Biker's Lounge

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Sunbeam 500 ..

 

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West Coast Thunder 2023 .. Riverside, California. USA ..

 

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BMW R12 | Germany

, 1939.
One of the most famous motorcycles of World War II called the BMW R12, turned out to be almost perfect for the Germans, but some parts were not at all designed for the difficult roads of the Eastern Front. For example, the small gap between the wheel and the fender is rather quickly clogged with mud or snow, which certainly affected the speed of the German soldiers and the whole picture of the battle in general. The absence of sidecar wheel drive also slowed the mototcyle down, and problems with the riveted seams led to the introduction of electric arc welding in 1936.

However, despite the impressive weight of over 180 kg without the sidecar, the combination of an 18-hp 746 ccm sidevalve engine, 4-speed transmission, and cardan shaft drive made the machine quite fast and reliable on the roads.

Almost 36 000 units were manufactured before May of 1941 and 10 000 of these motorcycles were made specifically for the Wehrmacht. Despite a long-timed production of this model until 1941, the R61 and R71 models practically superseded the BMW R12 by 1938.

 

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1938 PMZ-A-750 | USSR

Production of PMZ A-750 motorcycles began in Podolsk. The task was not an easy one, because the local enterprise lacked the main thing - press equipment, necessary for frame manufacturing.

Despite all the difficulties the first motorcycle was ready in February 1934. It was not completely finished, but was assembled from the parts made directly at the PMZ factory without related enterprises supply. Production was headed by the creator of the first Izhevsk motorcyles - Petr Mozharov.

Though PMZ A-750 is sometimes described as "a Harley-Davidson engine in a BMW frame", in fact, one can find features typical for Indian motorcycles in its design.

 

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1937 Brough Superior 11-50 | Great Britain

The Brough Superior lineup, introduced at the 1932 Olympia Motorcycle Show, had only one updated motorcycle – the SS80 model. The machine was interesting, but not enough to get sales back to pre-crisis level. Decisive measures had to be taken to maintain its market position. And George Brough rushed to announce two new motorcycles, one of which was a created from scratch heavy sidevalve model "11-50".

In the announcement of the motorcycle, Mr. Brough promised a 1150 ccm engine, but without specifying the diameter and stroke of the piston. It was a clever marketing move. The fact is that the combination "11/50" was associated with a certain concept at the time and meant 11 RAC horsepower (the parameter by which vehicle taxes were calculated in Great Britain) and 50 hp of effective power. Thus, the buyer, hearing the name of the motorcycle, imagined a very powerful machine, by buying which he could seriously save money. In reality the engine of the 11-50 was a 1096 ccm JAP LTZ V-twin engine with 85.7 x 95 mm diameter and stroke, which George says was designed specifically for the Brough Superior.

The 11-50 is believed to have been developed as a response to numerous requests from overseas, mostly from police officers who wanted a motorcycle as powerful as the SS100, but with a simpler, sidevalve engine and a lower price point. The Brough Superior 11-50 was favorably received by critics, but more importantly by the cops for whom it was intended. And no wonder, since at a guaranteed speed of 110 kph (68 mph), virtually no intruder could get away from a patrolman behind the wheel of the 11-50 .......

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1928 BMW R47 | Germany

At the start of motorcycle production, before winning the hearts of customers, BMW management set the main goal to create a powerful motorcycle for mass production. The first step was the R37 model - a powerful, but complex and expensive machine. The next step was to reduce production costs.

Model R47 occupies a place of honor among BMW motorcycles because it was truly advanced for its time. For example, roller bearings were used for the first time (in the design of the valve rocker arms), replaceable bushings, and an innovative control system (except for manual shifting). A spring front suspension and a cardan brake look unusual for a modern motorcyclist, but in general, such solutions were not inconvenient either then or now.

R47 flat-twin OHV engine was the same as the one used on the touring model R42, except its rating increased to 18 h.p. and the maximum speed increased to 110 km/h. BMW sold 1720 R47 motorcycles – ten times more than R37! Most of the R47 motorcycles were sold to German racing clubs.

The main reason for the R47 success was that BMW did not present the new model as a racing-only motorcycle. The model had been offering in a “bare” version, but the client could choose from many options, e.g. generator, horn, and headlight. A fuel tank of larger capacity was also offered as an option. With a larger tank, R47 might be a part of the «Gran Turismo» class.

 

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1940 Ariel Square Four | Great Britain

The Ariel Square Four is widely regarded as one of the most iconic British motorcycles created after the global economic crisis of the 1930s.

Initially equipped with a 500cc four-cylinder engine, the motorcycle's engine capacity was increased to 601cc in 1932, and further to 995cc with the introduction of the 4G in 1936. The engine capacity was increased yet again to 997cc in 1953.

Despite frequent engine overheating issues due to poor cooling of the two rear cylinders, which were only resolved in later versions, the Ariel Square Four remained a bestseller. Weighing 197kg, the motorcycle is capable of reaching speeds of up to 160 km/h and is easy to handle.

During its production period from the prototype in 1930 to the end of production in 1958, a total of 15,641 Ariel Square Four motorcycles were made.

 

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