post your motorbikes

[john87]

Ok, so i have got a bike.. It is a 1959 Francis Barnett Falcon81.

 

It was given to me by a gentleman from Uckfield. His dad had given it to him in 1970 for him to use to go to work and back in the year before he left to go to university. In 1975, for some reason his dad stripped it right down and that was how it remained for the next 42 year...

 

In about 2007 the chap concerned was helping clear out his dads house as his dad was moving i would presume. Anyway, he came across the bike in the garage. He assumed it had been scrapped years ago, but no, his dad had kept it.

 

He took it home with him to uckfield, and it remained here for another 10 years..

 

The bloke gave it to me for nothing, as he did not want any money, he just "do not want it to all be sold for bits and want it to go to someone that could put it all back together"

 

So, that i did. I did not "restore" it, it was far too good for that. I just wanted to put it all back together exactly as it was back in 1975 when his dad took it all to bits..

 

The ONLY bit that was missing, was one tank badge, but i had one of them!!

 

john..

[Doug Tait]

7 minutes ago, john87 said:

Ok, so i have got a bike.. It is a 1959 Francis Barnett Falcon81.

 

It was given to me by a gentleman from Uckfield. His dad had given it to him in 1970 for him to use to go to work and back in the year before he left to go to university. In 1975, for some reason his dad stripped it right down and that was how it remained for the next 42 year...

 

In about 2007 the chap concerned was helping clear out his dads house as his dad was moving i would presume. Anyway, he came across the bike in the garage. He assumed it had been scrapped years ago, but no, his dad had kept it.

 

He took it home with him to uckfield, and it remained here for another 10 years..

 

The bloke gave it to me for nothing, as he did not want any money, he just "do not want it to all be sold for bits and want it to go to someone that could put it all back together"

 

So, that i did. I did not "restore" it, it was far too good for that. I just wanted to put it all back together exactly as it was back in 1975 when his dad took it all to bits..

 

The ONLY bit that was missing, was one tank badge, but i had one of them!!

 

john..

Nice John, even had the May '75 Tax Disc with it! How much would that have been...

[openspaceman]

2 minutes ago, Doug Tait said:

Nice John, even had the May '75 Tax Disc with it! How much would that have been...

8 quid IIRC

[john87]

4 minutes ago, Doug Tait said:

Nice John, even had the May '75 Tax Disc with it! How much would that have been...

Yes, and i have the last mot too!!  Here is the tax disc and a scan of the MOT..

 

[Doug Tait]

5 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

8 quid IIRC

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

[john87]

8 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

8 quid IIRC

I expect it varied according to the size of the bike, You must have had a bigger one as mine is only a 197..

 

john..

[Macpherson]

Good stuff, this takes me back to my school days where I started with Villiers engines ... I can't quite see, is it a 9e  ?

 

Did spot the non standard Mk1 concentric😁..cheers.

[john87]

4 minutes ago, Macpherson said:

Good stuff, this takes me back to my school days where I started with Villiers engines ... I can't quite see, is it a 9e  ?

 

Did spot the non standard Mk1 concentric😁..cheers.

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..

 

[coppice cutter]

I bought this twenty something years ago for £1450.

 

Haven't ridden it for 20 odd years, but I still have it stuffed away in a corner among a clatter of other things with an old duvet over it.

 

Sometime I'll trail it out and get it going again and get it cleaned up.

 

 

[john87]

14 minutes ago, coppice cutter said:

I bought this twenty something years ago for £1450.

 

Haven't ridden it for 20 odd years, but I still have it stuffed away in a corner among a clatter of other things with an old duvet over it.

 

Sometime I'll trail it out and get it going again and get it cleaned up.

 

 

 

Ahhh... Many years a go i knew someone that had a 250 suzuki that they bought standard in the local bike shop. They raced it in the "clubmans"??? class at the TT races, and, up against all the works sponsored people came 6th apparently, so believe me, they could ride a bike and knew what they were on about. [They showed me a set of tyres once.. OMG, they looked like they had been half melted and wire brushed..]

 

Now, one day somebody appeared with the same bike as you have. My racing friend said that they were an unbelieveable thing and, my god, fast would not be the word for it.. So, that is quite some bike you have there..!!

 

john..