Haden (motorcycle)

A.H. Haden Motorcycles was a British motorcycle marque from Birmingham, England. The Haden marque was best known from 1912-1924.

Haden was originally a bicycle-making business in Hockley, Birmingham, a business first listed in "Kelly's Directory" in 1882, shortly before the safety bicycle was introduced in 1885. The business passed from G.J. Haden to his son A.H. Haden, who continued making bicycles from 1902-1912. The business had introduced motorcycles alongside its bicycle range from around 1906, and went into more extensive motorcycle production shortly before World War I following A.H. Haden's 1913 purchase of the Regal motorcycle company. Production for the consumer market began again in 1919, after the war had ended.

The main Haden motorcycle was marketed under the Haden name as "The New Comet", in various models ("De Luxe", "Sporting" and "Two-Stroke Combination" with sidecar). It was a long-standing independent brand, using a 293cc Climax two-stroke engine with internal fly-wheels, and the Haden A1 frame which had apparently "revolutionised the motor-cycle business in this country" ("Review of Commerce"). It also used parts from Villiers, PeCo, JAP, and Precision. It was entered as a standard machine in the Isle of Man TT races in 1920 (9th or 10th place, sources differ) and 1921, and secured a world record at Brooklands in 1921. The New Comet was discontinued in 1924, but from 1931 small numbers of 198cc models were produced with Villiers parts. The machine was probably named "The New Comet" to distinguish it from the earlier "Comet" motorcycle produced by the Comet Motor Works, at New Cross, London (1902-1907). It is possible A.H. Haden had bought out the owners of the earlier London-based Comet.

One fully-restored New Comet is known to exist, as of 2005.

Alfred's sons took over the business after 1937. It then became "Haden Bros.", and made tank parts during World War II. Haden Bros. continued to be well-known for making cycle and motorcycle parts, and these were sold worldwide from 1954 until 2002 when the company folded. One of the brothers also founded the famous Haden kettle manufacturing company.