The Ancestor of the Electric Bike – Conservative Restoration

The Ancestor of the Electric Bike – Conservative Restoration

Before we get started with the engine restoration it’s only fair to provide a little context Let’s start from post-World War II Italy This country, like many others emerged from the Second World War destroyed impoverished with entire cities and industrial centers reduced to rubble Most of the population had lost everything

And found themselves living in poverty Traveling within the city or outside of it was demanding there was a lack of means to carry it out and the same situation applied to travel for commercial purposes At that time the car was not yet a common good accessible to all

As it began to happen in the 1960s but was a privilege for a few rich people In this context some small companies had the intuition and genius to create something that allowed ordinary people to travel independently spending little

Thus were born the first engines that could be mounted on a common bicycle These engines were sold with the tank and knobs and could be mounted on any type of bike Their strong point was their price and low consumption around 70-85 km on one liter of fuel

Each manufacturer created its own unique engine trying to make it innovative compared to the competition making it more economical in fuel consumption faster or easier to install and maintain Among these some became very famous such as the Mosquito produced by Garelli the Aquilotto by Bianchi and the Cucciolo

Initially produced by Siata and then by Ducati Many of these brands expanded their production moving on to making very simple pedal-powered motorbikes to the point of creating the first light motorbikes The video engine was produced in Stradella becoming well-known for its robustness and reliability

It was often paired with three-wheeled bicycles for work purposes and was produced in different models and displacements The model in the video is ST60 with 60 indicating the displacement of 60cc I bought the engine several years ago, on ebay

It has been sitting on this shelf for a while with the idea of restoring it and mounting it on a bike This is supposed to be a wasps nest I bought the crown and the tank later on to complete the kit

This is still the box with which the engine was shipped to me 2014-it’s been almost 10 years! in addition to the motor there are the various pieces to moun t on the bike I did not remember that there was also some spare parts Let’s start

This is all old grease that needs to be removed Gasoline I heat it up to get the bearing out As aluminum heats up, it expands more than steel in this way it is easy to pull out the bearing It is very hot Paper soaked in water

I remove the remnants of the old seal Degreaser Hot bluing Flange sealant green Gasket paper Metal polish compound Grease Spray for gasket adhesion I smooth out the combustion chamber to reduce carbon deposits I do the same with the piston head This operation will also improve the turbulence in the combustion chamber

This is to take compression off the cylinder in simple terms it allows you to pick up speed with the pedals to start the engine It has to be clean because otherwise the seal is not effective this is a paste that is used to clean the seat where the latch is Light hot bluing

Thread cleaning from rust Light hot bluing to give a light black color There is another wasp nest they seem to have never hatched Is full of carbon deposits these accumulate when poor quality oil is used and when too much oil is used in the gasoline/oil mixture Alcohol

The capacitor is a component that deteriorates over time this greatly affects the spark plug spark quality I will replace it with a modern one however, I don’t want it to ruin the aesthetics of the engine I will use the casing of the old condenser

So on the outside you won’t notice anything Light cleaning to the contact breaker This spark plug is still in the original packaging it is new, it has never been installed it will be at least 50/60 years old I want to preserve what is left of this old sticker

It is probably a sticker from the dealership that sold it Clear coat Ultrasonic bath

This engine was marketed after the Second World War to offer ordinary people the possibility of moving around, using it together with a simple bicycle. In the video, in addition to the restoration process, I will briefly delve into the history of these engines, illustrating the reasons for their birth and the context in which they emerged. While I will be restoring this engine, I will not be following a total restoration approach; rather, I will adopt a conservative method that will preserve its’ lived-in appearance. The video will end with the completion of the engine restoration, while the second part will focus on its assembly on the bicycle and the related tests

00:00 Introduction
00:24 The context of engines
02:34 A rest for 10 years
03:50 Disassembly
05:30 We remove the old grease
06:05 Washing with gasoline
06:49 Disassembly of bearings
08:12 Washing with degreaser
09:09 New bearings
10:09 Replacement of crankshaft and gears
11:54 New graease
14:36 Cylinder head and piston
17:21 Cylinder
18:03 Replacement of the thermal unit
19:04 Exhaust
20:20 A new capacitor in the old housing
21:58 A spark plug Magneti Marelli NOS
22:28 Cleaning the flywheel cover
23:23 Cleaning carburetor in ultrasonic tank

Credits:
https://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/camp/eur/ita/w2i-inv.html
https://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/eco/ind/sector/auto/cou/w2wsac-ita.html
https://unsplash.com
https://jenikirbyhistory.getarchive.net
https://philaphoto.com
License code: CBLM6432J3X14FD6