British combo ?

[Snoop]

Can anyone identify this bike in the attached photo? 

Is it a Norton ?

[R]

Nope, not Norton.

And with the chair on the right, and that central pillar mounted headlamp, its likely going to be something european (?).
Tank badge scheme is not familiar to me either.

Someone will know....

[BobH]

Tank shape is very similar to that used on late 20's early 30's NSU 501.

[cardan]

I agree with R and Bob - continental from the period 1929 - 1934. The tank shape is a bit like NSU, but it was a popular shape at the time. Gnome et Rhone and others were very similar. If you wanted to identify it, there are about five points that would need matching: the tank shape, the fork type (centre spring with dampers on the bottom spindle and links recessed along their centre-line), the (Bosch?) single-point headlamp, the hand gear change at the front of the tank on the right side, and the shape of the tank transfer.

I don't know enough about continental bikes of this period to even begin to guess!

Since the bike obviously still exists, and was photographed somewhere relatively recently, I guess someone somewhere knows it very well!

Cheers

Leon

[Snoop]

Someone has just suggested it's a 500cc Rudge,   but not sure of he coil spring.

[cardan]

"Someone" doesn't know what they're talking about. Not Rudge, and, for the reasons pointed out above, unlikely to be anything British.

Leon

[R]

There is some similarity with this swedish rudge example. (looks a little cut down)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Rudge_500_cc_TV_1927.jpg
But many differences.

As with this yesterdays example
http://www.yesterdays.nl/images/Rudge-1927-special-k-1.jpg
Tank is angular, but a different shape.
(And those tyres look oversize ?)

Rudges in the 1930s had the new bulbous saddle tank/ look.

That whole outfit has a european look to it....
Even the stays on the rear mudguard.

[Rex]

Swimming against the tide here, but I'd say British (other than the unusual headlamp and chair on the wrong side).
The rear mudguard stays and number plate are typically 30's British in design to my eyes. The rocker box looks JAP to me although they did supply European makers too, of course.

[cardan]

Try the Motobecane Club de France. They have a website with a forum. There are various models around the dates mentioned, so I don't know which one we are looking at. Even the rear mudguard stays match.

http://www.motobecane-club-de-france.org/bloc-b.php

Leon

[Snoop]

Motobecane looks exact.

Very few bikes with angular tanks sitting astride the frame. 
Seem to be no others with the saddle nosing into the tank.

Only problems might be the front brake linkage and the tank logo.
But then again,  it is a drawing not a photo.

[Snoop]

Found another possibility  ...   Styl'son ...  /  ... Stylson

but there is still a problem of the luggage rack / rear mudguard stays, and also the
different gap between saddle and mudguard.

I'm hoping, that differences may have occurred during restoration.

.
Also, the Styl'son company in France only lasted from 1926-1939.

Being such a small stable, they may have used "variations" depending on
what was available.

[R]

Think you are getting very close.
That tank decal looks to be a certainty.



Its almost 100% they would have changed over the years, so its 'only' a matter of finding the right year and model.
Can't say I've even heard of them - but there were myriads of makers back then....

[Snoop]

Styl'son  brand only lasted 1926-1939

[R]

Bikes made in 1926 were generally rather obsolete by 1939. !

And there is nothing about your bike photo that suggests it was postwar,
it looks completely prewar.
Tank style suggests more 1930-ish or thereabouts.

[cardan]

Hi Snoop,

I guess I don't know what this thread is about! What is the interest in this bike? If you want to know more about it, why not post on the Motobecane Club website, or contact the man who has the Styl'son website http://www.stylson.net/ ?

Speaking for myself, it's not much fun being asked to identify a restored bike from a very poor photo that shows only parts of it. We're not told where or when the photo or why we should be interested. The bike itself could be a faithful restoration from a very original machine, a rubbish restoration, or even someone's fantasy. It could be a Motobecane with Styl'son transfers, or a Styl'son with a Motobecane rear mudguard, or a complete bitsa, built from parts of various European machines many of which are very similar. For example, Motobecanes and Moto Conforts came from the same factory, and it's said that the prototypes were painted as Motobecanes on one side and Moto Conforts, and that catalogue illustrations always showed Motorbecanes from one side and Moto Conforts from the other for this reason. Always nice to learn something.

Because the bike in the photo is restored it probably still exists, and someone out there knows exactly what it is. However it's a fair bet that it's not running around in the UK or Australia with a sidecar on the wrong side.

Anyway, at least we were able to tell you that it was not a Norton and not a Rudge and not even British.

Good luck,

Leon