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Messages - R

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1
Identify these bikes! / Re: Strange JAP cylinder
« on: December 12, 2025, 09:46:04 PM »
Ditto.

Rob Saward has written a little booklet about dating JAP engines,
additional to all the pneumatic palava, as research into aussie built versions.
He'd be the chap to ask, although his health may not assist here.

2
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: December 03, 2025, 10:00:40 PM »
Yes, I would regard a working (and visible) brake light in particular as essential in modern traffic.

Funny you should mention replica lamps. I've just taken delivery of several, and apart from no Lucas logos
or numbering they seem almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Sure beats an empty space, at least ...
Even the paintwork has improved lately ? 
We will see if they still work in 70+ years ?!

3
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: December 02, 2025, 09:10:15 AM »
So where does this wee beastie get all the juice to power that big headlamp.
Not knowing lil RE's in the slightest ...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146989249719

Edit. Specs say it has Villiers direct (AC) lighting
And were new for 1933 ?



4
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: November 28, 2025, 03:36:40 AM »
Miller dip switches - as a genuine copy - are fiercely expensive.
So I improvised - a coat of black (left) on a knockoff pattern.
And it has a horn press.

https://i.postimg.cc/QMQZcQxx/Miller-copy.jpg


Might work on the lighthouse 3-d molding for the top....

If only they made the supplied wires a shade longer.

5
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: November 23, 2025, 02:11:32 AM »
Quote from: R on November 22, 2025, 02:06:27 AM
Hmmm, the Owners Manual for a later model refers to a 30w generator.

A wiring diagram for such a FB shows still no voltage  control.
But a large resistance wire - centre to the top - connected to the light switch.
To soak up unneeded power ?
When the lights are not in use ??

https://cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/francis-barnett-falcon-87/images/Francis-Barnett-1965c-Falcon-87-Wiring-Diagram.jpg

Be more sensible (these days) to have a lamp there as a running light. ?
Curious and curiouser ...


6
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: November 22, 2025, 02:06:27 AM »
Hmmm, the Owners Manual for a later model refers to a 30w generator.
Must be with more lighting coils than this has ...

7
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: November 21, 2025, 09:33:38 PM »
Interesting point.
This looking like less of a trickle charge, and more of a dribble charge ...

8
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: November 21, 2025, 05:03:41 AM »
Indeed.
The local advertising for these was something like "a penny a mile"
so you couldn't get more economy oriented than that.

That said, you'd hope the engineering was at least in the ballpark,
And spares and a handbook gave you a chance of keeping it running ...

Now, to find a suitable Miller headlamp switch, for the best ! of all worlds
4 position, Direct as the 4th position.

9
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: November 20, 2025, 02:21:33 PM »
Reading about, it seems that Villiers engines came with 2, 4 or 6 lighting coils.
Mine has 2,  being early postwar.

And the correct bulbs are listed as 1 amp and .75 amp
So the total max lighting output AC  is ~10 w  ?
And a half wave rectifier acting on that would be 5 watts DC for the battery. ?
So literally just a trickle charge.

The plan to just use a 6v battery and charge it occasionally at home seems solid,
its unlikely to get much (ever ?) nighttime use ...

10
British Bikes / Villiers battery charging system ?
« on: November 19, 2025, 09:46:07 PM »
In the late 40s early 1950s, you could buy a basic little Villiers powered bike with direct AC lighting only.
Or, the upmarket version with 6v battery and charging system.
And the direct AC lighting was still available, selectable on the (special) Miller 4 pole headlamp switch.

I was somewhat bemused to see the battery charging system seemingly has no voltage control (?)
Or have I missed something ?   How did they get away with this ?
Does the half-wave rectified 6v output only constitute a trickle charge to the battery maybe  ?

Does the base model Villiers have the same number of lighting coils for the flywheel as the battery model ?

Jist curious, at this stage ...


11
British Bikes / Re: Help identifying a petrol tank
« on: November 09, 2025, 11:27:40 PM »
Could the tanks for 1947 C10 and A7 be common  ?
Might need parts books to say for sure.

Perhaps a PO was going for that retro look......

12
British Bikes / Re: Villiers 196 super sports
« on: November 08, 2025, 10:33:04 PM »
Take a photo / measure the combustion chamber while you are at it. ?

That does look like a copy casting, its not clean enough to be a Villiers product. ?
Your combustion chamber possibly hasn't had the final machining to give the correct dimensions ?

The advent of ashless oils was a huge leap forward in oil technology, especially for 2 strokes.
I'm likewise unaware of these 'inertia rings', and thought I'd kept up with most such developments ...

13
British Bikes / Re: Villiers 196 super sports
« on: November 06, 2025, 10:04:40 PM »
Some clarity needed here
He is talking heads and you are talking cylinders  ???

Might be a slip of the pen.
But that photo would help ...

14
British Bikes / Re: Villiers headlamp switch
« on: October 26, 2025, 05:41:50 AM »
I'm set !
A Bantam ? tin bracket and later (?) Lucas lamp seem made for the job.
And that aforementioned small 6v battery.

Have a few bicycle ones. Decided there was no mileage in them = dry cell batteries again.
A better quality of rechargeables might work, but have proved elusive.
And look notably modern.

I'd still be curious what the model of this light switch is ??

15
British Bikes / Re: Villiers headlamp switch
« on: October 23, 2025, 11:59:49 AM »
Quote from: 33d6 on October 23, 2025, 10:48:57 AM
I also like to have a brake/stop light fitted.

I VERY much agree with this.
Almost entirely the reason for this exercise.
From previous experience, batteries can go for months without needing a recharge if this is their sole purpose in life.
With led varieties, the voltage can go even lower before they cease to show a brake light.

Quote from: 33d6 on October 23, 2025, 10:48:57 AM
I smiled at the 4.5v battery chatter. They can be sheer frustration. I don’t know exactly when they went off the market and I have mucked around making them up from two ‘D’ cells but eventually I got fed up and stopped bothering. I don’t know how many hours light they originally gave but wangling a replacement in and out of that headlight clip every month or so would drive me nuts.

This thought had crossed my mind.
From the totally pristine battery carrier, I suspect the original battery was removed and never replaced. ?
I looked into these batteries, and they are still available. 
https://au.rs-online.com/web/p/speciality-size-batteries/7904697

Just powering it off the small 6v battery, with suitable bulb, would be simpler.
Opportunities for requiring a parking light are few and far between these days ?

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