I have a Motobecane, and I must say that I find French engineering to be
absolutely amazing. Puts me in mind of that funny airplane engine called
the "Gnome" which rotated about its crankshaft in order to drive the
propeller, and the Maginot line which, though highly fortified was
easily circumnavigated. (I suppose the foe wrongfully ignored the
established conventions of warfare)
At any rate, on the Motobecane the timing is highly variable. You can
put it anywhere you want, or don't want for that matter, but to it's
credit it can be completely changed in a matter of a minute or so, any
time, any place. So after an indeterminate interval of fiddling with it
it is possible to get it running quite well, whereupon it is never
touched again (or so I hope). The carb is another matter, it looks so
strange I'm afraid to mess with it. "If it ain't broke, don"t fix it!"
LBC's have numerous oddities as well, like carburators that use oil and
three wiper blades, but my impression is that the French approach the
engineering problem from an entirely different angle, perhaps having
something to do with man's place in the universe. I may not agree, but
it is a refreshing change of pace.
Jim Blackwood, Esq.
'71 V-8 MGB roadster
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