Villiers stationairy engine

[cardan]

I'm no expert, but I think the XII-C was introduced in about 1931, and this one might be c1933? No doubt 33d6 can be more authoritative. As i mentioned above, start dates are useful, but it's more interesting to know for how long a particular style of engine was built and used... Always interesting to see an engine like this in its original bike, so that the bike dates the engine rather than vice-versa.

Leon

[33d6]

Can’t help with the second Mk XII-C engine. My information is based on records of unique Australian motorcycles, not all motorcycle makes. In general most of these minor makes started to appear here in the mid thirties and quickly disappeared when war was declared. None survived WWII. Numbers start around the 6500  and end around 11000 in 1940.
Calculating the Villiers engine approximate year of production from these records was a serendipitous by product of other efforts. It was not my intention nor as I keep saying, does it serve any practical purpose.

As far as your engine stands it is what in my apprenticeship days we called a ‘short’ engine. Not a complete unit and would be used as an exchange, refitting all the essential fuel, ignition and drive components already present from the receiving machine. On its own it is only one sub assembly of a Villiers power unit.

Curiously, the Mk XII-C cast iron piston is well catered for. F W Thornton of Shrewsbury list all sizes and oversizes on their website. It’s only the favoured alloy versions that are hard to find. It seems I’m not the only one to choose alloy pistons over cast iron. Its not a genius decision.

[Albion EJ]

Thanks again!

Sorry I misunderstood the preference of an alloy piston compared to a cast iron.

What is in your view the biggest advantage of having an alloy?

Indeed I also have cast iron ones found only so far.