The Universal
Swiss style
Out in the wilds of rural England, Andy Westlake unearths a rarity…
One of my best sources of interesting bikes is via my local MOT station and it was thanks to a conversation with the examiner Tony Clark I was put in touch with the owner of this incredibly rare machine. The bike in question is a Swiss – made Universal B50 Meteor and it’s believed that this particular model is one of only six from a production run of a thousand left in the world. The owner of this BMW lookalike is West countryman Gareth Burnard who invited me along to take his 570cc horizontally opposed twin for a spin through the Wiltshire lanes. However before we fired the big four stroke into action his father Jim told me a little about the day in 1997 he bought the bike. “At the time I had a Harley-Davidson Sportster but it wasn’t my sort of machine so I put an advert in the classic press offering it in part exchange for something ‘interesting’. In response I had a call from a chap who lived on a farm near Cheltenham who told me that he had the ideal thing in the form of a B50 Universal; a manufacturer I’d never heard of. It transpired that the horizontal twin had originally been imported to the UK some years earlier and was still in its original livery but
although running, needed a bit of TLC to the ignition, brakes and clutch. It was perfect for me, the guy liked my Harley and with the deal done the big Swiss four-stroke was loaded into my van and back home in the workshop it was time to get acquainted with my new bike. It was obvious that it was much too good to restore and just needed a few jobs to make it rideable. Getting it roadworthy gave me an insight into the workmanship and quality that had gone into the overall design when the B50s were manufactured in the ‘fifties and early ‘sixties and in many ways it was superior to many BMWs I’ve worked on. In the first summer I used it in several Bath and VMCC runs and understandably it always created a lot of interest. Through a Swiss friend I managed to obtain a bit of history of the company and a photo of a similar machine when it first rolled off the production lines in 1960. It transpired that the model I’d acquired was a B50 Meteor which unlike the standard Universal twin came with an Italian styled petrol tank which wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Ducati. We discovered
that there were possibly three others in the UK, two in America – one of which is a twin-carb Sport model in the Barber museum – and another in Argentina.” Universal AG was founded in 1928 near Lucerne using proprietary engines but initially their bikes were marketed under the name of Helvetia and it was sometime later that the first Universal appeared. These were powered by a mixture of JAP, Python and Anzani motors and during the war years – in conjunction with Condor – they made an inline 1000cc vee twin, many with a sidecar attached. Post war the first ‘Karden Boxer’ appeared, most of these went to home market but I understand that some went to the Netherlands, South America and to Germany where – with a modified frame – they were rebadged as a Rabeneick. The Rabeneick Company had been founded by August Rabeneick in 1925 and initially concentrated in building high quality bicycles which were highly successful in racing and it wasn’t until the late 1940s that their first small motorcycle appeared. The man who was mainly responsible for the success of the motorcycles was Erich Engelhardt who was described as a very friendly, charming, polite and intelligent person who according to a period report by Ernst Hiller (6 times German 500cc championship winner) used his dog to test the motorcycles exhaust. If Hiller is to be believed the dog would be fine with an exhaust note that was OK but would start chasing the bike if it was too loud and noisy. All of these machines were small capacity but Engelhardt was keen to build a bigger machine and working in conjunction with Hiller the prototype 500cc boxer twin Universal appeared at the 1951 IFMA show. Due to high costs the Rabeneick-framed Universal twin was only produced in small numbers but the standard B50 – which was available in both side valve and overhead valve operation with either rigid or plunger rear suspension – was well regarded and throughout the 1950s was often used by the Swiss police. Up to when production ceased in 1962/’63 it would appear
that around one thousand of the standard boxers were produced – alongside a 250cc single – and I’m told that although you sometimes see one turn up at a classic meeting in Switzerland Gareth’s model B50 with its unusual petrol tank and plunger rear suspension is now very rare. During the summers of 1997 and ‘98 our test bike was used on several local classic bike runs but some trouble with the clutch saw it taken off the road and laid up for the best part of seventeen years until Jim’s son Gareth recommissioned it and got the big twin running sweetly again; Gareth takes up the story. “When dad bought the bike he was aware that the clutch was a bit ‘tired’ and although he did several hundred miles during the first two years it eventually gave up the ghost and as we had other bikes to use the Universal was put into storage until we had time to attend to the slipping clutch. Little did I think at the time that the bike would be standing in our workshop until 2017 until we got it mobile again? Originally all of the engine parts were made in the Swiss factory and I soon discovered that although it looks just like a BMW twin none were compatible so I had to fabricate my own clutch and pressure plate.” For most people this would be a formidable task but Gareth – who in his day job sees him restoring and fabricating wood bodywork on classic cars – soon had this in hand. “With the engine removed from the frame I discovered that a clutch plate from a Hillman car was the same size as that on the bike so after getting it relined by Friction Services in Bristol I then just needed to turn down a solid piece of billet
for the pressure plate and drill some holes in it for the springs. With this fitted the engine – despite having nearly 100,000 kilometres on the clock – was in remarkable condition and other than new oil seals in both engine and gearbox and new brake linings the only other thing I had to turn my attentions to was to the ignition system. Thanks to some help from a friend we fabricated a purposemade distributor to replace the worn unit and replaced it with an electronic 6 volt system. When it was manufactured the B50 came either with a dual seat or two singles; ours was fitted with a pair of the Pagusa seats. I had to replace the rider’s one as it was split, with one from BMW specialist Bob Porechia – but as it was never going to be used to carry a passenger we removed the pillion and it is now safely tucked away in our store. The wheel rims – which have an unusual ‘crinkle’ in them – were like new and with some new petrol in the tank I was amazed when it started first kick.” Prior to my road test Gareth had only covered a trouble free 100 miles or so on the Universal although prior to me setting off he did warn me about its rather cramped riding position which means the handlebars come into contact with the rider’s knees when making a tight manoeuvre. Unlike a BMW with its difficult-to-use kick starter – sited at the rear of the gearbox – that fitted on the Universal is in the conventional position and as I discovered is one of the easiest starting four stroke twins I’ve ever encountered. With just one swing of the right sided lever was all that was required to bring the softly tuned twin into life and not surprisingly the exhaust note is very much like that of a Germanic flat twin with a muted rasp through the long “Burgess” style silencers. Engaging first gear – via the right sided lever – was a bit of a ‘clunky’ affair and the clutch was a bit slow in takeup but under way the B50 was soon in its stride and for the first mile or so comfortably kept up with the West Country traffic. Sadly that is where our road test came to an unexpected halt when the engine suddenly died, but fortunately this coincided with a convenient minor road where we managed to park up and tried to diagnose the problem. With the suddenness of our breakdown it all looked like a failure of the sparks and with a plug removed this was confirmed. A long push back to Gareth’s workshop later revealed that the three long fasteners holding the electronic ignition unit in position had come loose but this was quickly rectified and we were on our way again. I’ve ridden countless thousands of miles on bikes with shaft drive and I’m used to the fact that when compared to a chain drive it’s important to balance the revs when making a downward gear change. However despite my best efforts the gear change on the B50 was – as Gareth had warned me – decidedly ‘notchy’ and steadfastly refused to change into a lower ratio smoothly, this was later rectified and improved by changing the gearbox oil to straight 60 in place of the previous 10/40 multi-grade. The 570cc – 28bhp – twin is no speed machine but it was quickly up to its happy running speed of around 90km/h and for a bike that is now approaching sixty years old both the brakes – single leading shoe front and rear – and suspension – telescopic at the front and plunger at rear – gave it a planted and well balanced feel. The lanes and minor ‘B’ roads in West Wiltshire are some of the best in the UK and here the Swiss horizontal twin was in its element. I returned from my ride with a huge smile on my face and there is no doubt that Gareth’s Universal is a super bike to ride and it’s also a reminder that not all horizontal twins were manufactured in Germany. Big thanks to both Gareth and Jim for allowing me to ride the very special Swiss twin.