1936 Gillet-Herstal 500 HG 25 Coupe de France
Inclined Singles
At the end of
vertical singles - characterized by the letter "D" (for Droit -
"upright") - the Ateliers Gillet, of Herstal (Liege), launched a new series of
inclined singles. These included 350 and 400cc side valves and an overhead
valve 350. a 500cc range on the same lines appeared in 1934 in sidevalve, OHV,
and racing versions; there was also a sidevalve 600 for the Belgian
Army
Successful Transplant
The 500 overhead valve engine had, in
fact, first seen the light of day in a 1932 grass track racer as the top end of
a 1930 500cc Bol d'Or engine mounted on a 350 crankcase. Known as the
"lightweight 500", it was developed into the 500 GP34, which in turn fathered
the 500 HG25 (Pictured). The four speed "box" was optional on all models except
the Racing HG26, which had close ratio gears and could exceed 90 mph. Also
optional was a foot change mounted alongside the engine, with the tiresome
habit of shearing off if the bike fell over!.
Champion in a New
Sport
The inclined singles reemerged in 1946, fitted with telescopic forks,
though that marked the end of the production run; they were replaced by more
modern models notably the new 250 "Superconfort" range. However, the inclined
singles distinguished themselves in the new sport of motocross. They gained an
impressive victory at Montreuil (France), but were particularly successful in
their homeland where victor Goovaerts won the 1946 and 1948 Belgian
Championships reign a Gillet-Herstal.