Albion Gearbox Identification

[Iano]

Hi All. I see there has been loads of conversations on this subject so apologies. I have acquired a barn find flat tank which I need a bit of help finding out info on,
But will start with the gearbox. It is an Albion two speed with a clutch, kickstart and is pully drive, it is stamped SC88. does anyone know when Albion started producing
this type and what was it rated to power wise.
Thanks'

[Rex]

Blimey, that was one big photo.
I had to go next door to see the far end of it..

[Iano]

don't know whet happened there. was fine on my computer and when i uploaded it it was a tad big. everyone can spot the dodgy stuff around the workshop

[33d6]

Albion gearboxes can be a minefield. As gearboxes they are fine but pinning exactly what you have can drive you batty.
I think (note, think) you have an S series box from the early twenties that was used in lightweights up to about 300cc. Mostly two strokes but also four strokes.
As Albion would supply the same box with top mount, bottom mount and pivot mount form plus with a variety of mainshaft lengths and sprocket sizes having the same box as in your mates bike doesn’t mean they are interchangeable.
Finally, what Albion rated their box at and what bike manufacturers did with them bear little relationship.
What make is the bike? What engine does it have? More info please.

[Iano]

Thank you
The bike is an Atania. It came from an estate sale in France with no engine (the engine was seen around the estate but not located yet) I have enclosed some photo's
I have reached out to about a dozen people trying to find any information on this bike but no one had heard of it. One gentleman was researching it and found one reference
about someone having a frame about 20 years ago. but that's it. I have also attached a photo of the carb slide in case its enough for you to recognise the make and possible
engine size it might of fitted on. I would say it's between 1917 to 1925 The last two digits on the frame number are 17 and the old number plate ends 18 not sure if this albion was about then
the frame is well made and of a good gauge steel, so quite robust

[Iano]

photo

[Iano]

having trouble loading any photos so loaded separately

[33d6]

The Albion gearbox goes back to before the First World War. They made a range of two speed only boxes up to 1925 when they introduced their first three speed boxes for the 1926 season.
I’ve ploughed through my copy of the VMCC Register and found that most of the S series two speeders range around the early 20’s.They all appear to be chain-cum-belt like yours. Generally at this time Albion numbered their boxes in an alpha/numeric style in lots of 1000, so the S box would be numbered S 001 to S 999. After 999 they start again with SA 001 to SA 999, then SB 001 to SB 999 and so on. From this you can deduce where your box comes in the lineup and that a box stamped SJ 688 should be broadly the same as your SC88 although made much later.
By1925 when they introduced their first three speeder they also advised their top of the line two speeders similar to yours came in two versions, one for up to 200cc engines and t’other up to 250cc.  Albion two speeders come in many guises. Not simple.
Tha Atania brand is a mystery to me but appears to be the usual confection of proprietary products. What make are the forks?

[Iano]

That's great information. could not see any identification mark on the folks (would there be a usual place they where stamped) very similar to a lot of makes. Totally agree that its made up of
proprietary parts (presume the frame made in house) or suppose the hole lot could have been made under licence. did you recognise the carb slide and top. Atania where made in Lorient Brittany but no other information, been looking at loads of French newspapers of the period for adverts but no luck, frame is quite simular to early Triumphs model N

[cardan]

Yes presumably we're some around 1924-25? By 1926-27 even lightweights were doing away with belt drive and getting a front brake.

Albion boxes of all sorts were advertised in the French magazines of the day, for example in La Revue Motorcycliste et Automobile in August 1925 below, and were used in many French bikes.

Atania is a new one on me. Must have been a very small manufacturer, presumably M. Jean Barbet of Lorient (in the Morbihan district in Bretagne (Brittany), France? Barbet registered the name Atania for his bicycles and bicycle parts in October 1921 - no mention of motorcycles so presumably they came along a year or two later.

I have quite a few books on French motorcycles, but Atania is not mentioned in any of them. Atania was not exhibited at the annual shows in Paris in late 1924 (unsurprisingly), nor did it appear in a comprehensive list of French manufacturers for 1925 in La Revue 10 November 1924.

Based on my experience with small Australian makes, I'd guess that Barbet [edit: not Bardet] either built the bikes from available parts, as suggested by 33d6, or put his bicycle head badge on a machine made for him by someone else.

Speaking of the head badge, I wonder if it was specially made for Atania? Hard to see in the photo, but it looks like it might be a generic badge, onto which you stamped your own brand - in this case CYCLES ATANIA. Are the radial marks to help you line up your letters in a nice arc?

Tell us what you know!

Cheers

Leon

[cardan]

Woops, overlapped.

I wonder if the carb top is Longuemare, which (with AMAC) was one of the common ones on French lightweights in the 1920s.

Leon

[cardan]

Barbet registered the name Atania for his bicycles and bicycle parts in October 1921

In fact he lodged the application for registration in March 1921.

Leon

[cardan]

One gentleman was researching it and found one reference
about someone having a frame about 20 years ago. but that's it.

Is this the reference? https://www.lva-moto.fr/forum/topic-2608-atania-page-1.html Unfortunately the links to photos no longer work.

The original poster was in Bretagne Sud - perhaps close to Lorient - and gave this info:

Je possède depuis plusieurs années une moto dont je n'ai que le cadre avec l'immatriculation. J'ai fait des recherches en préfecture et voici le résultat:
marque: ATANIA
Puiss.: 2CV
Type: MI 1800
N°: 1/08
mise en circulation: 12/02/1927

So he had only the frame and rego number - presumably this is the bike you have now?

Looking again at the head badge, I notice that the rivets that hold it on are very rough indeed. Made of steel too - usually they would be plated brass. Until you establish definitively that Barbet made a motorcycle or two, I reckon you should leave open the possibility that someone (Barbet?) put an Atania bicycle head badge on an older motorcycle and registered it as an Atania?? It's going to be tricky to research: I think you'll need to go to the local newspaper.

Good luck!

Leon

[Iano]

Thank you Leon. it sounds very much like this was the forum. I did not buy this bike direct but was told buy the person who did
that he had a chat with the grandson of the estate owner who remembers the bike in one piece and was sure he could remember seeing the lost engine
and tank somewhere about. It is a shame the photos attached to that original post where not available, but I have contacted the web host to see if they still are.
Not sure if the "No" in the reg details referrers to frame number or registration number  if so they are both different. Most certainly possible that the badge is all Atania made
but haven't seen any identical bikes by other makes, there is a lot similar from 1918-1923 so recon its not far off 1920/21 date wise. Going by 33d6 very useful information the gearbox
appears to be around 1921 (if I worked it out right)
Yes the rivets on the name tag are steel and rusted and looking at the nearside stud it looks to be at a bit of a tangent, which could indicate that it was put on with the front folks
already in place and not able to hammer square on (could be just how it corroded though) been wading through French news paper archives and might get lucky).
I will check out the carb.
Interesting that Barbet applied for registration in March 21 (bike being built before) but registering the company some 7 months later (maybe tax related)
That's a great bit of research thank you.
I have given the bike a light restoration just stabilising surface rust and treating rebuilt the clutch and front suspension just have the handle bars and levers to do will post a pic

[cardan]

I wonder if the towers on the headbadge could be https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_la_D%C3%A9couverte in Lorient.

Leon