34 :OLD BIKE AUSTRALASIA
for the pressure plate and drill some holes in it for
the springs. With this fitted the engine – despite
having nearly 100,000 kilometres on the clock –
was in remarkable condition and other than new
oil seals in both engine and gearbox and new
brake linings the only other thing I had to turn my
attentions to was to the ignition system. Thanks to
some help from a friend we fabricated a purpose-
made distributor to replace the worn unit and
replaced it with an electronic 6 volt system. When it
was manufactured the B50 came either with a dual
seat or two singles; ours was fitted with a pair of
the Pagusa seats. I had to replace the rider’s one as
it was split, with one from BMW specialist Bob
Porechia – but as it was never going to be used to
carry a passenger we removed the pillion and it is
now safely tucked away in our store. The wheel
rims – which have an unusual ‘crinkle’ in them –
were like new and with some new petrol in the
tank I was amazed when it started first kick.”
Prior to my road test Gareth had only covered
a trouble free 100 miles or so on the Universal
although prior to me setting off he did warn me
about its rather cramped riding position which
means the handlebars come into contact with the
rider’s knees when making a tight manoeuvre.
Unlike a BMW with its difficult-to-use kick starter –
sited at the rear of the gearbox – that fitted on the
Universal is in the conventional position and as I
discovered is one of the easiest starting four stroke
twins I’ve ever encountered. With just one swing of
the right sided lever was all that was required to
bring the softly tuned twin into life and not
surprisingly the exhaust note is very much like that
of a Germanic flat twin with a muted rasp through
the long “Burgess” style silencers. Engaging first
gear – via the right sided lever – was a bit of a
‘clunky’ affair and the clutch was a bit slow in take-
up but under way the B50 was soon in its stride and
for the first mile or so comfortably kept up with the
West Country traffic. Sadly that is where our road
test came to an unexpected halt when the engine
suddenly died, but fortunately this coincided with a
convenient minor road where we managed to park
up and tried to diagnose the problem. With the
suddenness of our breakdown it all looked like a
failure of the sparks and with a plug removed this
was confirmed. A long push back to Gareth’s
workshop later revealed that the three long
fasteners holding the electronic ignition unit in
position had come loose but this was quickly
rectified and we were on our way again. I’ve riddencountless thousands of miles on bikes with shaft
drive and I’m used to the fact that when compared
to a chain drive it’s important to balance the revs
when making a downward gear change. However
despite my best efforts the gear change on the B50
was – as Gareth had warned me – decidedly
‘notchy’ and steadfastly refused to change into a
lower ratio smoothly, this was later rectified and
improved by changing the gearbox oil to straight
60 in place of the previous 10/40 multi-grade. The
570cc – 28bhp – twin is no speed machine but it
was quickly up to its happy running speed of around
90km/h and for a bike that is now approaching
sixty years old both the brakes – single leading shoe
front and rear – and suspension – telescopic at the
front and plunger at rear – gave it a planted and
well balanced feel. The lanes and minor ‘B’ roads in
West Wiltshire are some of the best in the UK and
here the Swiss horizontal twin was in its element.
I returned from my ride with a huge smile on my
face and there is no doubt that Gareth’s Universal is
a super bike to ride and it’s also a reminder that not
all horizontal twins were manufactured in Germany.
Big thanks to both Gareth and Jim for allowing me
to ride the very special Swiss twin. ■UNIVERSAL B50 METEOR
ENGINE OHV four stroke air cooled flat twin
CAPACITY 570cc
BORE 72mm
STROKE 71mm
POWER OUTPUT 28bhp
GEARBOX 4 speed foot change
STARTING Kick
IGNITION 6 volt
CARBURETTOR OBA (Swiss)
BRAKES Front and rear single leading shoe
WHEELS 18 inch interchangeable
SUSPENSION Front: Telescopic
Rear: Plunger
TOP SPEED 65mph (est.)1960 Universal B50 Meteor
Specifications
The ultra-rare twin-carb Universal
in the Barber Museum, USA.Garth Burnard with
his Swiss rarity.