Craven...the luggage equipment for British, European and Japanese motorcycles in the period 1950-1980...

Looking through the motorcycle periodicals in the era 1950-1980, you would be struck by one type of luggage equipment that was in use over all others....
Made by Ken and Mollie Craven, also known for the "Parti-tours" they ran to Spain and other European destinations, a scheme to escort groups of like minded motorcyclists often for their first "overseas tour", for they themselves were inveterate motorcycle tourers, now both sadly deceased, it is obvious that Ken, an engineer would come up with luggage equipment to do the job...
And do it he did....
Craven Equipment of 61 Eden Grove,London N7... dominated motorcycle luggage for nigh on 30 years. Ken retired from the business and sold it to Stadium Ltd, known for their helmets and other motorcycle accessories  and they in turn sold it on, likely to a company I obtained a catalogue from in the late 1970's when I had the idea to import the stuff myself to Australia following my friend John Galvin's giving up the distributorship around the same time. 
I wrote to them and the catalogue is all that remains of a venture from me that never got off the ground.

The distinctive Craven badge is illustrated, riveted to a rack and to the panniers and topcases. 

Craven equipment sold in Australia from the later 1960's period had a similar riveted on badge that said... "Galvin by Craven". As mentioned the first Australian importer was John Galvin.
Craven equipment used in the USA and manufactured by Dick Pearce had this distinctive badge....

Left click on the images to enlarge them....
This other firm who took over the manufacture was Craven Equipment (London) Ltd., and operated out of Cinderford in Gloucestershire.
I acknowledge the photo extracts I made and used from their catalogue.
Other photos are mine and from Jeff and Jo Wenden, Vincent owners from Sydney, NSW , Australia and  I thank them for the use of their photos.
I believe "others" may have taken up the name and continue to re-offer some of the product today.
But why am I writing this blog?
Partly for the history and the other to ensure current riders of earlier motorcycles will have some idea of what to look for at Autojumbles, Swap meetings and the like when after used luggage equipment suitable for their bikes...
A little history from "The MotorCycle" and "MotorCycling" of the time follows throughout this blog...
The first type of panniers introduced were made of a Bakelite material and called "Silver Arrows". Of a suitcase construction their lid opened outwards.

"Silver Arrows" from a catalogue from Craven Equipment ( London) Ltd.

From "The MotorCycle" 8th May 1958, the introduction of the "Chevron" panniers.

Introduction of the Craven "Dolomite" panniers in October 1958.
These were popular, made of fiberglass resin with fiberglass matted cloth, but the molds were destroyed by a fire at Craven's factory in 1970's.
Factory...well "61 Eden Grove" was two terrace type houses in a residential area of London...they were sort of gutted internally to make work areas....
Many businesses in the UK of the time were in reality very small.
Craven used a special tubular rear rack that he developed and the panniers attached via rubber sleeves onto hooks on the rack.
There were a series of different shapes...

 The "D" rack....

 The "L" rack, made with initially the same grid and several different length arms of the "L", Honda 500/4 used shorter arms, Velocette mid length and BMW /5 and /6 used longer arms.

 The Vincent "V" rack.

The "W" rack, often used for BMW R50/2, R60/2 and Velocette.
The hooks mentioned above are visible and the special length long support arms for each model bike. On these arms were clamped aircraft style "dzus" fasteners to enable the panniers to be quickly detachable.
The panniers available were as mentioned the "Silver Arrow", the "Dolomite" as well as "Safari", "Chevron","Concorde" and "Comet".

"Dolomite" panniers and a "Spaceman" top case on a my best friend, Jim Day's Velocette at a recent Vincent/Velocette Rally in NSW, Australia.

"Golden Arrow" panniers and a "Spaceman" top case on good friend John Edward's BMW R50/5 at the recent Vincent/Velocette Rally in NSW, Australia.

"Comet" panniers with a "Clubman" topcase.

"Safari" panniers with "Spaceman" topcase.

"Sportsman" topcase with "Concorde" panniers. 
The "Sportsman" is virtually a "Spaceman" topcase but higher.

"Superman" topcase with "Dolomite" panniers on a BMW /2.
The "Superman" was a wider topcase, the same as the "Fairline" illustrated below, but the same height as the "Sportsman".
The "Fairline" moulds were also destroyed in the fire at Eden Grove and never produced again I believe.

The "Fairline" topcase.

Advert from "The MotorCycle" 7th April 1960.

My 1972 BMW R50/5 with "Golden Arrow" panniers, photo taken in mid 1973.

Announcement of the introduction of the "Golden Arrow" panniers in "The MotorCycle" 29th December 1960.

Advert in "The MotorCycle", 5th May 1966.

Size comparison,"Dolomite" and "Safari" panniers.
In May 1980 copy of Revs Australian Motorcycle News, Ian Aitchison was advertising Craven Equipment for sale in Oz...

A photo I like a lot...my wife "The long suffering Judy" throws a snowball in the Snowy Mountains of NSW in winter. My R50/5 to the right with a "Fairline" topcase visible and a laprug...seemingly a possible Australian idea, like a fairing for protection...a shaped canvas that wraps around the riders legs and up to his chest, tucking in between the seat and petrol tank and secured around the footrests. I note I've a large German Harro tankbag ( Harro made leathers as well in the Black Forest region of Germany). The Honda 500/4 to the left has a Craven "L" rack fitted. The licence plate on the 500/4 is CE-OOO...
For Craven Equipment...the bike owned just before by John Galvin the aforementioned Australian Craven Distributor.
The BMW R75/5 partly obscured also has a Craven rack and topcase.
When...? October 1972 at a guess....
After I did the main post above, John Galvin contacted me and you will recall he was the Craven distributor for Australia early on.
John offered some comment and further photos....
"...I have a full set of "Chevrons" given to me by Ken Craven..they were produced for the Triumph Speed Twin and in Amaranth Red. To properly match the colour, Ken told me he acquired the colour mix from Triumphs. This was long before ICI supplied him with tints to produce many varied colours of  topcases and panniers.
More than black and white were done. I seem to remember a list of 15 colours that could be ordered.
The whole "Chevron" project was a commercial disaster. KC told me a total of 7 sets were made.He had a blue set for "Hetty" his Matchless twin. I got this set, so there are perhaps 5 sets out there somewhere.
Whilst this project was a disaster, it led to the "Dolomite" panniers and these were a roaring success.
I own the second produced "California" top case...how did I get number 2?
My good mate, Dick Pearce,now deceased and then resident of LA and distributor of Craven Equipment in the West of the USA, produced the "California" to the absolute horror and without permission from Ken Craven.
Ken claimed it was far too large and would destroy the handling of any bike.
Funny world isn't it. After making peace with Pearce, Ken went on to sell vast number of the "California". Dick retained case 1. "
The cases had the distinctive badge, illustrated earlier in this blog fitted to them rather than the UK Craven badge.

"California" topcase made by Pearce of LA.

Craven "Chevron" showing internal construction.

"Chevron" with carry section removed.

A dusty set of Craven Triumph Speed Twin "Chevron" panniers.

The part of the "Chevron" pannier you took into a hotel.

Margaret Galvin with Ken Craven at Ken's house in Lyme Regis, UK.

And finally, recently loaned to me by John Edwards, a pic of himself with his BMW R50/5 ( the same bike featured above in the blog during Oct.2010 during a Vincent-Velocette Rally), complete with Craven "Fairline" topcase and "Golden Arrow" panniers, together with Ken Craven in Andorra, Spain during late June, early July 1971.

Since I posted this item, today July 2013, John Edwards has returned for a trip to the UK and alerted me to the current manufacturer of Craven Equipment...
 Craven Equipment, Road Street, Bungay NR35 1EE
email....
contact@cravens.org.uk 
website...( click on the word craven following)  Craven