Peugeot P108 1928
Do you know this feeling: you see the nicely restored motorcycle of someone else and feel a bit jealous that your motorcycles are not that beautifull. I have it quite often....
Also on a day when I visited the Central Classics fair in Houten (Netherlands) and saw the shiny Peugeot P108 of a fellow-member of the Club Franse Motoren (the Dutch Club for French Motorcycles, in short CFM). It is a bike from 1928, with a 250cc side-valve engine, and nicely painted in black with bright red accents and golden pin-striping. I looked at it and admired the result of his work to bring the bike in such a nice condition.
When I visited the fair the bike was just standing in the CFM club stand as a showpiece. But later I heard that it was offered for sale, and for a reasonable price. As I was lacking a nice French bike in riding condition (my other French bikes were not ready to use) I was interested and contacted the seller. To make a long story short: now the bike is mine.
The P108 belongs to a series of no-nonsense 4-stroke bikes with different engine sizes, intended for daily use, that was introduced at the end of the 1920-ies. This series contained models with side valve engines of 175cc (P109), 215cc (P110), 250cc (P108), and 350cc (P107), and a sporty 350cc overhead valve model (P105). Later larger versions of the P108 were sold, first with 330cc (P111, only built for a short time) and finally with 350cc (P112).
The machines were equipped with unit engines, thus with engine and gear box in 1 housing, and using the same oil, quite modern for that time. They even had a built-in oil pump for the oil circulation, while most engines still relied on splash lubrication or even total-loss oil systems.
The P108 has been built over quite a long period, from 1928 to at least 1940 (and its decendant the P135 even until 1948). In total around 34.000 P108's have been built, which were not only sold under the brand name Peugeot but also as Aiglon (type A 80), Automoto (type A 15) and Griffon (type G 80).
Over this period a lot of modifications have been made. This means that of a lot of parts diffent types have been used, depending on the year of construction of the bike. To give a few examples of the variety in parts used on the Peugeot P108:
- 2 different frame types
- 3 different front forks
- 2 different mechanisms for shifting gear
- 9 (!) different carburettors (of 4 different brands, partly the same brand and size but available with both 1 or 2 manette operation)
- at least 2 different types of ignition magnet
- 3 different exhaust systems
- 10 different petrol tanks (sometimes the same tank but available in both lacquered and chromed version)
- 3 different tool boxes
This makes it very difficult to judge for a single P108 whether all parts are still the original type as used at the moment that the bike left the factory. A quite extensive (but not complete) overview of all modifications over time is given in Motocyclettiste no. 92 from October 2002. Of course this long story (19 pages A4 format!) is completely in French which makes it quite difficult for me to read and understand all details.
Here a few pictures of my Peugeot:
The bike is equipped with a very nice (and fully functioning) Jaeger speedometer (with trip meter):
The speedometer drive on the front wheel
What I know at this moment regarding the originality of my P108:
- The frame is the correct (first) type, made of a forged upper part (for the biggest part hidden under the fuel tank), from 1936 on the frame was completly built from round steel tubes.
- It has the front forks constructed from pressed steel, the 2nd type used on the P108.
The first P108's had very similar shaped front forks
but constructed of round steel tubes. The change from 1st to 2nd type was on the P108 in 1932, one year after its introduction on the P111 in 1931. This means that the front forks in my bike are not the original type.
In 1934 the P108 got a 3rd type of front forks. These were, just like the 1st type, constructed from steel tubes but with asymmetrical legs, and with a single compression spring instead of the double tension springs in the first types.
- It has the long shift lever mounted on the front of the engine, and not the (later) short lever on the right side of the tank.
Apart from the position of the shift lever, also the place where the gear box operation shaft is on the engine is different (low on the left side for the long lever, centrally behind the magneto on top of the engine for the tank lever).
The long lever has at least been used in 1928 and 29, the tank lever probably as of 1930.
- It has the latest version of the exhaust, completely installed on the left side and with a fishtail silencer.
The first version was also installed on the left
side but had a box-shaped silencer with a straight tailpipe, the second had the outlet pipe on the left but a cilindrical silencer underneath the bike, between engine and rear wheel, and a long straight tail pipe on the right.
The first version has probably been used on a limited number of bikes only, so probably mine should have the version with the cilindrical silencer.
- It has the later type of toolboxes, mounted on the sides of the luggage rack and with steel lids. First versions had the box on the back of the luggage rack (above the mudguard), later ones had a box on the left side but closed with a leather flap.
The toolboxes of my bike were missing, therefore the previous owner has made them. So anyhow they are not the original ones.
- The previous owner made a pedal on the left side that operates the clutch, as he found that the clutch lever on the handlebars was going a bit too heavy to ride comfortably. With this addition the clutch can be operated both by hand and by foot.
So my P108 is quite far from original, but it still is a beautifull bike to see.
Off course I discovered some smaller things after buying the bike that needed improvement, at least to my opinion. The most important was related to the handling of the bike in bends. During my first test ride I found the cornering quite frightening, it was not easy to get the bike following the lines that I wanted. Back home I discovered that the headset bearings were set way too tight, which was quite easy to solve. After that the steer was moving freely without free play.
I also noticed that the front tire was a remarkably flat one, not with the round cross section that is normal. It turned out to be a tyre for rear wheel use only. After changing the front tyre for the correct matching type (Avon Speedmaster) the steering is now okay and the bike rides quite nicely.
Unfortunately I did not have enough time for these optimizations during the winter months. And as the spring and first summer months brought a lot of rain, test rides were also not often possible. All together I did not have the opportunity to ride the Peugeot a lot this season, so I will have to wait til the next season to get really acquainted with it.
|
