STAR

175 Gem-Laguesse - 1934

An ingenious lightweight

The Star works of the H.A. Lummerzheim company in the industrial town of Liège had been a well-known bicycle manufacturer since the early 1920s. In 1932, it decided to branch out into the manufacturing of lightweight motorcycles.

Boardroom Dispute

The first Star motorbikes were powered by 100cc and 125cc Gillet engines. Impressed by the quality of Ateliers Gillet products, Star also bought engines designed by the creator of the original Gillet bikes, Fernand Laguesse. He had resigned and set up the "Laguesse Motor Company" after a boardroom dispute. The 175cc "Gem" engine that he designed included all the technical features that he had incorporated in the engines he had created for Gillet. It was a unit-constructed two-stroke with primary drive by pinion gears.

Simplified Shifting

Made for Laguesse by the Ateliers de Mecaniques Marechal, this little engine developed 3.5 hp and incorporated an ingenious gadget designed to make gear-shifting easier. The selector lever also actuated a decompressor to slow down the engine, making it simpler to engage the gears. Like all small marques, Star found sales hard to come by, and few examples of this Star Gem model still survive. Nevertheless, Star continued to produce motorcycles until the 1960s, though the later machines used Sachs two-stroke engines. The Laguesse Gem engine was also fitted by another minor Belgian marque: Van Hauwaert.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 175cc (57x67 mm) air-cooled Laguesse Gem single-cylinder

Power Rating: 3.5 hp

Valves: two-stroke

Fuel System: Amal carburetor

Transmission: 3-speed, chain final drive

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

Brakes: drum (front & rear)

Wheels: 25x3 inch wire (front & rear)

Maximum Speed: 50 mph

The Star Gem was a typical lightweight quality motorcycle of its day, though the interconnection of gear lever and decompressor was surely unique!