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The Binz Project.
Help! In a mad moment I’ve
acquired a Binz. What the %$*# is a Binz? I hear
you ask. Well she’s an odd one. In 1954-58
Binz produces a few scooters with a Sachs 50cc
engine. Some were imported to UK in 1956-57.
This example is a 1956 model, found in a shed
and has not been used for some 30 years.
There is little known of these bikes, so any help
or knowledge would be appreciated.
This example is essentially complete, and although
the engine is locked, everything else appears
to work.
Chapter
one
A few quick photos,
and then attack! The engine is now out and freed
off. Great to see simple advanced technology
in such an old girl. The gearbox is a 2 speed
which is changed via the left hand grip, in
a similar fashion to a Vespa. The tiny Bing
carburettor has a tickling lever which an be
accessed through the left side of the centre
cover near the footplate for those cold morning
starts. There is no key, battery or kill switch,
ignition is by simple magneto method, so I assume
you stop the engine by stalling it in gear.
There's a great embossing of an Eagle in the
side case in the middle of the 'S'. The rims
and hubs are alloy, the chain and sprocket are
completely knackered as you would expect. Oh!
and there's no spark from the plug, probably
the reason why it was abandoned all those years
ago. The forks are leading link, similar to
the Honda Cub, but the rear suspension is a
simple plunger type. The frame is very basic
box section, and does not look like it would
cope with much weight, which probably explains
why it is a single seater, and the advertising
shows a lady weighing considerably less than
I do! The fuel tank is approx 4 litres, and
sits under the rear cowling, with access to
the fuel tap via a hole in the left side.
Chapter two
All stripped down to
bare frame ready for some paintwork. A couple
of small bits of welding required to the frame
but not structural. The forks are slightly bent,
proving that at some point the brakes had been
inadequate in preventing the front wheel connecting
with a more stationary object. The wiring is
a bit over-complex for a bike of this age, and
the cables are routed via a spaghetti junction
affair under the cowling. However, everything
is in better order than originally expected,
the panels are all straight and sound, and most
of the parts requiring replacement can be sourced
from similar scooter models. We'll have to see
what surprises the engine has in store next.
Chapter three
The fram is back in
a nice shiny black powdercoating. I suppose
I'll have to start some serious work on this
thing now.
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