Sprite-UK/American Eagle-USA /Alron-AUST

[JC]

Yes, I think the best one to talk to RL is Mitch, so I've left it to him to track RL down. He was close to RL for a long time & commented to me that he thinks RL would tell him the truth.

As Tossa says, there are some shady things floating around that neither of us is going to repeat here but just adds to the credibility saga.

If there were more produced you'd think that 15yrs or more of VMX, JustBikes & ebay would have seen some more turn up. But lets hope there is/was more.

Alison, yr dead right: "don't believe everything you read". Thats the whole point.

Thanks for the extra pics VMX60. Much appreciated. Love the extra grab handles & angle-iron brake pedal. I think the original brake pedal went under the footpeg not over it

Can you tell me if there's any ID # on the frame/steering-head pls??

Also, can you track down the story on the Suz-engined one pls. That would have taken a lot of work to put a side-port engine in a double-downtube frame.

[Curly3]

I don't doubt your right Firko.
It looked very 70's 250 Savage to me. Carl had one when he worked at Hazel & Moore.

[mx250]

I don't doubt your right Firko.
It looked very 70's 250 Savage to me. Carl had one when he worked at Hazel & Moore.

It's DT1-2, but the header has been cut, maybe shortened, rotated and rewelded.

[VMX247]

Ok I have been in contact with three gentleman of long motorcycle involvement, all of whom know very little about the Alron and answering my question of how many where built and how many are around today.
I'll probably repeat. 
Most of the Alrons made where the trials version.
RL and family had a MC shop(Perth) and where the BMW rep amongst other makes of bikes finishing up in 1981.
Didn't Ossa only come in 230cc and not a 400cc ? in the Alron ?

Next step the Business registry of WA
I have two more people to contact at this stage-may have to wait till after the Qld holiday.
That's it for now,    Not much but a bit at least 
cheers

[firko]

Most of the Alrons made where the trials version.

With respect Alison...That's bullshit, they didn't make a trials Alron at all...never, ever.

Didn't Ossa only come in 230cc and not a 400cc ? in the Alron ?

OSSA were 250 by the time Alron came out. The '400cc' engine is a Sprite engine. OSSA didn't make a 400.

[Tossa]

I'm with you Firko

the only trials version of Alron, was I believe my father's when he put a sidecar on it and competed in trials.  I think even an Australian championship, but no trials ever made

Don't remember him being a BMW rep, they were the Rickman rep when in Beaufort St highgate.  When in Newcastle St Perth(somewhere around there, long time ago), can't really remember if they were associate with any brand, only really went ther once in 1975

[JC]

Yeh, spot-on Mark (of course).

Apparently, Mitch remembers he & RL came about 5th in oZ trials titles on that sidecar version Tossa mentions. It was just a chair bolted to Mitch's 250 enduro w an extra heavy flywheel.

Just found an old ad for Sprite Developments 405 Trials Rustler. Specs 84x72, 30hp @ 5500, 32mm Amal, 4sp, 51" w'base, 30" seat ht, 11" ground clearence, 198lb.  (Husky-clone motor, but w side port barrel & single downtube frame) But Alron never brought them in as far as I know.

Article posted above by Alison which she sent me a copy in the mail, says 1st Sprite frames in 64 were a strengthened copy/version of Cotton Cougar frame, w Norton Roadholder forks, till he made his own swingarm front end when norton supply ran out. Was the cougar frame any/much diff to the cobra frame?

Alron M/Cs were variously reported to have sold Suzuki, Yamaha, Triumph, BMW, Rickman & even Motobecane (tho the latter may not have happened as it was the time of the french nuclear tests in the Pacififc & there was a union ban on Fr imports.) Mitch said they sold a lot of road Rickmans & a few 125 Zundap-engined enduros.

I've tracked down Brian Clarkson. He thinks he still may have his records from the shop at Granville. If he has (& can find it) he maybe able to  check how many Alrons he sold, but he lost a lot of paperwork in a flood a few months ago, so we maybe too late. He's fairly sure he sold "3 or 4 x400s" ("People liked their grunty power") & "2 x250s" - MXs). He says the 400's g'box wasn't any/much worse than the Husky's (which he rode for many yrs prior to the Alron) as far as he can recall but rings/pistons didn't last as long. Someone stole his 400 from a friends place at Bathurst. He sold lots of Rickmans for them too - mostly road ones but "quite a few VR-engine MXs" too. He knows nothing of the supposed Rickman 250 Enduro RL supposed built & "sold about 30" of.

[firko]

Article posted above by Alison which she sent me a copy in the mail, says 1st Sprite frames in 64 were a strengthened copy/version of Cotton Cougar frame

That surprises me. Even though the Cotton and Sprite frames are similar in design, thy're still very different. Compare my Cotton Cougar frame (below) to Alisons Sprite.

[JC]

Yeh, surprised me too Mark, so I went in search of Cougars on the net, but thats a much better pic. There is some kinship beyond them both being double downtube!

[VMX247]

[VMX247]

Steven has made her naked .
Hope photos help.

[firko]

Like most Brit page 3 girls, she comes up a treat with her top off! The frame is basically the same as my early American Eagle Kawasaki frame (Sprite), nothing at all like the Cotton Cougar or Cobra (which are the same geometry and bends but the earlier Cobra frame uses castings on the tube butt joints, similar to the differences between a BSA A50 frame and that of a Goldy)

[JC]

I misrepresented slightly. So I quote:

"In 1964, he established another tiny business... to build his 'ideal' scrambler incorporating many features he liked. The machine comprised a strengthened & modified Cotton Cougar frame, Norton telescopic front forks, Villiers crankcases, Alpha crankshaft & Greeves cylinder barrel w revised porting. The first batch of six sold quickly and... production soon hit four/five per week."

Interestingly, after Sprite folded in 74 after Am Eagle went bust (& he didn't get paid for a big shipment) "he re-entered the motorcycle world w a reworked Sprite named the Redorne but that didn't last long" 

Anybody know anything about that one??

[mc 61]

I have not read every word of this post but will, I know a guy in melbourne who has a fully restored Alron will try to get a photo to post and any info he has. Its a lot nicer resto than the one that sold at CD 4 no disrespect.
Cheers Mark.

[Hoony]

Interesting Mark !

thats not Macca's one he had say 15 years ago is it? it needed a resto when macca had it.