5 Classic Britsh two Strokes

[@stevetaylor9265]

I still miss two stroke motorcycles.

[@bikerdood1100]

Still a few out there of course

[@dennisyoung4631]

Yup, love those *buzz-bombs.* Wish I still had the F7 Kawasaki…

[@KayIvins]

Spot on about the Ariel Arrow. Smashing bike in it's day. I had one for several years in the early 70s. I loved it. The lads that I hung around with in those days had Suzuki Hustlers and Yamaha YDS7s and even the odd early RD250. It is true that on long straights they were faster than my Ariel but on the twistys the Ariel would easily out pace them. I have very fond memories of that bike. Oh, and yes, I am 70 and still riding regularly on my Royal Enfield Meteor 350. Grand videos, keep up the good work. 😎👍.

[@bikerdood1100]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@67daltonknox]

Takes me back. In the '60s I owned a Francis-Barnett Falcon 4 speed with a Villiers 197cc engine, a DKW 197cc and an Arrow. I loved them all, but it has to be said that the Deek which only cost me 9 quid at auction was the best bike. Neglected at the back of the shed, it would be dragged out from time to time and always started and ran fine. When I went off to college, my young cousins grabbed it and started riding it round the fields at the back of their house.

[@bikerdood1100]

Interesting

[@rickh8380]

Another great collection of old 2-stroke bikes. Simpler times for sure. Thanks for sharing. Ride safe. Cheers

[@bikerdood1100]

Thanks

[@IanLawrie-l9q]

Most informative, I am continually amazed at how innovative the Scott marque was 👍👏👌

[@bikerdood1100]

Clever devil young Mr Scott was

[@williamnethercott4364]

Although I've never liked two strokes, I enjoyed this video and learned something new. My dad had an old 125cc Bantam in the early sixties and it was a devil to start on a cold day. On the other hand, I rode pillion on a neighbour's 175cc Bantam a couple of times about 7 or 8 years later, which struck me as a very practical machine and surprisingly powerful for it's size.

[@bikerdood1100]

Like most of these things it’s all about technique Which of course is never the same between any two bikes

[@johnrickards1908]

Would love to have seen Cotton included at least as an honourable mention. Their 250cc trials machines were outstanding in their day.

[@bikerdood1100]

There’s a reason I only ever put 5 bikes per video So I can make more later of course

[@robertroe1956]

How about the Starmaker? I'm not sure if was made as a road bike.

[@johnrickards1908]

@@robertroe1956 Hi Robert, I'm not sure but, I think the Star Maker was a version of a 250cc Villiers engine used in some Cotton, off road competition bikes and not a motorcycle in it's own right. I'm not sure, I could be wrong, it's happened before (I'm married). I don't have time at the moment to research it, I'm on a short lunch break, however, I am intrigued so I'm going to look it up when I get home and I'll let you know. If you have time to research it before me, would you be kind enough to let me know. Gotta go, need to finnish my salad. The wife has me on a diet and I wish it could have been a cheese burger 🍔 ;~) John.

[@haroldpearson6025]

And the DOT.

[@tonythedwvyer]

I owned an Ariel Arrow Sports (1964). It was a glorious machine. Easy to ride and very smooth. I did 1000's of mile son it. It eventually died when the gearbox siezed and I couldn't get an economical replacement/ My first motorbike was a 1952 BSA Batnam D1. I had that in 1964. I loved it.

[@bikerdood1100]

Cool 😎

[@chrisweeks6973]

Some nice memories in that video! Back in 1958 my first ride was a 98cc James, second was a 125 Bantam, then an RM1 Raleigh 50cc moped, a Douglas-built Vespa 125, then a Jawa 250 and a Honda CB77, but by 1970 it was a Bantam D14/4 that got me to work; it was a good little bike and very reliable. A number of other bikes - both two and four stroke - followed. At 77 I'm still riding, currently on a Suzuki VL250, though about to add a Honda CTX 700N to the fairly extensive list; that'll be my third bike in 18 months!

[@bikerdood1100]

Nice 👍

[@alansalter1836]

I lived my Bantam not one of the greats but so simple so nice and so easy to ride 🇬🇧

[@bikerdood1100]

Simplicity is definitely their main virtue

[@russcattell955i]

Before me & my brother could ride on the road we needed a "field bike", so on pocket money budget we got a old Bantam but the engine was just about knackered. So we shoehorned a Villiers 2t motor in it & upswept the silencers, fitted the Avon "slipmaster" rear tyre on the front and MX knobbly on the rear. As the knobbly was too wide for the swingarm we cut down the outer knobs until it did. We had a lot of fun on the little mongrel bike.

[@bikerdood1100]

Brilliant 😂

[@johnbrereton5229]

My first motorcycle aged 13 year old was a 1955 James Comet with a 98cc villiers engine and two speed hand change gears. I also passed my test on a 150cc James Cadet that had a pressed steel monoque rear section. These bikes offered cheap reliable transport and the freedom to travel further afield at the weekends. I have many fond memories, I can even remember the smell of the two stroke fuel, such nostalgic bliss ! 👍😎

[@bikerdood1100]

Got to save some for next time 😂

[@johnbrereton5229]

@@bikerdood1100 Yes indeed very true, there are plenty of other two strokes to feature from here in England, the home of the two stroke. The first proper two stroke was invented by the Englishman Joseph Day in 1889. Though the James and other unitarian makes are often neglected in favour of the more glamorous marques. Nevertheless, I shall look forward to your other videos with anticipation. 👍😎

[@davedear929]

I bought a brand new leader in 1962. I thought it was fantastic. Only drawback was the useless front brake. Also wasn't really accepted up the local coffee bar.. But I got over that on my shiny red and white stead.. thanks for great videos.

[@bikerdood1100]

It’s the styling that polarises I love it

[@whiteonggoy7009]

Had a c reg arrow,at first handled terrible until i found the bolt going through the swinging arm was broke in two.all was well after. Nudge my memory was the fuel cap also a measure for 2stroke oil per gallon..

[@bikerdood1100]

On the Ariel I don’t know Definitely on a lot of them

[@sambrooks7862]

When I was a kid and used to ride down the farm tracks one lad had a bantam 175, I used to love having a go on that, when you're about 11 years old and only used to a honda 50 a 175 seems bloody quick!

[@bikerdood1100]

They went pretty well in all honesty The D14 performance is very good when compared to most two stroke singles of its day

[@sambrooks7862]

@@bikerdood1100 yeah it always seemed pretty quick belting down a muddy lane!

[@jasonhull1342]

I have said this many times, why BSA never used this 250cc twin Arial engine again in a traditional frame and folks is a mystery? Add a reed valve and another cog or two in the gearbox and they would have a bike in the 250 learner class up until the late 80s. You mention Len Vale Onslow and the SOS, I can remember reading, that it was he that wanted to buy the the tooling for the Bantam and put it back into production, but like you said BSA had already scrapped the tooling.

[@bikerdood1100]

Bit of a mystery They needed a new gearbox in 65 but didn’t have new castings made To be fair to them the motorcycle market had begun to collapse by them so it probably was hard to justify the expense Cats outnumber bikes in the early 50s Today they make up just 1% of traffic And that process began suddenly in 1960

[@jasonhull1342]

@@bikerdood1100 But when you think how much money BSA wasted on the Titan motorcross, and the the Areal3, not to mention 74 year old Edward Turners abortion of 350. Then a simple 250 cc 2 stroke engine like this, that lets be honest all the 17 year old learner boys loved, look how may of these Suzuki and Yamaha sold in 70s, would have been a profitable bike.

[@derekr54]

Happy days,my first bike was a 175cc D5 Bantam and it was quite fun until I moved up to a BSA C15 so months later.

[@bikerdood1100]

Had a bantam myself but a D14/4

[@johnrickards1908]

Would the wonderful Silk 700cc qualify as a classic? I do think so.😊

[@bikerdood1100]

It would I suppose but would possibly fit into the Scott story I have covered the silk story Some time ago but will definitely be covering it again

[@paulholmes1682]

"Wonderful"? Have you actually owned one? George Silk is a very nice bloke but the bike I owned from new was dire. The only components that didn't fail were the wheel bearings!

[@johnrickards1908]

@@paulholmes1682 I've never actually owned one but my mate has one and it's never let him down. Mind you, it's been sitting in his garage in a hermetically sealed bag since he acquired it 12yrs ago! Sad really 😞

[@paulholmes1682]

Hi John, I was heart broken by the struggles I had with my Silk. I persevered for 6 years and 17,000 miles but finally cracked and sold it. I had used my house deposit money to buy it and I was in the red for a long time!!!@@johnrickards1908

[@rover100bunson]

remember vale onslow shop on the stratford road from college days, there were motorcycle breakers in the same row of shops, great days

[@bikerdood1100]

Business is still going but have moved premises because the shop was decaying around them

[@Lanes-Explorer5733]

Didn't know that about the Vale-On slow SOS bikes. Would a piece on the Villiers company and its designs generally be of interest I wonder. Your videos are a terrific archive of machines which I often enjoy looking back on. Thank you for all the research and efforts you put into making them. LE

[@bikerdood1100]

Probably will at a later date Bit of an undertaking though Which is why I keep putting things like that off Requires a lot of time

[@Lanes-Explorer5733]

@@bikerdood1100 yes, sorry I realised after I'd written it just how much work it would be. 😔.

[@sefton1972]

I do like those Scott Squirrel 2 Strokes. I stood in admiration when I visited them he motorcycle museum a few years back. Do they advertise when you can ride their classics around the car park? I’d love a go of some old beauties, in particular some Velocettes.

[@bikerdood1100]

They do and we have twice

[@jonadams6846]

No mention of the Ambassador with the 9E Villiers engine reliable and a great little bike,I bought mine for £4 restored it,uses it for 2 years till I passed my test,I saw it many years later,a loch keeper on the Thames owned it,still in the paint colour I restored it in and still running fine

[@bikerdood1100]

Can’t fit everything in one video 🙄 That way I can make more Obviously

[@arthurfarrow]

The dear old Billy that took a man and his sandwiches back and forth to work for decades

[@bikerdood1100]

Exactly what they intended for

[@haroldpearson6025]

Greeves, the late grate Dave Bickers rode in scrambles for them.

[@bikerdood1100]

Greeves a great company but too small to survive in a shrinking market These days they often get mentioned in lists of the worst bikes ever Which shows some people on the internet have absolutely No idea

[@Banditmanuk]

Definitely miss two strokes. Some of the footage is from the National Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham. A brilliant place to walk around

[@bikerdood1100]

That’s were we shot it alright

[@anthonycarty9433]

Agreed , a great place to look around . However when I visited a few years ago there was no dedicated area for riders to store their riding gear whilst you wandered around . Unforgivable in my opinion . Hope the museum has rectified this issue by now .

[@Banditmanuk]

@anthonycarty9433 Good point. I know Triumph has lockers you can store your riding gear when visiting.👍

[@buxvan]

Passed my test in 1980 on a Bantam D14/4, had a Francis barnett villier s 2T ratbike too. Thrashed it everywhere & when you stopped at the traffic lights l used to get hidden by the smoke. Used to heat seize but after a quick cigarette 🚬 she was ready to go again. Still got 3 mobylette X7 mopeds & a TS185ER, Just for winding up Greta.

[@bikerdood1100]

😂

[@robertroe1956]

How about the Norman Nippy two speed moped? My first motorbike back in 1972. Wish I still had it.

[@bikerdood1100]

I’m thinking about a video on British mopeds I must admit

[@jonnaylor3154]

Best yet!!! I was ignorant to the ideas and engineering tech us Brits had back in the day.😎 All I can say is lost opportunity to our industry.😕

[@bikerdood1100]

Probably was that so many of our companies were too small Similar things happened all over Europe at that time See how many German and Italian companies went broke And some Japanese in truth

[@jonnaylor3154]

Yeah your probably right!

[@upsidedowndog1256]

That is pretty cool that you guys get to experience these gems! I have always been frustrated about the European bike companies falling down once the Japanese companies came into stride. It was a matter of timing I think. Only HD was left in the US and the people I have met that bought new Shovels in the 70s have real horror stories about new bikes from then. It would have been cool if many other countries and manufacturers had been able to go head to head with the Japanese companies of the 70s and 80s. Ducati and Triumph came back, and others in the 90s. I guess we should thank the Japanese companies for getting the industry through a dark time for many. In some ways they invented new tech that has become the standard for performance and reliability. I think other manufacturers still have a way to go based on YT video experiences of other people. My stable of 7 only includes 1 Italian Garelli moped and sadly no Britbikes. 1 Honda, 2 Suzukis, and 3 Kawasakis. All older bikes. Nice video, sir!

[@bikerdood1100]

Well in Europe Ducati never left of course. The death of bike companies in Europe in truth owes more to inexpensive cars than Japan. Many went broke before their arrival. It was the same in the US when the model T came out but much later In some ways finance companies were to blame because they made it possible to afford a small car

[@MrLagnil]

In a parallel twin, both pistons reach top dead center at the same time. In a parallel twin where the pistons move up and down at the same time, the crankshaft angle is 360 degrees.

[@bikerdood1100]

Yes Exept in 180 degree parallel twins Or 270 degree parallel twin Then it doesn’t Not exactly earth shattering news I’d imagine Two stroke parallel twins are pretty well always 180 degree, ditto most Japanese parallel twins o& the 70s with the exeption of the Honda Superdream/ dream engines and the Yamaha XS Today a lo5 of companies are moving towards 270 degree offset Yamaha / Suzuki Triumph et al

[@OCCUPIEDNATION]

I must admit I had to check what was in my drink when you mentioned automatic-oiling in the early nineteen thirties.

[@bikerdood1100]

Oh before then Er Greta ?

[@OCCUPIEDNATION]

@@bikerdood1100 ...And so many people think the Japs innovated two-stroke technology during the late Sixties - a 250 Suzuki trail was a copy of a Villiers engine wasn't it?

[@lesklower7281]

I owned a couple of Suzuki 2 strokes l do miss them

[@bikerdood1100]

It’s the smell people miss the most

[@lesklower7281]

@@bikerdood1100 We must not the sound and the smell

[@simonhall5086]

Thanks for your efforts bikerdood. Great video again. 👍

[@bikerdood1100]

Thanks

[@zig_ziggy]

The GPO used to have a huge fleet of red Bantams for delivering telegrams etc.

[@bikerdood1100]

You still see them around Some people frees them up as GPO reps

[@Lyingleyen]

One of my Uncle's toured all over Europe and the UK with his wife on a Scott sidecar. Got scolded once when it overheated going up a steep hill. 👍

[@bikerdood1100]

Brilliant Not the overheating, obviously

[@peterparsons3297]

being of a certain age i have had multiple bantams, a James 197 with a 9e engine and a greaves with a 250 twin Villiers. i remember when i lived in leeds in the 70s loads of little red bantam's came from the post office, a good one was £5 some less quality ones went from £3 to £2

[@bikerdood1100]

Bit more now 😂

[@davebarrowcliffe1289]

A 4-stroke is 2 more strokes than an adult actually needs.

[@bikerdood1100]

Can you have too many

[@Luppy-v8f]

How about a series on British excelsior motorcycles.

[@bikerdood1100]

Not a bad idea And we owned one for a while plus my grandfather had one between the wars

[@stevetaylor8698]

The SOS factory might have been bombed but not in 1939 as the first German bombs to fall non-military targets in England did not occur until 1940 - and that was in London. I suspect the manufacture of these specialist motorcycles was ended in 1939 because there would not have been a market for them.

[@bikerdood1100]

Oh the factory was hit True they had already stopped but can’t resume with no buildings or equipment The factory was bombed out a fact that is well documented, most such facilities were doing other work by then it’s true but bombed it was Most motorcycle factories switched to other work because the British put the economy on a war footing as early as 39 long before Germany, contrary to popular belief ending civilian vehicle production Sadly not all factories were spared the blitz while others never reverted. You augmented about not restarting post war for other reasons makes sense for say Brough but not SOS who produced small two strokes, these were in very high demand post war remember

[@davidblythe-t2n]

I would like to see a video on British scooters, the rarer the better

[@bikerdood1100]

Hmmm 🤔

[@davidblythe-t2n]

@@bikerdood1100 don't let prejudice get in the way of a great video lol

[@tonycamplin8607]

Back in the 1950s/1960s I owned lost of British 2strokes, including a Arrow and a Cotton (why was this make missed)? The best was Norman B4 a really great sports machine using the last Villiers twin the T4 version. The others were basic James's and FBs.

[@bikerdood1100]

Only room for 5 Why would I miss the other makes ?

[@rayhully6783]

My first road bike was a 63 Royal Enfield 250 turbo twin using the Villiers 4T 250 twin engine. Smart, but sluggish

[@bikerdood1100]

4t engine was originally designed for use in a micro car Compared to the earlier 2T it was Less smooth and less torquey all for the gain of around 3 horses all thanks to the reverse cone exhaust. Needed a total redesign The Starmaker was much more powerful but basically a competition motor not that it stopped the likes of cotton putting it in road bikes Pity it wasn’t developed further

[@robertkelly-jh9zu]

The Arrow was a great machine

[@bikerdood1100]

And very underrated I think

[@haroldpearson6025]

What happened to the James and Frances Barnet, who were true two stroke bike companies.

[@bikerdood1100]

Well they were part of the AMC empire This made a name over of poor chooses and ultimately overstretched itself. Introduced its own two Stoke engines in the 50s which flopped The company was effected Very badly by the downturn in sales in 1960 and collapsed completely in 1966 taking FB and James without

[@arthurfarrow]

How many of us first wobbled down the road on a Billy?

[@bikerdood1100]

A lot I expect And most would have at least tried one

[@mikedench]

Wot no Fanny Barnett, Norman, Cotton etc. Great choices nonetheless. Thanks I always liked the tiddlers

[@bikerdood1100]

Why focus on what isn’t in a video 🤷🏻 I do cover all this makes in other videos 🙄 Always like the name Francis Barnett Makes me smile every time Fanny B will of course be coming up in my a-z quite soon of course

[@bikerdood1100]

Have to wait a while for Norman obviously

[@phillipchandler8862]

Lamentable what happened to the British motorcycle industry. The same as a lot of others with a lack of investment, quality control and poor management. I really enjoyed that content and had never heard of the S.O.S. How advanced was that along with the Scott?? I seem to remember the 200cc Ariel was called the Colt. Greeves Challenger now your talking👌👍👍

[@bikerdood1100]

Well it’s historically not like that at all I’m the 50s there were more bikes than cars on British roads Now there they make up 1% of road vehicles British companies were often small companies selling to the Uk market A market which disappeared almost overnight in 1960 plunging them all into financial crisis. BSA group had good US sales which protected them but the others much less so Many were broke or out of business before the Japanese arrived with absolutely no money left to invest in new models So they Japanese came in but their sales are tiny compared in the Uk compared to the 50s Because the market was dead The idea that the Japanese brushed the industry aside isn’t historically accurate but is I’m afraid an over simplification The motorcycle industry all over Europe went the same way at the same time . Germany included a fact largely ignored by the British bikes are crap brigade Ditto France and Italy Guzzi were selling well I’ve 30,000 bikes a year in Italy alone Incidentally the Ariel volt 200 was a post war bike based on a BSA c12

[@phillipchandler8862]

@@bikerdood1100 Thanks for your detailed reply and opinion. Spot on re the Colt. My mistake.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Were you aware that the BSA Bantam's design, tooling, and machinery were taken (from DKW) as war reparations ? The result was that BSA ended up making an obsolete 1930's bike on worn out machines. You might call it madness to smash it all up, but most of it was kn@ckered when they got it !

[@bikerdood1100]

Yes in a word Except not exactly correct of course because the bantam was a mirror design and not a direct copy so would not have used the same tooling Some staff members wanted the engine tooling to set up trials bike production. Smart move given it worked quite well in that role It would not have been the oldest tooling there in any case Not by far The tooling was incidentally taken by Those pesky Russians Minks motorcycles

[@davidlax9454]

Bit tongue in cheek calling the bantam british ☺☺☺

[@bikerdood1100]

Well it’s more British than a modern Triumph, at least they built them in Birmingham And as an interesting footnote the first BMW car was a license built Austin 7

[@davidlax9454]

True lol

[@fasthracing]

Father in law has a 67 Bantam 175. Down right dangerous to ride.

[@bikerdood1100]

Not if you can ride They are dead simple ?

[@fasthracing]

Been riding for 43 years buddy and have owned circa 40 bikes. Bantam is by far the worst bike I have ever ridden. @@bikerdood1100

[@anthonystorey2953]

Oh look ! A picture of the very bike I was bought by my grandparents for my sixteenth birthday, what a piece of crap if you rode at night with the lights on you could not use the rear brake, if you did the illumination of the brake light would cause the bike to stop because of the totally inadequate electrics, the only good thing I can say about that bike was that the tank badge was shiny! Should have bought a honda a mate had one it was like it came from a different planet! ! 😮

[@bikerdood1100]

Boring !!

[@stephenshipley1066]

Poor handling Ariels??? At the launch, when there was some doubt about a pressed steel frame and leading link forks. To allay these fears, factory riders rode the bikes up a standard kerb at 30 mph. Try that on a Japanese 2-stroke!

[@bikerdood1100]

I’ve seen it in a few articles stating that they handled badly and had terrible ground clearance WHO WRITES THIS 💩😂😂

[@mfs5493]

Hold the camera STILL!!!!!!!

[@bikerdood1100]

Nooooo

[@alecjefferson6993]

Ariel Arrow 🤮l had the misfortune to own one what a mistake!! Nightmare to work on. Try talking the Dummy Tank off 🤮 to get the coils. I’d like to know how they fitted them!! The rectifier just about see it let alone change it taking the rear wheel out or the fuel tank. The engine German design Val Page copied the MB ADLA 250 54x54 front brake was next useless.

[@bikerdood1100]

🙄 Suzuki used the same bore and stroke too Having the same bore and stroke means bugger all now doesn’t it Trying do the same on a modern Honda by those standards the Ariel is dead simple, spanner’s and a bit of care, simple

[@ianmcdiarmid4563]

Could be an interesting video if you would only stop waving the camera around so much

[@bikerdood1100]

Gee Thanks Mr Spielberg😂

[@garrington120]

My first and only bike was a 1960 DMW with a Villiers 9E , 197 cc Engine . I believe DMW were bought by Ambassador around that time . I have seen very little if nothing about DMW/Ambassador 2 strokes on the net or KZbin

[@bikerdood1100]

The other way around DMW purchased Ambassador DMW were based in Wolverhampton and were a small company They survived a surprisingly long time producing off roaders after Villiers stopped engine supply to outside companies