Underslinging is on the same theory as the car chassis - strong lower members to give exceptional strength and rigidity. On my bike the members are bolted to the engine underframe and the rear suspension plates, and are dead simple to produce. The advantages of this system are not only in the roadholding, which is also improved because the centre of gravity is lowered, but also in stronger construction and better braking.

The frame consists mainly of twin-welded top and down tube, in the shape of a horizontal "V". At the point of the "V" is fixed the headstock, extremely strong and welded into the double tubing with a heavy gauge gusset plate. Engines will bolt straight into the frame, doing away with the need for engine plates, and thus we have perfectly rigid engine attachment. Ancillary frame parts all bolt on, making production and accident repairs as cheap as possible. For the Starmaker engine used in prototypes we have been able to obtain perfect exhaust routing - the pipe going under the engine centrally, and the expansion chamber splitting either side of the rear wheel.

The wheelbase is extremely short at 50 in. and I do not envisage making this more than 52 in. at the most. This makes the bike extremely handleable on tight, tortuous circuits.

Heavy duty springs pull the bike's wheels constantly hard against the road surface, giving superb traction and braking under all conditions. The bike has less tendency to skid because of this unique arrangement - which is made to a high standard, ensuring that the suspension will last the lifetime of the bikes. Dampers are not used at all on the Dawson machine. The springs are close-coiled, like a chest expander. They expand to absorb the bumps, then spring back together once the work has been done, completely losing any tension and obviating the need for a damping system of any kind.

The forks are both of the swinging arm type - the fork arrangement I patented 38 years ago, but since allowed to lapse. Three springs provide the front suspension, which is a mixture of telescopic and pivoted fork technique. The advantages here are simple: braking stress on the telescopic fork sliders is nullified by the rear pivoted fork stanchions and steering geometry stays the same under all conditions. The rear fork has an ample three inches of movement, the swinging arm moving up and down inside two guideplates, each with two strong suspension springs on each side of the spindle. The guideplates are fixed to the under slinging rails - and all side movement is eliminated by both front and rear forks. The wheels can move only up and down giving tremendous advantages in comfort and safety.

I formed the DMW company (Dawson's Motorcycles Wolverhampton), but sold out nearly 30 years ago to emigrate to Canada. Since 1959 I have lived in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, working as an engineer for the borough council. I am thoroughly confident of the justification of my claims. With financial help I could market these basic frame and suspension kits for about £50 each, selling direct to the rider, who could have the frame tailored to accept any engine of his choice.

Unfortunately he had no luck in raising funds, and the project never got off the ground.

We would like to thank Arthur Stubbs for the information contained on this page.