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With the introduction of the K series 4 cylinder 1000cc BMW motorcycle in 1983 came the first total use of electronic instruments for BMW motorcycles and it wasn't without its problems.
Motometer continued as the instrument supplier for the motorcycle side of BMW and a new large binnacle with speedometer on the left, tachometer on the right and a liquid crystal display quartz clock in the middle.
Left click on the illustrations to enlarge them....
BMW K series....
The instrument binnacle and the accessory instrument.
Exploded parts list drawing...
Speedometer details....
Tachometer detail....
Gearchange indicator and trip odometer and reset detail....
Pages from DQs somewhat scribbly and cryptic workbooks with information on connecting test and calibrating equipment to the K100 instruments and the figures to calibrate it...
so calibration figures for the speedometer are....
49.7cycles/second (hertz) = 60kph
66 cps(hertz) =80kph
82.1 cps(hertz) =100kph
97.9cps(hertz) =120kph
113.4cps(hertz) =140kph
128.7cps(hertz) =160kph
The rear wheel had a metal disc with "teeth" on it that a hall effect pickup in the final drive was set near and detected the passing of the sheet metal "teeth"...the speedometer then displayed this as kph or mph and drove an odometer by a form of servo motor.
The instrument binnacle suffered from mild corrosion on internal terminals such that the signal would be lost and the speedometer stop working.
A frustrating instrument at best....
The LCD display on the clock and the gearchange indicator would, with time and vibration, segment to a black blob appearing visually and masking any reading.
Once Motometer stopped the supply of parts in the early 1990's it became almost impossible to repair....
Like many of the trade house in Britain and elsewhere prior to about 1950, Ferodo the brake, clutch and friction lining people put our a rather extravagant advertising booklet on the successes using their produces....
The titled it Ferodo Record Braking....
(an apt pun in the title on the word "braking"....)
So lets look at the 1938 edition in it's entirety....although as the first 19 pages are devoted to the automotive successes and I'm predominately a motorcyclist, I'll cover those two pages at a time, with the motorcycle stuff a page at a time....
As usual for my blog...left click on the images to enlarge.....
Where are these available? Guess a swap meeting, sometimes on Ebay and on the elusive book auctions.....
I'd suggest you'd be paying up to 50 quid for a good copy.....
The cover....
The flyleaf...
Pages 2 and 3...
Pages 4 and 5...
Pages 6 and 7...
Pages 8 and 9...
Pages 10 and 11....
Pages 12 and 13...
Pages 14 and 15...
Pages 16 and 17....
Page 18...
Page 19...
Page 20...
Page 21....
Page 22...
Page 23....
Page 24...
Page 25....
Page 26...
Page 27...
Page 28...
Page 29...
Page 30...
Page 31....
When I did the recent post on engine testing with dynomometers I searched my archive for a little Castrol booklet I knew I had that featured motorcycles engines on test....
In fact the post of that dyno article had been delayed over a year because of that small booklet and finally in frustration I did the post without it....
Well I found it last night...ok where? Secured with catalogues of Lycett motorcycle seats of all things...any wonder I couldn't find it...
But it was worth waiting for and worth a post on its own.
In 1939 Castrol released a new engine oil..... Castrolaero.
They obviously arranged with quite a few major motorcycle manufacturers to test the product and give them a testimonial....
Some did prolonged road tests, most dyno tests...
I've scanned all the photos of the engines on test, a chart of their recommendations and only one testimonial, that from Velocette.
That said, the others were all positive...
Who were the manufacturers....?
AJS, Ariel,BSA,Excelsior,Levis,Matchless,Norton,O.K Supreme,Enfield,Scott,Sunbeam,Triumph and Velocette.
Left click on the illustrations to enlarge them...
Ariel engine under test...
BSA engine under test...
Excelsior Manxman engine under test...looks like Tyrell-Smith conducting it.
Two views of a Norton engine under test...
Sunbeam engine under test....
Tommy Mutton with a Velocette KTT Mk.7/8 engine under test...
Velocette testimonial letter to Castrol...
List of oil recommendations for various motorcycles....
I've a couple of these small magazines for the years 1947 and 1957...."Export Trader- British cycles and Motor Cycles"....
Published by the Iliffe Group who were a major publishing house and of course produced "The MotorCycle"....it was to ensure the British Industry associated with cycles and motorcycles got worldwide exposure.
This edition, February 1947 covers the drive by the British government to get export sales and thus revenue for Britain....
I'll be looking at two articles....."The Heart is British" which covers the J.A.P speedway engine and the Velocette range for 1947 with two adverts from Velocette and Vincent-HRD.
I'll feature some other items in a later blog....
Left click on the images to enlarge them....
