SCOTT

500 Flying Squirrel - 1936

A two-stroke legend

The first Scott, built in 1908, was a total revolution, from its two-stroke engine to its triangulated straight-tube frame. In 1935, some 27 years later, the new version of the legendary Flying Squirrel was again in the vanguard of technical progress; it changed little before 1939.

An Outstanding Power Unit

lf the concept was the same, the machine had developed in every respect. Above all, it gained the Power-Plus engine, whose light-alloy cylinder head had hemispherical combustion chambers with central spark plugs. No fewer than 16 studs retained the cylinder assembly. The Flying Squirrel was available as standard with a 500cc engine or in 600cc De Luxe form. The new engine's greatest asset was its extreme flexibility. The 500 developed 14 hp @ 2500 rpm and reached maximum power at 5000 rpm, while the 600, at the same engine speeds, went from 16 to 30 hp. The Scott had excellent road-holding and great reliability. The telescopic forks used during the 1920s were replaced by a girder fork assembly.

Advanced Specification

The Squirrel also had mechanical lubrication by twin adjustable oil-pumps mounted on the crankcase doors. Since 1934, Scott had been experimenting with Grand Prix bikes fitted with four-speed gearboxes and a complex mechanical lubrication system whose pump consisted of no less than 95 separate parts, operating – as on modern Japanese bikes – in proportion to engine load and throttle opening.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 498cc (66.6x71.4 mm) water-cooled twin-cylinder

Power Rating: 26 hp @ 5000 rpm

Valves: two-stroke, ports in piston ski1t

Fuel System: carburetor

Transmission: 3-speed, chain final drive

Suspension: girder forks (front); rigid (rear)

Brakes: drum (front & rear)

Wheels: 3.25x19 inch wire (front & rear)

Maximum Speed: 80 mph

The Scott Flying Squirrel, with its distinctive two-stroke ''yowl, " is one of the great machines of motorcycling history.