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British Bikes / Re: Help identifying a petrol tank
« Last post by chaterlea25 on December 25, 2025, 12:50:52 AM »
Hi All
The B and  C (speedo in) tanks are much more pointed at the rear

John
2
Japanese Bikes / Re: Reed valve breather and catch can build.
« Last post by Rex on December 23, 2025, 09:49:19 PM »
Toglhot was a tw*t too..
3
Identify these bikes! / Re: Strange JAP cylinder
« Last post by Ralf89 on December 23, 2025, 10:29:07 AM »
Hi,
thank you for your answer and sorry for my late response.
I want to use this engine in an motorcycle of a almost unknown small austrian brand called D.S.H. They used all kinds of Villiers and JAP engines, and this engine would fit perfectly in the frame.
Thanks
Regards
Ralf
4
Japanese Bikes / Womens In Your City - Anonymous Sex Dating - No Verify
« Last post by expatriot on December 22, 2025, 09:25:55 PM »
Girls In Your City - No Selfie - Anonymous Sex Dating
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5
British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« Last post by 33d6 on December 17, 2025, 09:41:51 PM »
I can only answer that with the classic response “It depends”. Villiers made made flywheel magneto’s for some 50 odd years and made them by the million. No one knows all the subtleties that arose over the years. Just remember Villiers made these units as matching pairs and numbered them accordingly. It’s easy to check whether they are factory originals. After that you’re on your own.
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British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« Last post by R on December 17, 2025, 08:42:34 PM »
Interesting. Does this mean you can't just swap flywheels between different models of engines,
or that you can't even swap the whole kit & caboodle between engines ?

I merely pondered swapping from a 2 coil set to a 6 coil set, without any serious intent...
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British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« Last post by 33d6 on December 17, 2025, 08:12:35 AM »
I’ve hunted out the magnet details for you R. Magnets on the 18 watt job are 1&1/8”wide and the 24watt magnets are 1&7/16”. The difference is in their width.
One has to be careful with Villiers magnetoes. There can be subtle differences that are never mentioned anywhere. For example the overall flywheel width of the near identical post war 10D and 6E engines are different, the 10D is 1&7/8” and the 6E 2&1/16”. I’ve never bothered to measure the actual magnets. This is never mentioned anywhere in any Villiers manual I’ve seen. I suspect it never occurred to Villiers that it would ever become relevant.
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Identify these bikes! / Re: Strange JAP cylinder
« Last post by cardan on December 17, 2025, 03:38:05 AM »
Hi Ralf,

I'm sure you're right. The "Y" in this context probably means "no oil box" = "cheaper version". I had a look through the Show Issues of the Motor Cycle in 1927-28, and very few British makers offered sv JAP singles in this era. When they were "serious" bikes, like to 500cc sv HRD, they used engines with oil boxes. I couldn't find a single illustration of a 500+cc JAP single engine without an oil box, but that doesn't mean there weren't any, instead that they were cheaper models, and who wants to see an illustration of a cheap model!!

In the VMMC machine register I found a 1929 Sun with a KY/S engine, here's an loose LY/D (1934) engine https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/23600/lot/131/a-1934-jap-550cc-sidevalve-motorcycle-engine/ , but overall the big oil-box-less sv JAP singles were not common in British bikes.

Fun to learn something new! Do you have a plan for the engine?

Cheers

Leon
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British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« Last post by R on December 17, 2025, 02:42:46 AM »
Quote from: 33d6 on December 17, 2025, 01:37:07 AM
I enjoy playing with my Villiers stuff but I have no illusions     

Aye ! 
As soon as the march of history is trotted out, I compare my lil Villiers 125cc at 3 bhp with the last of the KTM 125cc GP bikes.
At 55 BHP, thats 440 BHP/Litre    Now thats a full Grand Prix race spec engine, but still ......

Thanks for your comments. I do have the Villiers book, but not read through it lately. Or even found it recently !.
I don't remember it giving a really detailed account of the electrics, just the bare basics. ?
I'd be curious what form that long resistance wire took in the later 1950s models, if it had to deal with a full 30w output.
That'd be a bit of heat to shed .....

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British Bikes / Re: Villiers battery charging system ?
« Last post by 33d6 on December 17, 2025, 01:37:07 AM »
We'll have to agree to disagree on that one Rex. Sadly I think the British motorcycle industry dropped the ball badly with their lightweights in the 50s & 60's. I own nothing but British but only of the late 20's with some 30's stuff and when I compare them to models made by the same factories 20 -30 years later I find they're just making an updated version of the same thing with little improvement in economy, performance or braking. Definitely better in suspension related areas but not much else. The expression polishing a t**d comes to mind. Fresh ideas and a fresh approach were needed and it didn't happen.
Although I'm no fan of their odd combined kickstart/gear lever setup I have to admit the Jawa/CZ's of the same period are markedly better and and German two-strokes of the period were magnificent. It's just a pity that their motorcycle industry collapsed when the German economy reached take off point and the average citizen could afford a car leaving two-wheelers behind. As for TWN, a friend had a TWN Contessa scooter and it had no problem maintaining station with the 350 Ariel I was riding at the time. And it had electric start when such a thing was quite exotic.
I enjoy playing with my Villiers stuff but I have no illusions that it could've been better.

 
   
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