Villiers engine

[Wacker]

Hi
I have a part of a motorcycle frame with an engine, the engine is a Villiers B3833  580/9694, on the cylinder base is V3 and T66, this is a twin port engine with a hand change gearbox, it appears to be a unit construction, is it possible to get the age of this engine and possibly the make of bike it is the remains of
Thanks in advance
Ken

[chaterlea25]

Hi,
Cannot help with the Villiers but can you tell us a little (or post some pics) about the fine looking lathe in the backround?

John

[Wacker]

Hi John
Thanks lathe is a Bessbrook,  it's East german has a gap bed and can turn about 16 inches  and has a spindle bore of about 40mm,  I will send a photo to your email in the morning
Ken

[R]

Your Villiers is a 9D, a unit construction usually 125cc (they can be 100cc ?)
starting in the mid/late 1930s, and continuing on after the war.


Previous discussion here sez that 580 signifies it was fitted to an Excelsior.
http://classicmotorcycleforum.com/index.php?topic=4897.0

[R]

Bit small, but pics don't seem to come readily to hand...

[33d6]

Yes, as R says, a 123cc 9D Villiers for an Excelsior of the immediate postwar period 1946-48. You'll note the Excelsior has a hand gear change linkage that goes up through the tank and works in a slot in the middle of the tank. There's no particular advantage in this. It's merely a marketing gimmick so your 9D powered utility bike looks slightly different from what your neighbours are riding either side of you.
There was a 98cc version of this engine made pre war but they are easily distinguishable by their engine numbers starting either BB or BBA or BBS in the case of the Polish version made under licence from Villiers.
As you can gather I'm rather partial to these simple little workhorses. Sad isn't it but they make a pleasant change from the usual boring Triumph stuff.
Cheers,   

[Wacker]

Hi John
Thanks lathe is a Bessbrook,  it's East german has a gap bed and can turn about 16 inches  and has a spindle bore of about 40mm,  I will send a photo to your email in the morning
Ken

Hi John
Cancel that description, it seems the tablet  I was on has a mind of its own, it is a Bessboro of east German origin, has 16 speeds 20 -1000, gap bed it can turn 1600mm in gap
spindle bore 48 mm  photo attached
Ken

[Wacker]

Thanks for all the informative replies, I have rigged a coil via a 6 volt battery, retimed the engine and it runs quite nice
Ken

[chaterlea25]

Hi Ken,
Thanks for the lathe photo,
Its a fine looking machine,
I used to have a Woodhouse and Mitchell (Junior 7) but traded that and got a Harrison 165, a bit sorry I did that 
I also have a Colchester Triumph 2000 short bed

It looks like the Villiers was cut down to make a power unit to drive some machine or other
That was a very common thing to happen back in time 

John