A Show would be complete without the Bat. The specimen illustrated is the 8 h.p. sidecar outfit, notable for its spring frame.
BAT. (Stand 69.)
6 h.p.; 76x85 mm. (770 c.c.); twin-cylinder four-stroke; side valves; hand pump lubrication; Amac carburetter; chain-driven Magdyno; three-speed Sturmey-Archer gear; all-chain drive; 28x3in. tyres.
The Bat Motor Manufacturing Co. (1918), Ltd., Penge, S.E.
One of the pioneer firms of the motor cycle industry, the Bat has always had a high reputation, particularly for speed and workmanship. The 6 and 8 h.p. machines shown on the stand do not differ greatly from their predecessors, but all of them are good examples of the modern motor cycle, and in particular of the method whereby the parts are arranged, so that even the smallest details are accessible. The ordinary model has a twin V engine driving the rear wheel through a countershaft gear box and clutch, transmission being entirely by chain. Both chains are covered in by metal casings of substantial and stiff design. Electric lighting is supplied, when desired, by a Lucas Magdyno placed at the front of the crank case, the wiring being rendered particularly neat by reason of the fact that the switch gear, enclosed in a casing, is bolted to a panel on the side of the petrol tank. Very stiff cast-aluminium footboards are used, and the tool bags on each side of the carrier are supported by steel casings. It is worth while studying the unusual suspension system, in which a powerful coil spring is linked to the seat-pillar, insulating the saddle and footboards from the remainder of the frame. The front forks are of Brampton design, so that the rider is thoroughly well sprung.
The speed model is of the same type, even to the foot plates, but has curiously dropped handle-bars, giving an entirely different riding position. One of the chief exhibits on the stand is an extra wide two-seater sidecar frame attached to a touring model. The design is made still more interesting by the fact that the sidecar wheel is carried in a separate frame which is sprung on three-coil springs.
The 8 h.p. engine has a bore of 85.5 mm. and a stroke of 85 mm. Both engines are of J. A. P. manufacture.
Olympia Show, 1920
The Motor Cycle, December 2nd, 1920.
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