Junkyard Villiers find - Waratah history

[33d6]

You're right R, it's a big book of 363 pages rather larger than A4 and printed small in 9 point size type. The cover also advises it is only Volume 1 up to 1956. I don't know if they ever did another volume.  The police sold a huge lot of Vol 1 off back in the 1980's or so. Can't remember exactly when as local swap meets were flooded with them for years and very few people were interested at the time. I kept looking at them for a couple of years before I bought my copy. Slightly different nowadays.

Obviously all this sort of printed stuff came to a halt with computerisation and then the internet.

I don't know what other States did. The sheer size of Australia meant the States initially had little to do with each other and devised their own systems and procedures for dealing with motor vehicles. We're still working at standardising road rules and regulations across the country and any proposed change regularly brings out State rivalries and paranoia.

As far as the Utility wheels and forks go, the front forks look like common proprietary pressed steel Webb to me. I don't know if Royal Enfiels bought them in or not. I would suspect it would be a straight commercial decision. What would be the cheaper option? Buy in or make our own? The wheels are a different proposition. Royal Enfield made and sold their wheels to others and were known as a quality product. Montgomery/Utility would certainly have bought their wheels in. Did they buy Royal Enfield or something else? You'd need to inspect each wheel very closely for the manufacturers identifying marks to find out.

 
   

[john.k]

In Sept 1939 ,all motorcycle exports were banned as well as civillian production ,however in October 1939, exports to the Commonwealth and Empire were authorized,with a total ban on exports to Europe,even though demand was high.In March 1940 ,the Board of Trade released stocks of steel ,aluminium and rubber,for the manufacture of 30,000 motorcycles for export...so its likely any further production was 1940 models,until the new 1945 or 1946 models came out. .....Jones Panther Book

[cardan]

That's an interesting snippet about early WW2 bikes, John, and fits in well with what we saw in Australia in 1940.

I found one image of a 1939 250cc Montgomery JAP, and in all ways (including the unusual frame detail abound the seat tube) it looks identical to the Delphine Utility JAP. So the story that Utilty JAPs were rebadged Montgomery JAPs has some legs. Not sure about the two strokes as I've never seen a photo, illustration or description of one.

Leon

[R]

Have we covered Malvern Star yet ?

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/45/52/4f/45524fd3d9af8a916f4e7b2be2afe15b.jpg

[cardan]

We have, somewhere up there!

http://classicmotorcycleforum.com/index.php?topic=6172.msg30186#msg30186

I'd go for a ride on the one in your photo! Hope I haven't caught something.

Leon

[R]

Well covered, in fact. I must have blinked.

I'd BUY the one in that pic if it was close by and not $$$.
Probably a vain hope these days.

Whats the difference between the ones with the stubby little tank,
and the big long tank ?
Was it just fashion, or was there some reason for the change.

[33d6]

My auto cycle riding mileage is limited. Very much by choice I might add. The best I can say is that it is an excellent introduction to riding early veterans. High, rickety and zilch power. They might have been fractionally better when brand new but everything is so spindly that the slightest amount of wear makes them rather sloppy.
I can never quite understand the enthusiasm for restoring them as there are next to no events to ride them in. There’s a few in the Uk but that’s about it.
What can you do with them?

[Rex]

A query you could ask about many of the smaller/older bikes though. Unless there's a run specifically for such bikes and you can trailer it there, it's more ornament than use.

[R]

Aha. This is out of this months Old Bike magazine - a  Veterans & Tiddlers Run. Think it was near Melbourne somewhere ?
Man on Malvern Star enjoying hisself ...



Locally here there is a blue smoke rally.
Aimed more at small capacities, rather then Suzi waterbottles.

I was in the UK a while back, and at the Classic Races at lunchtime a whole gaggle of mopeds and tiddlers
appeared on the track and did laps. Something to keep an eye on in the pause in racing.
Looked like they were enjoying themselves too.

[33d6]

It’s one of the last Malvern Stars having a 2 speed Villiers 1F engine as used in the likes of the James Comet. It’s moved on from the original single speed Junior De Luxe autocycle but was no match for the incoming 50cc European moped such as the NSU Quickly.
The 50cc mopeds took over the various taxation and licensing concessions many countries offered leaving the older 100cc  autocycles and such like out in the cold. The market had moved on.
Even in a veterans and toddlers run autocycles are at a severe disadvantage.

[R]

Even in a veterans and toddlers run autocycles are at a severe disadvantage.

They can still duel amongst themselves.
And probably not even break the speed limit. !!

I'd have one just for quick shopping errands. ?
Be in and out before the tintop masses have even found a carpark...
Wonder what the rego fee/insurance is like ?
Electric bicycles may be grabbing some of that niche ?

[33d6]

Shopping errands were what they were built for and yes, the electric bicycle fits exactly the same niche but with no on road rego costs. Rego/insurance varies from State to State. Way, way back Victorian rego was very kind to under 100cc machines but that's been gone for a long time. It was certainly gone when I had my first A100 Suzuki back in the 70's.

My own yen is for one of the original Great Depression machines fitted with the first 98cc Villiers Midget and two speed box. Only faintly better than an autocycle but a proper motorcycle with a good story behind it. Have the engine, all I need is the rest..

[R]

My own yen is for one of the original Great Depression machines fitted with the first 98cc Villiers Midget and two speed box.
Only faintly better than an autocycle but a proper motorcycle with a good story behind it. Have the engine, all I need is the rest..

Can we find a picture of that, not sure that I've met one, or ever seen one.
And pics seem a little tough to come by.

Meanwhile, I've seen a moped for sale, an EasyRider no less.
A little slice of (more recent) history ?
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/RYIAAOSwDQVgQho2/s-l1600.jpg
Even if all NVT connections seem to have been removed
What goes around comes around ...

[R]

This is said to be 1939.?  Are we getting close.
Lets see if this will link
https://cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/rex-se/images/Rex-1939-Midget-Sport-DMu.jpg

[cardan]

The Excelsior version was advertised as the cheapest motorcycle available on release here in mid 1931; and it probably was. I'm assuming the Waratah Midget, advertised from September 1931, was a rebadged version of the Excelsior, but I've not seen a period illustration or a survivor to verify this.

Leon