18 replies to this topic

[zidder]

Edited by zidder, 22 March 2013 - 11:19.

[fastfitter]

Cracking shots, thanks

[SgtPepperoni]

fastfitter, on Mar 22 2013, 12:28, said:

Cracking shots, thanks

Totally agree. Great shots of Sammy who has been a wonderful ambassador for our sport.
The fairing on the Gilera looks a bit strange. It looks like the top piece of a 70's/80's fairing, and not the original. Anyone have any idea of what year the Porcupine is? And finally, what on earth is Sammy on in the larst pic. Beautiful, whatever it is.

[Russell Burrows]

SgtPepperoni, on Mar 22 2013, 12:36, said:

Totally agree. Great shots of Sammy who has been a wonderful ambassador for our sport.
The fairing on the Gilera looks a bit strange. It looks like the top piece of a 70's/80's fairing, and not the original. Anyone have any idea of what year the Porcupine is? And finally, what on earth is Sammy on in the larst pic. Beautiful, whatever it is.

Yes, good pics, thanks for putting them up. It's an early Porc, Sarge, maybe the first version as it has the near horizontal motor and the cooling spikes. Yes, not an original half fairing on the Gilera. Something vaguely in period would be so much better.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 22 March 2013 - 16:16.

[RC162]

SgtPepperoni, on Mar 22 2013, 12:36, said:

Totally agree. Great shots of Sammy who has been a wonderful ambassador for our sport.
The fairing on the Gilera looks a bit strange. It looks like the top piece of a 70's/80's fairing, and not the original. Anyone have any idea of what year the Porcupine is? And finally, what on earth is Sammy on in the larst pic. Beautiful, whatever it is.

It's a Verdal 750cc 5 cylinder rotary board racer.

[SgtPepperoni]

RC162, on Mar 22 2013, 19:34, said:

It's a Verdal 750cc 5 cylinder rotary board racer.

Thanks RC. What an extraodinary machine. Any idea of the year of manufacture?

[Classicpics]

SgtPepperoni, on Mar 23 2013, 11:22, said:

Thanks RC. What an extraodinary machine. Any idea of the year of manufacture?

From Google search

Verdals were made as racing motorcycles in 1912
the radial engine was purpose built for the machine,not an aircraft engine,but based on one.other than that there is not much known about these bikes.Sammy Miller is the man who built this machine so he must know more than anyone else!

[raygray11]

Hi all I think the machine is in Sammys Museum in Hampshire UK

[dommieracer]

Sammy is at thundersprint this weekend at Anglesey with Jim Redman

[275 GTB-4]

raygray11, on Mar 24 2013, 01:51, said:

Hi all I think the machine is in Sammys Museum in Hampshire UK

along with just about one of everything else on 2 wheels! a highlight of a trip in 2010

Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum (6 day Enduro Champion/8 miles from Beaulieu)
Bashley Cross Rd, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 5SZ

TEL: 01425 616644
Email: museum@sammymiller.co.uk

[fastfitter]

275 GTB-4, on Apr 17 2013, 10:57, said:

along with just about one of everything else on 2 wheels! a highlight of a trip in 2010

Indeed, well worth a visit

[Paul Collins]

fastfitter, on Apr 17 2013, 15:00, said:

Indeed, well worth a visit

Never seen a Villiers 4 before, whats the story on that one? is it a home brew?

[exclubracer]

Paul Collins, on Apr 17 2013, 17:32, said:

Never seen a Villiers 4 before, whats the story on that one? is it a home brew?

It looks like a doubled-up 2T, interesting!

[fastfitter]

It was a new one on me too. I'm nowhere near an expert but I'm surprised I'd heard nothing about it before. Apparently (IIRC) it was a prototype that never saw production. Vee four supercharged two stroke with drum brakes - what's not to like?

Apologies for the poor pictures

[Ristin]

fastfitter, on Apr 17 2013, 21:45, said:

Vee four supercharged two stroke

You just can't build a V4 two stroke with conventional crankshaft layout (two rods sharing one crankpin) AND conventional intake through the crankcase. I can't explain it in english, but it has got to do with needing to seperate the spaces under the pistons from each other. Supercharging is a simple way to solve this problem. When later on V4 two strokes became en vogue in Grand Prix racing, they used two crankshafts.
Ristin

[Macca]

Ristin, on Apr 18 2013, 13:01, said:

You just can't build a V4 two stroke with conventional crankshaft layout (two rods sharing one crankpin) AND conventional intake through the crankcase. I can't explain it in english, but it has got to do with needing to seperate the spaces under the pistons from each other. Supercharging is a simple way to solve this problem. When later on V4 two strokes became en vogue in Grand Prix racing, they used two crankshafts.
Ristin

....apart from the Honda NSR500.

Paul M

[serafini]

Classicpics, on Mar 23 2013, 12:45, said:

From Google search

Verdals were made as racing motorcycles in 1912
the radial engine was purpose built for the machine,not an aircraft engine,but based on one.other than that there is not much known about these bikes.Sammy Miller is the man who built this machine so he must know more than anyone else!

Sorry but this is not correct on any count. The bike is a Verdel; not built in 1912 and not built by Mr Miller. Other know more about it than Mr Miller.

[Tonka]

serafini, on Apr 20 2013, 16:23, said:

Sorry but this is not correct on any count. The bike is a Verdel; not built in 1912 and not built by Mr Miller. Other know more about it than Mr Miller.

Sammy Miller rebuilt the bike. Just done a bit off Goggling and found a better closeup picture.

http://www.motorspor...-750cc-FIVE.jpg

Apparently Sammy Miller says it was made in 1912.

BUT...

http://www.motorcycl.../number1781.asp

At the bottom of the page -

Quote

Fake
Verdel 750
The Verdel and the Packer were constructed in Clitheroe, Lancashire, UK a few years back by a talented maintainance engineer. Both the Verdel and the Packer were sold to Sammy Miller as such.
Verdel did exist but made aircraft engines, no records exist, Packer did exist as motorcycle manufcaturer but again no information exists.
The date should be 1992 not 1912

Anyone got the phone number for Sherlock Holmes ?

[serafini]

Tonka, on Apr 21 2013, 23:45, said:

Sammy Miller rebuilt the bike. Just done a bit off Goggling and found a better closeup picture.

http://www.motorspor...-750cc-FIVE.jpg

Apparently Sammy Miller says it was made in 1912.

BUT...

http://www.motorcycl.../number1781.asp

At the bottom of the page -



Anyone got the phone number for Sherlock Holmes ?

OK - the story: as the man said the Verdel was built in Clitheroe in the years up to 2000 in a tiny shed by a talented engineer, using bits of Honda 50/lawn mower parts etc. Its first public showing was at Montlhery in 2000. It then appeared at Spa in about 2003 and then went to Hampshire, where it was re-painted. Contrary to some reports, there is only one Verdel
Verdel was a family from northern France, with bicycle and motorbike shops pre-WW1 in Bapaume and Peronne. A friend of the builder visited the Somme WW1 battlefields and got to know a grandson of the shop owner. Hence the name attributed to the bike.
Most of the stuff about the bike in magazines and websites is pure garbage. It is not a fake or replica; it is a wonderful example of one man's ingenuity and expertise. Value it for what it is.