2014 Pioneer Run, pt 3. More oddballs

Happy Monday.  Today’s article has more from the 2014 Pioneer Run:

 

There were nearly 400 machines on the ride again this year, but with my limited time I snapped pics of the oddballs that attracted my attention.  This week’s post includes several three wheelers and some uncommon two wheelers too.

 

The wicker forecar on this 1903 Humber looks great! And the flags are a nice touch too. The motor, mounted as the frame downtube, has 387cc and makes just enough power to carry the rig on the modest hills of our route from London to Brighton.  A friend here in California has a similar model, but with two wheels in the back instead of the front.  This pic of his bike shows the motor mounting in more detail:

The other Leon Bollee was shown in the earlier article, but this one in amaranth red looks so good that it is included here.

 

I didn’t catch the ID for this machine, but it really looks interesting with those plush seats and winged mudguards.

 

Paul Valkenet brought his 1904 Lurquin & Courdert over from the Netherlands and had a successful ride to Madeira Drive. The lightweight machine has 210cc and direct drive, and more of that neat oxblood/amaranth color, offset by the green tank and belt rim. And the chap looks dapper too!

 

These two photos appear to be the same bike, but close study reveals that these two P&M bikes are nearly, but not quite, identical. Lots of chains, including TWO in the primary drive, the final drive chain, one to the footstarter and another to the shifter.

 

Everybody loves a Rex JAP Vtwin.

 

Isn’t the 1909 Phanomobile great? Certainly not something that we get to see everyday, and I applaud the owner/driver who brought it out for all to enjoy. The motor is mounted out front, with the weight surely affecting the steering to some extent?  I don’t know these very well, but think that they were made in Germany

 

Some De Dion three wheelers to compare and contrast. Six or seven were entered on this year’s run, but I only had time to snap pics of these:

The first has a later carb, but we can ignore that. The second one has a two speed gear to the right of the motor. The motor on the third machine is moved over to the left and has water cooling to the cylinder head.

 

ooh! Check out the rear end of this 1914 Edmund! The 2.75 JAP motor, with Senspray carb, etc isn’t that different than other marques, but the leaf springs under the rear carrier are the first indication that the bike is atypical of the more common Class Three 1911-1913 veteran machines on the Pioneer Run. It appears that the leaf springs and also a coil spring under the seat support a subframe of the seat and footboards (via a connection through the seat tube?). The rear wheel isn’t suspended, but almost looks to be. BAT offered a similar layout, seen here. A very close study of the pics also shows two primary chains, likely a two speed à la the P&M.

Dave Masters and I by the green doors of Verrall’s. A great place to buy a veteran or vintage bike! Thanks again Dave for talking me into coming over for the 2013 2014 Pioneer.