post your motorbikes

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Doug Tait said:

That Sir, off the top of your head, is impressive. I can't even remember what I paid to tax my pickup this year.

Well I was wrong for this bike. By 1975 I had reverted to a bike for commuting to work and that was a bantam D14-4 with 175cc so would have been the same tax. My earlier bikes between 1967 and 1971 were bigger so may have had higher tax.

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, john87 said:

It is indeed a 9E.

The original engine, [a 10E, they are the same apart from on a 10E the outer cases do not have the ribs on them and the inlet manifold is different] blew up, [rod though the cases] in 1969. It was replaced by the 9E.

 

The replacement engine is a VERY rare model though, it was supplied by villiers to a firm called "aerokarts" for use in a racing go-kart.

 

I still have the original engine here, but as the replacement 9E was installed in 1969, you could deem that it was pretty much original too.

 

The 10E manifold is different, as the 9E was installed leaning forwards, but Francis Barnett had to be different and tilted the engine backwards so the cylinder was vertical. This is why they used cases with no ribs so it would not look like a 9E tipped backwards and a different manifold so the carb would be level.

 

My carb is the original villiers carb that would have been on the original 10E, although it does look like an Amal in them photos. Here is a better photo that shows the carb more clearly.

 

john..

 

I had a Villiers 197cc trials bike back in the day . Can't remember but it may have used the same Fanny B engine ?

[john87]

8 minutes ago, Stubby said:

I had a Villiers 197cc trials bike back in the day . Can't remember but it may have used the same Fanny B engine ?

Yes, it would almost certainly have been the same engine as i have, the 197cc 9E. Could possibly have been the earlier 8E, but unlikely..

 

john..

[rodp]

42 minutes ago, Stubby said:

I had a Villiers 197cc trials bike back in the day . Can't remember but it may have used the same Fanny B engine ?

I trialled a 250 Greeves Scottish for ages (and took my test on it), it weighed about 4 tons and had the power of a battery powered airbed inflator 😔. I moved from that to a brand new slimline Bultaco 250 prepared by John Gaskel, it was bliss and heaven. On known climbs the Bultaco would do in third what the Greeves needed first for, and they wonder why British bikes died out 🙄

[john87]

3 hours ago, rodp said:

I trialled a 250 Greeves Scottish for ages (and took my test on it), it weighed about 4 tons and had the power of a battery powered airbed inflator 😔. I moved from that to a brand new slimline Bultaco 250 prepared by John Gaskel, it was bliss and heaven. On known climbs the Bultaco would do in third what the Greeves needed first for, and they wonder why British bikes died out 🙄

Ha ha ha ha..... I know!!! i love my bike, but for everyday rideability you would be far better off with a honda 50. I mean, the jump between 1st and 2nd is insane.. At the end of the day, british bikes were badly designed cheaply made shit [ever looked at an ariel leader] or what amounted to industrial engines stuck in a bike frame. I mean, in the early 1970's who but a loon would buy a BSA C15 instead of a Honda CB250 or a Suzuki 250

 

john..

[Stubby]

3 minutes ago, john87 said:

Ha ha ha ha..... I know!!! i love my bike, but for everyday rideability you would be far better off with a honda 50. I mean, the jump between 1st and 2nd is insane.. At the end of the day, british bikes were badly designed cheaply made shit [ever looked at an ariel leader] or what amounted to industrial engines stuck in a bike frame. I mean, in the early 1970's who but a loon would buy a BSA C15 instead of a Honda CB250 or a Suzuki 250

 

john..

I had an Ariel Arrow ( a leader with out all the tin work ) Used to accelerate ( I use the word advisedly ) up to about 72 mph in 3rd , the click 4th and it would creep back down to 65mph . 

[Baldbloke]

Took a chance on a non working R1150 R a few weeks ago that the owner was sick of and not willing to spend more money on it. Inoperative clutch in spite of a new slave cylinder and complete clutch kit. Wouldn’t start and some of the four throttle cables were frayed. A second hand switch, cables, a master cylinder repair kit and a full service got me another serviceable bike

 

[Baldbloke]

Yellow issues at the
moment, but hoping to even it up by selling the Daytona when I pick up another red bike in a week or so

[john87]

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

I had an Ariel Arrow ( a leader with out all the tin work ) Used to accelerate ( I use the word advisedly ) up to about 72 mph in 3rd , the click 4th and it would creep back down to 65mph . 

Was the Arrow was a 200?? I know the leader was a 250 or did the Arrow come in two sizes??

 

john..

[Macpherson]

9 hours ago, john87 said:

My carb is the original villiers carb that would have been on the original 10E, although it does look like an Amal in them photos. Here is a better photo that shows the carb more clearly.

 

 

Yeah, serves me right for being a smart ass and I do vaguely remember that Villiers carb.. screw on floatbowl or just held up in the centre by a brass nut and fibre washer? I might remember that wrong, but thinking about it I'll go for the latter.

 

I don't remember ever seeing a 10e but plenty of 11's... it's so long ago.

 

Many of the Villiers engines that I had contact with back in the early 70's were in go karts or invalid carriages, they had more torque than the average 2 stroke due to the large brass flywheel, the first engine I ever stripped down was a 6e.. the Albion gearbox had 3 forward gears + reverse👍

 

I think I've still got a Villiers 150 cc that came out of a James. Cheers.