FRESH IN FROM FINLAND

What a great issue No. 214 remains! Interesting, raising the question of ‘controlled development’ against ‘correctly restored’. That Douglas was quite something, a motorcycle for riding, not showing – thank you, Doug Cross.

Finland, having few indigenous motorcycle makers, was forced to import. A lot of pre-war motorcycles were conscripted by the army and many failed to make it back to civilian life at the end of hostilities. It was then a political decision that motorcycles from the Eastern Bloc would be imported at a favourable rate of duty, so it will be no surprise that there are a number of IC Planeta 350 twin 2-stroke motorcycles on the books.

These were copies of DKW motorcycles, and prior to being fitted with swinging trailing fork and combined spring/damper units, per PUB’S photograph of the Cossack Jupiter (a development of the IC Planeta) they had what looked to the casual observer to be plunger rear suspension. However, being copied from the German DKW, the rear wheel was controlled by a trailing swinging arm, the springing and damping were by frame-mounted ‘plunger’ units, one each side top and bottom, just as fitted to the pre-war racing DKW. They were also used by the Royal Enfield post-war two-strokes, which were also copies of DKW motorcycles. Royal Enfield four-strokes never went down the plunger rear suspension road.

Didn’t Royal Enfield supply DKW copies based on the pre-war 125RT to the British armed forces, loaded into gliders for airborne landings and used on the beaches on D-day by beach marshals? The Welbike, also photographed by PUB, post-war became the Brockhouse Corgi, which firm also produced a 250cc side-valve for export to America and badged as the Indian Brave – brave indeed!

The post-war British lightweights never came to market in Finland. Our market was satisfied by DKW copies from our near neighbours. There are a few Ambassador / Villiers machines, and later many competition machines came from Britain – Greeves being well known. But from 1952 Britain, along with Germany and Sweden, supplied fourstrokes for the enthusiasts.

Unlike the British market, mopeds ruled the teen years and ride to work machines in Finland.

Lust after a good British machine was whetted by the amateur racers who arrived annually for the Helsinki Grand Prix – a round the streets derringdo – and now and again the odd ex-race bike was ‘accidentally’ left behind when the vans returned to Europe and Britain. A very popular racer rode really hot Triumphs here – Dudley-ward.

From personal experience I can report that the IC Planeta 350 was a rather good machine. DKW was also the father of most of the post-war Eastern Bloc motorcycle production except for Jawa and CZ – they stuck to their guns, so to speak! PUB’S photograph of the Cossack Jupiter shows it hitched to its matching sidecar, too.

Looking at other fine photographs in Issue 214 we can clearly see similarities between badges. The lovely blue BSA Flash although not using the Ariel full-width hub of the previous range of BSA four-stroke motorcycles at the front, is all Ariel at the rear! The same cross-over rear brake, Ariel 7-inch rear drum and Ariel QD back wheel.

The single bolt tanks used by Small Heath first saw light of day at Selly Oak. The bolthole on your Ariel had a bling strip of plated metal hooked to the front and rear of the tank to disguise it, but BSA used a rubber bung, tastefully embossed with the BSA trademark. One could also mention the use by BSA of the Ariel front fork – I had to smile when FW admitted to fitting an Ariel fork to his A10 bitza, but only, he said, to get the Ariel tope yoke with its speedo mounting. Of course the actual forks themselves fitted straight on.

David Bullivant, member

Thanks, David! It’s always good to read positive comments about obscure machines – like the Planeta. I have entertaining memories of a couple of IZH models. I wonder where they all are today? Frank W