Sunbeam Cycles was a brand of motorcycles first built by John Marston Limited. Sunbeam was founded in 1887 as a bicycle manufacturer, yet at the turn of the 20th century, the company diversified into motorcycle and car production. A separate company known as the Sunbeam Motor Car Company was founded in 1905. Sunbeam Cycles began series motorcycle production in 1912, with Model 6 and Model 9 being some notable early models. The most well know Sunbeam motorcycles were the S7 & S8, which were two bikes produced under the ownership of BSA. Production of Sunbeam Cycles ended in 1956, although BSA would produce certain models named Sunbeam down the years.