European lightweight Motorized Bicycles

GoldenMotor.com

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
Bike with Puch Maxi engine



German NSU with a Rex engine

 
Last edited:

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
Last edited:

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
A nicely done old English delivery bike and a Chinese 4 stroke



A more "authentic" version



Italian. Looking at it, it could be a bit overgeared

 
Last edited:

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
Everybody was either bouncing ideas at each other or copying, or just finding the limited number of ways to put things together in those days. It must have been an exciting time to be an engineer. I think it will have been joyous to be at the forefront of a technology that was still understandable to ordinary mortals.
 

curtisfox

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2008
6,077
4,041
113
minesota
The marks Company sold out to California-Yale about 1902. The mark did not utilize a carburetor. Lots of different bikes here if you go through the pictures

Yep they all kind of looked the same with just a few changes.........Curt
 

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
97cc Dresch with Aubier-Dunne engine



1953 50cc Bianchi Aquilotto, Italy



1952 40cc Typhoon belt driver, Holland



1950s Danish Skylon ad



1950s Rabeneick belt driver, Germany

 
Last edited:

bluegoatwoods

Active Member
Jul 29, 2012
1,581
6
38
Central Illinois
Here's an interesting bike.

A 1939 HEC. "Hepburn Engineering Company", London. 80 cc 2 Cycle made by a company called "Levis".

Introduced in 1939. Well received, according to oldbike.eu. The factory was bombed in early 1940. Production never resumed. Instead HEC and Levis merged and built air compressors.

A nice looking bike, all around. What I find most interesting, though, is the intense similarity between this engine and the Russian "D" series.

Makes you wonder if the D series also had a direct ancestor.

hec 01.jpg
hec 02.jpg
hec 03.jpg
 

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
Being British, the primary drive will have been by chain. I think the D motors were heavily influenced by Sachs and ILO myself.

The compressor factory was a 10 minutes car drive away from me, they ended up adding an extra S to stop people ringing up about Levi's products.
 

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
Mobylette BG, friction driver; an odd and retrograde decision even by French standards



French Peugeot Bima friction driver



A Némausa with an Italian Itom friction driver



Belgian Flandria friction driver



1924 124cc Moser, Switzerland

 
Last edited:

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
Last edited:

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
?1922 125cc Viratelle, France. The drive looks like a reduction gear to a sprocket running on a captive motorcycle chain on the back wheel. Most interesting.







Viratelle with friction drive only

 
Last edited:

Ludwig II

Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2012
5,071
783
113
UK
I am interested in the concept of a large ring gear in some suitable plastic with external teeth on the back wheel, and a driving gear in metal, or at least a harder material. Helical teeth would cut noise down, and a shoulder on one gear would eliminate side thrust.

I'm not going to try it, at least until my 2 builds are out of the way though.
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
Was just thinking about that ring sprocket deal and was picturing somehow combining a roller chain with a sheave or something like one, where the sheave it is affixed to the spokes and the chain is affixed to the sheave. How? The chain would have to end up the same diameter as the sheave it lies against and what, perhaps be tack welded to the sheave (or bicycle rim acting as a sheave)? There is a way...
SB