Has anyone seen rear suspention like this?

[Skaki]

If yes, please send reply with name of bike from witch is this rear end. By the way bike is supposed to be Terrot 500...
Thanx anyway...

[boatman]

If it says Terrot on the tank, then that is what it is! Terrot is a French manufacturer, started making bicycles in 1901 and progressed to motorcycles as did many. They became one of the leading French motorcycle manufacturers producing many 175cc machines. The suspension is 'Plunger' type, the spring is contained within the vertical tube, though this example makes it operate with a 'swinging arm', so it's a combined system.

[Skaki]

Yes, but terrot has never built motorcycle with rear suspention like this and 500cc engine... I red all data about terrot on internet and I think this is not their rear suspention... Do you have any pictures of terrot with this rear suspention? Or maybe link where I can see them?

[boatman]

Unfortunately I have little more information on Terrot. But the French website http://www.lvm.fr/ should be able to furnish some answers.

My encyclopaedia has some pages on Terrot, and mentions larger capacity machines being powered by Zedel, MAG and JAP. From 1949 they produced (amongst others) a 500cc RGST, featuring enclosed rockers in an aluminium rocker box and a fully sprung frame with telescopic forks at the front and a plunger type suspension at the rear. This machine in solo guise was capable of an easy 80mph, were all painted black, and like all other Terrot's post WWII did not have the familiar Terrot fishtail silencer. Unfortunately no picture of that model.

Derek.

[boatman]

PS Be nice to see a picture of the whole bike.

Derek.

[Skaki]

500cc RGST, featuring enclosed rockers in an aluminium rocker box and a fully sprung frame with telescopic forks at the front and a plunger type suspension at the rear. This machine in solo guise was capable of an easy 80mph, were all painted black, and like all other Terrot's post WWII did not have the familiar Terrot fishtail silencer. Unfortunately no picture of that model.

Derek.

Engine on this picture is the same as one on terrot with different rear suspention, model on this picture is military terrot 500 rgst about 1950... As you can see this terrot has a plunger type suspension at the rear, and it is not same as one I was asking about (witch is not terrots)...
PS, sorry for grammar mistakes, I am from Serbia...

[boatman]

That looks good!
Terrot's were quite advanced in their day. Terrot were taken over by Peugeot in 1961 and the name disappeared that year. The racing department had produced a 175cc bike putting out 18bhp for the 24 hour world record attempt. At Montlhery the bike was tested at over 90mph. But it never happened.

Grammar is not perfect but quite good enough!

Derek.

[Skaki]

Thanks...
There is something strange on this RGSTs engine, it does not have automatic  pre ignition adjusment. It is manual with lever. At that time (1950), I belive that every motorcycle had automatic pre ignition adjusment... I dont know way terrot does not.
I hope you will understand what I am writing...

[boatman]

"Pre-ignition adjustment" advance and retard (of ignition).

Quite a lot of bikes af the fifties still had 'manual' advance and retard. This would ordinarily be set half way for starting, then set fully advanced for normal running, only needing slight retard if climbing steep hills with the engine starting to 'pink'. The automatic advance and retard device soon overtook the manual for its reliability under all loads and circumstances. It did away with yet another fiddly control lever. Nothing out of the normal for the four stroke Terrot I'm sure, my BSA of 1954 has a manual control also. It was not until the 1960's that automatic A/R was standard fitment (though cars got them sooner).

Derek.

[Skaki]

Thanks, I needed that to drive my terrot properly...