Condensed from Wikipedia:
NVT was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1972 to 1978, formed by the British Government.
Triumph had been owned by the BSA Group since 1951, but by 1972 the merged BSA-Triumph group was in serious financial trouble. British Government policy at the time was to save strategic industries with taxpayers’ money. They decided to bail out the company, provided that to compete with the Japanese it merged with financially troubled Norton Villiers, a subsidiary of British engineering conglomerate Manganese Bronze.
The merged company was created in 1973. As BSA was both a failed company and a solely British-known brand (the company’s products had always been most successfully marketed in North America under the Triumph brand), the new conglomerate was called Norton Villiers Triumph.
NVT inherited four motorcycle factories—Small Heath (ex-BSA); Andover and Wolverhampton (Norton); and Meriden (Triumph). Still short of development cash, the company was restricted to launching developments of existing products, most notably around the popular Norton Commando. With its classical parallel twin probably by now overdeveloped, from March 1973 the Roadster, Hi Rider, and the Interstate all began to use a new 828 cc engine. Later NVT also produced the Easy Rider moped including a “sixteener” version with a Morini engine and pedals, and the NVT Rambler 125/175 cc with Yamaha engines.
NVT was eventually liquidated in 1978. Even though Norton Villiers Triumph is no more, motorcycles bearing the Triumph name are still being made; the marketing rights to Triumph were sold to the Meriden workers’ co-operative in 1977 and in 1983, sold on to a new Triumph Motorcycles Ltd company situated in Hinckley, Leicestershire.
’76-77 NVT Easy Rider, Morini MO-1 pedal-start
’76-77 NVT Ranger, Morini MO-1K kick-start
NVT Easy Rider US and UK models:
ER MO-1 engine (1-speed) step-thru
ER2 MO-2 engine (2-speed) step-thru
ER2X MO-2 engine (2-speed) top-tank
NVT Easy Rider UK models:
ER2L ????? engine
ER2P MO-2 engine (2-speed automatic)
ER2SS ????? engine
ER4L MO-4 engine (4-speed manual)
ER4TL MO-4 engine (4-speed manual)
NVT ER and ER2 specs: tires 2.25 – 17, weight 110 lbs, total length 66.5″,
mono-tube frame gas tank 0.95 gallon, vent button behind seat, sprockets 12 x 28T.
NVT ER and ER2 components: Domino 1970’s controls, chrome (stainless) levers, all cables single-ended,
Grimeca hubs, 90mm brakes, 11mm axles, Lucas (England) tail light, CEV “bullet” headlight,
CEV round chrome switches, brake light switches in parallel, normally open when installed.
Some US models have “small” Bosch magneto, dark grey colored flywheel, with internal ignition ground,
and a third source coil powering the brake light.
Some US models have a Dansi 101286 magneto, gold colored flywheel, with an internal ignition ground.
The lighting coil is split into two outputs, so it looks like two source coils but it is actually three.
NVT service info
NVT ER gas valve 10×1
male, spigot back, with
long detachable shaft
NVT Easy Rider Wiring
Dansi 101286 magneto
internal ignition ground
From The Empire Strikes Back, by Mark Daniels http://www.icenicam.org.uk/articles5/art0086.html
Towards the end of 1977 NVT announced the securing of export orders to the USA of 1,000 Easy Rider mopeds per month. Export market American mopeds were mainly sold as either NVT Easy Rider or, from August 1977, as Scorpion SC1 (step-through frame, single-speed auto), SC2 (step-through frame, two-speed auto), and SC-2X Scrambler models (sports styled, two-speed auto). Frame plates indicated these machines as ‘Manufactured by Scorpion Inc. Crosby, Minnesota’, a snowmobile manufacturer established from 1959, who marketed the mopeds as a product diversification.
So before August 1977 they were sold as NVT, and after that they were re-branded as Scorpion.
’77 NVT Easy Rider ER1 (1-spd) or ER2 (2-speed)
1978 Scorpion SC1 (1-speed) or SC2 (2-speed)
Scorpion
Scorpion mopeds were imported by Scorpion, Inc. Box 300B, Crosby Minnesota USA. The Scorpion ID plate says “manufactured by Scorpion Inc, Crosby Minnesota USA” but the bike is made in England by NVT.
02-1978 Scorpion ID
1977 Scorpion SC1
1978 Scorpion SC2X
NVT ER4 (UK model)
SC1: Morini MO-1 engine says Cuyana,
Weight 102 lb
SC2: Morini MO-2 engine says Cuyana,
Weight 105 lb
SC2X: Morini MO-2 engine says Cuyana
top tank, long seat with storage. Weight 113 lb
Specs and Equipment: tires 2.25-17, fuel mixture 40:1, CEV sealed beam headlight,
Lucas tail/stop lamp, steering lock, mirror, luggage rack, speedometer/odometer,
Dellorto carburetor with automatic releasing choke.
Brake cables are 2-ended with mushroom ends.
Mizer made in England by NVT Morini MO-1 or MO-2 engine
