Hello good people !

[Lars-Vivendi]

hello everybody,
i am Lars, 46, from germany. I am riding motorcycles since i can, began with a kawasaki 440 LTD, then giot me an 1100er Katana, a fat Guzzi, a yamaha Tenere, and lately, i got me a 1956 lightweight 98ccm "Thoria" from Belgium. Actually, that bike is the very reason for me joining this community. Firstly because i am 100% overwhelmed by the beauty and all the variety these smaller bikes can offer, i completely ignored 2 strokes and everything below 500ccm for years, now its almost the opposite.

Now, the thing with my Thoria is that i am having big issues to find out anything about the brand, not to speak of my very model. Wikipedia confirmes in 2 lines that the brand existed in the 1950es, but thats about it, i cant find a single pic of another Thoria, nor can i find any info about mine or spares or anything. I dont have papers for mine, so if i want this to be back on the road lateron (i am now completely overhauling it) i would definetly need to be able to clearly identify my case, which i cant.

So. If anybody here has any info, spare parts, connections, links, pictures and just anything about Thoria / Thompson from Belgium, i would appreciate it big time.

So long, back to screws and grease now,
Lars

 

[2door]

Welcome Lars.
That is a fine looking little bike you have. I can't help you but we have several members who are quite knowledgeable about small and vintage bikes. My guess is that someone here will be able to offer you some information.
Best of luck with your project and thanks for joining us.

Tom

 

[ckangaroo70]

I had a 440 LTD Kawasaki as well. Real nice comfortable cruiser until my brother totaled it for me by plowing it into the side of a shed trying to take a corner too fast.

That Thoria looks cool!! Wish I could help you with information on it, but like Tom said...I bet somebody on here will know a bit about it. Welcome to the site.

 

[MadMaxed]

Hey lars I also have a 1100 Katana. Real good bikes, if you know how to ride a powerful crotch rocket. haha. Welcome to the forums. What kind of info you need. The sponser advertised on this page have lots of spare parts. if your looking to overhaul go with Jake's. Or even Venice. I would suggest Dax engines. Real good for the money

 

[silverbear]

Hello Lars, welcome to our forum. Yes, someone here may be able to help. Another possible place to ask is with a group called "The Moped Army". Some of those guys are very knowledgable. Good luck to you. Cool bike you have there. Let us know how the project goes.
SB

 

[Lars-Vivendi]

@ MadMax : There must be some misunderstanding, soory for that...
I dont think i can use a Dax engine, as a Dax is a 50 or 80 or 125 4 stroke, while the engine in the bike i am overhaulin is a 2 stroke Sachs 98. As far as i can tell, there is few or no other "Thoria" in germany around, so it would be a shame to "pimp" it, i`d say. I am really looking to do a good, best possible job on this bike = rebuilding it as it was 1956 (so decades before DAX and Hoshiro Honda).

So...I am still holding out for original spare parts, magazines/books, photos (prints or electronic) that can help building up a picture about that belgium company "Thoria" . I meanwhile found a reprint of an ad from back then, it shows the models they sold back then, but the reprint is bad, i cant read it...

Cheers, talk later,
Lars

 

[silverbear]

I was wondering if that was a Sachs engine. I have a 98cc Sachs model 1932 which was made in 1934. Mine has a built in 2 speed transmission. Sachs makes nice engines. Lucky you.
SB

 

[MadMaxed]

@ MadMax : There must be some misunderstanding, soory for that...
I dont think i can use a Dax engine, as a Dax is a 50 or 80 or 125 4 stroke, while the engine in the bike i am overhaulin is a 2 stroke Sachs 98. As far as i can tell, there is few or no other "Thoria" in germany around, so it would be a shame to "pimp" it, i`d say. I am really looking to do a good, best possible job on this bike = rebuilding it as it was 1956 (so decades before DAX and Hoshiro Honda).

So...I am still holding out for original spare parts, magazines/books, photos (prints or electronic) that can help building up a picture about that belgium company "Thoria" . I meanwhile found a reprint of an ad from back then, it shows the models they sold back then, but the reprint is bad, i cant read it...

Cheers, talk later,
Lars

Ah I see now. Thats a Nice Motorbike. I dont know a thing about those

 

[Ludwig II]

This is all I can find right now, but there are old timer clubs across the whole of Europe, so it should be straightforward enough to find both information and spares.

Where do you live in Germany? There are a couple of people I've found here and elsewhere on the net who live, or spend a lot of time, in Germany. You never know, you could live down the street, or you could be at the other end of the country.

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoria

http://www.brommerclub-de-grensrijd...Stem/Nieuws flits_bestanden/Nieuws flits.html

http://oldtimer-moped.jimdo.com/

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=d...ei=AYj_VOSgGIW6UYXCgJgG&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAA&dpr=1

 

[Ludwig II]

My brother tells me you may speak Nederlandse or Vlaamisch better if you have a throat infection, I couldn't possibly comment.

 

[Lars-Vivendi]

@ Silverbear : Yes, thats a Sachs engine. This the good part about it because these Sachs engines are easy to get, lots of people around here who know what screw to turn when, and spares all along the main street, so no issues here. The Sachs engines were made in 2 main shapes, the M32 and the M50 (while M is for motor, the number is for the year it was intruduced) so very roughly you can divide them into pre- and post war. Mine is a M50K, which means its got a kicker as well, but no pedals ( i like that, as it sets the thing apart from bicycles, more towards a "real" machine)

..and about the belgium language : I should possibly not comment, as i am perfectly depending on dutch and belgium people to help me out in this case....
..
But yes.
Its true.

Cheers,
Lars

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Well, Lars, I am not able to offer you any help or information on that bike.

But I can tell you that you have one of the coolest bikes on this forum.

I suppose it might be that the Thoria had only a small production run. That would account for it's obscurity. That could make things harder for you, I suppose. At least engine parts won't be hard to find.

 

[Ludwig II]

There will be many outsourced parts, so apart from badges and decoration, and possibly the frame pressings, almost everything is available. I know there are new replacement cdi to replace points on old Mobylettes, and I can't see Sachs being left out of that sort of thing.

 

[Lars-Vivendi]

True statement that is. But the matter of fact that the parts are somewhere out there is only half of a game, the other part is : Do i want just something on my bike which will do the job ( some headlight for instance, a speedo which will do what it should) or do i want a good job and i want THE headlight ( a Hella or Bosch ?) and THE speedo (VDO) which was mounted in 1956. If the latter is the case, then all the new produced spareparts arent helping, and we`re back to sq1. And then: If i dont even know what it was looking like, then, in some cases, i wouldnt even know whatv to look for . For instance : When i bought this bike, i saw that the brakes in the rear wheel were pushed via a steel cable. This made me go "hugh?" because i only saw brakes be done via liquid lines (later bikes that is of course) or with some solid piece of metal but not via a pianostring like "rope". Its possible that this was done like that, although i wouldnt tend to believe it. The foot pedal has a fat spring which pulles it back, so the string will still be tightened, but its ...stange isnt it. So...I would need a photo to know if i need to trash that and find me a steel rod or refurbish this fancy cable construction. This way or the other...I will need a photo before i can go for it. Until then, i will stay with cleaning and repairing, without changing things too much... I sent mail to around 50 people in belgium now, all email addresses that i found on homepages of oldtimer loivers, clubs, museeums etc, all from belgium. And guess what. Not a single person had any info. Only thing i was able to spot was a picture of a lady with another Thoria ( but not my model) in a collection of club.-member pics. So i know this company once existed, but it makes me feel bad that apparently even specialists from BE havent got a clue. Looks like this company didnt do for too long...keep you posted, cheers,Lars

by the way : I see that lots of people are looking for bikes with sachs engines here. If ever some of you struggle with a german http, or a german e.bay offer or something, just drop me a line, i can translate.

 

[irishpowerjunkie]

lars while i cant offer much help on other stuff, i know that brake setup you have was common on alot of small motorbikes up to early 90's, some newer stuff even have it, such as 2000'ish ajs knockoffs, all honda cg125's up til; around 99-2000, so wont be hard to replace as you think it really just a long threaded bar.

 

[Lars-Vivendi]

Yep, i am not too worried about the spares, i am only in doubt in regards of what this bike had on when it was first put together. If it really had that funny string, then i will refurbish that, if not ( which would clearly be my preference) i`d go for the iron rod. Actually, i am thinking hard but i cant make up any good reason not to use a rod but a string instead, cant think of any advantage the makers could have had in their mind. Anyway, no biggie, i just wanted to shed a light on why i am so hot for getting at least 1 dirty little picture of that make & model... I`ll throw a pint for the first guy who sources it! ( Of course you gotta come over for that, sure thing...)

Cheers,
Lars

 

[Ludwig II]

I've raced a motorcycle where a cable in tension operated the brake arm, without the need for an outer. It did what was required, and Thoria may have had the same attitude.

From what I could see, the company, or some descendant of it still exists as a cycle manufacturer, perhaps there will be some sort of archive material in their hands.

 

[Ludwig II]

 

[Ludwig II]

I forwarded this thread to the tourist office in Torhout, asking if there was a museum or long established business that might have some information. It might work, or it might not, but at least the question is asked.

 

[Lars-Vivendi]

Oh, you found it? Thats the very picture which caught my eye and made be buy it. Thats my bike as the vendor set in into the online auction It would be good if the internet was refreshed from time to time, i keep receiving hits for my searches and if clicked they tell me they are all obsolete...Anyway. thanks a ton for sending my inquiry to that office, that is very nice and maybe the last place i havent been thinking of yet. Half an hour ago i identified 2 alternate online marketplaces, and in 1 of them i found a lady`s bicycle from Thoria. Not exactly what i was hoping for, but the frame was very nice weldered....I almost bought it, just for the reason of it, it was 35 bucks only ! Thanks again, Regards and good night (its late over here) cheers,
Lars