A 1925 Douglas CW350 will be on display at the Star Insure Southern Motorcycle Show on February 1 and 2 at the Edgar Centre.
Otago Motorcycle Club member Mark Burrows said the motorcycle was imported from the British motorcycle manufacturer by Dunedin dealer W.A. Justice and Co so it could be showcased at the 1925 New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition.
This world fair was held from November 1925 to May 1926 on reclaimed land at Logan Park.
Technology being one of the 1925 exhibition’s central themes, the Douglas CW350 was accordingly kitted out with cutting-edge options, including a gas head and tail lamp, a speedometer, a kick-start, chain drive, a clutch and a three-speed gearbox.
Douglas motorcycles were manufactured by the family-owned company in Bristol from 1907 to 1957.
They were highly regarded, winning motorcycle competitions such as the Isle of Man TT races.
Renowned for reliability, they were used by armed forces in World War I.
When the exhibition came to a close, Dunedin local Jack Leslie bought the Douglas.
After World War 2, Mr Leslie returned to Dunedin with one leg amputated.
Undeterred, he was often spotted astride the bike, propelling himself forward with his remaining leg while releasing the decompression lever to get the engine going.
In the 1960s, the present Dunedin owner bought the Douglas from Mr Leslie.
Since then, the motorcycle has stayed in a local private collection.
This vintage motorcycle was just one of hundreds of extraordinary machines that would be part of the inaugural Southern Motorcycle Show, Mr Burrows said.
The show will also feature custom chopper bikes created by people in the local bike-building scene and
Dunedin motorcycle vendors will display their latest models.
