“Star” motorcycles

[cardan]

33d6 - I sent you the text version of the article by PM.

I love that the Williams boys were "half cousins" with S. L. (Les) Bailey of Douglass: explains a lot!

Leon

[33d6]

As you say Leon, interesting reading. I’d hate to be an accountant trying to make sense of all the financial shenanigans in and around the various Williams family members. They all looked out for each other and equitably shared out the proceeds but what a tangle.
I too would like to read the next few pages.
And Reg got his dates a little wrong with the Villiers factory in Ballarat. Was set up in the mid-50’s just in time to greet the Japanese coming into the market. As we know, it didn’t end well for Villiers.

[R]

Villiers Aust carved out quite a niche for themselves in the small industrial engines market though.
Oddly enough, all 4 strokes !

If ye search on fleabay gumtree marketplace etc, there are whole legions of them.
And especially the instruction booklets, for quite an assortment of models.

I have no idea if the Norton Villiers industrial engines are a carry-on of this, but quite likely ?

[R]

We diverge

https://hughmanningtractormuseum.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Villiers-Mk-10-1960-2-scaled.webp

The Science Museum in London has 2 stroke examples of these.
Likely of British manufacture.
And earlier ?

JAP also got into this market. Bigtime.
Long after the motorcycle side of things faded away.

[cardan]

Now I am NOT going down the "Villiers Inustrial Engines" rabbit hole, but I will admit there is one! As Reg says in his memoir, P&R Williams were a big part of the Australian end of the business, in the 1930s, with a gap for the war, then 1946 into the early 1950s.

I suppose the 98cc Villiers Midget in the Ransome lawnmower is akin to the engine in the 98cc Waratah of the time? On second thoughts, don't answer that!

Leon

[33d6]

Yes, the Villiers industrial side is boring. Their four stroke industrial engines were in response to War Office demands for small engines opening up a new market for them which they kept on with post war. Their motorcycle engines and post war industrial two stroke engines diverged mightily with little in common. The industrial side essentially stayed with 1930's design and technology, basic and cheap but irrelevant for motorcycles..
They bought out both JAP and BSA industrial engines but eventually got caught up in the whole motorcycle industry amalgamation thing when AMC folded. By then Francis Barnett and James were their major motorcycle engine customers, both owned by AMC who also owned Norton. I don't know all the financial shenanigans but the British manufacturing industry was collapsing everywhere which left Villiers no one to supply with their engines. It doesn't matter what you make, if your customers disappear you're dead in the water.
About all the industrial side is good for is as a source of ignition spares and the occasional piston otherwise irrelevant.