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tvelsacker
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Gazelle 98cc Villiers motor 1951
Gazelle Gazelle 98cc Villiers motor 1951
Te koop: in redelijke en originele staat, met boekwerk Operating Instructions.
Minimumprice: € 400,00
Ritthem (NL)
August 31, 2000
Hello,
In your Gazelle section is story of the Gazelle manufactory by my hand,
which is illustrated by a picture of my Isabella. This bike was stolen
from me 2 weeks ago.
If anyone (probably in Holland or Belgium) offers you this bike, please
contact me, maybe we can work something out, or i can at least try to trace
back the #$%-person who stole it from me.
Tanx for your help,
Ralf
R.Bartsch at chello.nl
Ralf: Hope you find your bike and have it returned to you.
Sheldon
May 2, 2000
Gazelle is a Dutch brand, which still exists as one of the largest
bicycle-manufactures.
They started there 2stroke-adventure in 1950 with their own 38.5cc wingweel,
which fell apart soon after.
In 1952 they decided to use the reliable ILO engine, the F48, followed
by the G50 in 1956. Both these bikes were still built as a bicycle with
an engine added to it. In 1954 they built there first real moped, the FP50
followed by the successful G50, both had the typical egg-shaped tank and
a swanneck-frame. In the late 50s Gazelle had a sort flirt with the HMW-engine
manufactory.
Until then the general-director J.Breunink din't support the moped-division
("There are two threats, communists and mopeds" J.Breukink), but in the
early 60s, with a new Gazelle director, Gazelle did some good efforts to
dominate the Dutch moped market. They produced a line of touring and sportbikes,
with the famous Italian FB Minarelli engines. To promote these new bikes
they drove from the Gazelle factory in Dieren (Nederland) to the Minarelli
factory in Bologna (Italy), and back (2x 1320 km). Although the performance
of the engine exceeded those of the Sachs and ILO engines used by the direct
concurrents, Sparta and Batavus, the fact that spare parts were much harder
to find worked strongly against them.
The last bike Gazelle produced before the fusion with Batavus
was not surprisingly ILO-engined. It was the sportive-looking, but very
heavy 'Impala'. After the fusion Gazelle and Batavus produced almost identical
bike but with there own names on it: Gaz.Isabella/ Bat. Conforte, Gaz.Grant/
Bat.Whippet and Gaz. GA50/ Bat. Mot'o Mat. At the same prices the patent-cranck
and sport-image of Batavus beat the nicer detailed and better painted Gazelle.
In 1966 Batavus and Gazelle split up again as a result of personal conflicts
between the two families. Left with no moped-program and no money, Gazelle
was forced to import the French ladies' moped Gazenave, and the Austrian
KTM,
put an ILO or Sachs in it, and present it with their own nametag.
In ' 67 Gazelle tries a new approach, they take over the entire Berini
company, which is without a doubt the most famous moped manufactor in the
Dutch history. Until 1970 both names were used on different bikes, but
all under Gazelle authority.
Most models have an Anker-Laura M48 engine, a Tomos-Gazelle collaboration.
The lady-models are the first financial successful mopeds for Gazelle.
Not only in Nederland, but also in Belgium, Germanie and Suriname(Dutch
colonie 'til 69).
The latest model was the GS50 in late 1970, which had a tag "Berini
by Gazelle/Tomos".
In the early seventies the Dutch moped-market collapsed, and there was
only room for the German Zundapp and Kreidler.
So, in 1975 the moped-division of Gazelle died quietly, and they've
focused completely on the bicycles ever since.
Ralf Bartsch. -- r.bartsch at chello.nl
November 16, 1999
Hello,
While browsing trough your site I noticed the absence of "Gazelle"
in the Dutch category. I've added one picture, but there are
more photo's of this (my) bike at " http://home.wxs.nl/~barie/ralf.htm".
[404] This one is not complete, and JLO-engined. I recently bought
an Italian 50cc-bike from 1954 (so I'm told) witch is Minarelli-engined.
It's a Stella Veneta. I'd never heard of that brand before and never
since, so I would be very grateful if someone could verify this for me.
-- Greetings, Ralf. -- Rargh90 at zonnet.nl
If you have a query about Gazelle motorcycles, or wish to share your
knowledge of these classic Dutch machines, please
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