classic motorcycle forum

Hi Helmut,

Yes it could be one of the Val Page bikes, but it seems to have a curvy chrome tank with painted panels, and the word "Triumph" on the tank is smaller and in a different script to the Page bikes. I have a 1936 catalogue, and the only bike that is like this is the Model 6/1 (the page parallel twin) but it has an 8" head lamp. Most of the Page bikes have plain black tanks.

The catalogue talks about an extra called the "S.S. Equipment" (super sport maybe?) which is an upgrade to chrome tank, a panel in the tank, foot gearchange, and 8" headlamp.

The bike in the photo is has the single horizontal head-light brackets (like the Model 2/1 250, but unlike the up-market Model L.2/1) but still has the small headlamp.

The bike is not in the 1936 catalogue, not is it a 1937 model.

No shortage of illustrations of a 1937 Tiger 70, but I can't find an illustration of a 1936 Tiger 70 as introduced in 1936.

Cheers

Leon

Since the Newmount had British lighting, carby and chain, it may have had British handlebar levers as well. That said, you might have trouble proving in court the remains to be Newmount rather than Zundapp based on one lonely lever!

Leon

Well not Ultima! Close, but no bananas. (There's a phrase that Google translate will have problems with.)

Not, it's not British, although it could be. Stick with me.

Zundapp in Germany patented a forged frame in 1929. The frame described in the patent used steel forgings for all parts of the frame, which was bolted together from a number of smaller parts. Even the fork blades were steel forgings: one for each side. The main spine of the frame is the parts which encompasses the steering head, the tank rail, and the short part of the down tube. These are labelled 1, 2 and 5 in the patent drawing. Everything else bolts on to this.

In real life Zundapp built a range of models using frames like this before they went to pressed steel frames. The photo of the 1929 Z200 should look pretty familiar?

And the British connection? At the 1930 Show the Newmount motorcycle was announced: basically a British-badged version of the Zundapp. One of its features was that the fork blades were identical left to right. Very useful.

So there you have it: Zundapp or Newmount.

Mystery solved?

Leon

I had some inspired ideas which came to nought.

On the French side, I like Ultima, which had all the features of the frame and fork at different times in the 1930s. They had a huge range of models, but I admit I can't find one that has all the features together. If you're really keen, you could send your photos to the Ultima man: http://ultimalyon.jpcor.fr/

Cheers

Leon

No, it's not Panthette. I know because I have a Panthette (or Villiers 2-stroke-powered P&M) backbone in the shed, collected as a curiosity from somewhere sometime long ago. In another life I would certainly have an ABC or a Panthette.

33d6 you probably know that there was a P&M/Villiers in Victoria long ago. Is it still around? It was a nice little bike, but just a shadow of the extraordinary Panthette.

Cheers

Leon

This picture is actually of a 350cc, presumably from 1925, does anyone know how to tell them apart ?

On the 350 the push rods start wide apart and slope towards each other; on the 500 the push rods are in line with each other.

Now if we could just ask Grace to move her knee...

Leon

A biscuit-barrel two-speed Scott would be worth trying. We only live once!

Cheers

Leon

Hi Ian,

Have we had an update on the Sunbeam? On the road yet? We're expecting photos!

A Sunbeam-owner friend has been passing "Beaming" (mag of the Marston Sunbeam Club & Register) on to me. I find it the most interesting of the club mags I've seen in recent years. It's amazing what a good magazine can do to spark interest in a particular topic.

Cheers

Leon