That’s over-simplifying the Whizzer, as there were complete Whizzer motorbikes produced and sold such as the Pacemaker, Sportsman and Ambassador. Controls - throttle, compression release and clutch - attached to the handlebars. A shorter V-belt provided the primary drive, and a stylish gas tank straddled the top bar of the bike frame. A rear wheel sheave attached to the spokes and took a V-belt drive running from a slip-pulley clutch that mounted to the rear of the engine. A reliable, 138cc 4-stroke side valve engine bolted snugly inside just about any boy’s or men’s balloon tire bicycle frame using uncomplicated clamps. From the mid-1940s and through the early-1960s a Whizzer engine kit could be had for near $100. Just the name, Whizzer, smacks of excitement and independence. Perhaps no other American-made machine gave as many young folks their first taste of powered two-wheeling as did the Whizzer. “I’ve always been drawn to the oddballs of the motorcycle world, including Suzuki rotaries,” he says, and adds, “the Whizzer just intrigued me.” He grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and his first ride was a 2-stroke Jawa he bought from a neighbor. Ron has restored many cars, from Volkswagens to Messerschmitts, but since he was 10 years old there’s always been a motorcycle in his life. “When you were done, this thing comes to life, and you can ride it - it just sets you free.” Early on, he found freedom in the idea that he could take something that didn’t work and rebuild it, “with a skill set learned along the way through skinned knuckles and money spent where it shouldn’t have been,” he explains. Ron has been hands-on with mechanical projects since he was a youngster. “It’s not all that particularly useful, but what it gives back in smiles is incredible.” “I must be a child of the 1950s because I’m drawn to the style of the Whizzer engine in a bicycle,” Ron says of his attraction to the machine. Thinking more about it, however, I decided to let it go to someone who’d see it to the finish line. Initially, when Ron asked if it was for sale, I said no - it looked good up there. When no one seemed interested, the bones of the project were hung on the wall in my Calgary, Alberta, shop. I had, over the years, accumulated parts and pieces to put together a machine, but with other motorcycles taking up my time, I had half-heartedly advertised it for sale. My friend Ron Nichols mentioned that in 2019 at the Millarville Vintage Motorcycle Swap Meet, and he wasn’t far wrong. “Hey, somebody thought you might have a Whizzer project for sale.” Tires: 2.125 x 26in Duro Block front and rear Suspension: Knee-action Schwinn springer front forkīrakes: 3-1/8in (79.4mm) Schwinn drum front, coaster brake rear Whizzer motorbike generator#Electrics: High tension magneto/no generator or batteryįrame/wheelbase: Tubular steel/45-1/4in (1,149mm)
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