Scott Two-speed (1912) Color, Top speed, Specification

                               Scott Two-speed 

                                       This 450cc Scott was very advanced when it was produced in 1910, with features including a kickstart, two-speed gearbox, and chain final drive. The cylindrical fuel tank beneath the seat was a distinctive feature of the Yorkshire firm’s bikes for many years. Telescopic fork front suspension of this type was produced from 1908 to 1930.

                                    The bikes built by Alfred Angas Scott and his Yorkshire-based firm were some of the most innovative and brilliantly engineered of motorcycling’s early years - and also among the fastest. Scott’s two-stoke parallel twins looked, sounded and performed like nothing else on two wheels. They proved their speed on numerous occasions, not least when winning the Isle of Man Senior TT in both 1912 and 1913.

                                            Alfred Scott was a true one-off. One of 12 brothers, he was a visionary engineer who began experimenting with powered bicycles in 1901, and three years later produced his first air-cooled two- stroke twin. By 1908 he had found premises in Bradford and had begun production of a bike based on a 333cc version of the two-stroke motor, now with its cylinder heads cooled by water.

                                            The parallel twin engine featured a central flywheel, set between two independent crankcases. Scott had devised a simple but efficient two-speed gearbox, and also the first kickstart ever seen on a motorbike. And this extraordinary engine had a distinctive two-stroke sound, its muted purr turning to a high-rev yowl that was very much part of the unique Scott riding experience.

Hillclimb success

                                          Scott made a stunning competition debut in the summer of 1908, when he arrived at the year’s most prestigious hillclimb at Newnham in the English Midlands with his little 333cc twin. After starting the bike with a prod of its rear-mounted kickstart (everyone else had to run-and-bump), he used the two-stroke’s superior acceleration to win three events.

                                          His rivals were so taken aback that they campaigned to get the two-stroke handicapped (by multiplying its capacity by 1.32) on the grounds that its additional firing impulses gave an unfair advantage. Scott used this to advantage in his advertising, and his bikes continued to win many hillclimbs. He also increased the actual capacity of the engine, raising it first to 486cc and then to 532cc in 1912, by which time the twin was capable of 50mph (80km/h).

                                      Scott’s chassis was every bit as unusual and impressive as his engine. He designed an open duplex frame of straight, triangulated steel tubes, which used the engine as a stressed member. The twins’ legendary roadholding was thanks to the rigidity and low centre of gravity of this arrangement, plus the advantages of telescopic forks of which Scott was also a pioneer. Swept- back handlebars and a barrel-shaped fuel tank, normally painted in the factory’s characteristic purple colour with two silver bands, made the bikes even more distinctive.

                                         The two-stroke’s profile was boosted by its terrific performance in the 1912 Isle of Man Senior TT, in which Frank Applebee led from start to finish on a twin equipped with another innovation, a rotary inlet valve. Applebee lapped at almost 50mph (80km/h) and won by more than six minutes. Further success came a year later at the TT, this time factory mechanic Tim Wood taking the victory after Applebee had gone out of the race while leading.

                                           Wood was set to make it three wins in a row for Scott in the 1914 event when he hit mechanical problems. Even so, Scott had proved his bikes’ ability and the distinctive two-strokes became very popular, especially, as a later report put it, with the professional classes who ‘appreciated sophistication, refinement and the finer things in motorcycling’, as well as excellent performance.

                                            Part of the appeal was that Scott’s production machines were very similar to the racers, except that they were not fitted with the rotary induction valve. The Squirrel sportster, launched in 1922, was a great success, as was the Super Squirrel of three years later, still with the trademark ‘biscuit tin’ fuel tank.

                                                This front view shows the liquid-cooled two- stroke ’s radiator on this most distinctive of bikes. Exceptional straight-line performance was backed-up by sound handling that helped keep the twins competitive and popular during the 1920s.

                                                    Scott’s motor featured angled-forward twin cylinders with a central flywheel, forming a stressed member of the tubular steel frame. This 1912 engine w

                                                This 600cc Scott dates from 1928 and features a hand-operated 'gate' gearchange. The bike's large so-called 'biscuit tin ’ fuel tank is finished in the firm’s traditional colours of purple with silver bands.

                  Scott Two-Speed Specification                                                  (1912) 

• Engine Liquid-cooled two-stroke parallel twin 
• Capacity 532cc (73 x 63.5mm) 
• Maximum power 3bhp approx 
• Transmission Two-speed, chain final drive
• Frame Steel twin cradle 
• Suspension Telescopic front; none rear
• Brakes Stirrup front; shoe-on-sprocket rear
• Weight 200lb (91kg)
• Top speed 50mph (80km/h)

Scott Flying Squirrel (1947) Weight, Color, HD Wallpapers

                         Scott Flying Squirrel

                                          A speeding Scott was a fine sight, and also a treat for the ears with its high- pitched and very distinctive two-stroke 'yowl’.

                                      Although more conventional than the earlier cylindrical-tanked Scotts in its appearance, the Flying Squirrel was still an unusual looking bike, and changed little over the years.

                                      Few bikes have been produced for so long with so few changes to either its personality or technical specification as the Scott Flying Squirrel. When introduced in 1926, as an updated version of the Yorkshire firm’s two- stroke parallel twin, the Flying Squirrel was available in either 498 or 596cc capacity, and it was notable for its conventional frame and fuel tank, instead of the open frame and cylindrical tank of earlier Scotts.

                                            When the last Flying Squirrel was built in 1978, more than half a century later, it not only looked very similar but still had a 596cc two-stroke engine that had barely been updated since gaining detachable cylinder heads in 1934. By the end of its life the Scott was being built in tiny numbers, and had long since lost any claim to competitive performance. Even so, the model’s long life gave an indication of the advanced design of the original, and the high regard in which Scotts were held by a devoted band of owners.

Sounds distinctive

                                     Sales and development work were very limited for the last half of the Flying Squirrel’s life. Founder Alfred Scott had died of pneumonia in 1923, and the firm had struggled financially since the early 1930s. But the two-stroke continued to offer lively performance, as well as the distinctive feel and sound that dated back to the advanced twins with which Scott had entered production in 1904.

                                              In 1939, just before the Second World War interrupted production, the firm’s new Clubman's Special, also with 596cc capacity, was timed at over 90mph (145km/h) by Motor Cycling magazine. The Scott was described as ‘a delightful machine capable of effortless high-speed cruising’, although the tester noted that there was room for improvement in the way the bike handled over the bumps at Brooklands circuit.

                                        The post-war Flying Squirrel brochure claimed that: ‘Silence, performance, simplicity and smoothness give the Scott an individuality which cannot be rivalled by any other make of machine.’ The brochure went on to praise ‘the effortless power of the two-stroke twin: the smooth acceleration; its carefree stability; its insatiable thirst for hard work; its never tiring glide; no vibration; no clatter; no fuss; just the powerful yet pleasing musical purr of the exhaust.’

                                            Some of that was typical advertising hype, but there was no doubt that the Flying Squirrel combined unusual style with a fair degree of performance. Its ability to sit smoothly at 70mph (113km/h) was impressive, as was the charismatic ‘yowl’ from the exhaust at high revs. For many riders the stroker’s main drawback was not its performance but the regular maintenance required to keep it running well.

                                                In 1947 Scott improved the chassis by replacing its girder forks with air forks, which worked quite well until the air seals wore. The rigid rear end was superseded in 1956 by a twin-shock frame introduced by new owner Matt Holder, a marque enthusiast who had taken over the bankrupt firm in 1950 and moved production to Birmingham. But Holder made few other attempts to improve the Scott after almost 30 years, and built fewer than 300 bikes in total.

Silk - a Scott for the 1970s

                                                   Although the Flying Squirrel changed little over the years, it inspired a new and more modern two-stroke parallel twin: the Silk 700S. George Silk was a Scott enthusiast who created a compact 653cc engine with electronic ignition, uprated lubrication and a peak output of 47bhp. Neatly styled and with a light, rigid frame from Spondon Engineering, the 700S handled superbly and was capable of 110mph (177km/h) when introduced in 1972. Despite the Silk's high price, more than 100 were sold, but production was not profitable and ended in 1979.

              Specification Scott Flying Squirrel                                                 (1947)

• Engine Liquid-cooled two-stroke parallel twin
• Capacity 596cc (73 x 71.4mm)
• Maximum power 30bhp @ 5000rpm
• Transmission Three-speed, chain final drive
• Frame Triangulated tubular steel
• Suspension Telescopic front; none rear
• Brakes Drum front and rear
• Weight 407lb (185kg)
• Top speed 90mph (145km/h)