Today I have decided to share with you my late 1980's Dutch-made Spartamet motorized bicycle, powered by a Sachs two-stroke engine, also known in Germany as "hilfsmotor". These motorized bicycles made by the Dutch bike manufacturer Sparta in colaboration with Sachs, used to be very popular in Western Europe a few decades ago as they provided cheap, simple and reliable transportation. The Spartamet is a very clever design with the engine mounted low near the hub of the rear wheel, allowing for a very compact and pleasing package. The engine itself is very quiet in operation and thanks to it's low oil to fuel ratio (1:100 recommended by the manufacturer, but a lot of people used to pre-mix in a ratio of 1:80 to extend the engine life) does not produce a lot of smoke. Today these bicycles are slowly becoming collectable items as the last one was produced in 1999, more than two decades ago.

00:00 Start
00:07 Introduction
00:29 A bit of history
01:14 About my bike and general view
01:45 The engine and ancillaries
02:04 Handlebars and had controls
02:27 Engine/motor controls
02:52 VDO Speedometer
03:16 Electrical sistem
03:33 Frond headlamp
03:45 Rear taillight
04:07 Tool pouch and Primus Lepper seat
04:39 Talking about the rear wheel
04:55 Pull-cord starting attempt
05:24 It starts!
05:33 Technical specs
05:46 Leisurely drive
06:05 A few last words and good-bye