Cotton had engaged in hill climbs and trials, and recognised the limitations of the "diamond frame" design, little different from a bicycle.

The 1923 win, and consequent full order book, enabled a move to new premises, the Vulcan Works in Quay Street, Gloucester.

When the Great Depression came, Cotton responded by offering a wider range of engines in its patented frame, usually with Burman gearboxes.

Other Cotton models included the Herald, Messenger, Double Gloster, Continental, Corsair and Conquest.

Cotton became involved in competitive motorcycling, and a range of road, trials and scrambler models were available by the end of 1960.

In 1961 the 250 Cougar scrambler was released and a works racing team formed, including such riders as Bryan "Badger" Goss and John Draper.

Cotton had been profitably selling bikes in kit form, but changes to legislation proved damaging.

Over the next decade production was moved a number of times, and they managed to produce a good 250 cc racing machine with a Rotax engine.

[8][9] The difficulty of finding a supply of engines after the loss of Villiers was compounded by the appearance of mass-produced Japanese motorcycles in the 1970s.

A commemorative plaque to the Cotton name was unveiled in 2013, mounted on the wall of the City Folk Museum, which is close to the old factory location in Quay Street, Gloucester.

In the late '90s AJS Motorcycles Ltd. of Goodworth Clatford, Andover, England produced a series of Cotton replica competition motorcycles including the 250 Cobra Scrambler, Cotton-Triumph 500 Scrambler, Telstar 250 road racer and 250 Starmaker Trials Bike.