Velocars and other interesting vehicles.

[Ludwig II]

The only 4 stroke British lightweights I can remember are the BSA Beagle, and the Ariel Pixie they fitted the engine to, and the Mercury Mercette, and it's brother, the Dunkley Whippet. Here are a Beagle and a Whippet. The Beagle was more common, and unreliable. The Beagle is very rare, and is slower, but might not fail as often.

Mercury Mercette

Ariel Pixie

 

[moto-klasika]

Definitely a Villiers Zoran

Annie,
It looks to me as classic 4-stroke, side-valve engine? Hardlly to be 2-stroke, with such cyclinder head and in-take and out-take ports... Nice looking in any case!

 

[Ludwig II]

The Beagle engine was a badly conceived ohv type. Somebody had the bright idea of clutch plates made entirely out of a fibrous material, instead of metal discs with grippy facings. They died very quickly when young men put all the engine's power through them.
The Ariel had a 70cc 2 stroke designed by Ariel to start with but somebody at the top of the BSA Groud decided "we are a 4 stroke company" and made them used the Beagle unit instead.

 

[Ludwig II]

Here you are, a nice read for a Saturday afternoon:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0562.htm
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0380.htm

 

[curtisfox]

Love that Dunkley buggy with the pusher motor,ould make a neet side car for motor bike......Koool stuff thanks ..............Curt

 

[moto-klasika]

Here you are, a nice read for a Saturday afternoon:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0562.htm
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0380.htm

Hello Ludwig,
And thank you on wonderful information found on those web-pages and few other connected to them! Small production of less-known models, but a lot of mess around them - not an easy task to write thier history?

I prefer 4-stroke engines only by thier sound, otherwise 2-stroke are quite good, especially for engines of small capacities. Driving TRABANT for a few years and had mixed feelings about it...

On attached photo is older version of TOMOS Colibri, once cult moped in former Yugoslavia. It had similar pressed frame and gasoline tank as Whipet and some other mopeds - maybe influence of PUCH moped, more popular in Europe. On another photo is ROG-Puch Pony Express - simpler than TOMOS mopeds, but faster than most of them. At rear - not any kind of suspension, on front: photo will tell everything... Had opportunity to ride hot-tuned variants of both models - quite frightening experience with powerful engines on bad frames (for speeds up to 80 km/hour)

Nice information, nice memories - make nice afternoon, indeed!

 

[Ludwig II]

The English word for a bad handling motorcycle is a camel. Some bikes are absolute camels. The Pony Express looks like one of those.

 

[moto-klasika]

The English word for a bad handling motorcycle is a camel. Some bikes are absolute camels. The Pony Express looks like one of those.

... and, one quite nervous camel, indeed!
... and, quite dangerous! (except if drive in pensioner style)

 

[moto-klasika]

...back to basic: velocars, that could be well-known here, but I was always delighted by thier design!
... even more by photos as they are by themselves!
(where did they found so serious male drivers for so crazy vehicles? females are cute!)

 

[moto-klasika]

Hello

Moto-klassika: I used 40mm square tube with 1,5mm wall thickness and had to weld in additional stiffeners afterwards.
This picture is now two years old.
The naked construction shown here weights around 50kg.
Todays finds from a cruiser workshop in Hannover:
A threewheeler velocar
https://vimeo.com/83502203

And a four wheeled velocar with a dystopic style body

https://piratecyclex.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/1st-piratecyclex-velomobil/
The under frame seems to be derivated from Harald Winkler's Asphalttretboot, except it has four wheels.

Kai

Kai,
Similarity in "nose" design?

 

[BarelyAWake]

http://youtu.be/8oFSv-M4Grk

...well, the title does say "and other interesting vehicles" Vive la différence!!1!

 

[Allen_Wrench]

You know, maybe I should consider a vehicle like that, the way my street floods when it rains.

 

[Ludwig II]

Some Spanish devices to be going on with. Can somebody buy me the ambulance?

http://www.autopasion18.com/HISTORIA-GAITAN (AUTO-TRI).htm

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

That ambulance is very nice indeed Ludwig

 

[GearNut]

From the news:
http://www.gizmag.com/virtue-cycle-pedalist-velomobile/33780/
(I also noticed that the bicycle in the background has a rear mounted fuel tank. Hmmm...)

 

[Ludwig II]

I think it's a battery pack, but I might be wrong.

 

[moto-klasika]

Hello there,
Those Spanish bubble-cars, or whatever is their classification - are really magnificent! ... and, there were a lot of them, mostly not very well known outside Spain. If I remember well, Gabriel Voisin's Bi-Scooter was produced in Spain, too? Then, cycle-cars are "invented" in Spain before the Great War (WW1) - developed from gravity racers: some people were too lazy to pull them up-hill, so add small engines! Then, they realised that such vehicles are simple and cheap solution to cruise around... Maybe just a legend, but cute one, the same as cycle-cars, bubble-cars, invalid-cars and so on.

Probably that economic and social situation in Spain led to so long line of cute small cars, but imaginative and inovative mind of Spaniards, too!

P.S.: That small ambulance could be used as mini-micro-motto-camper, too?

 

[Ludwig II]

"Fernando Ruiz Luciarte driving his invention, the Oto-Pedal, through the streets of Paris, July 1958. The car, specially designed for elderly people, is modelled on the child's pedal car and travels at a speed of 25 miles per hour. (Photo by Karel Berg/BIPs)"

 

[moto-klasika]

Ludwig,
Great velocar, a little crazy for so serious gentlman! But - great (both designer and velocar)! Just to design one enlarged for two of us! A few more photos are attached...

 

[wheelbender6]

Not attractive, but this one can be built sans welding or woodwork. The site at the link has good pics. I found this while researching a response to a post asking how to add bicycle wheels to a go-kart.
http://www.spiller.si/pedalcar/en/index.htm