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Jonghi 350 sidevalve, new life!!!

47K views 305 replies 31 participants last post by  CookieMonster 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Should really start at the beginning... in 1976 I read a 1959 article about an Italian engineer who lived most of his life in France. He was Guiseppe Remondini.

He had founded the Jonghi make in France with the financial help of a dubious Argentinian arms dealer called Tito Rodolfo Jonghi (I also found one of his other aliases, Rodolfo Von Chegger...)

The 1959 article mentionned the village he was living in, so, I, full of hope if not money, jumped in a train and went there. The station was about 5 miles away from the village, so I walked, it was in the countryside!!!

Found the house, found from a neighbour that he died about 6 months after the article... Then another soul (I was fearless and just knocked on doors...) told me his son Arigo wasn't living too far away... Where? The village where the station was!!! 5 miles again but the other way... By luck, Arigo was in and he went in the roof space and came back with a cardboard box full of old 5 x 8 photos of wonderful bikes.

He lent me about 100 and that was my first article for our French Vintage Bike Club and the start of a lifelong passion for Jonghi and its strange history.

In the stash of photos were these two of their 350cc side valve that took the 24 hours world record at 116km/h, about 72mph in March 1933:





One could clearly read on the originals the engine serial, TT 2, stamped on the timing cover.

In order to do that article, I visited friends who had parts or stories and at one, I saw the complete timing cover stamped TT 2... Pennyless as usual, I let it lay for the time being...

Patrick
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Before I continue, a few period articles about that record venture...

The second attempt (1st one was done with their 350cc OHV race bike capable of 180km/h, 112mph, but it failed early. They decided to dampen the bike's engine output by fitting the side valve cylinder on it and keeping the race cams in for a decent burst of speed...):





3rd and succesful attempt a week later:



Patrick
 
#5 · (Edited)
To finance my 2013 Bonneville Salt Flats trip with my supercharged KHK, I put up for sale a rare TerroT French racer I had... I got some cash plus a Jonghi TJ 4 (at last!!!) for it.

Took a while to finish it:





And in May 2017, I headed for the Vintage Revival Meeting in France at Montlhery with it.

The friend who had the TT 2 bits died in 2000 or so and all his bikes are now in a trust, l'Ecurie Nougier, which is looked after by another friend of mine, Claude.

Claude was in Montlhery as well and when he saw my Jonghi, he invited me to come and see me next time I was in France. That happenned in November 2017 when I took a break to visit my mum...

Claude put the TT 2 parts in me hands and told me I had a better chance than him to resurect the bike, him being too busy with the Nougier collection of bikes...



Patrick
 
#6 ·
Even if you are NOT a history buff, but just someone that enjoys the progression of the motorcycle in speed and size. This has to be read. We laugh when it says that it had a average speed of 74 MPH. But from a 350 Side Valve? and for a time of 24 hours? Try that on a modern bike, and most would fail. So, to me, this is as interesting as the history of HD or any mc company. I do not preach so much about enjoying history,, but it is interesting to see where we come from. In all aspects of the past. Motorcycles are a passion for me. All motorcycles. It just so happens that I prefer to WORK on and ride HD's. But this story is very interesting. So, I too, look forward to the next segment. And want to show my appreciation to thefrenchowl, for his interest and ability to find and share this story. Thanks Frenchy(my new name for you) and I see why you picked the OWL part, because the owl is a moniker for Widsom. Thanks for taking the time to teach us, history. :)
 
#9 · (Edited)
Shovithead: and I see why you picked the OWL part
... Actually it came from the fact that when I did party, I DID party and have had whole weekends, Friday to Monday with about 3 hours sleep...

Anyway... I came back in GB in November with the TT 2 bits and inspected them... Special castings and special cams, around 100 degrees of overlap, that' not a shy set of cams!!! Compared castings and cams with my std bits in the restored bike:







Race cams below, std cams on top. They run with flat followers, similar to WR shoes:



You can see that even the std side valve cams are balanced : O )... They are also oiled under pressure from a jet of oil from the inside (there's a gear oil pump below the crank)... You can see one of the 2 jets on the race casting in the middle of the intake cam bearing location.

See ya,

Patrick
 
#11 ·
Jesus Mcbesus, those cams could be used for ski ramps. No wonder it runs so fast for a single.

See how many are interested?? I knew it would get some sweating in their arm pits. To bad, we don't have any video with sound. I bet it thumps like a steam stamp.

And your post are excellent and understandable, which makes it even better. You do well, and we love this kind of stuff. I may not subscribe, but I will look at every one. So, that makes me a liar, but a liar that is interested.

I got to looking at unknown bikes on the net, and found some that are not as rare, but still pretty rare. So this one will be posted on my shop wall, in
sequence, for customers to keep them busy.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Hi,

No "J" in Italian so I suppose it's more like Yonghi there???

But deffo Jonghi in French...

Stock Jonghi side valve rpm is 4500 with a 22.2mm carb (7/8), street OHV a bit more, 5000 with a 25mm (1") carb?

The OHV racers probably hit more than 6000rpm with such overlap & 28mm carb (1"1/8) and I can't see anything in the engine to slow it down apart from maybe slightly wide rings, 3 of them, 2.5mm wide each... It's all on ball bearings, apart from the magneto iddler cam running on steel bushes.

I will probably run it without the scraper ring. For short blasts, it's not really essential on a 90mm stroke (3"543). Same bore as a WL or K/KH, 70mm (2"750)

That's a 1932 street twin port OHV, good for 85mph, faster than most 500 of the day:



Patrick
 
#16 · (Edited)
In good company, a period 1933 Mobiloil advert with the Jonghi sidevalve record holder, a BMW with Henne, my favorite US car, a racing Miller Front Drive 91c.i. driven by Gwenda Hawkes/Stewart, a Maserati and a Potez plane...



Patrick
 
#18 · (Edited)
Hi Joe,

For a few years I have collected Jonghi's frames and engines numbers from various collectors...
The side valves are so rare it is hard to make sense of the serials...
However, enough OHV have survived to get a picture if not the full story.
What I know for sure is that after numerous bankrupties, Jonghi ended up being owned in early 1935 by two brothers and they introduced that year a 4 speed foot change gear box.
Only one of these 1935 models is recorded today and its serials are only 200 digits more than the 1st 3 speed one made in mid 1931...
So, less than 200 OHVs in 4 years, add maybe a 1/4 of that, 50 for the side valves (they were very expensive, did not sale well...) to reflect todays sv/OHV ratio survivors (7 SVs versus 30 OHV estimated).
Not the grandest of manufacturers!!!

Anyway, in November, back in GB, I thought it would take me 1 or 2 years to find a donor bike so I could rebuilt this historic racer... But as soon as Nov morphed into Dec, a friend sent me a link to an Advert Site where a Jonghi SV had appeared...

Deal soon made, and on the 27th of December, I headed to France in a van to collect it. Here's the seller (he also has a restored pre war OHV and each of all the post war Jonghi models, including a 125 OHC...) with the ""now mine"" bike in the van...



Just needs loads of work now!!!

Back at my house:





Bye for now...

Patrick
 
#19 · (Edited)
Frenchy, that is fricking coolest bike I have seen on here, for the age and rareness. Plus, now I have a new name for you.... "Professor Jonghi" You look the part. Not ribbing you, just a personal comment. I used to be bored with history, the normal kind where you had to remember countries and dates. But this kind of History, is intriguing to say the least. I follow it in awe that you spend so much time, on a unheard of bike, and its history. Nobody on here, has ever spent so much time with the history of a bike, short of a very few. (Donson just did one on the "Bronson" bike, so it is here too, just not such old stuff as that) Keep up the great work, and keep this going, right up to the point that there is no more. I give you 5 *****(stars) for your effort and sharing it with us chopper builders. (even if some are NOT chopper builders and try to save the old Harleys too) haha


The brake seems to be of the Bicycle type?? and the shifter is very long from the footpeg. Am I correct? or is it just the photo fooling me???


:D

:cool:
 
#21 · (Edited)
Hi Shovithead,

Thanks for the compliments...

I'm also as mad with Harley KRs and French TerroT racers, slowly working on a book about them with some friends... Long hawl really... Used to have one which I swapped to finance one of my Bonneville Salt Flats trips in 2013 with my supercharged KHK that some of you know well...





And here with my friends and helpers plus :OO :OO :OO Jerry Branch :OO :OO :OO on the Salt Flats...



He'd heard there was a KHK racing on the salts so he came to look for us!!! I'm standing in my race leathers next to him... Just before our fastest 2 miles run, 121.775 mph average, not too shabby...

Patrick
 
#22 ·
Frenchy, Jerry Branch is a legend over here, as I am sure you know, and you too are getting to where you will be too. I look forward to your book, if I live that long. You are a very interesting man, and to be rewarded for the work you have passion for. My passion runs deep, but apparently not quite as deep as yours. I am proud to have you as a co-member on JJ. You really do a service to the motorcycle industry. Keeping history alive and bringing it to our attention, is to be appreciated. I know I do. But, I am a strange one, and most on here know it, but don't say it online. haha I am comfortable being who I am. You seem to be too. Who would think that anyone would be interested in a disappeared bike, side valve to boot. That only a few were ever made? Thanks again, and I can't say that enough to make it clear that you are rewarding us with history........go write that darn book. ;)
 
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