Oddball engines and prototypes

[WilDun]

I had given up on this thread,
It was more or less first intended to take the heat off the ESE thread but it often cut out completely and then took off again like a bike with a dicky HT lead!
Unfortunately by that time, ESE had already got established as THE place to be for every man and his dog and went so fast that a lot of valuable stuff got swamped in that thread - who wants to delve back into the archives just to retreive a couple of important sentences from way back (ones which may have seemed irrelevant at the time)? The amount of interesting stuff buried in and scattered through that thread is mind boggling!
Hence "Oddball" to the rescue! to store important little interesting snippets, time to discuss them, even have a laugh now and then and of course more easily retreived - While ESE could get on with the business of work in progress without being congested by other (interesting) but "not required at the time" stuff!
(This as opposed to going for the record of having the biggest thread on the net. in terms of the number of posts etc.).

But then, ........... hasn't really happened.
(even Husa has more or less gone).

BTW I would have preferred an Ariel in my lawnmower! and as for NSU on my skates .... no way!.

[husaberg]

I had given up on this thread,
It was more or less first intended to take the heat off the ESE thread but it often cut out completely and then took off again like a bike with a dicky HT lead!
Unfortunately by that time, ESE had already got established as THE place to be for every man and his dog and went so fast that a lot of valuable stuff got swamped in that thread - who wants to delve back into the archives just to retreive a couple of important sentences from way back (ones which may have seemed irrelevant at the time)? The amount of interesting stuff buried in and scattered through that thread is mind boggling!
Hence "Oddball" to the rescue! to store important little interesting snippets, time to discuss them, even have a laugh now and then and of course more easily retreived - While ESE could get on with the business of work in progress without being congested by other (interesting) but "not required at the time" stuff!
(This as opposed to going for the record of having the biggest thread on the net. in terms of the number of posts etc.).

But then, ........... hasn't really happened.
(even Husa has more or less gone).

BTW I would have preferred an Ariel in my lawnmower! and as for NSU on my skates .... no way!.

husas doing some pretty big hours at work at the moment.

[WilDun]

Well in that case this redundant, decrepid old fool will just have to try to keep it alive!

[Frits Overmars]

I peek in here everyday, Will, right after visiting ESE and before visiting Race-chassis and the Bucket-Foundry. So do keep this place alive.

[pete376403]

I had given up on this thread,
I

BTW I would have preferred an Ariel in my lawnmower! and as for NSU on my skates .... no way!.

I had a J.A.P powered lawnmower - little two stroke thing. I gave to a vintage machinery collector. All my other J.A.Ps were speedway bikes.

[guyhockley]

There are various bits of agricultural machinery in the UK powered by JAP engines similar too the bike ones, apparently. The trick is finding them and not paying too much as everybody thinks all old stuff is valuable.

[WilDun]

There are various bits of agricultural machinery in the UK powered by JAP engines similar too the bike ones, apparently. The trick is finding them and not paying too much as everybody thinks all old stuff is valuable.

I have a very old "Trojan Minimotor" (bicycle engine) which was really the start of the Italian motorcycle industry trying to regenerate itself post war, built under licence by Trojan in the UK (original was called "Mini Motore" - funny enough).
Just the bare engine without all the acoutrements to make it a bicycle motor! I bought it in a box along with a couple of old Villiers engines.

BTW One of those was my very first motorcycle! and I just kept it for old times sake, but it has been sitting in a box for around 10 years now and there is still no sign of it reassembling itself so far! - Needs a new home with a loving owner!
Also BTW, I do believe YOW LING is the proud owner of another one!

Anyone interested?

I had a J.A.P powered lawnmower - little two stroke thing. I gave to a vintage machinery collector. All my other J.A.Ps were speedway bikes.

Pete did you ever meet or know of Ron Phillips or Len Jelaca? (two keen speedway guys I used to work with - unfortunately both now dead).

I peek in here everyday, Will, right after visiting ESE and before visiting Race-chassis and the Bucket-Foundry. So do keep this place alive.

Thanks Frits, guess I should plod on and I'm sure Husa will be glad to pop in now and again! (when he's not working his ass off)!

[pete376403]

Pete did you ever meet or know of Ron Phillips or Len Jelaca? (two keen speedway guys I used to work with - unfortunately both now dead).
)!

I don't recall either of those names. My racing "career" was mostly in Wellington, with occasional forays to Palmerston North, Wanganui and Napier. And one time to KihiKihi. 1974 ish to 1991.

[WilDun]

I don't recall either of those names. My racing "career" was mostly in Wellington, with occasional forays to Palmerston North, Wanganui and Napier. And one time to KihiKihi. 1974 ish to 1991.

Ron was an Aussie and had raced in Britain and len was a Kiwi who raced at Western Springs mostly.
I should have got them to get me going in speedway, probably would have suited me better than road racing, however I wasn't as interested in speedway in those days but used to watch it at Auckland and Kihikihi occasionally.
Got very interested in it since it has come on TV lately - great spectator sport anyway!

[WilDun]

This was the ad that Suzuki used for the T500 when it first landed in the USA! - They obviously had never heard of the (watercooled) Scott - 50 odd years before!
I am glad to see that Americans don't seem to say "Dual Stroke" or more especially "Dual Cycle" for two strokes anymore! (that could of course be because the younger generation have never even heard of them!).

[ATTACH=https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=333588&d=1512080090]333590[/ATTACH]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2...el-two-stroke/

[Michael Moore]

note the asterisk -- they were the world's first *posi-force" 500.

Dual-stroke sounds like the product of a Japanese advertising company, I've never heard that used before.

[guyhockley]

I know the split single/twingle discussion was originally on the ESE thread but it seems more appropriate here and this is going to be a somewhat inconclusive post, anyway.
Last week, or so, I was looking at the website of an engine manufactor. Their main products were flat twin 2 strokes for UAVs or models but they had an experimental split single. The secondary, much smaller, piston was used as part of the fuel system along the lines of the FAST system to enable it to run on "heavy fuel". Trouble is, I can't remember the name and can't find it in my browser history or a Google search so no link, I'm afraid.

[Grumph]

A bit of an appeal here....
Talking to Ken Macintosh at Levels yesterday, we remarked on the Lyster Matchless on display. Actually although it's now got a 7R engine in it, us oldies remember it as having a G50 fitted when it won two NZ titles...
However, Ken realised I've got a part built Lyster Honda in the shed and asked if I knew what had happened to the "half-an-Imp" 500 that Colin built.
Ken's got a mate who's very interested in either tracking it down or building a replica...

I know the bike features in a couple of books but I've never heard what happened to it. Personally, I suspect it may have donated the rolling chassis to the 8V 450 honda project...

Michael, anyone ever supplied you with any information ? You've filled in some of the 450's history by putting up pics of it in the US after it had disappeared from the UK.

[WilDun]

note the asterisk -- they were the world's first *posi-force" 500.

Dual-stroke sounds like the product of a Japanese advertising company, I've never heard that used before.

Michael, That ad was always an enigma to me and is the only time I have heard of "Dual Stroke" also - you are probably right about it having been produced by an advertising company who really didn't know what they were describing when hired by Suzuki - I can see some confusion showing through there - however, it was the only 500cc twin two stroke on the market at the time I guess.
I think the T500 sold itself quite well (despite the strange advertising) - pity it eventually had to succumb to the Suzuki four strokes!
The words "Dual Cycle" seem to be gradually disappearing from the scene these days.

[guyhockley]

Sadly, it's been rebuilt and is now probably an investment opportunity rather than a bike.
https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...0-a6b9011ba9ad
Pretty sure one of my brother-in-laws magazines (Classic Bike, maybe?) has an article about the restoration.
Wasn't there also a half-Ford Lyster along similar lines?