Ambassador Moped 1961

Ambassador was perhaps the most interesting of the crop of lightweight motorcycle brands that sprung up post WWII. This was largely in part due to the proprietor, Kaye but also because the products were a cut above the average in quality and design.

Irish born and of Polish heritage (his name was Donsky before shortened and anglicised to Don), Kaye Don was the archetypal gentleman racer of the inter-war period. He had served in the Royal Flying Corp in WW1 and post war he raced motorcycles, cars and speedboats and was even involved in land speed record attempts.

To find out more about Kaye Don see:

The Kaye Don Wikipedia page

The Vintagent article on Kaye Don

The Ambassador moped was a brave attempt at a quality British moped to take on the likes of the NSU Quickly and other continental success stories. It was something of a swansong for Don as he retired the year after the Moped was introduced and (perhaps quite astutely) sold the business to DMW just before the real decline in the British Motor Cycle industry fully kicked in.

There is a great write up on the Ambassador Moped on Andrew Pattle's Moped Archive: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0372.htm

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25/01/2023:

I've received this information from Ambassador guru Michael Easton:

There is quite a story behind Ambassador's Moped, but suffice to say that the Ambassador Machine Register currently (Jan 2023) records just seven surviving Ambassador Mopeds. Essentially just re-badged and repainted Solifer Type 47 mopeds from Finland, but with the perfectly good Solifer engine removed and fitted with the not-so-good Villiers 3K engine.

Thank you Michael.

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DOT rigid competition bikes

A two page flyer for DOT competition bikes from c1950. These bikes used the Villiers 197cc 6E motor, a competent power plant that's still popular in pre-65 trials today. DOTs were always nicely styled quality machines and they had a strong competition heritage. Note the odd megaphone end of the exhaust on the trials model.

DMW Motorcycles 1954

Here's the range of DMW (Dawson's Motor Works) machines for 1954. Leslie 'Smokey' Dawson was a well known pre-war grass track rider. When the War started he was ineligible for service in the armed forces due to his grass track riding injuries, instead he became an RAF mechanics instructor and despatch rider. Later on in the War he opened up a small garage in Wolverhampton - Dawson's Motor Works.

Smokey Dawson is in some places credited with patenting several important developments in motorcycle development (swinging arm suspension, telescopic forks and double sided front brakes). This is indeed true but it is perhaps more fair to say that he patented minor modifications to existing technology that allowed him to produce such parts without infringing existing patents. None-the-less he was certainly an innovator and one who embraced moves forward in technology.

DMW machines for the large part used Villiers engines and were of high quality with some unusual features, some models had semi-monocoque frames and many were fitted with earles forks. For a while I owned a DMW Cortina and a fine machine it was too.

The 1954 range is interesting in that this is the year that DMW listed machines fitted with French built AMC engines (a different company from the British concern Associated Motor Cycles). The French AMC motors were fitted with ohc engines (DOHC in the case of the racing model) and looked quite glamorous and exciting. Sadly it appears that these machines only reached prototype stage, they were exhibited at motor shows but seemingly did not roll off the production line.

There's a good history of DMW at the historywebsite.co.uk

DOT Motorcycles 1956

Through the fifties some of the more innovative and interesting motorcycle manufacturers were the smaller guys who built bikes using Villiers engines. DOT definitely fell into that bracket along with Cotton, Greeves, DMW and several others.

DOT were a brand with an illustrious pre-war history, though never in high volume production. Whereas pre-war DOT had used JAP and Blackburne motors along with Villiers, post-war Villiers was the only real option. The post-war range was more off-road competition focussed but there were road bikes too. The most notable post-war DOT feature was their consistent use of Earles forks.

It's timely to reproduce this brochure now as the brand DOT is currently being revived. There are two models being lauched, a street scrambler and a cafe racer both with 650cc parallel twin motors of Kawasaki design but licensed out to China manufacture. There's a DOT website for further details of the bikes, much is made of the bike's Manchester heritage but the site is written in a strange not quite native English. Whatever the story behind that is, the bikes look good and you've got to wish them success.

Kyffin Sapphire 1966

 A real obscurity here. The brochure for the Kyffin Sapphire range of Villiers powered off-road machines.

Roger Kyffin had a shop up in Cheshire and was a prominent scrambles rider. He made several specials based around DOT frames with Triumph or BSA engines and then from 1963 to 1966 produced the 250 Moto-Cross and the Red Rose Trials with Villiers 250 engines. All of his machines were known as Sapphires.

Kyffin Sapphire 250 Moto-Cross.

Kyffin Sapphire Red Rose Trials.

Villiers 6E engine brochure

 Here's the brochure for Villiers 6E motors. The 6E was introduced 1948 and replaced by the 8E 1953.

In my humble opinion the 6, 7 & 8E series engines were Villiers' finest. First came the 6E and then in '53 the 7E (competition version) and 8E. I've experience of all three and have never worked out any particular difference between them apart from the stampings on the crankcases! They are 197cc long stroke two stroke motors and are, quite honesty, significantly more pleasant than a BSA Bantam. The gearboxes are semi unit and bolt on / bolt off and available in three, four or three with reverse options (these motors were popular for microcars). Very flexible, easy to live with and work on with quite a surprising turn of speed a 6E engined bike makes a great classic for bimbling about on back roads.

Villiers 6E engine brochure front cover.

Villiers 6E engine brochure centre pages.

Villiers 6E engine brochure rear cover.

Pouncy Pal 1935

A real rarity, the brochure for the 1935 Pouncy Pal.

Some local interest for me here as Jack Pouncy produced his motorcycles from his workshop at Owermoigne near Dorchester, a few miles from my home. The Pouncy was the only motorcycle to have been produced in the county of Dorset. If there is a survivor out there and the owner wants to part with it, I would love to hear from you!

The Pal model is rather unusual in having a frame with OEC sliding pillar rear suspension. OEC was a fellow south coast producer along the coast in Portsmouth. I have heard that the complete frame was made by OEC for Pouncy.

Along with the brochure are reproduced typed sheets of options and specifications. Interesting to see on the final page of the brochure that there was a Pouncy Motorcycle Club. With a purported full production run of Pouncy motorcycles the membership was limited, though perhaps they also accepted less discerning members? 

There's a small potted history of Pouncy motorcycles in Old Bike Mart online.

See also the 1931 Pouncy brochure here on RDM.

Villiers Go Kart Engines

Go Karting originated in California in the mid-fifties. It quickly found its way across the Pond to the UK and soon became popular. Villiers were an obvious choice of engine to fit being cheap, easily tuneable and plentiful. Of course Villiers themselves soon picked up on this and marketed their engines specifically to the karting crowd.

I'm not 100% sure of the date of this flyer but it is from around 1962.

Villiers Go Kart engines flyer.

Two Million Villiers Engines

A Villiers flyer from 1956 that is very self explanatory. As they say two million is indeed a gigantic quantity of ring a ding stinky little two strokes. Of course as motorcycle enthusiasts we think of their bike engines but the bread and butter was small industrial engines of which many many were made. Cheap and cheerful they may well have been but Villiers engines were always rather nicely made and of sound design and possessed of endearing characteristics. I've had several Villiers engined machines myself and have loved each and every one of them!

Excelsior Scout

Here's something unusual, a Villiers-engined Excelsior. The model is a Scout and is from around 1934. Not too sure where the photo was taken but the number plate of the bike definitely isn't British, it says 'Vic' on it, maybe this is Victoria, Australia?

The caption on the reverse of the picture is, "This is Jack taken on a mates Motor Bike" sic.

Young Jack is sitting astride an Excelsior Scout from around
1934. The bike is fitted with a 250cc Villiers motor.

Tandon Superglid

Tandon motorcycles were the enterprise of a certain Devdutt Tandon and the first model, the Milemaster, was envisaged as a cheap rugged runabout for export to developing nations, particularly Devdutt's native India.

Like much in life Mr Tandon's export vision did not go to plan so he began to concentrate on machines for the home market of which the Superglid (yes, correct spelling) was the first. The Superglid was introduced in 1949 and was noteworthy amongst lightweights of the time for having rear suspension. The Superglid's rear suspension was of rather novel design and gave the machine a very distinctive profile. Rubber bands situated under the gearbox pulled by a bell crank connected to the swinging arm provided the suspension, rebound damping was controlled by a rubber block.

The Superglid's rear suspension borrowed from contemporary Italian designs but was unique amongst British machinery and in several respects ahead of its time. Tandons were never more than utility machines and the Superglid's Villiers 122cc engine was certainly not one to set the pulse racing but nowadays they stand out for their rarity and quirky design.

A pair of gents pose with a Tandon
Superglid.

1914 Sun Villiers first ride

1914 Sun Villiers.

The stars seem to be slowly aligning for an entry in the 2019 Pioneer Run. This is the planned for steed that I am kindly being lent by my father, a 1914 Sun. Having sold my Wall Autowheel two or three years back and singularly not managed to rustle up enough money to buy a new veteran I am relying on others' generosity to get a Pioneer ride.

The restoration of the Sun was completed several years back but for one reason or another it has not been used since, so time for some fettling to see if we had a viable ride or not.

The Sun has a 269cc Villiers motor mated up to a two speed clutchless crash gearbox. It has taken a couple of short sessions to get the bike running right.

First session we managed a few pops and bangs to accompany our experimentation with all permutations of throttle and ignition settings. Day two the ignition was further advanced and after much pushing we managed to get it going, snicked it in to neutral and had it running on the stand quite sweetly. It took a wide open throttle for the initial fire up but thereafter was content with just a whisper.

Next up time for the first ride, after some pushing and paddling along with the bike not willing to pick up we remembered that first gear was forward and not aft. Once in the correct gear the bike is now an easy starter!

Only a short test run so far but the Sun is a pleasant ride. Not far off in characteristics from a late thirties or forties autocycle. The engine is light and smooth, gear changes take a bit of getting used to but overall it is a sweet little bike. Time for some more fettling and test runs and then get that Pioneer Run entry sent off....

Vilar Portugese motorcycle with Villiers 122cc motor

António in Portugal has gotten in touch asking for help with a set of forks for his Villiers engined Vilar.

Vilar were a Portugese brand producing smaller engined motorcycles with proprietry engines. António's Vilar is a 125cc model from the late forties / early fifties, it is fitted with a Villiers 9D motor and is apparently a copy of the Excelsior Universal.

To me it looks like the forks fitted originally were Webb lightweight pressed steel ones as fitted to a number of British lightweights of the immediate pre and post war periods, Coventry Eagle, Ambassador, Royal Enfield and Excelsior to name a few.

The rear wheel is also missing, I would imagine it would be a British Hub type as fitted to many other lightweights of the period.

If anyone can help António out with a set of pressed steel Webbs or rear wheel please get in touch and I will forward contact details on.

Some more details on the Vilar brand on the Motos de Portugal site.

Vilar 125 is a pretty good basis for restoration. Wrong forks
though.

Interesting home bodge grafting the bottom of
the Webb girders on to a set of telescopic forks.
At least it means the original front wheel is still
with the bike.

And here is what the Vilar is based on, the Excelsior Universal.

The Villiers Two Speed bicycle gear

A scan of the brochure for the Villiers two speed gear. Not a derailleur system as it is essentially a chain gearbox. An interesting dead-end in bicycle gear design. Puzzlingly complicated to fathom and rather heavy the Villiers two speed was a product of the thirties, though when production was started and ceased exactly I am not sure.

Villiers freewheels brochure 1927

This brochure I already shared on the Vintage Bicycling blog, but as it is currently not getting updated and the library of sales literature over here on RDM is far larger and indexed I thought it was time to bring the cycling brochures over....

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Here's the brochure for Villiers freewheels from, I am guessing, 1927 - the brochure states that the freewheels had been in production for 25 years and Villiers started making them in about 1902.

Modern British Motorcycles

This little album of collectors cards was published in 1953 by ROSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents). Obviously enough the aim of the album was to impart hints and tips for safe riding; it's a cute little publication though and gives a nice cross-section of the products of the British motorcycle industry at the time.

Click on each page to get a larger, better resolution image.