A firm with its roots in the Victorian bicycle industry, Humber began experimenting with powered transport in the closing years of the 19th Century, introducing its first successful motorcycle - a built-under-license P&M - in 1902 and the first all-Humber design in 1908. A 500cc sidevalve, this new 3½hp model carried its engine in the conventional position and featured belt drive to a two-speed rear hub. V-twin and flat-twin models followed, Humber's first post-WWI offering being a 4½hp version of the latter. This heavyweight machine - 'The Silent Humber' - was joined for 1923 by a 2¾hp lightweight sports model powered by a single-cylinder sidevalve engine of 75x79mm bore/stroke displacing 349cc. Refined and speedy, the newcomer proved good enough to secure Humber the Team Prize in the 1923 ACU Six Days Trial and would provide the basis for its future motorcycle range, spawning overhead-valve and, later, overhead-camshaft derivatives.

This overhead-valve 350 Humber was first registered on 25th June 1929, it is believed in St Austell, Cornwall and has been a Cornish bike all its life. Continuously used and maintained, it has never been restored: only ever sympathetically tidied and kept running as a good, original, 'oily rag' machine. The Humber was owned by Jack Bacon from 1966 to 1994 and is featured on the front cover of his book, Lost Motorcycles of the 1920s. The current vendor bought the machine in August 2006 with the aim of entering the Banbury Run. He rebuilt the engine and had the magneto rewound and duly completed the 2007 and 2008 Runs, achieving a Gold Award on both occasions. Described as generally sound condition and in good working order, this rare, overhead-valve, Humber 'flat tanker' is offered with old-style logbook, current road fund licence and Swansea V5 registration document.