ruffmutt

Hi John, re Villiers gearing, assuming youve got the standard ratio gearbox, your options are limited. On my James commando with std ratio Albion gearbox i use 13 tooth gearbox sprocket, and 73 tooth rear. This gives a usable 1st and 2nd gear but very low top speed. On my Ruffmutt( Dalesman frame, 8e engine} i use the wide ratio Albion gearbox with 13 on the front and 63 rear which seems to be the optimum setting, but, the wide ratio gearboxes are like hens teeth. Regarding the clutch, do yourself a favour and invest in a 9e coversion, available from Nametab or Villiers services, not cheap but totally transform the riding experience. Ultimately, enjoy the bike for what it is. If you need any help or advise with Villiers engines, get in touch. Trev.

Re, Dalesman Belfast. I,ve just read yam22 s history on dalesman which I found fascinating because I owned 6speed model from 1971 to 1975, GWX 49 J. On Wednesday of this week, I managed to locate and buy the remains of this bike, how lucky is that?. The original puch engine is long gone, which is a good thing as it was a full time job fitting new gear clusters, very fragile, but the engine was brilliant. However, it,s getting a Villiers 9e4 unit fitted, not an easy job, lot of cutting involved to get the gearbox past the lower frame tube, but not as hard as the 1 I did last year using an 8e4. When I learn how to do it, I,ll post some pics.