Popular’, the model was a huge success for the Birmingham marque, remaining in production until 1926. Levis dominated 250cc racing in the early 1920s, winning the Lightweight category at the Isle of Man TT in 1920 and 1922, and duly introduced a new 247cc production model alongside the Popular for 1921. This two-stroke Levis lightweight - a single-cylinder, chain-cum-belt model equipped with countershaft gearbox - was acquired by the vendor four years ago. Restored in 2003, the machine is offered with old-style logbook, expired road fund licence/MoT (2006) and Swansea V5 registration document.