New Imperial Motorcycles Blue Prince 1930
After a rather unsuccessful attempt to enter the motorcycle market under the name ‘Imperial’ in 1901, the company made a serious comeback in 1910 under the name ‘New Imperial’ and stayed in business till 1939.
At first only a few models were offered- 293cc Side-valve singles and 8hp twins all with JAP engines. New Imperials got the image of “middle of the road” machines offering good value for money.
JAP motors were used up until 1926 and the company’s own after that date. The Blue Prince was introduced at the end of 1930. It was a sporty touring model and as you can see had a striking blue colour. It was available in 350cc and 500cc capacities.
In December 1930 the Blue Prince showed its qualities in a 25,000 kilometre long distance reliability test staged in the Netherlands by the Dutch importer. The distance of 25,000km was covered in 25 days. Three riders and one Blue Prince machine went day and night on a 250km long route along main roads in the centre of the country. The weather was terrible with rain, snow and fog on roads often covered with ice. The only failure in the ordeal apparently was a broken speedo cable at 20,000km.
This machine is an older restoration and is equipped with Bosch electric lighting. It was purchased from the Netherlands.