Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126418
The Sarolea featured a low profile allowing almost anyone to straddle the bike with both feet on the ground. Note the rocker cover strap. sumed oil at thC' ratC' of 100cc (>C'r 100km, by thC' way, probably duC' to the positive lube of the inlet valve guide. TherC' was a string-type shock absorber on the C'nd of the crankshaft, familiar to all Beezumph freaks (just about anybody who' has seen an English machinC' nakC'd. for that matter. .. ). Brakes were 180mm in diameter, and the wheels were shod with Englebert tires, a 26 x 3.25 (3.25. x 19) up front, and a 26 x 3.50 (3.50 x 19) on the rear. WC'ight was 150kg, or '. ... about 276 Ibs, and claimed top s(>C'C'd was II0kph - some 69mph. Handlebar controls werC' intC'gral with the bars, but Art sawC'd them off, and removed the internal throttle, replacing them with typical English items, after they wore. WhC'n the seals in the forks wouldn't hold the oil under the ai r pressure, and no seals were available, he dumped in a can of autorna tic transmission sealer.. He last registered the machine in 1956, when thC' bike he was riding thC'n broke. Check out the rocker-type gearchange pedal, non-folding kickllt8rt and foot pega, aldewaya-mounted Amal carb and clean engine linea, The old Sarolea still starts well. Art fired it up o~ the third kick, but in truth he had not sufficiently tickled the carburetor before the first two kicks, so in effect it started on the first kick. Dh, you Honda fans don't know about tickling carburetors? There's this little push-button on the top of the float chamber on most old-style carburetors, whose function is fo hold the float down, so the float chamber ca~ fill. This raises the fuel level, and effectively richens the mixture for staT- ting and for that all-important first few seconds running. . There's a slight tinkle, which ap(>C'ars to be the rollC'r bearing in the lower end letting you know it's there. Art replaced the original muffler with a typical British unit, and the bike is hugely quiet at idle, but does rasp a bit under hard accelC'ration. R~ttably, it was too cold when I was there to take the bike for a spin. It wO\lld havC' brought back fond memories. • ~ ~~~~~ .. , .f" ""!' --"'---00:. "'!."•• '!Il. oO!'."'l"!t.'!!'I-~!I'I "".i~;~.''.li.4,i'l44!11. .. .... -.-._.~ ,~.y""._". , ',' ._ ~ .. ...... ,...~" .. ~ ..... .. ' cO . . . . . . . .:1.;• . ~",\ P=;"''' ... . YAMAHA AND.]; __",_..-...;u - . FORNIA YAMAHA DEALERS ASSOCIATION .-~.- "."!'SeN1 ..,;,,.....--~.: THIRD ANNUAL SONOMA MOTORCYCLE CLASSIC AN lUI::1lWINSTON PRO SERIES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP .5()Qcc N KENNY ROBERTS .,~ .. ' ":~f' 25