First Build Underway

Ok, the plot thickens. Why did you have to have it destroyed. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

Steve.

What I'm wondering is why did they want you to destroy it in the first place. Illegal to bring into the country or what other reason?

Steve

Thanks. We get to have 500 watt electric motors here. When they made the laws some people wanted to limit us to 250 watts but at least someone was smarter than they were.

Sad to think that you were forced to spend all that money because of a bunch of Government hacks. I think that every country has them.
I just want to find were they bred so we can stamp them out.

Steve.

That seems ridiculous Whitey, i would have tried to fight that. Yes its illegal to ride a motorized bike, but i dont think its illegal to own one. You can import drag cars from America which would never meet our road rules, my point is why couldnt you say it was just a display or to be used on private property or you could say it would be raced at local race tracks. Or customs are probably silly enough to tell them its an offroad dirtbike......... What happened to you doesnt seem right to me.

If you are willing to use the Honda clone, why wouldnt you use a Morini clone? Im sure you can upgrade the internals, just the same as you need to do with the Honda clone. Just a thought. I have a 5.5hp genuine Honda myself but have seen the clones on EBay and they are cheap enough. Not sure if these are the same Honda clones all these guys in the states are using

Fair enough. It just seems odd that you cant bring your bike in yet they sell kits on EBay and they obviously came into the country.

So do you still plan to try and find a Morini, and if you cant you will use a Honda clone? You do realise that most (i think) are doing internal mods on those clones they are using

I don't know the nature of your school project or if it requires certain parameters on the engine, but you might consider the use of a used engine, as from a moped or light motorcycle. I see that some of the Villiers engines of higher than 98CC are available in Oz. I don't know if you could locate a vintage model 1932 Sachs engine... very well made with German engineering and designed for light motorcycles/bicycle frames. These are two speed, would fit in your frame and have a vintage board tracker look. My guess is you could find one for less money than the Honda Clone and be happier with the result. Fasteddy and I both are planning to use the Sachs for our Indian builds. For my purposes, it is the best engine choice I have seen. Good luck to you whatever you do.
SB

At one point I was thinking to use the 98CC Villiars engine that Harry76 and Cam NZ are using for their builds. In following their threads I saw that modifications had to be made to the engine crankshaft and then make up a jackshaft, etc. and realized it was more complicated that it first appeared, which is fine if your are able to do those things. I'm not. I have just simple tools and I am no machinist. Then Fasteddy bought a model 1932 Fitcher Sachs on ebay and it looked perfect. Sachs of Germany made a million (hundreds of thousand anyway) of them to supply the many motorcycle companies in Germany before and after WWII. They are not industrial engines made for something else, but were designed for heavy bicycle frames and light motorcycles. They were concerned with weight, power and reliability. Their engine was so good it cornered the market in Germany. It is made of aluminum alloys, has 98 CC displacement and a built in lighting coil (Bosch). Like a Morini, it is compact with quality materials and beautiful engineering. The two speed transmission gives it quick low range and hill climbing power and the higher range capability for smooth cruising. Clutch is manual and wet bath, as I understand it. A shift lever changes gears. The reputation is that they were bullet proof which is why they cornered the market. They were made from 1932 into the 1950's. In a few more weeks Steve and I will be at work on our Indians and will have these engines in hand. I can hardly wait. Mine will have my canoe sidecar and I believe this engine will be capable of pushing the Indian with an adult passenger in the sidecar. No, I am not a salesman for Sachs. Ha! Just saying, that maybe instead of looking at industrial motors designed for other purposes, it might be worth a look to see what motors designed for light motorcycles are out there and available. You might find your perfect motor for that board tracker right in Oz and maybe for less money than you imagined. For my Indian I have no modifications to make to the engine. All I need to do is set up engine mounts on the frame (I have seen both welded and bolt on mounts for these), purchase a MM hub adapter and sprocket of the right size and that's it. No belt drive, no jackshaft and no having the crankshaft modified in a machine shop. Simple is good.
SB

The ones we're getting look a little different, but very similar. Maybe Sachs is still making a newer version, I don't know. I'll look around for some links. I think there might be a couple in the Indian Tadpole thread and will look later. Or look it up on google and there's a lot of stuff. There are a couple German forum sights where you can click on an English translation and read up on stuff. In staring at that engine you posted it looks a little more like a moped setup, under the frame. The ones Steve and I are getting sit in the frame like a Morini.
SB

PAGE 48. German Cyclemotors: Fichtel & Sachs ‘Model 1932′ engine; 1935 Triumph TS100 www.Cyclemaster.co.uk
Here you go... lots of pictures and some history, specifications, etc.
SB

From that site are a few photos of a 1935 Triumph with a frame similar to a board track racer. I copied and posted in the following commentary...

"Obviously it’s a lightweight, so it’s very much easier to manage than an old flat-tank; but the high ride-height and throttle lever are similar, and the two-speed 98cc Fichtel & Sachs engine definitely chugs along doing an excellent impersonation of a twenties motorcycle."

See why I'm excited about this engine? I have no idea if it is as fast as a Morini. But it is fast enough and I love the way it looks. Rings my bells...

SB

Whitey,
The Sachs also has a 2 speed trans to help it off the line. I bought the first Sachs by chance when looking at ebay. The strange part was it was from the same chap that I bought the Villiers from that Silverbear was fitting in his bike. We were going to import some more but the chap I lined up turned out to be very unreliable dispite being touted as "the" Villiers dealer in Britian.

The chap selling the Sachs motors is about 4 hours away from Silverbear so it worked out very well for us.

I emailed him to see if he had another one and he was able to build one up that Silverbear is putting in his bike. He doesn't have enough to build any more. He is a major restorer of motor bikes and scooters in the US and was thinning out his spare parts.

I did ask if he had a source for buying these motors but it seems he just bought them off the internet.

There is a couple of members on the forum who are from Germany and may help you find a motor if you ask.

Steve.

Got some bad news though Whitey.... it seems there is now 2 of us in Australia looking for one of these beauties.... LOL

And the race starts......NOW!

Steve.