OEC would probably not be the most common of motorcycles that people would think of but when it came to innovative ideas they would have been up there with most major motorcycle manufacturers. OEC, which stands for the Osborne Engineering Company, was also heard to be referred to as the Oddball Engineering Company due to some of their wayward inventive ideas. Perhaps their most intriguing addition to the oddities of motorcycling would had to have been their Duplex Steering system. The testimonials in this catalogue as to the value or success of that style of steering may have been more a advertising ploy than a radiant endorsement. Even their dirt track machine was supporting the newer type steering. One wonders how that worked out (one such machine appeared in New Zealand and was raced by Alan McLaren in the early 1930s).
OEC didn’t have model designations like the Model B or Blue Star, instead they called them as they were, the 350 OHV 2 port, the 500 Side Valve, the 350 OHV Dirt Track, or the 680 or 750 with rear springing. Just keeping it simple.
To see the complete 16 page catalogue click on the front cover below.
It is a 6.7M PDF so you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.
For 1934 OEC had planned to have their new 4 cylinder machine available for the public but at the Nov 1933 motorcycle show it wasn’t ready. Here is a brief report on the OEC stand for the 1933 Olympic Motorcycle Show.
Knobster snapped these photographs of an interesting motorcycle wearing a OEC petrol tank at the Classic Racing Festival at Pukekohe in 2018 and put it up on his Knobbies Nuggets. With the wooden spoke wheels one could assume that OEC does stand for Oddball Enginering Company. And that front brake! Most modern motorcycles have 4 piston disc brake calipers, this gem has 4 pad strirrup brakes. Oh what a delight!! Perhaps in this case OEC means Oddball Engineered Contraption, but then hey, that’s what motorcycling is all about.