Lightweight Villiers Motorcycle engines - How to Get Better Performance

If you like the film please consider buying me a Cake www.buymeacoff...
Victor Kennedy shows us his 1949/1950 James Comet motorcycle (with a 98cc Villiers engine) that he is currently restoring and shows how to get more speed/performance from the engine. We also see other motorcycles from the 1950's that used the 1F & 2F 98cc Villers engines.

[@johnbrereton5229]

When I was around 14, I saved up £2.10 shillings (£2.50p) and bought a 1955 James Comet 98cc with two speed handlebar gear change and plunger rear suspension. It did 40mph and 140mpg. I remember getting hot and sweaty trying to start it, untill a neighbour saw me and showed me how. After starting it I remember my joy when I managed to master pulling away and found I could go up hill as fast as I could go down on my push bike. Oh, such innocent happy days !

[@adriansolomon6805]

I have a Comet! I have ridden it along my road twice 😊 I'm not brave enough to go any further. It was first registered in 1952. 😊

[@jackx4311]

I rebuilt a Villiers 37A (246cc), and spent a lot of time grinding out square lumps at the bottom of the transfer ports. They were obviously left in there to simplify the making of the casting patterns, but must have caused a lot of obstruction and disruption to the air flow. I also took care to match the openings where the barrel met the crankcase - as they didn't line up that well. As Victor says, even if you only have little spare cash and a very basic toolkit, with a bit of effort you can make a considerable improvement to the performance of these very basic engines. Thanks for posting this, Dominic!

[@spgranorthiam123]

my first bike was James 98 in 1962, it set me free I could go where liked, happy days/

[@davidk3729]

My first motor bike. 1953 Excelsior 98cc. Bought it from the insurance man for £20 , my 16th birthday present. The exhaust was choked with carbon. Had to get it red hot and mallet it to break it out in pieces. Next purchase was a 1950 Bond Minicar. Villiers 197cc. Memorable for having no bloody good brakes.

[@peter7624]

I also followed that route. Learnt on my Dads Excelsior 98 and bought a BSA C12, later a red Bond Mk F, then a maroon Mk G to which someone had fitted a rear petrol tank and electric pump!

[@jackx4311]

A friend of mine also bought a Bond three-wheeler, as he coulkd drive it on a motorbike licence. He went on holiday to the West Country, and scared the living daylights out of himself and his passenger going down Porlock Hill! He said the only reason they made it was by keeping in first gear, and hanging out the window to stop the Bond from flipping over on the vicious bend at the bottom . . . :))

[@davidk3729]

August bank holiday 1958. With a mate heading for Wales. His job was to clean the other spark plug ready for when the one in the cylinder head coked up. Full belt downhill on the Welsh road from Chester High Road. Haring round the left hander at the bottom of the hill was confronted by the rear end of a stationary Crosville bus, the end of the traffic jam for Queensferry. Remember we had no bloody good brakes. Slammed the gear lever straight up into first. It squealed and juddered to a stop resting on the bus. Into neutral expecting feel shredded gears and pulled the starter (the lever attached to a rope on the kickstart pedal). It started up. That was exciting.

[@jackx4311]

@@davidk3729 - I've just remembered, with you talking about Wales; coming back from the Dragon Rally on the Greeves Scottish Trials (fitted with the Villiers 37A mentioned above); there were lots of young lads along the A.5, looking at the bikes, and as I approached one corner, I saw three lads watching, one of whom had a camera. So, being young and certain of my immortality, I decided to put on a show for him, cranked the Greeves over and gave it a fistful. The trials tyres said "I don't think so . . . ", and we did a graceful both wheels broadside skid into the hedge - and the lad raced up, took my picture, and legged it! I don't know if he expected retribution in the form of a clip round the ear, but I was so helpless with laughter that I couldn't have done it I'd wanted to! It's a wonder that any of us survived, eh? And I wonder if some 60+ year old has still got that photo, and if the memory of that day still makes him chuckle?

[@jonka1]

Brakes? I assumed they were an optional extra that my car didn't have. Mine also had NO chassis as it had rusted away leaving the rear suspension units screwed to the alloy floor. It did have a dynastart with reverse, I fitted the reverse myself which took a while for a 17 year old to work out. Many years later (1990s) I watched a man in Bury Lancs reverse park one. I watched as he drew level with another car, stopped the engine, operated the reverse switch and restarted the engine going backwards then backed in. He saw me watching him and I think he might have assumed that I was judging him for the car he was driving. He got out and walked away with all the dignity of a member of the royal family.

[@66marlinmike]

When I was 16 I had a 197 James Captain which had a Villiers 7E engine, I performed similar tricks on the crankcase and my mate who had a Francis Barnet with the same engine could never figure out why he was 10 mph slower than me.

[@dr.chrismort8448]

Excellent old school knowledge from this gentleman

[@CEng-ge6sw]

Well done! Very interesting and very well presented. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I learned a lot. I have subscribed. Incidentally, I started work as a 16 year old in 1958 as an office boy in a Drawing Office and was paid £2-4s-9d per eek.

[@wynneroberts6064]

I have one of these engines, and wondered how to improve it. Now I know. Great video, wonderfully explained, great guy. Do more. Love it.

[@edwardkennedy9919]

Brilliant information on how to extract more power, it is a little like porting the cylinder heads and machining the manifolds on older engines to get the fuel/air flow smoother in and out of the engine , thanks for uploading video.

[@jamespatterson4468]

I thourally enjoyed your demonstration about your motorcycle.

[@CZ350tuner]

I spray all my iron finned cylinders with Hammerite smooth black metal paint. I bakes, when the engine is started and run for aa bit, into a lovely gloss factory finish that lasts for a few years. A Rudge collecting friend, Brian Cooper, showed me this trick many years ago.

[@paul.alarner6410]

in my youth i used to glue wine corks under the piston crown,it was light and didnt affect balance and raised the primary compression,had to replace it often as it used to burn away,

[@routmaster38]

Modern 2 stroke moto cross engines(1980,s)stopped "crankcase stuffing" realising that widening the transfer passages improved the flow due to the weight of the fuel mixture exiting faster causing a vacuum effect combined with matching expansion pipes giving more cylinder filling and lots more power..

[@paul.alarner6410]

@@routmaster38 maybe so but no matter what increasing the primary compression helps! with or without expansion chambers!

[@davids8449]

Very interesting video, The engine crank case ( with the Villiers name plate) has no gasket when joining the engine many times I have found oil leaking out ( not from drain screw ) may be an idea to put some gasket cement on so compression is not lost from case

[@rodsurcess2099]

Great! How to create more powerful Villiers engines.! Wealth of knowledge and experience!

[@Walt_G]

excellent video, thanks for posting. I'm just about to start work on an Excelsior Consort 98cc, so this was very helpful.

[@bobeden5027]

My 1st motorcycle! in 1968.

[@guidoseyeball]

Great video, someone who knows what he's talking about. Thanks for sharing!

[@martinnorth2680]

Excellent video

[@DominicKennedy]

Glad you liked it

[@MBIKES21]

Great video.

[@pauloconnor7951]

Great !. Plus an expansion chamber exhaust.

[@remingtonghiasso2286]

old, old school tuning

[@nbandpinportugal]

It would have been better to show us the modifications in progress mate. Can you show us a modified engine ?

[@peter7624]

Aye, padding the crank cases to increase the primary compression was a popular trick. Not sure if it lasted very long though..

[@jackx4311]

Yes, it did last - and was very effective.

[@stephenhughes1439]

Hi there, I was giving my uncle’s 1940/50 James motorcycle when he past. I have been looking to restore it. I have all parts and it has a Villiers engine. I don't even know where to start. I came across your video, I am from just outside of Newry Co Down. Is this something you may be interested in helping me with? I am a handyman but engines are where I call quits. But I would happily paint a fence or so on for you in return 😂

[@VintageMopeds]

a job well done

[@wynkindeworde6504]

Thanks for the vdeo, I have a Bown with a 1F engine.

[@matheusmoreno7540]

i am starting to restore a james comet with villiers 1f engine... where can i find replacement parts for the bike and engine?

[@DominicKennedy]

For engines this site is probably the best villiersservices.co.uk/

[@keithmoore5224]

Deasel oil hase detergent in it so it will mixe with the petrol ( my bsa bantam sun 250 t) i ran my yamaha yds7 250 on sea 30 oil shell with no prodlems and i road it hard as you do at 19 40 thousand miles happy days

[@CZ350tuner]

One Imperial (true) gallon = 4.461 Litres.

[@routmaster38]

In 1955 I could buy 4 gallons of petrol for a pound! and now that wont buy a litre!

[@domainengineering8841]

I have 1891 villiers motore bike any one interested kindly post me

[@frederickbowdler8169]

Very inefficient engines hence erratic running and popping when throttle closed but overall these small bikes were well designed for short distance commute.