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  • My first Greeves,info required

    Hi, I have recently aquired a 1957 Greeves , a road bike with frame number 7049 T and engine number 935AO/102.
    I realise that this is a trials frame but are there significant differences between road and trials frames ?
    The engine is a 1H which has been overhauled and bored out to 250cc by Villiers Services.
    I would like to get hold of service literature for the bike and the engine.
    Can anyone point me in the right direction please ?
    Merry Christmas and thanks

  • #2
    You are correct, you have a 1957 20T trials bike. It would originally have had a 197cc Villiers 9E engine; Greeves never used the 1H.

    The equivalent roadster was the 20D Fleetstar. The frames are substantially the same, although there are minor differences. It too had the 9E.

    Welcome to Greeves World...
    Colin Sparrow

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    • #3
      Hi Colin , many thanks for your reply. I have just joined the GRA. My bike was sold as a road bike , a 20 DC.

      Can you suggest any publication regarding maintenance please ?
      I appreciate that a two stroke is essentially a simple engine but I dont have any information regarding the bike or the engine. I have found in the past that a good manual is invaluable but I cant find anything on ebay or Villers Services which relates to the 1H engine. I appreciate your comment that this engine was never fitted as standard but it woukd appaer that my bike has a 1H , albeit bored out to 250cc.
      many thanks

      Comment


      • #4
        1H / 2H engines

        There was a 2H engine which was 246cc so maybe it has a barrel from one of those. The stroke was same on both engines at 72mm the bore of 1H was 63mm & the 2H 66mm. As the 1H (or 2H) was never fitted to Greeves you would do best to sell the 1H engine & replace it with a good 197cc 9E engine. Power of the 1H was 10bhp & the 2H 11bhp so 2H was not much more powerful.
        The 1H is a heavy old lump with little extra power than a 9E. Also the gear ratios are for road use. The 1H was mainly used in Francis Barnett & James roadsters. I would think you should be able to sell the 1H for a good price (there was one on eBay recently)
        Sorry I cant help with a manual or servicing info, maybe a posting on the Francis Barnett OC web site may find details. http://www.francis-barnett.co.uk/

        Comment


        • #5
          hello John , many thanks for your reply. When you say "it has road ratios" did you mean the 1H or 2H ?

          My bike is a road machine.

          I spoke to Villiers Services and they think that my engine was a 1H bored out to 66mm.

          I am amazed that it is not simple to get a tecnical manual for the engine given how many were made, I have never had that problem with my Norton.

          Is there a lot of commonality in Villiers engines ,ie castings , gearboxes etc, if so what would be the nearest to the 1H

          Comment


          • #6
            1H Operating Manual & Spares book on eBay

            There is a 1H Operating Manual & Spares book on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Villiers-M...gAAOSwY45UQ9fx

            And a couple of cheaper copy's


            http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1954-VILLI...Y9nzRN7b1wskfw on CD
            Last edited by John Wakefield; 24/12/2015, 11:45 AM.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by stewart mccarthy View Post
              hello John , many thanks for your reply. When you say "it has road ratios" did you mean the 1H or 2H ?

              My bike is a road machine.

              I spoke to Villiers Services and they think that my engine was a 1H bored out to 66mm.

              I am amazed that it is not simple to get a tecnical manual for the engine given how many were made, I have never had that problem with my Norton.

              Is there a lot of commonality in Villiers engines ,ie castings , gearboxes etc, if so what would be the nearest to the 1H
              Both the 1H & 2H had road gears (same bottom end) as for the boring out that may be possible, maybe the 2H used same casting. If as you say you are using the bike as a roadster then it will work OK, as it is a road bike engine. The 1H/2H have same mountings as the 2T 3T or 4T twins.
              Here is another thread on the 1H including an extract from the Roy Bacon book Villiers Singles & Twins. http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/for...ead.php?t=4831 also comment from a GRA mmber who has fitted a 1H engine into a Greeves.
              Last edited by John Wakefield; 24/12/2015, 12:08 PM.

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              • #8
                Hello John , once again many thanks. I have bought the manual from ebay.

                Pardon my ignorance but I am very much feeling my way. In my youth most strokers used direct ignition . My bike has a sealed battery and coil ignition. The lighting switch has off,dim and full positions .
                From this I assume that the coils in the flywheel will be just to charge the battery and ignition comes directly from the coil ?
                again I assume that there must be a rectifier and regulater in the circuit ?
                once again thanks

                Comment


                • #9
                  Greeves on the road models used flywheel mag ignition & battery lighting charged by lighting coils via a rectifier. Looks like the 1H also used this system. No regulator, the switch connects an extra lighting coil when head light is switched on. A rough & ready way of doing things but that's how it was in those days. You can buy an electronic regulator these days from Paul Goff http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/ and other sources.
                  I found this link about 1H electrics on FB owners club web site. http://fboc.niceboards.org/t1282-wir...with-1h-engine
                  Hope it helps.

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                  • #10
                    Hi Stewart,



                    John Wood's site is quite handy - it used to link with Nametab Engineering so you could identify and also order the parts you needed - maybe at some point it'll link to VS?

                    HTH

                    Best regards
                    AndyB

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                    • #11
                      It still links to the parts list but no ordering facility. Strange set up as it did not directly mention Nametab only in the html when you visited the parts list pages I think John Wood used to get a commission from Simon for any parts ordered.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        iH engine on eBay



                        This 1H engine is on eBay, was on before but remained unsold at £399 starting price (no bids). Maybe £399 is a bit optomistic
                        Last edited by John Wakefield; 24/12/2015, 09:25 PM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Many thanks for the information gents . What a blessing the internet is. I only got into bikes about 12 years ago and restored several cars before then . Getting information was very difficult before computers and the internet. I restored a 1953 Austin Healey 100/4 and if I had the info and contacts available now it would have taken half the time !

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                          • #14
                            Many thanks gentlemen , all information grtefully received

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