JerryThurstoncolumn

Life was never going to be a high-speed affair with a VeloSolex, especially one which seemed more asthmatic than usual.

For a while, I have been looking for something to transport me across the paddock at race meetings as, almost inevitably, I am in one of pit garages and some vital tool is still in the transporter on the other side of the circuit.

This in mind, while browsing small ads on the internet, I spotted a 1957 1010 VeloSolex for sale in the next town. It’s described as restored, but so far as I can see this means that the handlebars have been painted silver and the rest has had a coat of silk black. Under this though, the tin work appears good and it looks fundamentally correct. Some online research shows that the asking price compares favourably to other examples on offer – definitely worth the six-mile trip to see it the next morning.

After 10 minutes beggaring about with it at the chap’s place, we cannot find a spark. Favourable price or not, this is a real issue. That the engine covers had been removed and a shiny new spark plug was in place points to previous investigation and failure. I politely tell the owner that without a spark, I’m not really interested. He looks mortified… “Well, er, it did run!” he says. “I’m moving house and it’s not coming with me… what if I knock a third off the price?” I’m a sucker for a big discount, so I agree.

Ensconced in the workshop, I check the plug and lead, clean the points and test the condenser – so far, so good. I now have clean connections and good continuity, yet not a sniff of a spark. The coil shows no resistance, the uncomfortable diagnosis being that, yet again, I have bought something with a duff coil. The discount would have covered the purchase of a new one, had there been any available, but there are none.

I lie in bed and rue my impetuous purchase. I have paid money for what amounts to a slightly scruffy, old French bicycle with the added encumbrance of a dead engine perched over the front wheel.

Next evening, I decide to have a grub though the small box of parts which came with the Solex. On the top is the engine and flywheel cover, removed when the owner had a fiddle. Under these, and I have to admit to dumb luck here, I find a very scruffy ignition coil.

Cutting a long story short, this proves good and after swapping the pair over, I have a big blue spark – and, after a clean of the fuel system, the chance for a test ride.

Before any test, I’m going to need brakes. They’ll need adjusting said the owner. This translated to they’ll need stripping and some re-engineering.

It transpires out, though, that brakes are not as necessary as I thought! I wasn’t expecting much performance from the 49cc over-wheel engine but this is woeful. While it starts fairly readily, it fails to live up to even the lowest performance expectations. I know that a VeloSolex is leisurely, but this barely gets along on the flat. Sealing the leaking fuel pump perks the poor old thing up a fraction – now, on the flat, it would at least maintain the speed you pedal it up to. I decide something must be wrong. I soon exhaust the freeof-charge possibilities, such as incorrect timing, carb not fully open or carbon blocking the exhaust. Time to delve deeper.

Suspicious that the compression is not as healthy as it should be, I pull the head and barrel off to see that my misgivings are founded. All that’s providing a seal is the old top ring; the bottom ring is completely wrong. Not only is it 0.5mm narrower than the groove, but it also has a gap that could literally be measured with a ruler (4.5mm!).

Rings ordered at a bargain £3.35 each, I decide to spend the interim sorting out the previous owner’s overpainting. Cautious experimentation with paint stripper begins to reveal original chrome on the wheel rims and handlebars – admittedly, it’s not good chrome, but I’d rather have tatty original than obviously over-painted. It’s a tedious but satisfying process and the VeloSolex looks a heck of a lot better by the time I’ve finished.

Better still, with the new piston rings fitted the Solex has more power, although ‘power’ is a relative term with 49cc to play with. Acceleration is now leisurely rather than non-existent, and slight slopes no longer require light pedal assistance.

Reflecting on the purchase, I ask myself if this was a mistake. Certainly, it’s cost a lot of time and there is still more to do (such as painting the frame gloss black) to improve its looks. But… even after buying parts, I’m still below the asking price for similar machines which could have the same problems. Overall, I’m pleased. It is, as I predicted, just the thing for scuttling from one side of a large race paddock to another.