31-03-2024, 12:33 PM
My 1921 Sparkbrook 286cc 2-stroke Villiers-powered motorcycle (deflector-piston type) had a hand-operated, fuel-tank mounted pump that fed oil through an adjusted dial with a slight glass to check the flow rate. It was possible to drain a whole single shot of oil into the crankcase in one go and - when fitted with a Lodge 3-electrode spark plug - the engine would 8-stroke and produce, as one dropped into Monsal Dale, a very thick smoke cloud indeed. That the engine could manage this was astonishing and that Lodge plug had another benefit, on steep hills the bike would climb without having to get off and run alongside it as always happened no matter what make or grade of single-electrode plug was fitted.