Sunday, April 5, 2009

A non-starter and a show stopper - On Two Wheels


This weekend was the debut of the Troll and all in all I think she's performed well - except for the starting, which remains a frustrating problem. Today there was a general scooter ride for an episode of "On Two Wheels" a cable lifestyle program on Foxtel. It used be called "Riding WA" on the local community station, Channel 31, until that station went under last year. It was popular enough to be salvaged by Foxtel and episodes will be screening later this year (not being a Foxtel subscriber I wouldn't know when).

Firstly a confession - I am an idiot. Having run out of petrol once on the Vespa I should have been a little more careful with the Troll. But I wasn't. Assuming when the guys said "we've filled the tank" meant I had a full tank of gas, I never actually checked in the tank to make sure. So you can imagine my surprise when on the way back from a quick ride into Fremantle on Saturday - no more than a kilometre from the spot where the Vespa failed - the Troll spluttered to a halt. A quick check of the tank revealed it to be bone dry. There is a slow leak in the petrol tap if it is left on. I can't even claim ignorance to the problem as Roberto had made a passing comment that oil from the leaking petrol was staining my driveway. The punishment for my stupidity was having to push the enormously heavy Troll two kilometres ... uphill. No young ladies with bottles of champagne stepped up to save me this time. Lesson for today - THE TROLL IS VERY VERY HEAVY.





Today, Sunday, I joined the run from Fremantle. There were some 30+ scooters lined up outside the L2 cafe, mostly new models but there were a few Vespa PXs in the mix. The Troll certainly made a scene. There was a lot of interest from all comers and lots of photos were taken. I later did an interview for the show - I hope I don't look like a complete twit! Fortunately, the stop at L2 wasn't a long one and the engine was still hot so she fired right up. Embarrassingly though, just as we all began pulling out of the car park the clutch seized and I couldn't get out of third gear. After a couple of stalls I managed to get the Troll on the road, reving the be-jesus out of the engine, and the problem kind of solved itself. I wasn't too comfortable on the ride out Bibra Lake as the clutch was still a bit touchy and I ended up trailing the back of the pack. Ironically I was closely following the trailing pursuit car so they have plenty of footage of the Beast on the road.

At the lakeside I did my interview, we ate lunch and had chat, there was a cooking segment with some local 'celebrity' chef that I'd never heard of. They did a couple of interviews with several other riders and did a feature on a Vespa GTS250 and a Derbi GP1 (both lovely new bikes). After another embarrassingly long struggle to get the Troll to start, I cruised back towards Fremantle, taking the long leisurely route around the river back home. There's one particular stretch of road between Bibra Lake and Fremantle with no intersections for a couple of kilometres so I gently opened the throttle and let the Troll show me what she could do. Pleasingly she reached 80kms quite easily; the only thing holding her back was me. I need more experience with the Troll's performance before stretching it to the limit. The brakes are weak.


Highlights of the On Two Wheels, Scooter Episode have now been published on YouTube. This 10 minute clip features my interview in the last two and half minutes.

All up it was a great weekend. I've clearly got some more tinkering to do to sort out the issues with idling, the carb, the clutch and starting, but overall I'm very happy with the Beast.

The Troll under the bridge

Starting Update
Thank's to the advice from Dinart, Bill, James1 and James2 I've managed to solve the problem with starting. The Beast now fires right up (second or third kick). Still needs a few minutes to warm up, but it's nothing like the trouble I was originally having. Thanks guys.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Troll - On the road at last



After a little bit of tuning and the replacement of the temporary mirror the Troll sailed through the vehicle inspection. I'd taken the day off work and Ivo and Roberto bought the Troll around to my house - great service! I rode the bike to the licensing centre and after the usual long wait I finally registered the Troll in my name and was handed the license plates. I then took the Beast for a cruise around the neighbourhood to get a feel for her.

Firstly I'll repeat my earlier observation - she's very hard to start. This is certainly a frustration. The Troll is just so big and heavy that it is difficult to hold her steady (and leaning away from you) while reaching over to hold down the throttle AND putting sufficient grunt into the kick. As if the exhaustion of repeatedly trying to kickstart it wasn't enough, I almost dropped the bike several times into the bargin. That said, once the engine was warmed up, it started first time each time. Update 2019 - re-reading this now I know that the starting issues were all related to the choke set up on the Troll. Unless the choke is set correctly it still can be slow to get started.

Once running however, the Troll handles quite well. It is a BIG scooter and you can feel it. The seating position is very comfortable. The steering feels very direct and because you are sitting up and well forward it does feel that bike is pivoting around you and makes for a surprisingly tight turning circle, given the size of the bike.

I found the 'heel and toe' gear changing very smooth, once I'd got the hang of it. It helps to wear appropriate shoes - my fashionable work shoes with their long toe really didn't foot that particular bill. I haven't really had to use the brakes in anger but I suspect the old drum brakes might be a weak point, but this is what you get with a forty year old scooter.

Although 149cc's is not a particularly big engine (hell, the VBB has a 150cc!) it feels like it has power. On a flat straight run it reached 70km per hour without any difficulty. The only thing stopping me pushing it further (apart from the traffic) was vibration in the front wheel. Surprisingly the Troll does get buffeted about by the wind. James in the UK also observed this. It seems strange that such a big and heavy scooter can be affected by wind, but I guess those big flat barn door sides do act a bit like sails.

I've only ridden the Troll for about an hour and she performed very well. I am looking forward to 'debuting' her on this Sunday's scooter run from Fremantle to Bibra Lake. It's not a big trip but it's being filmed for an "On Two Wheels" scooter special so that should be fun.

The Troll and Vespa side by side. The Troll is almost half a metre longer and has substantially more 'body'

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Troll - Done! But not dusted


It's been a tense week. While the generator arrived in record time the brake cable is still nowhere to be seen. Given that the cable was apparently the only thing standing between the Troll and the road I was understandably anxious. But late this afternoon Ivo called to say the Troll was pretty much finished and did I want to come over and have a look. The answer was an emphatic yes!

In the end Ivo and Roberto managed to reuse the old brake cable. It'll do for now but I'll replace it with the new one as soon as it arrives. There had been a few other problems. The clutch cable seized up when they took it on a test ride around the carpark, the neutral gear light has stopped working and the horn is broken. The clutch is working now but I might need to replace the old cable with a new one later. The important thing is that the Troll is now running and, with the exception of the horn problem, is now ready for the licensing centre. If all goes well, I should pick up the bike tomorrow afternoon and get it inspected early Friday morning. Woo who!

As you can see, the Troll looks magnificent. The 12 volt electrics are fantastic - the headlight and indicators are very strong and the engine fires up on about the second or third kick each time. I must admit the engine does sound very 'tinny' so I'm not expecting power and speed - but of course, that's not the appeal of odd scoots!

I must compliment Ivo and Roberto for their excellent efforts on the Troll. I originally engaged them to assist with a list of ten mechanical and electrical problems, but soon enough they ended up a full blown restoration on their hands. They did encounter more problems that expected (of course!) but managed to overcome them and the end result is magnificent. Also thanks must go to Dirk and Bert at Powerdynamo for their exceptional service and interest. And also thanks to everyone who wrote to me with suggestions, tips and encouragement. Thanks! Here is a link to their website: http://www.vespashop.net.au/

So, Friday (touch wood) The Beast will be on the road. I'll post a video of the Troll in motion and then finish up with a handling report.

And then it's back to the Heinkel.

Latest News
Today the Troll was finished. I picked it up and took it for the short ride from The Vespa Shop to the Vehicle Inspection Centre. It was only a short trip - possibly less than one kilometre but across a major road that was jam packed with heavy (truck) traffic. I must admit the Troll wasn't a smooth ride. Firstly, I had trouble getting it started. While it turned over for Ivo and Roberto third kick every time it resolutely refused to start for me. Personally I think the kick start it poorly positioned, requiring you to stand very close the machine to get enough grunt behind it, at the same time as reaching across what is a very large bike makes you very unsteady. I almost dropped the bike a number of times. I also found the brake and clutch cables extremely tight, but they are symptoms of our recent mechanical challenges.

So, somehow I managed to ride the Troll safely through the traffic to the Licensing Centre. There I was immediately confronted with blank stares - "What the hell is that?" After a bit of banter explaining the origin of the Troll we started the inspection. Now the Troll decided not to start. How embarrassing! The inspector didn't bother hanging around. "Yeah, you'll need it to be able to run before we can inspect it." And then he walked off to complete his paperwork. Another inspector came over for a look. I asked him if could hold the bike steady and then she fired straight up, but it was too late. I hopped back on rode back to the shop. Somewhere along the journey the glass in the rear vision mirror (a cheap piece of Viet cr*p we were using as a temporary mirror) shattered. Ivo and Roberto are going to replace it with the proper mirror (now fixed) and adjust the idle to prevent it stalling. Roberto is going to try again tomorrow morning. I expect it'll pass this time.

The Troll awaits inspection

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Troll Update - So close... Electronic Ignition



Well, last week it turned out all things weren't quite as equal as I'd hoped. Two problems had arisen that prevented Ivo and Roberto finishing the Troll -
a) the stator was no good, and:
b) the foot brake bowden cable didn't fit.

Fortunately neither of these are insurmountable problems. Powerdynamo in Germany manufacture replacement ignition / generator systems for many German vintage vehicles. It only took a day to turn around the order and they are shipping a new 12 volt generator system directly to the Vespa shop. All up this is something of a blessing. IWL and MZ had to make do with rather weak and unreliable 6 volt electrical systems that only got worse with age so Powerdynamo's 12 volt conversion kit comes highly recommended by other IWL and MZ riders. The kit basically replaces the entire original "lichtmachine" and regulator and comes with all the necessary wiring. The kit is being airfreighted so I'm expecting it to arrive late this week.

The bowden cable however is something of a problem. The new replacement is 112 cms while the original is 100 cms. The original is in pretty bad condition so we're not really keen to use it. Attempts to contact the suppliers in Germany haven't been so successful, but (in desperation) I have managed to secure a second hand bowden from another Troll. It too is being airfreighted and hopefully it will solve the problem, but then again it is second hand and there is no guarantee that it won't be in any better condition than my original. Gotta take the chance though.

So, if all things go well (crossed fingers) and both the generator and the bowden arrive on time as expected... we could ... COULD be looking at completion by the end of March!

A Quick Update
Having only ordered the new generator on Thursday evening you can imagine my surprise when I logged into my emails at work on Monday and found a status update from UPS advising me that my package had been unexpectedly delayed at Perth Airport due to a quarantine inspection. Excuse me? Already? Definitely. The package had already travelled from Berlin to Cologne to Mumbai to Bangkok to Singapore and was now here in Perth. At 8.41am Monday morning it had just been released from quarantine inspection and would shortly be dispatched from the UPS office. Talk about speedy delivery. Although it turns out this is the normal service Powerdynamo use I can't help but be impressed. Some parts I've ordered have taken over three months to reach me from Germany so even in the best case scenario I was expecting it to be week.

And the bowden cable? Turns out I was sent the replacement bowden for a Berlin which is 15 cms longer than that of the Troll. It wouldn't be the first time I was sent Berlin parts that didn't fit. These include a tacho bowden and a whole Berlin exhaust system, which, given that it completely doesn't fit a Troll was something of a disaster for me. It was too expensive to ship back to Germany for a refund so I've ended up keeping it. If you're in Australia and you need a new Berlin exhaust, I've got one for you - it hasn't even been unwrapped.

So, I've managed to find the correct bowden and I've ordered from a different vendor this time. Only problem is I couldn't complete the order online so it's back to polite, poor German emails. I hope they respond quickly....

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Troll update


I popped in to see Ivo and Roberto this morning to drop of some more parts and see how things were going. Good as it turned out. The Troll's panels were all back and painted and the chassis was set up on a stand in the middle of their garage. They had threaded all the cables and wiring. Tomorrow the engine would go in and hopefully - all things being equal - it would be finished by the end of the week.

They showed a few of the things they had been working on. They had had to reuse some of the old cables as the new ones did not fit - specifically the clutch bowden and the tacho cable. Also, when they got down to it and began cleaning up many of the old parts, they turned out to be in excellent condition and reuseable - even the rubber! That's German excellence for you.

I snapped a couple of quick pics on my phone. They don't quite do justice to the colour, which is alot more lively in real life. Ivo also has taken photos throughout the process and I'll publish them once the job is done. Not long now until the Beast is on the road!


Monday, March 2, 2009

Italian Car, Motorcycle and Scooter show


An Italian car, motorcycle and scooter show was held on Sunday 2nd of March 2009 at Mulberry Farm in Caversham (WA). Ivo had told me about it when I visited to discuss the Troll. He and Roberto were attending with a couple of scooters so I cruised down to have a look. There was an impressive cross section of vehicles - Maserati, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, & Fiat. The Ducati club was out in force as well as a large group from the Paradise Lost Scooter Club. Here's a small selection of photos from the day.
The Paradise Lost boys line up their scooters.




The Ducati club was out in force.

I managed to have a brief chat with Ivo about the Troll. It's being sprayed this week, then it's the reassembly. Barring any unforeseen problems rearing their ugly head, it'll all be finished within about two weeks. Can't wait!!!
Update - January 2011
I first posted this entry back in February 2009 and I never got back to either update the commentary or post any additional photos. Only when I started my post on upcoming events did I go back to this entry and realized what a feeble attempt it was. So here are a few more photos for you.
If I remember rightly, this Maserati racer lived a very interesting life. It was originally built as a racecar but after its racing career was over the body was removed and replaced with a more stock sportscar body. The racer body was later found in someone's shed (as always) and then fitted with a new chassis. I think at some later point the original engine and chassis was fitted with a new reproduction of the original racer body resulting in two versions of the same car. But I may be wrong....
1964 Maserati. I was surprised how many Maseratis were on show. I didn't take that many photos though as they don't really appeal to me.

A Lancia.
An Alfa Romeo Spider. Very nice.
Fiat Spider
Fiat Abarth sports.

Classic Fiats

The belle of the ball. Isotta Fraschini
A big ol' vintage Alfa Romeo
MV Agusta
Ducattis

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Big box of tricks - Heinkel Club Spares


Over the past couple of weeks parts for the Heinkel have begun trickling in. Most were small, random items purchased through ebay; a rear wheel carrier and luggage rack, carburetter, condensor, throttle grips, etc. So I was a little surprised when I went to collect a package at the post office and was confronted with a box the size of a washing machine. The delivery from Heinkel-Club DE had arrived!! I must admit I hadn't expected the order to arrive so soon. Some of my orders from Germany have taken months to arrive.

The post office kindly lent me their trolley to so I could get it out to the car - luckily I'd opted to drive rather than ride the Vespa as I normally do! I just managed to squeeze the box into the boot. Of course, like all packages, it was mostly space and filler, but deep inside were the guts of my Heinkel. As you may note from the earlier updates, the final order from Heinkel was both extensive and expensive, and yet, when relieved of the packing and spread out on the ground it didn't look like that much stuff. I haven't diligently ticked off every item, but the order does look to be all there. I won't go into details about what's there as I've covered that before, but even so I'm pretty sure that I've missed some critical parts which I will only discover when I'm putting it all together. Not much I can do about that I guess.


The Troll Update
I visited Ivo and Roberto at their shop today. Things have been rather busy for them lately as a shipload of scooters and parts have recently arrived from Italy. The Troll - such as it was - was little more than a jumble of parts stacked in a couple of boxes on a table. It was something of a shock to see it so dismembered, but the parts, such as they were at least looked cleaned, polished and shiny. The chassis and panels are all with the sandblaster and aluminium polisher and should be back shortly. It was time to talk paint. I've chosen to stick with the original colour scheme as much as possible - given that we can't actually match the paint job exactly. Ivo and Roberto will do the painting and then it's the reassembly. Both guys commented that the Troll was surprisingly modern in construction, especially the use of aluminium and fibreglass, and seems a very sturdy, solid machine. Quite a good rap for an East German vehicle. When I had dropped off the bike originally Roberto had slapped the MZ engine and said, "It's a very good engine, is like .... a donkey. It just goes." I'm getting very excited. I can't wait to see it when painted. I can't wait to actually ride the thing!
Here's a couple of shots

The Troll is stripped naked
Roberto faces the challenge

Saturday, January 17, 2009

The Heinkel Scooter Story


Ernst Heinkel was born 1888 in Stuttgard, Germany. He had a long interest in aeronautics stretching back to 1908 when he witnessed his first Zeppelin flight at nearby Lake Constance, the home of Count von Zeppelin's airship company. By 1911 he had built his first aeroplane from the blueprints of a French Farman. It crashed and he was nearly killed but his efforts ensured him a place in the fledgling German aero industry. During the First World War he was one of the designers working on the famous Albatross fighter which saw extensive use on the western front. After Germany's defeat, the Treaty of Versailles imposed a ban on the manufacture of German aircraft so he was forced to work for overseas aircraft companies, but by 1922 the restrictions on civil aviation were withdrawn. Heinkel established his own company the same year.

Heinkel Flugzeugwerke Gmbh went on to produce some of Germany's most famous aircraft. The Heinkel 111 medium range bomber remains one of the archetype German bombers of the Second World War. Heinkel was also a pioneer in jet propulsion, launching the worlds first jet powered aeroplane, the Heinkel He 176, in 1939. Inevitably, as a military industry Heinkel's factories were extensively bombed during the war, leaving the company in ruins.

The ubiquitous Heinkel 111, mainstay of the Luftwaffe's bomber fleet

Heinkel's involvement with the Nazi war machine could have earned him a place in Nuremburg with other military industrialists, but his aeronautical know how was too valuable for the Allies to lose. Certainly some sort of deal was done with the US Airforce gaining access to Heinkel's aircraft designs and his most talented technicians while Heinkel retained control of his company. But like Enrico Piaggio in Italy, he was banned from manufacturing aircraft. Finding himself in an almost identical situation to his Italian counterpart he came to the same solution and in 1949 he began work on a prototype scooter.

Heinkel Tourist 100-A0 Prototype

Although work on the first Tourist prototype began in 1949, the model was never shown until 1953. Superficially it bears a resemblance to a Lambretta LC. Certainly NSU were producing LCs under license at this time, while aircraft manufacturing rival, Messerschmitt were building Vespas, so it's likely the design was based on its Italian contemporaries. From the front, the Lambretta resemblance is quite marked, except that the headlight is placed lower down in order to accommodate the distinctive folding luggage rack. The rear body however is classic Heinkel and would remain unchanged until the 103-A2 came along in 1960. The prototype featured a 149cc four stroke motor, three gears and 8 inch wheels. It was shown at few auto shows but was never put into production.

Heinkel Tourist 101-A0

Sometime between 1949 and 1953 German scooter fashions must have underwent a dramatic change. Certainly influential precursors like Bastert's "single track car", the gorgeous Einspurauto, set a distinctive standard. Like the earlier Maico-Mobil and Glas-Goggo, the Einspurauto featured a streamlined fixed faring over the front wheel - well, it looked streamlined on the Einspurauto; on the Goggo and Maico-Mobile it was just bulbous. The 1953 Tourist 101-a0 was pretty much identical to the 1949 prototype but now featured a streamlined fixed faring over the front wheel that was half way between the sleek Einspurauto and the bulbous Goggo. There were no other mechanical changes. Heinkel built approximately 6,500 between July 1953 and August 1954.

Heinkel Tourist 102-A1


The Tourist 102-A1 released in 1954 featured a small number of innovations over its predecessor. Firstly it had a larger 175cc engine. It also featured an electric starter motor and completely did away with the kick starter. No only was this quite a luxury for the time, it was indicative of confidence Heinkel had in the reliability of its product. All other mechanical features were largely unchanged. Although the 102-A1 was only in production for a year, it began to establish Heinkel's reputation for building good quality scooters. 17,500 were built.

Heinkel Tourist 103-A0

Heinkel were now hitting their stride. The 103-a0 was the natural progression from the 102. The 103-A0 was given four gears, which improved performance, and 10in wheels to improve road handling. Otherwise, it was largely the same machine. Production ran from 1955 to 1957 and delivered 34,000 machines to the domestic German market.

Heinkel Tourist 103-A1

103-A1 colour schemes, including the export model

Mechanically, the A1 was basically the same as the 103-A0 but the handlebars, naked up to now, were enclosed to house the speedometer and other controls. The body remained unchanged. Production ran for three years from 1957 to 1960 and 50,000 machines were delivered. Heinkel were now developing an export market and a small number of 103-A1s were sold in the US and UK.

Heinkel Tourist 103-A2

In 1960 Heinkel decided to revamp the Tourist design, which was now getting a little old. The front end remained largely the same but the rear body was extended and remodeled to be little more 'hip' and included features such as built in indicators. Exports also picked up with specialist dealerships in the US and UK now carrying the scooter. Heinkel capitalized on the Tourist's reputation for reliability and quality - essential marketing features given that Tourists were expensive vehicles and definitely at the top end of the scooter market. The 103-A2 was built between 1960 and 1965 with 55,000 rolling off the production line.

Here is a link to a review of the Heinkel Tourist by Cycle World Magazine from June 1962.
http://www.edu.lahti.fi/~msani/Heinkeltesti-sivu.htm

The Perle

While the Tourist delivered at the top end of the scooter market, Heinkel was also experimenting with mopeds. In 1953 it released the Perle, an elegant 50cc moped.

Heinkel 112
In 1957 Heinkel attempted to build a mid range 'economy scooter', the 112, with a 125cc engine, but it could not compete with the cheaper Vespas and Lambrettas and never got past the prototype stage.

Marketing for the Heinkel 112 prototype. Only five were built and they never went into production. In 2013 one of the prototypes' chassis was found in Germany. http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/1967-heinkel-promotional-magazine.html

Heinkel 150

In 1962 Heinkel again tried to break into the mid-range market, this time with the 150 featuring ... you guessed it, a 150cc 2-stroke engine. Smaller than the Tourist and with revised styling, reminiscent of the Japanese Fuji Rabbit scooter, the 150 was not the success Heinkel hoped it would be. Sales were disappointing and the model was withdrawn in 1964 after only 7,000 were built.

Heinkel Kabine

Heinkel's reliable, economic and powerful 175cc four stroke was also used to power their popular microcar, the Kabineroller. These three wheeled bubble cars were also built in Ireland for the British export market as the Heinkel Trojan.

Heinkel changes direction
The 1960's saw the inevitable decline of the scooter industry around the world. The war battered economies of Europe and Japan had now recovered sufficiently for people to consider cars as their first choice of transport, and if two wheeled transport was still desired, it was inevitably in the form of more powerful motorcycles. Demand for scooters rapidly tailed off. In 1965 Heinkel opted out of the automobile market. Heinkel's customers however were not so eager to see the demise of the marque and the Heinkel Club Deutschland bought all the spares, designs and machine tools for the Trojan, Tourist and Perle. They continue to manufacture parts and provide service to club members today.

For Heinkel Gmbh, scooters had been a prop to support their recovery, never their core business. Getting back into aircraft manufacure remained their focus and in the mid 1950s, with the Cold War heating up, the restrictions on the German aviation industry were removed. Heinkel were soon back in the game building US Lockheed Starfighters under license for the German Airforce. As the 1960s progressed there was a flurry of mergers between the many German aircraft manufacturers, including Dornier, Junkers, Blohm and Voss, and Messerschmitt and in 1965 Heinkel's aircraft wing was merged into VFW (a conglomerate including Focke Wolfe). In 1981 VFM was mergered with Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm. Each of the component companies however seemed to have retained a degree of independence as Heinkel is still listed as one of the companies involved in both the Airbus and Euro-Fighter projects.

Not all of Heinkel was absorbed into VFW and MBB. A heavy industrial arm, specializing in turbines, centrifuges and chemical processing still continues to trade as Heinkel GmbH.

Interesting Links
http://www.erik.gjermundsen.net/Heinkel%20Tourist.htm
http://retrorambling.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/heinkel-tourist-103-scooters/

This article is now published in French in the scooter magazine, Scootitude
http://www.scootitude.com/?p=737

Brochures:
https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2016/01/1967-heinkel-promotional-magazine.html
https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2022/06/heinkel-tourist-175cc-scooter-brochure.html
< br/> Black and white photos of the models are courtesy of the Heinkel Club. https://heinkel-club.de/index.php