Griffon 1903 Road Test (English Version)

Let's start, to get to know the Griffon, with its technical sheet, as it appears in the catalog.

"Griffon" Motorcycle

"ZEDEL" 2 3/4 H.P. engine (SGDG patented)

D ESCRIPTION. - Vertical engine, bore 75-80.  "Longuemare" carburetor, with quantity adjustment. Nickel-plated copper tank, with oil pump and compartment for the accumulator and coil. Capacity: 5 liters of gasoline and 1 liter of oil "Dinin" or "Fulmen" accumulator 20 amps. "Nilmelior" or "Hommen" coil. V-belt transmission. Two brakes: one on the rear hub, the other on the front rim or on the rear rim. 0 ^m 54 frame . 0 ^m 65 wheels . Special 55 millimeter "Griffon" tires. Very wide sheet steel mudguards. Exhaust valve lifter.

Weight: 54 kilos.    

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The same machine , with 3 1/2 H.P. engine, controlled valves.

PRICE: Fr. 950.    

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SUPPLEMENTS

RATE OF SUPPLEMENTS

MARCH 1904​

PREFACE

The "Griffon" house, in asking me to preface its catalogue, certainly did not have the ulterior motive of asking me to adorn its motorcycles with flowers. The local florist would do this job much better than I. If she is willing, we will do a more attractive and more useful work here, by reading together, dear readers, the epistle that a cousin of mine wrote to me, three months ago, to tell me about his adventures "aboard a 1903 Griffon".

First of all, I must introduce you to my cousin: a little boy as round as a marble, with a pince-nez hiding mole-like eyes, hands as clumsy as they are well-groomed, and as ignorant of the most elementary mechanics as a goldfish!

One morning, my cousin rang my doorbell, rushed into my room, and, without giving me time to hold out my hand, cried out:

"I want a motorcycle!... Here comes the sun, the good spring sun! I want a motorcycle... And I come to consult you... What should I buy?...
- You! A motorcycle! You, a notary's clerk!... You, in the hands of a prelate, you would be a mechanic!... You who know nothing about anything to do with automobiles, you who confused an ampere with a wrench, you!..."

And I burst out laughing in his face.

My cousin waited patiently for my hilarity to end and, like a notary who is about to receive a will, answered me:

"We know that you have a lot of wit; but the richest can ruin themselves by wasting their fortune; do not waste it uselessly!... I am not asking you if I am ridiculous; I am asking you what brand of motorcycle I should choose so as not to have a machine made of lead.
- Are you serious?... Well, buy a Griffon!..."

He said a brief thank you, shook my hand with his fingertips, took his hat and disappeared. A letter came, three weeks after this interview, giving me news of my "chauffeur!..." - Here it is:

"My old friend, I bought the motorcycle you recommended: a Griffon! Here is the story of my first misfortunes as a driver. I knew the ordinary bicycle well; in two one-hour lessons, I knew how to get myself off a motorcycle quickly, and, the following Sunday, I decided to go into the countryside."

"After careful consideration, I decided on Soissons, eager as I was, having cycled this route ten times, to see how my machine would behave on the hills and how long the petrol would beat my legs on this route. There was also another reason, and after all why shouldn't I admit it?... Having relatives in Soissons, I was delighted at the thought of their surprise at seeing me suddenly become... a driver! So around five o'clock in the morning, that Sunday, I left Paris, after carefully filling the petrol and oil tanks! I was soon delighted with my new acquisition. On flat ground, I was speeding at over 40 an hour, looking with a little mockery at my brothers of yesterday, the cyclists to whom I was feeding a little of my dust! The hills were climbed at almost the same speed! It was divine!"

"I was therefore amazed by this new sport, when, at about eight o'clock in the morning, I reached Compiègne. I stopped there just long enough to wipe the lenses of my glasses which the road midges had dotted with spots like a pretty woman's veil, and I set off again, counting on covering the last forty kilometers in an hour and a quarter, and being in Soissons well before lunchtime! How surprised Miss ^Hortense would be to see me arrive with my new horse! And how her mother would raise her arms to the heavens!..."

"A dozen kilometers were covered at a good pace, and I was approaching the edge of the forest, when suddenly, I heard two or three... brorouou... brorouou! Then, after having made a few more turns of the wheels and hiccuped again, my machine stopped... I had a breakdown! Not very proud and slightly disoriented, I started looking for it, while trying to persuade myself that it was nothing! After having closed the compression, I pushed the machine; it absolutely refused to move forward. I breathed, my valves were in good condition! Because the great Jules from Griffon had told me this method was infallible to check the condition of the valves! And you know, the great Jules from Griffon is very knowledgeable! I directed my search towards the shaker which seemed to me to be well adjusted; deep down I was not very sure! But nevertheless the sparks it gave gave me some confidence. I continued my investigations towards the spark plug, removed from the cylinder and placed on the cylinder head (you see if I am strong already), it let sparks pass between its points that would light a cigar."

"So the breakdown did not yet come from there. Then I became worried; my practical knowledge was limited to these three points that the great Jules had pointed out to me!"

"So I remained in front of my machine, trying, like a new Oedipus, to guess the riddle of the Sphinx. What added to the embarrassment of my situation was that I found myself four or five kilometers from any inhabited place."

"I was thinking about it there, circling the beast, a key in my hand, when suddenly my key hit the gas tank which made a deep sound! Empty! The tank was empty, and I realized it after three quarters of an hour of searching!"

"All that was left was to let go of the belt and go away... on the pedal. It was slower and lacked charm, and the four kilometers seemed devilishly long to me!"

"I made bitter reflections on the way and, believe me, addressed serious observations to my best friend!"

"This is the story of my first breakdown. Send me advice so that I don't stay in this distress anymore."

So much goodwill moved me to pity, and I sent my cousin the complete collection of the luminous works of B AUDRY DE S AUNIER . Then the news became rarer; I learned from my cousin's family that he had become literally madly in love with his machine, that he was at that moment touring Auvergne and Limousin with a friend also riding a "Griffon", when, three months ago, the following typical note reached me:

"My hands are as white as ever, despite the four thousand nine hundred kilometers I have traveled so far, because I have not had to touch anything that was dirty and black."

"As for the profession of driver, I know it now,... and I can summarize for you in three words the knowledge that an amateur needs to have to do his tour of France on a Griffon motorcycle."

"Know how to adjust the ignition shaker and measure the batteries; know how to lap a valve and change a spring; have a wrench and a screwdriver in your bag."

"I'm willing to bet you a Griffon motorcycle that I can do all the coasts of France from Dunkirk to Nice, on a Griffon, without any other equipment! Do you take the bet?"

You can guess that I didn't keep the bet. The animal would have won!

INSTRUCTIONS

CONCERNING

the use and maintenance of the motorcycle " Griffon "

We do not consider it useful to give, as some companies do, a detailed description of all the parts used in the construction of our motorcycle, with an indication of how they work. No more than a watch, an engine should not be dismantled other than by a professional.
Except in the cases provided for in the chapter on breakdowns and remedies, it will be advantageous in terms of time and money to contact a specialist. It is only following a fall or a lack of lubrication that one will need to resort to one.

I. Operations to be carried out before starting up.

I. First, the engine must be lubricated using the pump located at the front of the tank. To do this, pull the pump rod all the way out, with the tip of the handle pointing forward, then pump out the oil thus sucked up after rotating the handle a quarter turn. The suction and discharge positions are indicated on the tank.
(The old oil remaining in the engine must be emptied every 100 kilometers approximately. After this operation, pump twice; for each of the lubrication operations that follow, to be carried out every 20 to 25 kilometers, one pump is sufficient.)
II. Make sure that the tank contains gasoline; special gasoline for automobiles of 680 to 700 must be used.
Open the fuel tap and press the pusher located above the carburetor float; the meeting of the float with this pusher indicates that gasoline is reaching the carburetor.
III. Make sure that the levers are in the starting position, that is to say:
1° The front lever tilted back.
2° The rear lever vertical.
These operations are intended:
The first, to delay the ignition and raise the exhaust valve.
The second, to open the gas choke fully; like the first, it is used to adjust the speed; by pulling the lever towards you, you partially close the gas inlet and the speed decreases.

II. Getting started.

I. Place the contact pin in the handlebar switch and screw the kill switch in fully.
II. Saddle up and pedal briskly: when you are moving, let the exhaust valve drop by lifting the front lever, and the explosions should immediately occur.
To accelerate the pace, gradually raise the front lever.
NOTE. - If you have difficulty starting the engine, introduce a little petrol through the compression tap in order to unstick the segments.
If the difficulty persists, do not persist in trying to start the engine while riding. Turn around at the luggage rack, which every motorcyclist should have on his machine, and pedal while stationary until you get strong and regular explosions. If you do not have a support, use a sawhorse or two stools.

III. Judgment.

To stop, slightly unscrew the handle; contact no longer taking place, the explosions stop; then lift the exhaust valve and complete the stop by lightly squeezing the rear brake lever placed within reach of the left hand.
Take care, at each stop, to remove the contact pin.

IV. To go down the hills.

Close the throttle by lowering the rear lever, cut the current by unscrewing the handle. Raise the exhaust valve, unless the descent is very rapid. In general, raise the exhaust valve whenever possible, to cool the engine.

V. To climb hills.

Approach them at a good speed, gas up and move backwards if you feel the engine slowing down too much, without however bringing this lever to full throttle.

VI. Some recommendations.

Always have in your bag the keys needed to dismantle all the external parts of the engine. It is also wise to take with you one or two spare spark plugs, a shaker, an intake valve and an exhaust valve with the springs, washers and keys, one or two belt hooks and a punch or a screw, allowing you to shorten the belt if necessary.

VII. Breakdowns and remedies.

The following explanations concern either the complete stopping of the engine or a malfunction resulting in misfires. Failures can come from different causes that we review below:

Bad carburetion. -  Misfires can occur due to insufficient or too much air being admitted by the carburetor.
Adjusting the carburetor is something that requires a little attention; you have to feel your way to the point where the explosions are the loudest by ear; generally with full throttle you find the right carburetor by opening the air almost completely or completely.
Misfires can also occur due to an insufficient supply of gasoline to the carburetor. This type of failure is recognized by the fact that you are forced to run with very little air or not at all.
First check the gasoline supply pipe; then you can see if the grooves of the nozzle placed in the spray chamber are not obstructed. To do this, remove the cover of the spray chamber, press the float pusher for a few moments; the gasoline should flow out of all the grooves of the nozzle. If some grooves are clogged, unscrew the nozzle using the key provided for this purpose and clean the grooves properly with a cloth and gasoline. Never use a knife or any hard object that could attack the metal.

Bad ignition. -  For an ignition failure, proceed in the following order:

I. Trembler . - Remove the distributor cover, with the current on, bring the trembler into contact with the platinum screw and ensure that the spark is produced. Clean the contacts if they are dirty with oil.
After a certain time of operation, it is sometimes necessary to adjust the contact points by slightly moving the platinum screw closer. 

II. Spark plug . - Remove the wire that ends there; present its end a few millimeters from a metal part of the motorcycle and lift the trembler with your fingernail to make contact; if a sufficient spark is produced between the wire and the ground, it is the spark plug that is malfunctioning.
Then remove the latter; check if it is not dirty with oil; in this case, clean it with gasoline. Make sure that the two points are not too far apart: they should be no more than 1 millimeter apart.
Then carry out the same tests as above by bringing the metal part of the spark plug against the engine. A spark should be obtained between the points of the spark plug each time the shaker is pressed.
A crack in the porcelain of the spark plug may occur and, in this case, although the above operation produces a good spark between the points once the spark plug is reassembled, under the influence of the vibrations, a short circuit occurs causing misfires. Then check if the porcelain is not shaken and, if so, replace the spark plug.
III. Accumulators . - If the spark is produced little or not at all at the shaker, check the voltage of the accumulators which should never give less than 3.8 volts. If the voltage is lower, have them recharged.

VI. Conducting wires . - If the shaker, the spark plug, the accumulators inspected do not present anything abnormal, carefully inspect all the wires, tighten the terminals, replace any wire whose insulating covering appears damaged, avoid the wires passing too close to a part heated by the engine; all these causes can lead to short circuits. Follow the direction of the current for this inspection using the information and the diagram below:

The primary current leaves the positive pole of the accumulator (+), passes through P the thick-wire winding of the coil, leaves it through C from where it goes to the platinum screw of the ignition V. The cam, by bringing the shaker into contact with the platinum screw, causes the current to pass through the ground. This current, via the wire which leaves the handle G, passes through the switch I and arrives at the negative pole ( - ) of the accumulator, closing the circuit.
The induced current leaves the coil through terminal B, arrives at the spark plug through the thick wire, passes through the ground and arrives through the tank collar R at the ground terminal M of the coil, closing the circuit.

Lack of compression. -  Lack of compression can have several causes:

1° Burnt gaskets to be replaced
2° Broken valves to be replaced
3° Broken valve spring key, to be replaced.
4° Valves not seating properly, to be lapped.
5° Broken segments to be replaced.

To grind a valve, disassemble it, put some emery paper mixed with oil between the valve and its seat, insert the blade of a screwdriver into the groove of the valve head and make a back and forth rotary movement while pressing lightly and perpendicular to the valve seat. When the valve wears everywhere on the seat, do a thorough cleaning with petroleum.

 

What was my surprise, after having put this chapter online, to see an Internet user contact me: He had also restored a "Griffon". The difference is that Jean-Pierre Degunst, since it is him we are talking about, was not lucky enough to find a copy in good condition. That is the least we can say when consulting the documents he sent me (on the left).

You can imagine, by referring to the documents presenting the same machine after restoration, the extent of the work accomplished to give a second youth to this motorcycle.

Let's leave the pen to JP Degunst, who tells us, below, the history and the restoration.