What is it?

[busa10]

I posted this in the biker bar, but probably belongs here.  What the heck is this bike?

[popnotch]

A thing of beauty is what it is

[wetdog]

interesting is it small , looks like a scooter to me not a bike

[rogerwilko]

It would need that rocket booster at the back it looks that heavy!

[Justin_Faithfull]

Maybe the source of the photograph would give us a clue. Did you take the picture yourself, & if so where? When? Etc.
Other wise where did you source the picture from?
The bike looks as though it has a galvanised finished!

[esometisse]

this bike is an example for the fact that there are no limits to human ingenuity and stamina!

The bike is called MSS500 and was built in 1955 by Polish genius Stanislaw Skura. Mr. Skura was a blacksmith by trade, but was extremely gifted in all things mechanical.
 
His personal life history is as fascinating as his two-wheeled creations (as there was more than just MSS500 - see below!). Just to give an example, during the NAZI occupation of his native country he was a partisan, supplying his fellow fighters with machine guns that he built from parts in his hidden workshop.

After the war he built several unusual vehicles, always making extensive use of aluminium as construction material.
In 1949 he built his first aluminium motorcycle called MSS1, using many parts from discarded German fighter airplanes that had to be left behind after the war. This was not entirely legal then in his newly soviet-controlled home country so he had to destroy his creation eventually. Some pictures have survived.

His masterpiece MSS500 is still in existence in Poland. It's engine is a home-built sidevalve 500 single and it has a three-speed plus reverse gearbox. Most of its aluminium parts are cast, even the thin-walled body panels! Other unusual features are the lefthand throttle twistgrip and the clutch control via the righthand twistgrip. Its present owner can be seen on a youtube video trying out the bike:
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=kq8lruxPJDo

Mr. Skura designed several bicycles as well, with very advanced features such as aluminium frames and sprung wheels. His seventh bicycle RSS7 of 1953 is said to have been built in just three days - after working hours of course!

Happy Easter to All

Andy

[cardan]

Thanks for that Andy. It's a fascinating story - is it written down anywhere in more detail?
Leon

[esometisse]

I don't think that anything has been written down yet in a more detailed way about Mr. Skura and his creations.

What I wrote in my post is about all I know myself and I learned this just a few days ago from the present owner of MSS500.

In fact it was pure chance that I happened to stumble on the story at all. About a week or so ago I visited a German-language classic bike forum similar to this one (they have quite a large and interesting buy and sell section) and there I noticed that a member used the aluminium bike in his avatar picture.

Having been intrigued by the so far unsolved (at least for us here in the forum!) mystery of the aluminium bike I contacted him and learned what I wrote in my post. As I don't speak Polish the communication had to be done in German! It emerged that it had been presumed in the Polish Classic bike scene that the aluminium bike still existed somewhere after its temporary disappearance sometime in the sixties. After a lenghty search Hans - the present owner - could locate it some years ago.

I have already suggested to him that he write down in detail all the known history of the bike and its creator. Maybe he will do so. I'll keep an eye on the matter!

Cheers
Andy