Moto-Lita wheel

[66S]

Can anybody tell what era this wheel is from. It is 14.5" and leather.

Thanks,
Al

[Tedwong]

Hi Al, I guess this is quite a modern one as the "Motolita" is on the right hand spoke.
The vintage one had the name on the lower spoke.

[mk1]

Totally modern, available new from Motolita.

http://www.moto-lita.co.uk/our-products ... px?WH_ID=5

For a 60's one the stamping should be on the bottom (vertical) spoke & the padding around the edge is somewhat less padded.

M

[JC T ONE]

Well I for one, are happy about the comments

makes me feel very young again, if a 40 year old item, is "quit modern"

The script in the RH spoke, has been there, atleast since the early 70ies, but this wheel is a later/modern one,
as it has the "crackle" look on the surface, of the horn switch/center, the old ones, had a gloss/smooth surface.

[mk1]

The most recent (or should that be the second) incarnation of Motolita (Motolita Ltd) was formed on 31.12.78 after the original company "Simon Green (Polishers) Ltd". was bought out.

It was after this date that the Motolita lettering moved from the vertical spoke to the horizontal one.

Motolita made very, very few wheel through the 1970's.

[almondgreen]

In this Moto Lita discussion, I have another question.
When were the steering wheels with the smaller boss made ?
I have one, it has the Moto Lita letterering on the vertical spoke.

[JC T ONE]

Nope, the writing changed MUCH earlier.

my car retains its original steering wheel, and it was built October 1973 at Wood & Pickett.

And here is another 1972/73 W&P, this one unrestored, and also with the writing in its RH spoke.
http://www.eurods.eu/wp/gallery/unresto ... dwide.html

Not shure if Christians brothers WP (underneath, woodrim) is original, as it dont have a W&P center ?

I also have another "flatdish" in my collection, it shares the same look, and have a Morris enemald / chrome badge,
never seen another, and this also has the early "gloss" center.

[Tedwong]

In this Moto Lita discussion, I have another question.
When were the steering wheels with the smaller boss made ?
I have one, it has the Moto Lita letterering on the vertical spoke.

All the small boss Motolita have the name on lower spoke. So, guess they are 60s or early 70s?

[almondgreen]

Upps, it´s not my day.
The lettering is on the horizontal spoke (3 o clock)

[mk1]

I stand corrected.

I was only repeating what I was told by Motolita when I asked them.

M

[mab01uk]

Moto-Lita History here:
http://www.moto-lita.co.uk/about/history.aspx

Bought my black flat spoke 13" Mota-Lita direct from the Simon Green shop in Brighton Road, Surbiton in 1974 as it was very local to me, writing on RH spoke, black gloss centre cap, recovered once by Mota-Lita and still in use.

[Pandora]

P1080261


P1080262

I recently purchased this wheel for the clubmans project and I'm SURE it is brand new (not even NOS). It was advertised as Caterham wheel and the rim is much thicker and more padded than old ones and the leather is both softer and has a a more textured finish than old ones, BUT, the logo is on the '6 0'clock' spoke. The leather has the feel of being very new and as there is no sign of it ever having being fitted, I don't think it's a old wheel which has been recovered, I think it is just brand new (which is nice, as it was dirt cheap! )

I recently sold a different black wheel which I had reason to believe WAS from the '60s (the guy I bought it off told me it had been on his rally car back then, and had no reason to lie to me) and it was stamped at the 3 O'clock position.

On this basis, I'm not convinced that all 'old' wheels were marked on the central spoke, and only post '70s ones were on the 3 o'clock position.

Intriguing, isn't it

Edit: I see that on the Moto-lita website, the racing car wheels pictured feature the logo at 6 o'clock.

[JC T ONE]

Well, now we got the story going, why not establish WHEN the change was made ?

who has the oldest Moto-Lita, with the 3 O´clock position ?

GC4, was commissioned to, and built by S/T late 1971, in order to be ready, for the Heatway rally 1972 (april) in New Zealand.

It retains all its original interior, as fitted by S/T, and it also has the M-L with 3 0´clock position.

[JC T ONE]

I'm SURE it is brand new (not even NOS).

the rim is much thicker and more padded than old ones and the leather is both softer and has a a more textured finish than old ones

I agree, the old ones I have, and have seen, all have the smooth "non texture" surface, and are very hard / slim.

This could be, a consequence to the fact, that leather shrinks with age, so it "tightens up" around the padding .

[JC T ONE]

I recently sold a different black wheel which I had reason to believe WAS from the '60s
(the guy I bought it off told me it had been on his rally car back then, and had no reason to lie to me) and it was stamped at the 3 O'clock position.

On this basis, I'm not convinced that all 'old' wheels were marked on the central spoke, and only post '70s ones were on the 3 o'clock position.

Intriguing, isn't it

Here is the one I found many years ago, did it look anything like the one you sold ?




Smooth center, with Silver/Chrome/ Enemald badge.





Crackle painted boss, never seen this shape before the others I have, has a shorte boss (same diameter all the way) or the Tulip boss.

[Ronnie]

This is what they were like in January 1967!

[Ratkiller]

Kind of off the topic, but how do you mount the Minor Horn button to a Moto-lita, like the pic above. Does it take a special horn ring?

[mk1]

Is it a Mini-minor or Moris-minor horn push you are wanting to mount.

The Mini one should fit straight on, to mount a Minor one would take the fabricating of a special insert nowadays as I doubt new Minor horn push centres are available new.

[Ratkiller]

This is the original horn buttom from my 61' Morris Mini Minor. Looks to be the same as above.
I've seen this done on a few other minis but I can't figure how to do it. If modificatons are needed to the hub please explain.

[1071bob]

You just need the correct boss with the hole in the side to fit the horn assembly, this is an old one. Try contacting Motolita direct on :-

http://www.moto-lita.co.uk/our-products ... ction.aspx
a very helpfull company.