Terrot MT1 Motorcycle restoration project

[Ashley James]

If you ever buy another old two stroke, it better be an MZ or Japanese.

[911hillclimber]

Too late Ashley, I have a 1952 Peugeot BIMA in the shed, a greater challenge that this French beauty....
Rare, no parts, few interested, unwanted.
Just about right, but will not be fully restored, just got going and safe.
Needs engine sorted.
New tyres and tubes and the odd spoke. £££
New brakes, one of which is a push bike design.

Easy?

[Ashley James]

I’ll pray for you and put you in touch if I meet anyone who can perform an exorcism.

[911hillclimber]

Must be my age and early retirement which is the problem?
These small bikes are so much easier to handle than a full-on car job.

The engine in the Terrot started second pull!
Ran as sweet as can be, smooth 4 stroke, off the choke after 15 secs and has near 911 throttle response!
Centrifugal clutch a bit harsh..

Found an old M12 x 1mm pitch nut so that for now fixes the rear wheel, but Cannot get the chain fully tensioned, you need 4 hands, so decided to design and make two chain tensioner that classic bike have, but not this cheap skate French Folly.

Decided to make them in stainless from a 10mm bolt.
I hate working with stainless, but nearly finished the two needed today.

Just to reassure myself, started the engine 2 times more, instant start both times, soooo muuuch betttter!

Hope to actually ride it tomorrow round the front drive come cul de sac to check the frightening brakes.
Good job it only does 35 mph.

This is a big step forward even if it is now weird with this 50cc 2.5 bhp 110 mpg engine.
Will advertise it for sale soon and see, might be a keeper yet.

Plan then is to delve into the whacky world of French 1950s magnetos and finding parts for the original engine, but that might be a winter challenge, and only if I still have this bike.

Looking forward to fresh frontiers with the Bima.

[Ashley James]

I admire your determination, had it been mine it would have been land fill by now. I have a yearning for an R75/5, it’ll be my third, they’re simple and they look stunning when they’re finished, so not the challenge you chose.

[911hillclimber]

Saw one of these the other weekend at the Malvern Steam Fair, never knew Velocette made a flat twin.

[Ashley James]

Vellocette were very clever engineers and that little 200cc bike was excellent but much too expensive and the wrong capacity. If it had been a 250 it might have had a chance or a five hundred better still.

They also made a hideous scooter that may have used that engine and was also terribly expensive and they made the LE, a water cooled 200cc horizontally opposed side valve twin all cowled in aluminium sheet painted a pinky beige colour. It may have had a hand gear change and the Metropolitan police bought most of them, so London was awash with them and Daimler SP250 Coupes with Borg Warne Type 35 boxes in the sixties.

[911hillclimber]

Yes, and they looked awful! And so did the Dart imho...

Actually RODE the bike this afternoon, just around the cul-de-sac.

Smooth frame (at 10 mph), front forks feel nice, huge caster angle feels strange (as opposed to a push bike) and the engine is so smooooth it is untrue.

However:

The centrifugal clutch is utterly crap.
It is snagging juddering and altogether feels wrong, so that will be the next area to sort out.
Not sure how yet, and expected a bit of running-in to be needed but it feels like it is going to fail.

3 steps forward, one step back as ever with this one.

[911hillclimber]

Still fighting this thing, but determined to sort it so the bike can be used.

Have changed the cltch on the 4 stroke 50cc and this has almost stopped the chatter, but it slips badly. The 3 shoes need to bed in which has started, but the weight of the bike and rider are too much for the clutch to lock up at revs but the bike does move and goes up a gentle incline, but not right yet.

Conclusion is the ratio of the sprocket gears is too high, so the general USA thinking is to get to change the rear sprocket to 54 teeth and not the current 46.

I can't change the rear sprocket but can the front, so to effect the same ratio change I have ordered 3 engine sprockets to replace the 14 tooth current gear.

3 spur gears for £11 inc vat and post and the clutch was £4.95!
Will try the 11 tooth gear first (have ordered 10/11/12 tooth gears).

Cannot stand that the original 2 stroke engine will not run, so after some deliberation have ordered a new ignition bobbin for the magneto, now awaited from France as nobody in the UK would touch it.
My hope is with a fatter spark I will get some joy.

I'll have this little French Follie yet.

[911hillclimber]

Machined and installed the 10 tooth drive sprocket and rode the bike today, sOOOOh much better, actually accelerates to some degree and feels like it might even go uphill.

Still feel the clutch is slipping, and this will get better each time it is used, so doing this regularly but stopping before the drum gets too hot, mighty progress.
Awaiting the arrival of the magneto part from France now.

If the original engine works on the test bench I've 'built' then I will swop is all over, but only if it is a reliable started.

Can I see the light at the end of this very long tunnel?

[911hillclimber]

Just chased the magneto man in France, and the part will be 6 weeks yet for despatch...
Everything back in the shed then till winter!

[911hillclimber]

[911hillclimber]

Well, a year and more has gone!
Still have my little Terrot and it's back in the garage for some more fun.

I have replaced the ignition side of the magneto with a re-wired one from a specialist in France (78 Euro) as nobody could do it in the UK...

I now have a good spark that hurts if it grounds though your fingers....Timing is the factory spec of 5mm BTDC.

Back on the carb side.
It has spluttered repeatedly on the original carb (never done that before) the big Dellorto and even the little modern 50cc engine carb.

Best I've had is 3 seconds running.
Hoping to find a carb at the Nash show this weekend.

[Ashley James]

Well done! I’m sure counselling is available if this persists.

[KS]

Well done! I’m sure counselling is available if this persists.