Head Badge Timeline

1927-1947: Transfer

  • 1947 as est. end date, based on two lugless Dawes Couriers dated to 1947 with the 1st type head badge




1947-1963: 1st Model

  • In the brochures this version is referred to as “Vitreous enamelled head badge”
  • 1963 as end date based on a N-serial (1962/1963) frame with 1st model and P-serial (1963) with 2nd model head badge
  • This model exists with different colour combinations. The earliest ones having a White letter ‘D’ on a dark blue Background, similar to the head transfers


1947-1962: 1st Model (version B)

  • In the brochures this version is referred to as “Metal embossed head badge”
  • The 1955 and 1956 brochures show clearly that both versions were used concurrently


1963-1975: 2nd Model

  • Earliest serial with this type of badge is a P-serial (1963)






1964-196?: Olympic badge

  • 1964 Tokyo Olympics? I’ve only seen this version on early Kingpins with alloy dot-dash chain guard




1976-1981: 3rd Model

  • Introduced for the model year 1976, based on a 1976 Dawes brochure with the price list  dated to October 1975. The pictures show models with the 2nd type and with the 3rd type head badge.
  • End date based on the 1982 catalogue featuring the 4th model head badge (oval black)


1982-2000s: 4th Model

One thought on “Head Badge Timeline”

  1. The Dawes frame building records were lost in a major fire at their Tyseley Works in 1975. This is the same year that the torch head badge was abandoned, and that may be no coincidence. There is also a version of the 4th model with all upper case lettering, but I have no idea when this might have been used. My Stratos from 1988 has the Initialised 4th model head badge which seems to be the most common.

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