Abe Star
FR 250 - 1954
English myth, Japanese sauce
Astonishing! The history of the Japanese motorcycle, now all powerful, is almost unknown. Yet it is rich in lessons. From 1945 to 68, in a succession of copies, failed tests, personalization and recopies, this underdeveloped country will turn into a steamroller and dominate the world. Japanese are copiers? Obviously, but it is precisely their first quality to have been able to exploit, develop and sell.
Much more than copies of English
Abe Star, a fine example of the "copy of Europe" period, produced from 1950 to 1957, some models of very British inspiration, but nevertheless original. The brand begins with a 125 cc two-stroke then turns in 1951 to four-stroke with a 150 4-stroke OHV that could compete with a Triumph Cub. This was followed by a 250 single cylinder OHV with a separate gearbox, a beautiful 350 with a very closed V-twin inclined forward and, in 1957, a new single-cylinder 350 with an engine block.
The 250 FR presented here is the most common model of the brand and the last one produced in 1959. While sliding rear suspensions or even rigid frames were still common, this 1954 FR offered a rear swing arm with a ingenious adjustment, copied from Velocette, by moving the upper anchor point.
Kanji problems
Note that the brand Abe Star is also written Ebu Star or Ave Star. Japanese people rewrite foreign words in Kanji, one of their three alphabets, which is a phonetic transcription. Obviously, different spellings are used for the transcriptions ...
Air-cooled 4-stroke single cylinder - 249 cc (65 x 75 mm) - 12 hp / 5,200 rpm - 1.7 kgm / 3,850 rpm - 7 to 1 compression - ohv - Dry sump lubrication - Magneto ignition - Separate 4-speed gearbox with selector on the right - Chain transmission - Double cradle frame - Suspensions: front telescopic, rear swing arm - Drum brakes - Wheelbase 1,420 mm - 180 kg.
Typically Japanese, the ABE 250 launched a new gadget, the gear change indicator, with five lights in crown on the headlamp.
