98cc Villiers on a 1945 Sears Roebuck

fasteddy said:
Harold

The oil is, Aero Shell 65, SAE Grade 30 Straight Mineral Oil.
A case of 12 quarts is $88.22 or $7.84 a quart.

Sky Geek has it.

This is what we paid I think plus the shipping now that I see it. Dave recommended it because this is what the fellas racing vintage 2 stroke outboards use.

The mixing ratio was 25-1.

Steve.
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Thanks Steve. Much appreciated. I've added this to the reference links at the start of the thread.
 
fasteddy said:
Here is a photo and a little information about the bike.

Steve.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=...e=3405&usg=AFQjCNFc3goKiiTZ9M3YUvqazx7XMVSYgQ
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve for the two links concerning the Villiers & Indian connection. I find it strange that the Villiers engine is characterized as the main issue with the failure of a one year model when world wide popularity for the motor manufacturers power plant was increasing. Sounds as if a motorcycle "historian" is putting forth his own pet theory and down playing perhaps a poor marketing plan and reluctant sales effort from Indians own sales distributors. See I too can theorize with minimal "facts". The claimed speed of forty miles per hour seems adequate performance from a 2.5 hp 3 speed "chain driven" lightweight in that era...but perhaps Indian fudged the numbers here a little as well & set high expectations with it's customers and dealers.
I personally like the Villiers & applaud their use in your moto bicycle builds! Rick C.
 
Villiers was an alternative choice for the Genuine Fake. There are still thousands of cheap ones around on this side of the pond.
 
It's perhaps a fine detail in the articles but they do say the engine design was licensed from Villiers meaning designed by Villiers and produced by Indian. The initial quality issues were material related failures which would also be a sourcing or manufacturing problem not a design issue.

Here's a fun link with an overview of Brit bikes. Lots of Villiers mixed in through the years/brands. http://www.ianchadwick.com/motorcycles/britbikes/index.html
 
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Excellent point & fits hand in glove with the Hendee Company's responsibilities in releasing a model without adequate product testing of a motor "they" built & not with the Villiers design. Hendee it seems corrected it in under a year, so it seems they rushed it into distribution. Don't get me wrong here as I greatly admire the Indian marque & am not trying to vilify them, but I also find it naive to speculate & place sole blame with Villiers. Disclaimer...I would personally love to own a 1916 Featherweight Indian regardless of any of the above. I find them quite beautiful and damned sure unique! I agree with you guys a sticky would be quite informative & for you who are using them or contemplating using one in a "vintage" build they have an aged look that most other faux power plants can't easily duplicate. I'd like to designate Ludwig as our "across the pond" facilitator for quantity purchasing lol. Rick C.
 
Harold,

Your welcome. The beauty of this forum is that everyone freely shares their knowledge. I'm just pleased I can add a little every now and then.

Steve.
 
Rick,

Glad I could add something to the Indian Featherweight collection. I'd never heard of that model until you mentioned it.

Steve.
 
Steve we lift each other up & call it progress; thanks for your knowledge & that of all those who have bits and pieces of the whole and are willing to share it.This is a fine thread for several reasons I'll mention only one that might be unconsciously overlooked by the readers. It is helpful in building, identifying & maintaining a community of like minded individuals. I had previously identified some of you from previous posts & threads. I've now added others, Thanks to all. Rick C.
 
fasteddy said:
Harold,

I keep meaning to ask you how you Albion transmission was when you received it.

Steve.
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Rusty and crusty which is exactly what I expected. I've removed the clutch plates after a fair amount of rust removal with a wire brush on a drill. The corks are worn to about 3/16" (maybe less) but they are not glazed so I'm not planning to replace them. The plates themselves are really rusty on the outside surfaces but the surfaces that interface with the cork pads is smooth with a little surface rust. All the levers seem to work fine but I plan to change out the shifter since it looks a little bent. I'm pretty anxious to get it in the frame but that's going to take more cutting and welding to make space. The seller did an excellent job packing it up and also threw in a new pair of mounting studs.
 
Harold,

Sound like you hit a home run with the transmission.

I don't know how much you've had to do with British equipment but they have a different thread system than we do. It's called British Standard Whitworth or BSW. The nuts and the bolt heads have their own sizes as well.

We always had to have a separate set of sockets and wrenches to work on the cars and motorcycles we owned. If he sent a pair of nuts with the studs you're OK. If not you may want to email him and ask if he can send you some. A British Car parts company over here may sell you some.

I'd use an adjustable wrench to tighten them up carefully.

Steve.
 
Thanks Steve. I'm aware of the difference in the thread size/form but I'm glad you are pointing it out. Best to not assume before I round something off and it's unserviceable. Same issues with the Villiers so the crescent wrenches are getting a fair amount of use. If need be I'll order the hardware and tools from this place: http://britishfasteners.com

If anyone has more sources in the US to share please do so!

Edit - I was posting my reply with the same link as you were posting a follow-up. Thanks again Steve.
 
Been cleaning out my garage (moving junk from one side to the other) and squeezing in a minute or two to tinker with stuff. I have the frame back from my friend after round one of welding where he patched in a replacement down tube. Other than the slight surface rust showing under the overcoat I can't tell that it wasn't the original design.

image.jpeg


Next is to figure out how I'm going to squeeze the transmission in between the seat tube and the rear wheel.

image.jpeg


Here's the other side of the jig I'm using to figure out the alignment.

image.jpeg
 
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I think so too Rick. Spent a lot of the day in waiting rooms and used that time to surf for more images of the Indian Featherweight you mentioned (model K I think, it's been a long day). Apparently made in Canada. There's a lot of ideas on that bike and the "O" that followed that are worth thinking about.
 
Sorry about the waiting rooms but good use of time researching bikes.

1916 Model K Featherweight & model O would be my choices for an exact replica of an early Indian road bike. So clean and simple, yet showing stylish lines in the fenders and tank. 221 cc 2 stroke in the K represents the validity of using a 2 stroke in a replica Indian especially a Villiers. Has anyone built an O replica with a 2 cylinder opposed Maytag etc. talk about cool!

Though I'm not currently working with exact vintage builds I do greatly admire those who have and are sticking hard to the vintage look and feel. I know your're going to find room or make room for that sweet transmission. Hendee Motors did! Rick C.
 
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