Can you ID this engine???

[AdminGuy]

I have asked for any cast markings that may be on it.
Cast is clean except for a three digit number mirrored each side.

[Barry Brown]

Engine ID

Sure, that's easy. It's a "black Wheezer" by Marlboro and of course it's a "one lunger!

[Earl]

Was this motor at Oley this past year?

[AFJ]

Can you ID this engine???

From the cylinder finning and hold down bolts, head and combustion chamber finning and forward carb mounting, and in the front crankcase mounts, it looks much like an early Curtiss single.

AFJ

[AdminGuy]

Hi Allan and others, I keep going down paths and am getting stumped.

I was thinking obscure no name brand. Maybe a Mayo or California? Earily Yale? It's starting to drive me nuts.

Allen that's gotta be 45 degree down angle on the exhaust. Curtiss you think? What if the carb mount was added later. It may not be a correct piece.

[AFJ]

Doesn't look much like a Yale/California or Mayo to me.
But further information such as threads used, bore and stroke, general dimensions and some decent, sharp pictures (of both sides) would be of some help. Also the stamped numbers and their locations.
We get these sort of requests for ID all the time at the Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Museum (http://www.cvmg.ca) and the ones with good clear pictures and full details are usually easy to sort out. The ones with poor pictures like you showed are always hard.

AFJ

[AdminGuy]

Thanks Allen, I'll ask for bore and stroke. I think It's clean otherwise. Also opposite side photo.

An earily Pope?

Barry is a card - one to be delt with. Hee-hee. Ohhhh... that's just as bad.

[AdminGuy]

More unknown engine photos.

OK - Here we go. Round 2. More photos.

From owner: Bore measures 2 and 3/4 inches and the stroke is 3 and 1/8 inches. I can tell from looking at it that someone built the timer and all the bolts and upper end parts are nickel plated also someone told me its supposed to have a compression release on the exhaust valve tappit which was part of the timing cover. No names on the flywheel, rod or case. Both sides of the crank are keyed.

[AdminGuy]

Curtiss single photo

A nice photo of a Curtiss single from the national library of Congress. I've blown it up a bit.

[AdminGuy]

Merkel single. Same group of adventurers. From The National Libary of Congress.

Maybe If grovel/beg a bit more -they will post more of these great images in the American memory collection.

[RWasson]

Mother of All Motorcycle Engines

The Mystery Motor shares some characteristics with what has been called the Mother of All Motorcycle Engines, the DeDion-Buton. Check out the picture at:

http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcmuseum/firstbike.html

Roy

[jurassic]

reliance motor company

i have an engine just like this,after much research i believe that it is a reliance motor,will ives built motorcycles under the reliance name from 1903 till 1912,although no 1912's were made. after they failed and were auctioned off ,ives started producing the monarch motorcycle. ives moved around a bit in the earlier years, in 1908 they were in the process of moving to owego,new york and building a large factory. in the summer of 1908 they purchased a large order of engines and frames from a certain firm in hammondsport,because they needed to fill their orders ,and their new factory was incomplete.this may explain why this picture is exactly the same picture in the erie catalog for 1909,only the names changed.of course that could make this an erie as well, it is obvious though from the head casting that it was probably made in hammondsport. maybe this info will help,L isam jr. THE PICTURE IS ON PAGE 137 of hatfields,antique american motorcycle,your system wont accept the pic here.

[jurassic]

reliance pic

heres a pic of the reliance ,or erie.the lower end is identical,mounts are the same,timing cover is the same. the exhaust port is at a different angle,and there is an oil site glass as well. but these site glasses were fairly universal,and mounted on alot of engines. i also think that this motor was originally designed to lean forward in a diamond frame,but was fit into a loop frame in later years.