At my local motorcycle meet last night I came across this unusual take on a trike. It seems to be based on a Honda Blackbird back end, grafted onto an F1-like front end. It will take a pillion passenger, seated just ahead of the aerofoil. I was impressed by the standard of design and construction but never got the chance to speak with the owner unfortunately, so cannot add much more!
I went to the meeting on my recently re-furbished 1989 Moto Guzzi Mille, which I have converted to a 60s-style cafe racer. Since taking this picture, I have changed the silencers for classic Lafranconis, which sound wonderful and seem to have improved performance.
Off Topic- Boys Toys
Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
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Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
Keep the trike; gimme gimme gimme the Guzzi! 
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
Obviously another hopeless Guzzi fan then!
I am pleased with the final result, and it goes very well now I have finished balancing the carbs. It handles pretty well too - the TT100s seem to suit it.
Just need more of this weather now to enjoy putting a few miles on the clock. I bought this bike as a basket case that had been stripped down many years ago and then left for some reason. The downside is that it needed re-wiring, fuel/carburation sorting, new tank, seat, fairing and silencers. The upside is that the engine and transmission have only done a genuine 15,800 miles with MOTs to prove it and the previous owner had at least re-built the brakes well with new high-quality hoses and all new seals. The Akront rims and spokes are original fitting (an option when the bike was new in 1989) and in good condition. The frame has been re-painted quite well, but not powder coated.
V-twin heaven now
Also, if you need any tree stumps pulling out of your garden, just attach a chain and the Guzzi will do it!
I am pleased with the final result, and it goes very well now I have finished balancing the carbs. It handles pretty well too - the TT100s seem to suit it.
Just need more of this weather now to enjoy putting a few miles on the clock. I bought this bike as a basket case that had been stripped down many years ago and then left for some reason. The downside is that it needed re-wiring, fuel/carburation sorting, new tank, seat, fairing and silencers. The upside is that the engine and transmission have only done a genuine 15,800 miles with MOTs to prove it and the previous owner had at least re-built the brakes well with new high-quality hoses and all new seals. The Akront rims and spokes are original fitting (an option when the bike was new in 1989) and in good condition. The frame has been re-painted quite well, but not powder coated.
V-twin heaven now
Also, if you need any tree stumps pulling out of your garden, just attach a chain and the Guzzi will do it!
1 in 10 people understands binary. The other one doesn't
Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
Not quite; Bavarian horizontally opposed twins are my thing but I am not such a snob that I can't acknowledge a blinkin' nice bike when I see one.rob565uk wrote:Obviously another hopeless Guzzi fan then!
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
If you want stumps pulling then you want my mate 'Phil the Train's Pride and Joy - also restored from 'Basket Case' condition:rob565uk wrote: <snip>
I bought this bike as a basket case
<snip>
Also, if you need any tree stumps pulling out of your garden, just attach a chain and the Guzzi will do it!
What you see (hopefully) above is a Thwaites Tusker convertible Digger/Dumper - as restored by Phil (the photo shows it not quite finished) from rusted scrap in his home workshop (full of 40's and 50's machine tools) and used for gardening and trips, in Dumper mode, to the local Spar. You can get an awful lot of groceries in a 11 cubic yard skip...
He's the sort of guy that, when initially faced with the need to do some welding, finds a scrapped 1960's Arc Welding unit and rebuilds it, rewiring and rewinding as required, THEN does the welding. He also gets scrap pieces of machinery given to him in peoples wills.
In between all this he dangles off ropes in disused mines, restores canals, custom makes solid fuel stoves to fit an old cottage chimney and drives shockingly modern trains...
No doubt if he was nearer he would be restoring scrap 1950's Rivet Guns and using them on K7.
Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
Great story and an even greater character by the sound of it! He could be a possible successor to a certain Mr F Dibnah from what you saysbt wrote: In between all this he dangles off ropes in disused mines, restores canals, custom makes solid fuel stoves to fit an old cottage chimney and drives shockingly modern trains...
No doubt if he was nearer he would be restoring scrap 1950's Rivet Guns and using them on K7.
1 in 10 people understands binary. The other one doesn't
Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
Most kind, thanks. I admire the engineering of BMW but many years ago fell in love with the Italian style and sheer un-breakability of big-block Guzzis and this has developed into a serious Guzzi habit.....this is my 5th .....mtskull wrote:[ Bavarian horizontally opposed twins are my thing but I am not such a snob that I can't acknowledge a blinkin' nice bike when I see one.
1 in 10 people understands binary. The other one doesn't
Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
Over the last 12 months I have had a lot of fun restoring my 1951 Cyclemaster
As a boy, I used to see these and other cyclemotors on the road and was fascinated by them. This one came up on Ebay last year, so I took the plunge. The bicycle is a 1945 Wearwell with a 1951 Cyclemaster rear wheel fitted. This is completely self-contained within the rear wheel, with just a throttle and clutch controlled from the handlebars via cables. The rather smart sidestand was broken but expertly welded back together by a certain Mr Bill Smith....
The engine is a beautifully designed disc-valve 25.7cc two-stroke breathing through a tiny Amal carb from the 2.5 pint fuel tank, which will take you up to 70-80 miles depending on the terrain and headwinds. It has magneto ignition and fixed gearing, good for up to 20-22 mph on a level road with no headwind. To get started, one starts pedalling with the clutch pulled in and once a few mph is reached, the clutch is released and the engine starts.
The power is quoted as 0.6 h.p. (a later "big bore" 32cc model produced 0.8 h.p.) which is not enough to power away from a standing start, so light pedal assistance or LPA is need for starting, gradients over 6% and strong headwinds. But despite all that, the machine is a lot of fun and the amazingly perky little engine produces nice noises and in my case, a huge grin factor
These machines have a registration number - in my case a nice 3 letter, 3 digit plate and therefore need an MOT and insurance for road use. I was therefore amazed to discover that in a relatively recent change, vehicles manufactured before 1960 no longer require MOT testing - which I find somewhat counter-intuitive.
When I got the machine, the engine was virtually impossible to start because it had little or no crankcase compression and once started, noisy main bearings. In addition, the rims were in poor condition. I decided to do a sympathetic rebuild, renewing as little as possible in an effort to keep the nice patina of age the machine possessed. The engine was originally of German/Dutch design, so the main bearings and crankcase seals are standard metric items, still available off the shelf from my local engineering stockist. I made my own gaskets and sourced one or two other items like points from Ebay and enthusiast groups links. My local bike shop rebuilt the wheels and the new spokes are a little bright yet - I am waiting for them to fade in keeping. The bike had the wrong seat fitted - it was a modern type - but I found the used period type now fitted.
The float height was wrong in the carb, producing a tendency to flood and four-stroking. This needed some head-scratching but in the end I corrected it by adding a suitable spacer washer under the float valve seat.
My only modern concession is the use of a cutting-edge two stroke oil for the 24:1 petroil mix. It burns with little or no smoke and reduces plug fouling.
I never knew 25.7 cc could be such fun and the many of the local neighbourhood boys want to know where they can get one fitted to their bikes !
As a boy, I used to see these and other cyclemotors on the road and was fascinated by them. This one came up on Ebay last year, so I took the plunge. The bicycle is a 1945 Wearwell with a 1951 Cyclemaster rear wheel fitted. This is completely self-contained within the rear wheel, with just a throttle and clutch controlled from the handlebars via cables. The rather smart sidestand was broken but expertly welded back together by a certain Mr Bill Smith....
The engine is a beautifully designed disc-valve 25.7cc two-stroke breathing through a tiny Amal carb from the 2.5 pint fuel tank, which will take you up to 70-80 miles depending on the terrain and headwinds. It has magneto ignition and fixed gearing, good for up to 20-22 mph on a level road with no headwind. To get started, one starts pedalling with the clutch pulled in and once a few mph is reached, the clutch is released and the engine starts.
The power is quoted as 0.6 h.p. (a later "big bore" 32cc model produced 0.8 h.p.) which is not enough to power away from a standing start, so light pedal assistance or LPA is need for starting, gradients over 6% and strong headwinds. But despite all that, the machine is a lot of fun and the amazingly perky little engine produces nice noises and in my case, a huge grin factor
These machines have a registration number - in my case a nice 3 letter, 3 digit plate and therefore need an MOT and insurance for road use. I was therefore amazed to discover that in a relatively recent change, vehicles manufactured before 1960 no longer require MOT testing - which I find somewhat counter-intuitive.
When I got the machine, the engine was virtually impossible to start because it had little or no crankcase compression and once started, noisy main bearings. In addition, the rims were in poor condition. I decided to do a sympathetic rebuild, renewing as little as possible in an effort to keep the nice patina of age the machine possessed. The engine was originally of German/Dutch design, so the main bearings and crankcase seals are standard metric items, still available off the shelf from my local engineering stockist. I made my own gaskets and sourced one or two other items like points from Ebay and enthusiast groups links. My local bike shop rebuilt the wheels and the new spokes are a little bright yet - I am waiting for them to fade in keeping. The bike had the wrong seat fitted - it was a modern type - but I found the used period type now fitted.
The float height was wrong in the carb, producing a tendency to flood and four-stroking. This needed some head-scratching but in the end I corrected it by adding a suitable spacer washer under the float valve seat.
My only modern concession is the use of a cutting-edge two stroke oil for the 24:1 petroil mix. It burns with little or no smoke and reduces plug fouling.
I never knew 25.7 cc could be such fun and the many of the local neighbourhood boys want to know where they can get one fitted to their bikes !
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Piston Broke
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Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
Now where have I heard that beforerenewing as little as possible in an effort to keep the nice patina of age the machine possessed
Nice machine Checkie if you start off now you might make it to the workshop at the weekend on it
The reason I was told that pre 1960 machines don't need an mot is that anyone keeping a vehicle that old running is a enthusiast and therefore will be looking after his/her pride and joy to an exceptional standard
If it can't be fixed with duck tape it can't be fixed
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"
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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"
Facebook is to socialising is what masturbation is to sex
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Renegadenemo
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Re: Off Topic- Boys Toys
Those of us who watch Checkie arrive on his other two-wheeled conveyances know of his thick, fully-encapsulating leather suit and helmet with intercom. Now can you see the mental image I can see?
I'm only a plumber from Cannock...
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.
"As to reward, my profession is its own reward;" Sherlock Holmes.
'It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.' W.C. Fields.