4. Greeves
We lament that fact that there is no British dirtbike manufacturer when the country produced such great marques as Triumph, Norton and BSA, which all produced competitive machines until the British motorcycle market collapsed in the 1970s, eventually pulling BSA and Norton down with it. However, as dirtbike enthusiasts, the brand that we still existed is Greeves.
The brainchild of Bert Greeves, the brand helped to end the dominance of big and heavy four-strokes in the FIM Motocross World Championship by being among the first to whip lightweight two-strokes into competitive shape. Greeves was, in many ways, ahead of its time, producing beam frames and using leading-link forks on racing models with cool names such as Challenger and Griffon. Prior to the plastic bodywork revolution in dirt biking, Greeves exuded cool with colorful metalflake hues on its fiberglass tanks and side panels. Greeves were fast and reliable enough to net two consecutive FIM 250cc Motocross World Championships with Dave Bickers in 1960 and ’61.
Like CZ, Greeves was a victim of the technology boom in dirtbiking. While other manufacturers improved performance via newer engine designs, Greeves was stuck with its archaic Villiers powerplant, which featured a gearbox that was separate from the engine. Faced with declining sales, Greeves closed its doors. The Greeves name made a minor comeback in the trials world in 2009, but no off-road motorcycles have been manufactured since 1976.
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