that front fork/suspension, and the engine cover.. what do you make of that?
Found on http://specialcar.tumblr.com/ via http://t-s-k-b.tumblr.com/
from the comment that Bill J of Austin wrote.. a fountain if information!
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Unusual motorcycle, the 1928 OEC Tinkler (thanks Alan F !)
that front fork/suspension, and the engine cover.. what do you make of that?
Found on http://specialcar.tumblr.com/ via http://t-s-k-b.tumblr.com/
from the comment that Bill J of Austin wrote.. a fountain if information!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"O.E.C." is Osborn Engineering Company (UK 1901-1954), and according to Wikipedia the company never produced a proprietary engine, being content to fit other manufacturers' motors into its frames and tins. There is a reference to the 1927 introduction of something called "duplex steering," which my research shows to be that funky-looking fork set-up pictured above. Motorcycle historian Hugo Wilson (The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle, 1995, DK Publishing, New York) writes that its duplex steering and other "bizarre" machines earned the company the nickname "Odd Engineering Contraptions," while George Bishop (The Encyclopedia of Motorcycling, 1980, P.G. Putnam's Sons, New York) references O.E.C.'s duplex steering assembly and its "many odd machines, including a sidecar outfit/taxi with a steering wheel.”
ReplyDeleteAs if those weren't odd enough, Pat Ware (The Illustrated Guide to Military Motorcycles, 2010, Anness Publishing Ltd., London)) reproduces photographs of two wartime contraptions titled "O.E.C. Caterpillar Tractor 3x2," that replace the single rear wheel with two in-line wheels connected by a "centre-pivoted walking beam" and "driven by a secondary enclosed chain." Apparently, one of the monster's attributes was that the dual rear wheels could be fitted with a caterpillar-style track for heavy going in mud and snow, or "readily converted to the standard configuration" if the need for a conventional two-wheeler arose. The first rig was rated "medium" and boasted a 490cc J.A.P. v-twin engine. The second was "light" and sported a 250cc Blackburn. Both had the duplex steering assembly pictured above. Apparently neither model made it past the trials stage.
As for the engine pictured above: in a fairly detailed entry for the marque, Edwin Tragatsch (The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Motorcycles, 1977, 1983, Quarto Publishing Ltd., London) reports that the motor seen here is a "fully enclosed 497cc flat single-cylinder engine with watercooling."
A more traditional-looking O.E.C. on museum display is pictured at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oec-fvm288.jpg attached to a sidecar.
Nice blog, BTW. Sláinte!
thank you! You are a scholar and a gentleman!
Delete