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  • New French Motorcycle

    Latter this year I was searching though some old magazines that had found on the web. I came across this article titled 'New French Motorcycle' and thought it, and the picture, where quit strange and interesting.

    Roue.jpg


    New French Motorcycle

    The “Roue Automotrice,” illustrated herewith, is one of the motor-cycle novelties at the paris Salon, where it is exhibited by Messrs. Gaston Rivierre and Company, of Courbevoie (Seine). As well be seen, there are two pairs of two-cylinders built in the rear wheel. Of each pair, only one cylinder is used for propelling the machine, the other serving to compress the charge. In this way the usual valves are done away with, and an explosion is obtained in the working cylinder at every revolution. The driving wheel has no through axle’ the connecting rods of the cylinders have a common big end bearing upon the crank pin of the fixed hollow crank axle carried in the back fork ends. The bosses of the driving wheel run on ball bearings on this fixed axle. The cylinders, of course, rotate with the wheel, of which they from practically the central spokes. The mixture is introduced to them through the hollow axle and suitably-made drilled bosses nd connections therein. Messrs, Rivierre claim great efficiency for this machine, as the back wheel, with its revolving mass of cylinders, acts as a most efficient flywheel, and the cylinders are kept very cool by their rapid rotation in the air. -- Motor Car Journal

  • #2
    The French were way ahead of most of us before the turn of the last century. The picture resembles the Millet, manufactured by Felix Theodore Millet of Persan in France, and patented there as well as with the US Patent Office #564,155, dated July 14th 1896. The drawing showing in the patent has five cylinders while yours has four. There could have been variations on the theme, as the principle is the same, and therefore likely covered by the patents of the time.
    There was a Millet in the original Guggenheim "Art of the Motorcycle" in New York, but it was returned to France and didn't appear in the later Guggenheim exhibits. I believe you can download these patents, drawings, etc., from the US patent office.
    Pete Gagan

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    • #3
      http://www.google.com/patents/about?...EBAJ&dq=564155
      ...bill
      Bill Gilbert in Oregon

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