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The Dot[a]Devoid of Trouble.[1] motorcycle company was founded in Salford, Greater Manchester in 1902 by the racing motorcyclist Harry Reed. Dot produced their first motorcycle in 1906 using a Peugeot engine, and throughout their history relied on bought-in engines from Jap, Blackburn, Bradshaw, and Villiers, who became their main engine supplier from 1928.[1][2]
In 1908 Reed rode a Bradshaw-engined Dot to an Isle of Man TT win, and almost repeated the feat in the 1924 sidecar TT, coming second.[2]
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Thomas Sawyer joined the business in 1920, and took control after Reed’s departure in 1925. The Dot marque remained competitive, but with the onset of the Great Depression of the 1930s production of motorcycles ceased in 1932, and did not resume until 1949.[b]Following the end of the Second World War in 1945, the company produced three-wheeled motorcycle trucks.[1] By 1968 Dot motorcycles were only available in kit form, and the lack of Villiers engines following that company’s liquidation in 1976 left the firm reliant on the 170 cc Italian Minarelli.[1]
Dot ceased manufacture in 1978, but continued to supply spare parts until 2013.[1]
Reincarnation
The Dot brand was resurrected in 2021 with the formation of Dot Motorcycles. In collaboration with the motorcycle racer and mechanic Guy Martin, the company now offers handmade, customisable machines.[3]
Dot Motorcycles is based at the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME) in Bolton, Greater Manchester.[4]