OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Hello Everyone!

G'day,
Remember me? That Guy from the USA who Pretends to be Australian?

I've been away for awhile, But I've come back over the winter (summer for you guys) months to read and reply a bit.

-Kori

Hi Kori, I noticed you haven't been around, welcome back. I hope you found some interesting American mowers to tell us about, while you've been gone.

Ah, The American arm of Odk has retuned! I thought you were pretending to be dead....Welcome back K:) As you can see, the rif raf is still here causing havock....Beams*

I hope so, I have far more mowers than I did when I was here last.. Been busy too.. Buying and selling Ride-ons and Pushmowers and got a new workshop.

I also got Moped Fever, But More about that later.

-Kori

Hey BlueGMHT, Long time no see!

I was hoping to See Joe Carroll around here, But it seems his account has been banned.. What did he do this time

-Kori

His account wasn't banned Kori, he decided to leave for a while, and I think he disposed of a lot of his mowers. I hope he'll be back before long. We certainly want him, and always have.

Mopeds.....Coool! Did you do a drag Version? Lols .Im sure Joe will come and play again soon, and yes as Grumps says he is missed.

So where are all the New Wild Wierd and Whacky Mowers youve found,
Any old Rarities for me to peek at?

oh joe is here

Here's My two Mopeds, They are Old Solexes.. Solex are quite prevalent over here in the USA, I think they were sold in Australia also.. But never really caught on from what I've heard.



The first one is a 1970 S4800 Model, 49CC 0.8HP Top Speed of about 20mph (32kph) I bought this one on Craigslist with the engine in about 6 boxes of bits.. Amazing everything is all there.. And It runs as well as it does.



The second one is a 1982 4600 Mark II, Same engine, Same Speed.. But It has better lights and Better brakes.. This one was also bought from Craigslist and all it needed was the old gas cleaned out.. It had been sitting for about 5 years, So the gas was like Jelly


I Haven't gotten any particularly interesting mowers recently, But here's an old 1974 Ariens 21LMS That I scored from Craigslist for $10.. Tecumseh LAV Gearstart engine runs great.. This was the first year to have the friction disc self propel system.


As for Joe, I assumed by his greyed out name he had been banned. I remember hearing he or his wife were having some health issues that were keeping him from doing mowers as much as he used to.. I hope he rejoins us soon.. He's a great bloke.

-Kori

I drove around Europe at Easter in 1971 and don't recall seeing a Solex moped except in Amsterdam, where there were quite a few of them. They weren't really competitive even there, though, where there were more mopeds than bicycles, and far fewer cars than bicycles. The young people were riding what I would call "cheater" mopeds: they had engines right on the size limit, fairly highly tuned, with 4 speed foot-shift motorcycle-style gearboxes and manual clutches. They had two cotter pin positions in the pedal shaft, and were only ever seen with the two cranks beside each other and both of them pulled up out of the way of the regular motorcycle pedals. In other words, they were motorcycles with some pretend-pedals on them to make them legally mopeds. Only elderly people were seen on Solexes. It is interesting that Honda didn't ever make a cheater version of the original Cub: I think it might have sold, and still be selling now.

Coool!
Love them mate...The first looks more dated...
Im looking for another Villiers Autocycle, a few have passed and few Malvern Stars as well.
I previously restored a 26 J Harley with Pup; but they are just getting to hard to find, so im going to do Another Autocycle...Truthfully the full size Autocycles other than frame guage and cc they arent much different to the earky motocycles ...40's Will be nice and Ive got a nice Autocycle engine with mounts intact when I can find the right bike.

Im currently helping a mate with his 36 Velocette Racer. ..The Purists cried when we cut this up and modded it as they are beyond rare...

Anyways Im loving the black Solex...especially the Bell lols. I think the black makes it look older...:)

Since you like it so much Blue, Here's some more photos.



Here it is next to a typical Mountain Bike.



In this picture, You can see the Mud flap, Tool Box, And Taillight


[video][/video]
I mistakenly said it was a 1966 in this video.. I have also fixed the fuel leek that I mentioned.

Kori

I enjoyed the video, Kori, mostly because of the way you presented it, but also because you gave a lot of interesting details on the bike. I'm not about to become a Solex fan, but from what you said it seems the US regulations give it some advantages over the mopeds it has to compete with in Europe.

Cooool! Ha ha Why didnt you use the bell? What a weapon! It has more features than id expected. Brake system is good and with the shut off makes it safer. I tend to agree, this is Not a moped...This is an Autocycle/Motorized Cycle" and would have different regulations to a Moped...

Thanks K'

If I'm to believe Wikipedia, Blue, it can't qualify as an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) motorized bicycle for unregistered use in Australia, because there is a power limit of 200 Watts here. That is 0.27 hp, compared with the Solex's claimed 0.7 horsepower:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorized_bicycle#Australia_2

I must say, I've never seen a legitimate motor-assisted bicycle here with anything like the performance of the Solex.

Incidentally the Wikipedia article uses a Solex as its sole illustration of an ICE bicycle, which is in line with Kori's report that it conforms with regulations there.

As a side note, Wikipedia reports that Queensland does not permit any form of ICE bicycles - in that state it is electric power only. From some very quick reading on the US, a number of states there also only allow electric power.

Yes your correct Grumpy...Im pretty sure all states now have complete bans or very restricted rules regarding Motorized bikes...

However My reference was for when it was released, and in comparrison to Moped needing a licence.
Up until very recently it was still legal to use a motorized Cycle in NSW.
Whereas a Moped has always needed a licence, generally a normal car licence.

Basically over the last 15 years with the rise of the scooter and chinese bike kits the rules have changed many times, until now you cannot use them. Safety was the issue, but in my opinion it was more the fact that they wernt making money from licencing...


As far as the speed goes, id say the Solex is about the same as most of the ones ive used.
And yes, the Illegal later model kits are fast...too fast for a bike in my opinion, and another reason they were banned.

What are the rules regarding this in the US Kori?

Im looking for one similar to this to restore next.
And I will need a licence for it:)

Looks like NSW doesn't allow ICE motorised bicycles now, only electrics.

Vic still does, but only <200W engines.

The recent [last 10 years or so] changes to the road rules were pretty much triggered by the advent of the Asian made 'monkey bikes', some of which were up to ~2/3 scale road bike replicas with 50cc engines.

But they were nowhere near ADR compliant [therefore not able to be registered here], and had all sorts of safety/quality issues [brakes, throttles, footpegs, steering, no kill switches...]. That got them banned from sale [though there are still importers that try it], as well as the road rules changes.

Before the rules changed, I used to see a couple of these things being ridden around the streets in Sale, Vic by eejits with no road sense; every time, I just had to shake my head and think that the sooner they were put off the road, the better. That's from the perspective of a '30+ year licensed' motorcyclist...

Some States [QLD, WA, NT and SA] permit ADR-compliant LA-class 50cc scooters [i.e. no pedals] to be ridden on a car licence now, but the scooter still needs to be registered/third party cover insured.

Blue, that looks similar to the old Malvern Star mopeds from the 1950s. I never could understand why anyone bought them: you needed a bike licence, they had to be registered as motorcycles, and their performance and convenience was woeful even compared with the ubiquitous BSA Bantam, which with its regrettable 3 speed gearbox, was a pain in the backside too. Now the Super Bantam was a different kettle of fish, but I only ever saw one of those.

It seems remarkable that Victoria ended up with the most tolerant attitude to powered bicycles: it is traditionally just about the most restrictive state.

Well Spotted Mate:). Yes this is a Malvern star Auto byk...byke.
They were made for about 15 or so years.

You have a good point...why? I guess maybe for the same reason as they are popular in modern times. Not having been around back then I cant attest to their efficiency, but I have owned one from this period and it was more powerful than youd think.

At a guess I would say, cost, weight and perhaps safety (meaning less speed and risk of injury over a motorcycle. If youve ever ridden an old bike of the 20, s to 40s you will understand my meaning.
My Harley was a pup (350) but they also came in V twin and some exceeded 1000cc. Ive ridden a side shift 600 and it was scary enough. Maybealso the use for females of the era was more appropriate, and the fact it could be easily pedaled or walked....Pushing a motorbike of this era is not much easier than todays models.

Keep in mind also that power units ranged from (av) 50 cc 70cc 98cc up to 122 cc...these were the more common sizes. So power for some variants was not an issue.

I guess more research would be required to see if they were truly viable, but I do know they were very popular.

Also the war may have had an impact due to materials over a larger Motocycle, making it a more viable form of transport at the time...This may be proved by the date range, late 30's to early 50's

As you may know the WLA Harley models were mostly earmarked for war.

I personally just find them appealing as I do most thing from this era.

Yes Victoria is a funny state, they can go from one extreme to another. ..lower speed limits but less stringent on Automtive applications like Engine capacity. You use to be able to have any mod you wanted and Vic is the muscle car capital of Aus...As is Canberra.

One other point as far as im aware, is that you didnt need a bike license exclusively. ..You could legally ride these with a normal car license...

Anyways Im aiming for a 98cc or higher...cause I am a big boy of 6 6" but its more about the restoration than the ride, as Eventually I plan to get another Pre 30's Harley. ..just have to be patient

With those motorized bike kit things.. Almost anything goes.. Although if you are going over the speed limit.. the police will write you a ticket..

That being said, I've seen bikes doing 40MPH In a 10MPH Zone before.. And nobody has bothered them..

I am also In Ohio.. Which is pretty laid back as far as bikes go.. In other states, they'd demand I license the solex.
Kori

I was a kid in the early 1950s Blue, when the Malvern Star moped was probably at its popularity peak. I don't recall ever seeing a woman on one, though there may have been one exception. More importantly though, I'd say I saw several BSA Bantams for every moped.

You may have something with the "you can always pedal if the engine fails" line. There were a lot of motorbikes in those days, very nearly all of them British, and nearly all of them at least 500 cc. They were ridden by males of barely licensable age up to about about 40 I suppose, and as far as I know, all of the owners maintained them themselves. The mopeds and at least some of the Bantams, on the other hand, were ridden by people who looked as if they were constantly praying for the thing to start when they needed it, since if it didn't, they were clueless. Pedals are a useful argument in selling to people in that frame of mind. I can't imagine most people would actually succeed in pedalling one for any distance, though: they were quite heavy, and the seat seemed far too low for sustained, effective pedalling.

I have a malvern star motorcycle in storage, it has no facility's to pedal, was last road registered in the 50's quite a cool bike, goes really well with its villiers midget engine....
The only pic I have of it handy is with it in the background (it's the black one) the red bike in the foreground is a beardmore precision, one of only 6 known left in the world, it's a family heirloom and will never be available.

G'day Kori good to see ya back

Shes a beauty MM....Very good original condition. I love the single springer front and light assy.

The Precision is Amazing! Ive never seen a leaf set up in the 45 position on any automotive machine, Very cool.

A remarkable original Machine, I was unaware even existed.

The wheels and a few other parts indicate to me 40's. ..is this accurate?

Quite Intriguing. ..Thanks for showing us:)

The other machine looks familiar. ...The tank style looks 20's Motor cycle The Frame thinner than a Motorbike and the rear wheel is Bicycle...May I ask what this is? As it looks a cross between Autocycle and early Motorcycle....But the tank/cowl is huge...I have no idea from the Image....:)

Im trying to get a friends Velocette ive been working on up, but im still having trouble get images up before it times out...grrrrr

The malvern star is 40's I belive (I would have to check with dad, the beardmore is a lot older Would have to check with dad I am led to belive 1920's, grandad used it for motorcycle rallys in the 70's hence more modern tyres, the oldest is on the right, a work in progress, a 1914 bradbury, the frame is the crankcase.

On the beardmore the wheelbase changes depending on the spring position, apparently it could be interesting during cornering, it was handed down on the promise we never ride it. Its very odd, it has what could almost be called a column shift for the gearbox on the handlebar, dont forget the hand claxon horn either!! originally it would have been black, when grandad restored it he hand painted it with a brush, then redid all the original decals with a brush, he was and still is a very talented man.

Begind the bradbury, is one of the hottest N/A holden 202 motors made, thats for my torana.

Yes The bradbury Is what I was refering to:) The tank is the givaway for age...I assumed 20's mostly because there isnt much left from before. This also explains the frame guage...The rear wheel looks bicycle hence more confusion...The Bradbury is the one Id love to own most out of the 3.

Unusual shift, but I think I get your meaning...Ive used a side shift on at least 2 bikes and its a wierd enough challenge. ..

You can race my apprentice then he has a Turbo 202 in his LJ Xu1...Not much can down him..Not even a Porsche GT3

Oh and The Malvo ran from 38 to 52-3 Im sure so 40's would be close enough:)


Eclectic and interesting stuff mate:)

The front suspension on the red bike appears to be a piece of completely wrong-headed design engineering which cannot work except when it shouldn't. Bumps on the front wheel are always received from in front - the distance in front of the tyre contact patch depends on the size of the bump and the radius of the wheel & tyre. However that suspension achieves its "ride movement" by moving the wheel forward, in the opposite direction to the horizontal component of the applied load. Because that bike uses standard bicycle front fork design dimensions, nearly all very small bump effects will be just about exactly in line with a line through the front axle and the pivot at the top of the fork, hence the suspension will not articulate at all. However if you hit a large bump the suspension will articulate backwards, with unfortunate results. Note that the bike seems to have a small front brake, and when it is applied, the front suspension will also articulate backwards. This is an even worse engineering design disaster that the old Morgan Sliding Pillar front suspension, which was simply worthless. In case there are any bike front suspension enthusiasts out there, compare that design with a pivot-type front suspension which actually worked, the one on the old BSA M20, the ubiquitous WW2 British and Australian despatch rider's bike:
http://s4.hubimg.com/u/1220647_f520.jpg

Much more interestingly it seems to have a swinging arm rear suspension, which I can't see properly but actually looks promising. (On the other hand, the Sliding Pillar looks promising until you think about it in detail.) Until I saw that picture I hadn't known any bike had swinging arm rear suspension before Triumph adopted it in about 1952, from memory.

Hi Kori, and welcome back to OutdoorKing. It's been awhile mate...Great to see you posting again.

Hi DeeJay!

It's good to be back around again!

Also, Your name was blue the last time I was here! Congrats on the promotion!

Kori

Thankyou for the compliment Kori, it is a pleasure to be able to assist Bruce more actively on the Admin side of things...I am learning new things all the time....which, I guess, is what OutdoorKing is all about....
Great to see you back mate,