Francis Barnett Falcon walk around and start
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- A unrestored example of a 1951 197cc Falcon, a ride-to-work premix two stroke lightweight machine that literally got British back to work. Once sneered at by ‘proper’ motorcyclists, these little bikes enjoy a certain crude charm and have a fanatical following of enthusiasts. One of the benefits of these little bikes nowadays is the 150plus MPG ! Spares are also incredibly cheap for them, with good availability and a wonderful owners club.
Pure nostalgia ! My 2nd bike was a 197 Ambassador with the 4 speed gearbox. It had a bantam type half round speedo and on numerous occasions the needle was off the clock ! Thanks a lot.
During the 1960s a FB was nicknamed a ''Fanny B''. The James bikes were similar and my 1st motorcycle was a 98cc James Comet which had a top speed of 40 mph. There were only 2 gears, one up and one down. It got me to work as an apprentice toolmaker in 1969. It was slow, simple and easy to work on
Lovely little bike.
Oh the memories!! We called mine "The Peanut Roaster" - for some reason because of the sound. Flywheel taper was not the best, so may a time I had to run down the road chasing the flywheel and then retime the engine on the roadside. What a laugh! and it struggled terrible against a stiff wind.
Lovely bike👍 i wish i had something like this, old English bikes are nice.
Logo was FBC Francis Barnett of Coventry (where it was made).
I have one just like it, 1950 and a lot more rusty!
I have my Dad’s 1953 version. It’s in poor condition and in several boxes. My intention is to send the engine away for reconditioning then start on the rusty frame and everything else. Looking for guidance on the best way to proceed, especially with the paintwork. Should I strip right back and repaint? The amount of corrosion means I probably need to. Thanks!
Hi, people ascribe a great deal of credibility to original condition, however scruffy. Bearing in mind a restored FB would likely only be worth 20% of what it’d cost you to restore (properly, not a tart up) , it’s possibly better to make it safe, but leave it as found.
Chers
No way on this planet does one of them do 150mpg, more chance of flying to the moon... 50 maybe [on a good day on a run]