classic motorcycle forum
Motorcycle Discussions => British Bikes => Topic started by: winchman on July 23, 2019, 11:18:47 AM
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Went to the VMCC founders day at the weekend and count leave this behind
Its a Villers MK6C, fitted to bikes and mowers so I wonder if any one recognises the brackets?
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More pics
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More
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As it has flimsy mounts and a forward-facing carb I'd say mower, but I'm certainly no expert!
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An interesting find. For the benefit of the completely daft, what's the cable going into the front of the head?
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An interesting find. For the benefit of the completely daft, what's the cable going into the front of the head?
Probably a decompressor.
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That's what immediately came to mind Ian, but I couldn't see the need on a small two stroke.
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Mower, like all these villiers on offer, also applies to Strumey Archer engines and JAP.
No motorcycle ever had an engine held in by 'brackets', probably from an Atco, but I have one similar ina Greens mower.
offered by the optimistic, bought by the ignorant.
If this is the standard of stuff on offer so glad I changed my mind about going.
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That's what immediately came to mind Ian, but I couldn't see the need on a small two stroke.
My Coventry Eagle has the same item in the same place. It's for stopping the engine rather than to ease it over for starting as on a big single.
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That makes sense, thank you. It's so obvious I'm surprised I never worked it out for myself.
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If this is the standard of stuff on offer so glad I changed my mind about going.
You're always going to get junk wherever you go. Founders Day (and the Banbury jumble) are at least better than the big commercial ones as you often get people clearing their sheds to pay for the next money pit......
Having said that, trudging across miles of fields in the hot sun is less attractive than it once was.
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I feel the same these days, though looking at stalls flogging cheap Taiwan tools and really over-priced "projects" doesn't help.
Average Joes clearing their sheds are great, part-time tat dealers aren't.
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The Mk6C was a one year production only for motorcycles, 1923 if I remember rightly but continued in ATCO lawnmowers well in to the 1930’s. You can pretty well guarantee any Mk6C you find has come from an ATCO. They are not well suited to powering a motorcycle. Underpowered as their breathing is too restricted.
Decompressors are common on all Villiers two strokes but sometimes are not fitted particularly on really cheap versions. You can see where it is meant to be but the requisite machining hasn’t been done.
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Mower, like all these villiers on offer, also applies to Strumey Archer engines and JAP.
No motorcycle ever had an engine held in by 'brackets', probably from an Atco, but I have one similar ina Greens mower.
offered by the optimistic, bought by the ignorant.
If this is the standard of stuff on offer so glad I changed my mind about going.
To be honest the stuff on offer was some of the best we have seen, bought more here than at Newark which was 10 times the size, only one Chinese tool dealer.
I Paid £10 for it, I bought it as an ornament for the garage as my son won't give me one of his spare model A engines!
Its just going to be cleaned and a stand made, it may one day end up in a bike who knows, from what I can find the Mike and mower engine are identical apart from the mounts?
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As it has flimsy mounts and a forward-facing carb I'd say mower, but I'm certainly no expert!
The Bike and mower both had a forward facing carb
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I feel the same these days, though looking at stalls flogging cheap Taiwan tools and really over-priced "projects" doesn't help.
Average Joes clearing their sheds are great, part-time tat dealers aren't.
Only one cheap tool dealer, some stuff was overpriced but we felt in general it was good
We bought a good assortment of stuff at what we felt where good prices, mostly dealers but a few people having a clear out, we did see a bloke buy a wheel for £350!
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The Mk6C was a one year production only for motorcycles, 1923 if I remember rightly but continued in ATCO lawnmowers well in to the 1930’s. You can pretty well guarantee any Mk6C you find has come from an ATCO. They are not well suited to powering a motorcycle. Underpowered as their breathing is too restricted.
Decompressors are common on all Villiers two strokes but sometimes are not fitted particularly on really cheap versions. You can see where it is meant to be but the requisite machining hasn’t been done.
The chap on the Villers parts stall told me this too, problem is if its got no brackets I don't think you can tell bike or mower engine apart?
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For 10 quid its an education, I paid twice that for a mower with oneof these engines!
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Oddly, having conducted a Mk8C powered Excelsior for some while I found the forward facing carburettor to be no problem. You take one look and the first thought is that it will suck up every bit of road muck and water you come across but it was never an issue. I'm sure it must have swallowed some bits and bobs but it wasn't bothered by it.
As to why it pointed forward, again, one look and you saw how much a rear facing manifold and carb would interfere with the hand gear change mechanism with both of them fighting for the same space on the bike. Remember, this engine was designed in the early 1920's when single speed belt drive bikes were still sold new and today's foot gear change was still years in the future. Designers were still finding answers to things we don't even recognise as a problem today. I think this is why I find vintage bikes interesting and modern bikes dull.
Cheers,
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For 10 quid its an education, I paid twice that for a mower with oneof these engines!
Cant buy much for £10!
Our 34 Royal Enfield was very expensive at £30!
We will easily have £10 worth of fun trying to get it going and making a stand for it, what I didn't realise at the time is another stall had some of the ignition bits for £1!
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Oddly, having conducted a Mk8C powered Excelsior for some while I found the forward facing carburettor to be no problem. You take one look and the first thought is that it will suck up every bit of road muck and water you come across but it was never an issue. I'm sure it must have swallowed some bits and bobs but it wasn't bothered by it.
As to why it pointed forward, again, one look and you saw how much a rear facing manifold and carb would interfere with the hand gear change mechanism with both of them fighting for the same space on the bike. Remember, this engine was designed in the early 1920's when single speed belt drive bikes were still sold new and today's foot gear change was still years in the future. Designers were still finding answers to things we don't even recognise as a problem today. I think this is why I find vintage bikes interesting and modern bikes dull.
Cheers,
I did wonder about sucking stuff in but as you say its all about space