Hello
MarkNWhen I first read your post I was dismissive.
There was overwhelming primary evidence from Victa that the
decompressor was released in late 1971 for the
1972 season.
A huge marketing campaign - maybe Victa's biggest - ensued.
Everyone zipped on their doo-dahs ...
However, that Service Guide did throw a spanner.
Why would a non-Victa branded machine be the first ... ?
Because the 'Green Book' is a sort of
Oracle at Delphi in
what it doesn't say, and ambiguous in what it does say,
I took a different approach....
I knew that central to the decompressor was Victa's new
[lighter] rewind starter. Victa's reliance on North American
starter designs prevailed in the 1960s, and the Victa Kirby 4-strokes
outsold their own 2-strokes for most of the 1960s.
So, when did the new Victa rewind starter first appear?
[The premise being it was designed with a decompressor in mind].
It would appear that it first appeared on ... Victa's
Key-Electric in 1968.
That was a Kirby 4-stroke! [It was a back-up starter].
The first Victa 2-stroke to use the new starter was the
160cc Pace Premierof
1970-71 [and the 125cc Utility of the same year].
I guess you see where this is going...
There is a real possibility - confirmed by your unearthing of
SG79 -
that the Pace Premier was first used to trial the decompressor [and maybe
the 125 Utility]. Brilliant work!
No, I have not been able to date the Service Guide. Damn
Many thanks----------------------------
Jackp.s. I attach a collation of the V1 Green Book about this.
