classic motorcycle forum

Excelsior, mid 30's.

The RY series watercooled MK 14A was made from 1933-40. I can't yet tell you the exact date of manufacture of each one but I'm working on it.

Various manufacturers fitted them of which Excelsior seems to have used it the most. Vincent made half a dozen or so bikes fitted with this engine but they are all accounted for. SOS used them as well but they were never a mass market bike either.

The RYEF prefix plus the rigid top water pipe identifies yours as out of an Excelsior. They first catalogued a model using this engine in 1933 when it was introduced and then followed the Francis Barnett Cruiser  and Coventry Eagle Pullman concept with an all enclosed model, the Excelsior Viking in 1934 & 35. I haven't researched further as yet.

Cheers,

This all sounds very familiar. I think I must live on the opposite side of your street.

Cheers.

I was under the impression that the serious Binks racing carb was the RATRAP and used on Broughs, etc in its day and that the Mousetrap was a smaller version intended for the Lightweight classes.

The Mousetrap is still very desirable for the right machine but not for the big boys.

Perhaps Br1737 could clarify exactly what he has?   

Its not the quality that I have problems with. For motorcycle use, its the ability to operate it whilst riding.  I have one 'Cateye' brand model and I found the buttons were too small to push when I had my gloves on. The one I mentioned mounted in the imitation speedo shell was a Cobra and had one big button that was easy to manipulate. This was what I meant by thinking it through before you buy.

I presume there are different bike speedos for different types of activity. Being a motorcyclist starting from scratch to research bicycle stuff I don't even know what questions to ask and shop assistants look at me strangely when I say it is for a motorcycle. I'm slowly getting there.
Cheers,

The reduction in Whitworth bolt head sizes was a wartime economy measure. The original Whitworth hex sizes date from the dawn of mechanical engineering as we understand it in the 19th Century and were appropriate for their time . Improved metal quality and urgent wartime economy led to manufacturers safely going down a bolt head size creating the apparent oddity.
Wartime emergency also led to steel standards being described with an EN number, eg, "EN16 is good for girder fork spindles:. EN stands for Emergency Number. Up until the time EN numbers were introduced each steel maker described their steels in different ways and made fractionally different alloys.
Increasing war production across different makers forced them to standardise steel manufacture and have a standard description hence the original Emergency Number system. This system is long gone but we like the convenience so much we still use it.
Here we are generations later and the effects of wartime decisions still linger with us.
Cheers,   

To get back to the original question, I've been making stainless steel parts for years and years and think its by far the easiest and cheapest way to go. They are fit and forget which I'm very partial to. I tend to keep my bikes for a long time and found that plating was expensive and only looks good for five years or so then starts to go off.
Many of the original finishes are no longer available where I live. The environmental authority doesn't like cadmium and the old phosphatizing processes like Coslettising, Parkerizing and Bonderizing aren't viewed with any enthusiasm either. The alternatives are zinc plating, black zinc plating or the modern black oxide finish. Only bright nickel plating is available commercially and looks nothing like the original vintage nickel.
Zinc plating is cheap and can give a vaguely reasonable alternative to Cadmium. A friend in the plating business was very disparaging about modern black oxide finishes and recommended black zinc plating as a better alternative. I've followed his advice where various parts were originally phosphatised and so far so good. Its acceptable.
So, parts on my bikes are either stainless steel, painted, standard zinc or black zinc. I'm happy.
Cheers,

Hi Ron,
Can we first clarify what model Matchless you have, cos Matchless didn't make a G3 in 1932. There is the D3 350ohv which has a sloper engine and also a slightly different D6 variant.
How about you put up a photo of what you have and tell us the engine and frame numbers and we try to identify it exactly before we start.
Very happy to help but we'll all be going round in circles if we don't accurately identify your bike first.
Cheers,

If you need new valve guides made I'd be surprised if you didn't need new valves. RogerWilko is right, use only cast iron as it has self lubricating qualities that bronze lacks. Remember the lubrication for your valve guides is pretty slap dash.
New valves are no drama as any competent head reconditioning shop will have facilities to cut valve blanks and make valve guides to  suit.
I'm sure if you enquire around your area there will be some engine reconditioning firm that deals with all the local vintage vehicles, stationary engines boat engines, lawnmowers, and other off beat stuff. Doing a single cylinder sidevalve will be a snack to them.
Cheers,