OK-Supreme
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OK-Supreme was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1899 to 1946 located in Birmingham.
[edit] History
In 1882 Ernie Humphries and Charles Dawes founded “OK” as bicycle manufacturers. They experimented with powered bicycles in 1899 and 1906, before manufacturing a two stroke motorcycle using a Precision engine in 1911. Before WW II began, they had produced motorcycles with Precision, De Dion, Minerva, and Green engines. Their first entry in the Isle of Man TT, in 1912, led to a ninth place and mainly modest results came during the following years when OK-Supreme machines finished in every place from 1st, in the 1928 Lightweight TT, to 10th place.[1] In the 1922 TT the fastest lap was set by Wal Handley at 51.00 mph on an OK-Supreme even though he did not finish the race.[2]
After the war OK produced a 292cc two stroke motor of its own, but also produced models using Blackburne (250cc and 350cc, sv and ohv), Bradshaw (34 cc oil cooled), and JAP (246cc to 496cc) engines.
The racing JAP versions did well in the Twenties, and the company increasingly turned to JAP to power bikes not using an OK engine. There was even a 348cc OHC model.
Charles Dawes left to start his own business in 1926, and in 1927 the name of the company was changed to “OK-Supreme”.
In 1928 Humphries bought a failing HRD for the factory and tools, selling the rest, including the name, to Philip Vincent . OK-Supreme also won the Lightweight class in a JAP model that year.
In the 1930s a Lighthouse 250cc - 348cc model, so named because of the little inspection window in the cam tower, was OK-Supreme’s final model. Although production ceased in 1939, 350cc JAP engined OK-Supreme grass track racing machines were still available through John Humphries until his death in 1946. (John was the son of Ernie Humphries)
