Gnome et Rhône AX II
The Gnome et Rhône AX II was a motorcycle combination by the French manufacturer Gnome et Rhône , which was mainly built for military use from 1937 to 1945.
Technology and dissemination
The two - cylinder boxer engine of the AX II emerged from the OHV engine of the Gnome et Rhône X with 750 cm³ displacement, which in 1935 helped the solo motorcycle to achieve an output of 33 hp and a top speed of 150 km / h. The Gnome et Rhône XA (with sidecar) from 1936 was too susceptible to tough off-road use, so Gnome et Rhône decided to develop a side-controlled engine with 800 cm³ displacement (bore 80 mm, stroke 80 mm) that had a four-speed gearbox Power passed on via cardan shaft to the rear wheel and the sidecar wheel. The power of 18.5 hp was delivered at a maximum speed of 4000 min −1 . The pressed steel frame was unsprung on the rear wheel, a trapezoidal fork dampened the vibrations on the front wheel ; all wheels of the 420 kg payload - with an unladen weight of 316 kg - were interchangeable.
The AX II proved its practical suitability on the reliability trip from Paris to Dakar from December 2 to December 28, 1938. Before the Second World War , AX IIs were delivered to Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. The German Wehrmacht used the AX II as a booty motorcycle in the Africa campaign .
literature
- Hans Jürgen Huse: French motorcycles. Johann Kleine Vennekate, Lemgo, 1st edition 1999, ISBN 39804987-6-X .
Web links
- Gnôme et Rhône AX II ( Memento of September 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- Gnôme et Rhône AX II
References and comments
- ↑ Hans Jürgen Huse: French Motorcycles., P. 95.
- ↑ Établissements Terrot built the AX II under license. Cf. [1]
- ↑ A total of 2700 motorcycle combinations are said to have been produced.
- ↑ Hans Jürgen Huse: French Motorcycles., P. 180.
- ↑ Hans Jürgen Huse: French Motorcycles., P. 95.
- ↑ Hans Jürgen Huse: French Motorcycles., P. 96.