Villiers Starmaker

[greeves246]

good engine but !

good engine design but let down by material science

bad ignition and carbration but engine ahead of its time

gary

[Rob]

I will agree with that Gary, it was all there on paper but I suppose something went wrong with development. Being of a certain age, I remember the Villiers display at the Motorcycle Show and still have the leaflets. The nearest I got to one was acquiring a spares book (which I also still have on the bookshelf).

I still rate them as a great looking engine and as you say, ahead of its time, in much the same way as the Griffons.

[46T Sprocket]

The Starmaker engine produced 40hp eventually with the late Peter Inchley developing and riding it.

With Inchley on board the "Villiers Special" it still holds the fastest TT lap on a bike powered by a British made 250cc engine at 92mph. It had a much modified Spanish Bultaco frame though.

David.

[Phil Hyde]

starmaker

Favill and Hooper also designed and built the six speed gearbox that peter Inchley used in his bike.

[46T Sprocket]

There is a very good feature on him written by his son in the sept/oct 2004 Classic racer magazine. An unsung genius.

David.

[Mike Norris]

Villiers Starmaker

When Fluff was alive he had just developed an electronic ignition system for the starmaker engine. The store/workshop where he worked was full of everything needed to build the engines and he was very helpful. His time for a visitor was unrestricted.
It would be worthwhile to visit Flint Farm, Goodworth Clatford, Andover SP11 7RP if in search of parts. He always said that the 360 barrel on a 250 crankcase was the best combination. My son used to scramble such a bike and still has the 360 barrel which Fluff GAVE him. Such was the man.
Mike

[Dogsbody]

I raced a DMW Hornet once that a friend of mine owned, it had an Inchley works barrel and a 6 speed box and was light years better than the RBS that I raced the previous year. Lost touch with him and would love to know what happened to his bike.
As an aside, Cotton built a road version of the Telstar, the Conquest, did Greeves ever consider a road version of the race bike?
Dogsbody

[John Wakefield]

The Starmaker & the AJS Stormer combined to make a neat bike, shame that they did not develop it further as a trail bike. This 250 Stormer scrambler has been successfully converted for road/trail use by a Royston, Herts owner

[John Wakefield]

did Greeves ever consider a road version of the race bike? Dogsbody

Yes presumably the OBG Greeves Special https://www.flickr.com/photos/10631124@N07/16002690431/

[46T Sprocket]

I've often wondered the same myself. Greeves seemed to adopt a never the twain shall meet attitude, and possibly lost a good opportunity to cash in on the success of both the road race and scrambles machine.

David.

As an aside, Cotton built a road version of the Telstar, the Conquest, did Greeves ever consider a road version of the race bike?
Dogsbody

[46T Sprocket]

The Starmaker engine produced 40hp eventually with the late Peter Inchley developing and riding it.

With Inchley on board the "Villiers Special" it still holds the fastest TT lap on a bike powered by a British made 250cc engine at 92mph. It had a much modified Spanish Bultaco frame though.

David.

I was re-reading that article last evening. That ride in 1966 is all the more remarkable in that he was third behind two 4 cylinder works Honda's ridden by Mike Hailwood and Stuart Graham.

The Starmaker engine at that point only put out 28 horse power.

[gribley]

I was fortunate to have met Fluff Brown and his son Nick.
I had a Y4 250 stormer, road registered. i wound extra coils on the magneto to provide power for lighting and brake light. It was a really fun bike to ride, unusual in that the side stand was on the right !! With a little more development it would have made an excellent trail bike, the power delivery was too sharp for trail riding.
Unfortunately some scumbag theiving scrote thought they had more right to it than i did. If I recover it the thief WILL have his nuts removed and inserted into a dark smelly orifice

[John Wakefield]

The guy who owns the one I pictured has LED lights & uses a battery to power them, good enough to get home after a club night. I think he detuned the engine by reducing compression, it did not sound raucous & appeared docile & tractable when he rode off. Shame it did not get developed as a trail bike with proper lights, well at least in UK, I wonder if there was an export version for USA hence the stand on the 'wrong' side.

[Brian Catt]

There were a number produced for ISDT use with lighting, including one with Matchless badging to get around the "different makes" rules within a Vase Team. The side stand issue is interesting and I have just had to look at my pics of my Can-Am......that is one thing that is different, otherwise the frames are remarkably similar, even to the 2 bolt fixing under the tank.

[gribley]

My side stand mounted to the underside of the swing arm, maybe it was on the right to avoid the chain