The Centaur

THE CENTAUR

fold here

WHAT IS IT that looks like a handsome, grey touring suitcase at one time, and a mighty attractive piece of transportation at another, only moments later? Give up? Well, if you didn’t know it already, it’s a Centaur folding motor scooter. We have seen a lot of clever examples of engineering but the Centaur is one of the neatest we have seen for some time.

We fully expected, once the simple assembling instructions were deciphered and the scooter was sitting on its floor stand, to find a motor scooter in name only. After a few runs around the block we were convinced that, though a novelty, the Centaur is a versatile and proficient vehicle and truly a motor scooter suitable for a number of serious transportation problems.

The folding system is simple and quite ingenious and we seriously doubt if another inch could be employed in retracting the vital components into the body shell. Though its total weight of 95 pound« is not really an excessive amount for so complete a scooter, it becomes a bit of a handful when trying to wrestle the fully loaded unit around. We noted one suggestion for moving the Centaur about, that of pushing it in a wheelbarrow fashion with the rear wheel locked in a down position.

Uses for this type of vehicle are almost limitless, from shore-bound transportation for the boatman, ground mobility for the private plane flyer, short trips as extensions when carried in the trunk of an automobile, and many more.

Lightness can be traced to several extremely clever uses of modern vinyl plastics in such places as the main body panels, front fender, and most unusually, a blow-molded gasoline tank that has no seams and holds 1 Vi gallons of fuel in place of a metal tank that held only one gallon. Components for the suitcase size scooter are manufactured by a number of leading American firms, including General Tire & Rubber Co. who make the body panels of a high-impact, low-pressure styrene and vinyl sheet called Boltaron.

The two-seater (folding footpegs are furnished for a passenger), is approximately 24 inches high and 60 inches long; folded - 20" high, 16" wide, 32" long. Power is supplied by a 6 cubic inch, Clinton two-stroke kart engine rated at 5.2 hp that has been bolstered by accessories made by one of the better go-kart hop-up equipment makers, Go-Power Co. Top speed is over 40 mph and the little engine delivers the necessary push while giving over 100 miles per gallon of gasoline and oil mix. A centrifugal clutch on the engine output shaft drives through a variable ratio pulley system torque converter with a Gilmer belt, giving infinitely variable drive ratios.

We took the Centaur to Riverside Raceway for the AFM races and used it to transport members of our staff around the vast racing plant while giving it some pretty rough treatment. We can say this lightweight can take almost anything. Naturally the small wheels are somewhat of a drawback but utility was a factor in designing the Centaur, and convenience an important consideration. Some stability is gained, though, by virtue of the wheels being placed at a greater than normal distance apart on a relatively long wheelbase.

Controls are familiar for the most part; a twistgrip on the right handlebar operates the throttle and a lever on the left handlebar actuates a brake on the rear wheel. Starting is by a spring-loaded recoil starter. A switch on the back of the headlight shell controls the ignition and a fuel shutoff and choke are also included. Current for the sealed beam head and tail lamp are furnished by a 12 volt magneto/generator built into the flywheel of the engine; they furnish enough light for normal use though no high-beam is included.

Retail price of the Centaur is $410.00 and the manufacturer, Lombard Industries, Inc. in Ashland, Massachusetts, has an excellent dealer procurement program now in effect. We will not be surprised to see little grey suitcases sitting around many a motorcycle dealer’s showroom very soon.

Though photographs on this page show the ingenious folding system used, they don’t show the faces of bystanders as things spring out and one rides off on a full-fledged motor scooter; the results are almost worth the purchase price alone. •