Thumper Club Forum

Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: Steve Lake on April 18, 2014, 07:31:54 PM

Title: silly question....
Post by: Steve Lake on April 18, 2014, 07:31:54 PM
what size does an engine have to be, to be classed a 'thumper' ?...

will my beezer bantam make the grade (if I ever finish it) ?
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: SteveC#222 on April 18, 2014, 09:36:56 PM
Not sure about engine size, but surely the definition of a Thumper has to be a single cylinder four stroke? so the Bantam wouldn't cut it ( though a Tiger Cub might!).

Not being anti two stroke here - My old MZ was probably the best motorcycle I've ever owned.....still miss it!... :'(
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: JOOLZ on April 19, 2014, 09:09:38 AM
Technically a Thumper is any 4 stroke, long stroke, single, size dont really make a difference. So modern singles really are not thumpers as they are short stroke
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Steve Lake on April 20, 2014, 09:58:39 AM
well, I can go with 2 strokes not being thumpers... but don't think length of stroke should make a difference... if we are to exclude short stroke engines (what indeed constitutes 'short' stroke... anything oversquare?)

we would exclude may famous old bike from being classed as a thumper...   some highly tuned manx's and G50's were oversquare..  and I've seen a couple of Vincent comet's tuned to be oversquare, and I'm sure there were plenty of others

discuss
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Richard on April 20, 2014, 10:31:01 AM
Exactly my thoughts.
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: 002 on April 20, 2014, 03:17:32 PM
Yes....Me tooo !

Jethro
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: guest564 on April 20, 2014, 03:37:12 PM
Well my XBR is a short stroke motor and on race pipes at tickover it definitely goes 'thump, thump, thump......'
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Furry John on April 20, 2014, 09:13:43 PM
Technically a Thumper is any 4 stroke, long stroke, single, size dont really make a difference. So modern singles really are not thumpers as they are short stroke

So on this basis a GB400/500 is also not a Thumper, I guess we built a club around a Myth (no, M Y T H Mark)

Furry
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: 002 on April 20, 2014, 10:28:34 PM
Technically a Thumper is any 4 stroke, long stroke, single, size dont really make a difference. So modern singles really are not thumpers as they are short stroke

So on this basis a GB400/500 is also not a Thumper, I guess we built a club around a Myth (no, M Y T H Mark)

Furry

Nasty speech impediment there John !
And your Thruxton doesnt cut it either ! But Molly's Mac and Viper do !   ;)

Jethro
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Furry John on April 21, 2014, 07:47:10 AM
Technically a Thumper is any 4 stroke, long stroke, single, size dont really make a difference. So modern singles really are not thumpers as they are short stroke

So on this basis a GB400/500 is also not a Thumper, I guess we built a club around a Myth (no, M Y T H Mark)

Furry

Nasty speech impediment there John !
And your Thruxton doesnt cut it either ! But Molly's Mac and Viper do !   ;)
I
Jethro

Yeh, sorry, it's my teeth. I have got a thumper though, the Evans Manxman, the least practical, usable, sensible bike is long stroke and it must thump but it's too loud to tell, 119db at Brooklands. Though you were camping at Llantony?

Furry
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: JOOLZ on April 21, 2014, 08:58:56 AM
I was only repeating the conclusions that came up in a conversation with a couple of people from the vmcc, I put up a video on youtube entitled thumper sound (one of my XBR videos) and had quite a few messages from people saying that a short stroke motor is not classed as a thumper, this conversation was continued on a few facebook sites, and the consensus was a thumper is a long stroke motor, but the word is now used generically to mean any single cylinder 4 stroke
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Furry John on April 21, 2014, 03:15:53 PM
Technically a Thumper is any 4 stroke, long stroke, single, size dont really make a difference. So modern singles really are not thumpers as they are short stroke
Technically a Thumper seems to be a 4 stroke single who's bore is less diameter than the length of it's stroke ie undersquare, by your definition. I think the majority of my vmcc and voc colleagues take the term to refer to the ability of an engine to pull at very low revs, my Dr 650 Ses will never be a thumper, it is really lumpy below 2500rpm. Molly's GB400tt will however be rideable smoothly at 1500rpm however to get real thumpability you would need a Panther PM 120 which will pull a sidecar at  750rpm cheerfully. You pays your money and takes your choice. I like to think it is based on exhaust noise, distinguishable bangs makes a Thumper, never mind the technicalities.

My 2p's worth

Furry
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: JOOLZ on April 21, 2014, 05:37:55 PM
Sounds reasonable to me
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: 002 on April 21, 2014, 08:46:01 PM
Mantra for the club Has Always been....For Those With An Interest In Four Stroke Singles !



Not forgetting Landies,Petrol Stoves,Weather Girls,Side cars and East European 2-Strokes !!
Dont understand any of that myself !!!!! ;) ;D

Jethro
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Mark on April 22, 2014, 06:54:32 AM
I always thought this forum was based on wife beating.  :-\
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: 002 on April 22, 2014, 09:05:19 AM
I always thought this forum was based on wife beating.  :-\

.....and Rabbits in Disney films  ;)
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: themoudie on April 22, 2014, 09:34:02 AM
I always thought this forum was based on wife beating.  :-\

No Mark, that is just sick. There is no humour in wife beating.  :(

Bill.
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: beeman on April 25, 2014, 03:52:19 PM
I'm with Jethro "Mantra for the club Has Always been....For Those With An Interest In Four Stroke Singles !"

Anyway I always thought that to "thump" like an old Panther probably involved a heavy flywheel. If you wanted a quick reving engine, for instance in a racing bike, a lighter flywheel was needed. As usual I have probably got it all wrong and some one will come forward with their physics "O" level and talk about torque etc.
Having long since been an admirer of large heavyoil standing engines with large flywheels which only fired when the revs dropped below a set RPM, that is what I understand as an engine that Thumps, SWMBO says I cant have one though or a T20 fergy.
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Richard on April 25, 2014, 07:21:33 PM
In which case the club desperately needs to visit the Museum of Internal Fire during the next trip to Cwmdu.

Thundering great engines with flywheels bigger than people, some singles.
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Steve Lake on April 26, 2014, 07:41:17 PM
Well, as a Cornishman (celebrating our new found position in Europe), I am of course familiar with Trevithick's Beam Engine...
which powered/drained/lifted& lowered miners all from the one reciprocating beam.... (you can see one working at Wheal Jane near Redruth (sadly powered by compressed air now.... ) the flywheels of these engines reached 20' (but no flywheel in Trevithick engines, just relied on a single huge piston) in diameter.... one complete cycle .... anything from 15 to 30 seconds!... now THATS a thumper :-)

pip pip
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Oldtimer on April 27, 2014, 04:40:23 PM
Now a proper thumper engine is a Bollinger engine found on some older narrowboats.
Could listen to them all day long.
Another thumper is the BSA M21 side valve engine. Now that would climb up the side of your house on tick-over.
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Oldtimer on April 27, 2014, 04:54:16 PM
Well, as a Cornishman (celebrating our new found position in Europe), I am of course familiar with Trevithick's Beam Engine...
which powered/drained/lifted& lowered miners all from the one reciprocating beam.... (you can see one working at Wheal Jane near Redruth (sadly powered by compressed air now.... ) the flywheels of these engines reached 20' (but no flywheel in Trevithick engines, just relied on a single huge piston) in diameter.... one complete cycle .... anything from 15 to 30 seconds!... now THATS a thumper :-)

pip pip
Thats brilliant but NO thump-thump now sadly but phut=phut!
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: SRXweb on April 27, 2014, 07:52:33 PM
I didn't notice that rabbits in Disney beated their wife ....
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: 002 on April 27, 2014, 10:27:06 PM
I didn't notice that rabbits in Disney beated their wife ....

Have you seen Thumper in Bambi ?
Always Banging his other half behind the scenes....   ;) ;D

Jethro
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: JOOLZ on April 28, 2014, 02:44:21 PM
Now thats a thumper !!!

   and another although to be fair this a non compressing gas engine, but it sounds great and if it were possible to fit it in a bike frame it would probably fire once a mile
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: guest1733 on April 29, 2014, 03:44:43 PM
As well as the XBR I have a Gilera Fuoco 500cc single cylinder four stroke three wheel scooter is it or am I eligible?
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: Steve Lake on April 29, 2014, 07:54:55 PM
If it goes bang on every fourth stroke, as far as I'm concerned.... you're in

it'd be a bonus if the bike did the same  ;D

pip pip
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: SRXweb on April 29, 2014, 07:56:07 PM
I didn't notice that rabbits in Disney beated their wife ....

Have you seen Thumper in Bambi ?
Always Banging his other half behind the scenes....   ;) ;D

Jethro

In France, Thumper is called "Pan-Pan" which can be traduced as "Bang-Bang", silly too ...
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: guest1733 on May 03, 2014, 05:57:01 PM
Thanks SteveL the wife is happy so I guess that means I'm in.
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: JOOLZ on July 11, 2014, 05:54:01 PM
Found this 20 RPM   
RnsIw&index=12
Title: Re: silly question....
Post by: guest24 on July 11, 2014, 08:31:10 PM
My Mountfield HP470 lawnmower is a thumper too...can he join the club?
Runs a very nice engine with an exotic habit of destroying carburettor gaskets. fleabay does a roaring trade in replacements for my mower.