If you’ve heard of JAP, you’re probably very well-versed with vintage motorcycles. JAP stands for John Alfred Prestwich, which is the company founder’s name. JAP got its start at the beginning of the 20th century in England, making motorcycles until it decided that manufacturing engines made more business sense.
JAP was one of the biggest engine manufacturers in Europe from the 1920s to 1930s, and quite a number of motorcycles actually had JAP engines in them. JAP created larger engines, however, the bigger engines were destined for use in airplanes and not motorbikes.
