New: 1954 Apollo Biet!

Yes, the collection has grown. Now the Swedish part is complete, I have just bought an Apollo Biet, a Swedish-built scooter from 1954. A joint venture with another Swedish manufacturer, Svalan. I bought their version, the Svalan Scooter, in 2009 and has been looking for the Apollo Biet since. They share the very spartan engine, 128 cc "big" and with only two gears. Actually a big failure, just over 40 Apollo Biet were built and maybe 100-150 Svalan Scooter.

Rare but pretty useless, this one was for sale at an reasonable price. The drawback is that it's situated 940 km's from my home...

Two head lamps is a trade mark, but one should be yellow.

Biet means "bee" or "ape". They avoided "wasp"...

Non-running Swedish scooter

I had a go at this one as well during Easter. But I gave up. The petrol was gushing through the petrol tap. Maybe just a dry gasket, but I remember that the tap was leaking when I last rode about two years ago. Have to search for a new tap, which shouldn't be that difficult.

Kid brother to my Svalan

Sorry, but I have to feature a moped in my scooterblog. It won't happen again...
At a Swedish fair the last weekend this beauty showed up for sale. A 1954 (or 1953) Svalan Svalette of 48 cc capacity. Made by the same factory that built my 1954 Svalan Scooter (128 cc). Yes, bigger wheels of 24-inch and no front shield or any cowls. A Swedish moped limited by law to under one hp and no more than 30 km/h.
I normally stick to scooters, but when a kid brother calls out for rescue, I'm always there!
Had to fit new inner tubes, cleaned it, tightened some nuts, filled up petrol - and it fired up. Just one gear, so my two Svalan vehicles has three gears - together.
But hey, isn't it a nice looking combo?

The power plant; 48 cc and approx 0,75 hp. One gear...

The big and beautiful Swallow. Schwalbe. Aronde. Rondine.

Weird tail light, red see through plastic will fix it.

The Svalan Scooter flies again

More work getting the wheel off, compared to a Vespa.

Yes, time to overhaul my Swedish 1954 Svalan Scooter. Last time I rode it was in February this year, on a absoluteley freezing day, minus 22 degrees Celsius. Of course there was a flat tire, due to rubbish rubber? Modern inner tubes seems to have more plastic than rubber in them.
The reason for the fixing of the Svalan is a competition. Who has the fastest 128 cc? I will compete against a 1950 Maraton and 1950 Speed, both Swedish motorcycles with the same two-geared engine as my Svalan Scooter.
Changing a tyre on a Vespa is as you know easy-peasy. This was trickier; chain, chain-adjuster, back fork, and you cant split the rim in half!
Halfway I considered just taking a old wheel with original tyre and tube from the fifties, of the Swedish Värnamo Gummifabrik's make. The company started 1927 and was terminated 2000.
But I managed to fit the new inner tube in the end.
Then I discovered some severe wear where the body and the frame of the scooter is assembled. My friend Jim had to weld it together.
So, I and my scooter is ready for battle!

The new inner tube, of the Pirelli brand!

A spare wheel to a Svalan Scooter.

With an old Swedish tyre of the Värnamo brand.

Here is where welding was necessary.

The Svalan Scooter 1954, ready for a fight!

Two on a Svalan Scooter

Altough only registered for one person we had to test the Svalan Scooters ability to take a passenger. I'm at the handlebars with Jim behind. 

"The Bjärv" took the picture.

Somewhat hazardous, the backfork of the scooter is made of very thin steeltubes. Both the scooter and us survived the test. 

By the way, take a look at the Allstate blog! Such a cool Vespa!

Due ragazzi, non uomi, in Svalan Scooter da 1954.