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

[VMX247]

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A far cry from today's work shops and that's what I like about it all - they improvised and where happy with what they had.
cheers

[firko]

JC sent this info on the OSSA powered Alrons.

[VMX247]

Gee whiz Firko--- slow down ya lapping me  ..
Its hard work trying to keep up with you on this 
cheers

[firko]

The way this is turning out Alison, any more and we'll have compiled the definitive history of Sprite/American Eagle/Alron .

[JC]

M,

Did you also get the pic of the 250 & 405 A/Eagle w husky-type engines from the DirtBike mag ad? (I'd post it here myself but I have to work out how to do so now we can't do it via attachments.)

As far as I can tell, the early Sprite/American Eagle big-bores were actually 351cc using same 78.75 x 72 mm bore & stroke of early Husky 360 (4sp) engine. Later 400/405 engines, using that distinctive scolloped barrell were 399cc using 84x72, rather than the 81.5x76 (395cc) of the 400 Husky 4sp engine.

[firko]

Yeah I did John but ran out of time last night. Ruggedly handsome elite sportsmen like myself need our beauty sleep and it got too late last night!
As you rightly pointed out you can count the fins and will note the 8 fins on the 250 and 10 on the 405. Now thats true, blue Anorak stuff!

[firko]

Here's Jim McWhorters sweet American Eagle Kawasaki 250

[JC]

Thanks Mark.  What I meant to point out noting the diff fin count is that it is 2 diff engines in the pic.

For a better pic of a husky-based-250-engined bike, see VMX #30 article on the BVM. Pic on p27 (top) that is supposed to be the bike they started w to restore the BVM is in fact a completely diff bike! It's the early Sprite frame, diff forks & brake pedal, & an 8-fin 250 Husky-based engine. Such a bike does exist, not just in brochures/ads!

Now here's another tho't. Line up one of the early Sprite frames against a Phantom/SuperPioneer frame & note the likeness. There are differences, but uncanny likenesses too.

[VMX247]

For a better pic of a husky-based-250-engined bike, see VMX #30 article on the BVM. Pic on p27 (top) that is supposed to be the bike they started w to restore the BVM is in fact a completely diff bike! It's the early Sprite frame, diff forks & brake pedal, & an 8-fin 250 Husky-based engine. Such a bike does exist, not just in brochures/ads!


Your on the ball JC-more interesting pieces to read..And in OZ too 
cheers for that BVM article.
Got asked today at VMX "Whats a Sprite" and I could tell em too Thanks 

[Tossa]

Notice the thread also talking about Alron (Al & Ron Lyons).  I believe my father Brian Mitcheson ,was the first guy to ride for Alrons (in fact you could probably call him their STIG, lol!!).  He formed the Trail and Enduro Club over here in the west, he was great friends with them when they were first trying to develope the bike.  I remember he rode an Ossa powered  version, but I also believed they tried several different  motors.  he loved it.  I believed they did jig up their own frames, .  But I'll be able to clarify that when he gets back from the UK, next week

[JC]

Incredible Tossa! I was just going to try & track him down this week, as he's mentioned in a couple of articles I have. I'd love to know more about the 250 Alron in particular.

[Tossa]

Incredible Tossa! I was just going to try & track him down this week, as he's mentioned in a couple of articles I have. I'd love to know more about the 250 Alron in particular.

He arrives back from UK this weekend, so will sit him down and see what info I can get out of him, probably have to ply him with my good red wine

[mx250]

Incredible Tossa! I was just going to try & track him down this week, as he's mentioned in a couple of articles I have. I'd love to know more about the 250 Alron in particular.

He arrives back from UK this weekend, so will sit him down and see what info I can get out of him, probably have to ply him with my good red wine

Sounds like an interesting article for VMX .

[firko]

This is turning into a great little yarn. Jonesy and I "discovered" this overlooked chapter in motocross history a number of years ago and we've been fans since. Alan had an original 405 Alron that he was forced to sell to pay some bills and now that the bills aren't such a problem any more has embarked on a campaign to restore a couple. He's restoring both Alron and American Eagle 405 models and he's sold me an American Eagle Kawasaki 250 frame and forks which I'll use to replicate a 1967 Maico 360 Sprite. VMX magazines Ken Smith is well into a Kawasaki powered American Eagle and we've recently heard of an Alron OSSA under resto in Sydney. The fact that Dean Rowe got 13k for his lovely Alron is testament that the interestis out there.

A bloke once told me that all of the really interesting bikes had been done to death and that there were no more challenges left. Well, I reckon Frank Hipkins Sprite/American Eagle/BVM/Alron is the best "new" bike to come along in a while. How these beaut things have been overlooked for so long in the world of VMX is a real mystery to me. I await Brian Mitchesons contribution to the saga with anticipation.

[JC]

Sounds like an interesting article for VMX .

Exactly what I was thinking!


Mark,

The reason they've been overlooked, it seems to me, is the reputation the 400's had w the dodgy gearbox. They didn't seem to be much good on the track & they didn't get very good reviews in the press.

But the Sprite rolling chassies & Ossa/Kaw-engined 250s seem to me to be another story. Likewise the Zundapp-engined 125.