classic motorcycle forum

Seems Bennett and Wood were also agents for James.
Maybe someone mixed up the orders that day ...

Full bike view - prewar
https://bikeshedtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Screen-Shot-2025-05-05-at-2.53.56-pm.png
and postwar.
https://cdn.justauto.com.au/ad-assets%2Fc686a88b-3a6e-4b19-b78d-5dbd49c12f60-xlg%2Fc686a88b-3a6e-4b19-b78d-5dbd49c12f60-xlg.jpg

P.S Can anyone find any pics/evidence of local manufacture ?
B&W show some pics of local bicycle making, and the factory it was done in.
But nothing of motorcycles  ?

Unlike Williams Bros' Waratah, Bennett & Wood's Acme probably had a decent amount of Australian content. At least if claims in the contemporary press are to be believed.

In particular, the frame was said to be made in Australia. This is possible: I've not seen a British lightweight with a frame of the Acme design. Happy to be proved wrong!

Leon

The tank is right and the joy of these little lightweights is that they are made up from proprietary parts from a multitude of different firms. What parts of an Acme were actually made by Bennett & Wood? Very, very little.
It’s not like finding all the parts for a 1947 Norton or Triumph where you always have some numbnut looking over your shoulder saying things like “Oohh, you’ve got a chrome plated giggle pin there. They didn’t do that until engine number such and such.” Or some other equally tomfool remark. No one ever looks at an Acme in that way.
Yes, it’s no cheaper to restore a lightweight than anything else. So? What’s the problem? It’s a hobby and people pursue hobbies for fun.
If you’re not enjoying it why are you doing it?

Well, no more parts missing than the average stripped down chook chaser and as far as a “comp” engine goes, it still has the bog standard Villiers carb on it. I suspect the Tilbrook head is the sum total of the ‘comp’ tuning.
Parts are dead easy, everything for the engine is available off the shelf, the headlight is a generic VEC /Miller jobbie, a Bantam saddle and tail light assembly will drop straight on and mudguards are available from WA. And of course the exhaust system as shown on the Powerhouse example is straight James ML readily available of eBay. Parts are absolutely no problem.
Painting, plating and tyres, etc, are a different story. The cost involved are little different from doing the same on much more fancied machinery. Just because it’s a lightweight doesn’t reduce labour prices.
Good luck to the seller, he tells a good story but its still just a noisy chook chaser as it stands.

That would be a bit of fun as an old-school dirt bike, but pretty optimistic pricing. Expensive to restore from there.

Interesting about the "Tilbrook" head - not something I know a lot about, but Tilbrook built lots of replacement parts so might be true. I've had a look through my Tilbrook stuff and can't confirm that the head comes from them.

Nice to see clear photos of the engine and frame numbers. Combined with the features, confirms c1948 build.

Cheers

Leon