Mosquito engine
The Mosquito engine is a two-stroke engine . It was first manufactured by Garelli in Italy in 1938 and was initially an auxiliary engine for attachment to bicycles.
The two-stroke engine with 38.5 cm³ had a horizontal cylinder and a weight of less than four kilograms , was cheap and consumed little fuel , approx. 1.5 l fuel mixture 1:33 per 100 km. So it was affordable for everyone. It could easily be mounted under the bottom bracket of almost any bicycle and transferred the power to the rear wheel by means of a friction roller - a principle that was repeated in a similar form in the Vélosolex concept for the front wheel. The fact that a French tourist crossed the Sahara on a bicycle with a mosquito engine in the 1930s stands for the popularity and robustness of this engine.
In 1952, around 400,000 of these engines were sold in Italy and abroad. They were made under license in France and England . Over time, the power increased from 0.8 to 0.9 hp , the compression ratio was increased from 5.5 to 6, which increased the top speed from 32 to 35 km / h.
In 1947 the Mosquito 38B was released with a displacement of 49 cm³. The engine had some special design features and was considered to be very powerful, produced between one and three horsepower , depending on the carburettor, and was even used in tandems and cargo bikes. The Agriculture and Forestry made use of the built-in motor. One of the greatest innovations was the introduction of the Centrimatic gearshift in 1955 , a forerunner of the later centrifugal clutch . The constant further development of the engine ultimately led to the Mosquito 315 being available with a three-speed gearbox from 1956 and then being installed in mopeds and mopeds .
In Germany, Neckermann Versand sold the engine with three different chassis . Two of them were folding vehicles: A folding bicycle frame, called Super-Mosquito, in a folding version, with 20- inch tires and a 38.5cm³ motor, and the tiny, curious city bike , also known as a miniped, with a 34cm³ motor. Around 3,000 folding mosquitos were sold between 1966 and 1972, and significantly fewer of the miniped between 1971 and 1973.
Both vehicles are now rarities, some of which have reached high collector prices.
The Mosquito motor was still available from Garelli for self-installation in bicycles until 1992.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Interesting two-wheeled vehicles from Italy . In: Motor vehicle technology 6/1958, p. 236.