Indian Tadpole

[fasteddy]

Ludwig,
That Gazelle is my personal Holy Grail. There was one like it for sale about 5 hours away from where my son lives in New Hampshire on the U.S. east coast. He was too busy to get it if I bought it and a friend of his who lived near where it was, was in California buying some cars and the seller wasn't going to hold it until one of them could get there.

It was rough from sitting in a barn for 50 years but was all there with a Sachs 98cc motor. I believe it was a German make but I've forgotten the makers name now. I think about making one using a moped or small motorcycle but I'll need to live to be 110 to do everything I have parts for now.

Steve.

 

[Ludwig II]

I think it's Dutch:

http://www.yesterdays.nl/-p-1759.html

 

[Ludwig II]

http://cybermotorcycle.com/euro/brands/gazelle.htm

 

[fasteddy]

Ludwig,
Silverbear and I bought our motors from a leading motorbike, scooter, moped restorer who lives about 5 hours south of Silverbear. He had a go through them so I've never looked inside. I still have to build a bike that will use the motor so I've never had it running but Silverbear has used his but had trouble with the transmission shifting so he's had a look at that.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Ludwig,
The bike I wanted to buy was the cargo trike though if someone was to press me to take a Gazelle motorbike, I would take the time to consider it.

Steve.

 

[Ludwig II]

I was a little stunned at the success of the 98 Sachs in the 30s and 40s when I investigated it. That must have been and absolute rock solid engine for so many builders to use it.

And did you know that the Husqvarna 98 of the late 30s was a modified JLO? Tripped over that fact as well the other day.

 

[Ludwig II]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SACHS-50-...Motors_Manuals_Literature&hash=item5898b73366

 

[Ludwig II]

Are you after the platform in front type? I've got this address of this man. If anybody can find what you want, it's probably him: If you have any questions about this (or any other vehicle in these BuyVintage Online Auctions),
you can contact Colin in our Customer Service Department between 9am and 7pm daily:

By Phone – (UK 0044) 07866-126469

By email – [email protected]

The Auction Catalogue is our website -

http://www.buyvintage.co.uk/

 

[fasteddy]

When I bought my Sachs I was familier with the name but that was all. When I saw it on ebay I just bought it because of the look and then I delved into it and found out what you did about them.
It's hard to understand, at least for me, how they could supply so many motors to so many makers for so many years. I look at the German ebay and wish that I had a contact to buy the motors and then send them to me.
I'd have a half dozen on the shelf if I could. My son would have mine in a hurry if I would let it go. I told him it was in the will and he was less than impressed with that.

I think that the fact there are still so many still around still speaks volumes about the abundance and the quality of them. The German drive for quality is hard to surpass as well.

Haven't had much to do with Husqvarna motorcycles though a neighbour of ours in the early/ mid 60's had a dealership or was bringing them in at least and I tried a scrambler that he had for hill climbing. I was really impressed with it but I had, had a major car accident and my balance was really bad and the young lady of the hour was after me to quit so I did.
Reid also sold Bultaco at the time.

Have to look up the JLO motor. Heard of them in the dim past.

Steve.

 

[Ludwig II]

JLO did 2 strokes for motorcycles and also light indutrial uses. Quite a major player in Germany/Europe over the year, much like Villiers over here.

There were a number of factories down the years making engines. I'd like to trip over a Teagle 126cc 4 stroke. Made in Britain for agricultural uses, but from what I understand, a robust and reliable little unit in it's own right.

 

[fasteddy]

Ludwig
Thank you for the Sachs repair site. I'll order one today. I have spoken to Collin at the Buy Vintage site but with the shipping and import costs it just puts it beyond my financial abilities.
A polite way of saying that my wallet looks like it lost the battle with the steam roller more than once.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Ludwig,
I wonder if one of the garden equipment clubs have a line on a Teagle engine. Of course if you mention that it's going on a motor bike they would have someone come around to set you right.

I was chuckling when you mentioned a 98cc James selling for 2,000BP. Long way from the 50 or 60BP that I used to pay for them in the early 60's.

Steve.

 

[Ludwig II]

Well, we seek and sometimes we don't find what we want. I'd been looking for a downdraught carb for ages. Stopped looking and tripped over one on a stall just inside the gate at Newark Autojumble.

 

[Ludwig II]

What bemuses me is that bikes which were regarded in their time as leaking unreliable horrors are now fetching the sort of money that the better ones do. 30 years ago you had to pay for a Panther 650 to be taken away, now it's £6,500 and there's a queue for it.

Even monstrosities like Raleigh mopeds, licence built Mobylettes with the charm and character of a foot infection.

 

[fasteddy]

Ludwig,
That's like a friend of mine who spent 15 years looking for a one year only hood ornament that was made of bakelite. They broke up over the years and were nearly impossible to find.
He was on his way out of the car fleamarket after spending all day looking for the hood ornament and just as he was nearing the exit a vendor said to his wife "I forgot to put this out" and my friend looked over and he was putting the much desired ornement on his table still in the factory wrapper. It was marked 1936 Hudson Terraplane from new and he had it in his hand before the rather startled vendor had it on the table

The price was a staggering $15. He shoved a $100 bill into the now really amazed dealers hand and told him the story. He wouldn't take the change that the dealer offered either. Seems the ornament had been sitting in a repair garage since new up until the vendor had cleaned it out a week before hand.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Ludwig,
Remember when you went by someones house and you could tell what kind of bike they had by the size of the oil stain on thier driveway and how often they used by the number of oil stains.

First Honda I saw in the early 60's I dismissed as crap because it didn't leak oil and thinking was in those days that only real motorcycles leaked oil.

Steve.

 

[Ludwig II]

That's a thing that's disappeared over the years and so gradually that nobody noticed. Modern vehicles don't leak much oil, so driveways and parking spaces no longer have that carpet of black horrible that they used to have. Road junctions are safer because there's tarmac to brake on instead of congealed grease as well.

 

[fasteddy]

Ludwig,
It wasn't just the first motorcycles that had a lost oil system but at least they planned it that way.
The old joke when I was a kid was, I'll have a quart of gas and a gallon of oil and that wasn't far off the truth.

Steve.

 

[RicksRides]

Steve, that engine will look great leaned back against the seat post. I'll have it out of the blower this evening (kind of a night owl), get her running then disassemble it so the flywheel and castings can be removed. Will post pics here as it progresses. Rick

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Rick,
Thanks for taking the time to do the motor. I do a lot of my work after supper when the days needs have been taken care of. I think that the motor will take the bike out of the ordinary and put it on a whole new level.

Steve.