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| mailee |
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mailee
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| RhynoCZ |
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RhynoCZ
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 Posted: 21:28 - 22 Sep 2013  Post subject: |
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Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly are we looking at? 
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor |
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P.
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| hmmmnz |
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hmmmnz
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| Teflon-Mike |
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Teflon-Mike
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Posted: 01:43 - 23 Sep 2013  Post subject: |
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| RhynoCZ wrote: | Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly are we looking at? |
https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=90498
Sunbeam S....7?
Selly-Oaks answer to the BMW and the Douglas Dragonfly. They didn't like the boxer configuration; they thought it limited ground clerance, and a parallel twin was easier to make. SO they turned a concentional brit bike through 90 degrees to line the crank up with a shaft drive & car style clutch, and deny the rear cylinder most of its cooling!
To top that, they decided that the BMW style crown wheel and pinion final drive was far too sensible; and owing to BSA having bought, was it Hardy-Spicer? At about the same time as they aquired Ariel; they decided that it ought to use a worm and pinion instead. There were some legends that this was a management decission by parent BSA to use up an over-buy of lathe parts or something.. but I dont know. Anyway, worm & pinion; worm rotates, screw winds teeth round pinion, pinion goes round. BUT, when you stop turning worm.... pinion continuing to rotate tries to yang the bludy worm off the shaft! Or the wheel locks. Its not a great arrangement for a motorcycle final drive really; especially one that relies so heavily on engine braking!
So they were consequently rather, notoriousely unreliable; overheating, warping cylinder heads and generally trying to destroy thier final drives.
Detuned to make them moderately reliable; they were, aparently quite 'civilised' until slop in the shafts made them horrible. But desidedly not quick. Not even remotely 'brisk'. Or cheap even.
Good British engineering you see. All the high maintenence of a chain drive bike, all the hassles of a shaft, PLUS a few of its own! None of the performance of a boxer twin, but just as expensive, and none of the reliability. JUST the sort of thing to keep a man occupied between brushing and waxing his stiff upper lip! Sort of engineering that made Britain GREAT... getting paying customers to do the development!
https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=90497
I believe that's a BSA 'splay-port' Sloper Single introduced in the 1930's depression era, I recall as a more sporting 'budget' machine to the more expensive twins.
Big or twin exhaust ports were in fasion as a performance aid at the time; and the splay-port arrangement conveniently cleared a single down tube.. so BSA used a spit cradle frame, JUST so it could get in the way! While dumping into twin exhausts making it look lime a more sophisticated and expensive twin cylinder machine.
I believe they were actually quite good, lighter and the OHV version almost as powerful as the (Usually side-valve) twins, the sloper engine got the CofG down and they handled rather well.
I don't recall complaints of them being unnecessarily unreliable, but they were British!
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Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?' |
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| Teflon-Mike |
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Teflon-Mike
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| mailee |
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mailee
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| Posted: 08:38 - 23 Sep 2013 Post subject: |
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You certainly know your old bikes Tef. Yes you are right, it does have a radiator? I am not sure but that engine looks a little strange to me? I remember the Sunbeam S8 and am sure the engine looked different to this? I didn't know anything about the BSA though. I have now learned something, thanks.  |
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| Shaft |
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Shaft
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Joined: 27 Dec 2010
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 10 years, 211 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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