Lot 273: 1927 Humber 349cc Sports

Humber’s first venture into motorcycle manufacture began with a machine built under Phelon & Moore licence but quickly graduated to models of their own design. The marque enjoyed its first major success with P J Evans’s victory in the Junior TT in 1911. The 1920’s saw further competition successes, notably in the English and Scottish Six Days Trials and these competition successes contributed to the sales figures for standard production models. In 1927 the company offered both side valve, overhead valve and overhead camshaft models, the most expensive models selling for around £60. This 1927 349cc overhead valve Sports model was campaigned in pre-war days by C D G Moore of Moores Garage, Hemel Hempstead. He is pictured here in this Louis Klemantaski photograph defending the 350cc open title at Dancer’s End near Tring in May 1939. This remarkable old warrior held FTD right up to the very last run at that meeting when his performance was only eclipsed by P M Goffey on his 998cc Series A Vincent-HRD. Moore was to retain the Humber long after the war and we believe that it was acquired by Stafford East some 37 or more years ago. A tax disc on the bike suggests it was last used in 1950. This machine is now offered as a restoration project but appears substantially complete and restoration should therefore be straightforward. It comes with an old buff log book recording first registration in May 1927, a Swansea V5 registration document, contemporary instruction book and spare parts catalogue, the original of the 1939 photograph and notes on this machine supplied to Stafford East by Moore in 1971.