Author Topic: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!  (Read 9549 times)

Offline winchman

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #15 on: June 10, 2019, 09:46:21 AM »
Thanks, I was quite supposed he hasn't rushed in he has a good selection of info like you mentioned, and has rang every Lawnmower shop in the uk looking for a 30's Dennis mower carb as the same one was fitted, we very nearly bought a complete mower but the bloke didn't come back with a close up photo so it wasn't worth the risk, we even have a guide book on it which is excellent. The Gear box is unbranded we suspect made for Enfield, doesn't look like a Burman or Albion though, we have two both in bits so hoping we have enough to make one good one, we do have an end plate from another box that's marked Enfield but its different.
He has found the correct Lucas Magdyno thing but its £300 and has the typical weak spark, just waiting for the rest of the parts to arrive and he will build a basic electronic ignition until he can find a cheaper mag.
I think the next task whilst looking is to make a cover plate for the tank as it has a hole through it for the light switch and ammeter, it will put his sheet metal work skills to the test and teach him about different hammers.

Offline winchman

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #16 on: June 10, 2019, 09:51:23 AM »
The forks are close enough to the post war 125 forks,to use a set......the post war wheels are also similar ,in that the rear has a sprocket one side ,brake t'uther........so If it was me ,I would look for the postwar 125 parts,and I dont believe they could be that hard to find..................and I notice you have the fork blades anyway..........the rest isnt hard to fabricate ...............................not wishing to hurt feelings here ,but Enfield tiddlers have always been bottom of the totem pole.....even a 500 single with girders never very expensive.......unfortunately the cheap WD models have fallen victim to the millenials desire to re enact WW2.......without the risk of injury or death ,of course........just got to see the recent  D Day re enactment  in France.....millenials saving the planet driving round in hundreds of trucks that get 1 mile to the gallon.
We had noticed the bike and Enfield Two strokes in general are not as sought after and lots of bits look to be interchangeable, its good being bottom of the pile as its more affordable! so this should help us out. I have had a few pointers from a Historic military vehicle forum and some parts leads but they are not quite right and not cheap.

Offline R

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #17 on: June 10, 2019, 11:29:16 PM »
and some parts leads but they are not quite right and not cheap.
The days of doing up an old banger for a fiver are long gone, or you chose the wrong bike,
prewar stuff is in demand - a Honda 125 or 250 say may be different, and parts still plentiful.

I've been collecting parts for a prewar Enfield J for nigh on 20* years now
- its all the small detail bits that are tough to source if you didn't have them in the first place, and soon add up,
but at least Hitchcocks are filling that gap these days - even if they have doubled all their prices since I first looked !
* it has been on the backburner a lot of that time.
The sideways mounted Amal sidefloat has also been the source of much amusement/puzzlement, and perhaps we have conquered that. Perhaps.

Offline winchman

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #18 on: June 11, 2019, 08:31:42 AM »
and some parts leads but they are not quite right and not cheap.
The days of doing up an old banger for a fiver are long gone, or you chose the wrong bike,
prewar stuff is in demand - a Honda 125 or 250 say may be different, and parts still plentiful.
He also has a 85 Honda XL125 and its extreme hard to find anything for it, I don't think people hang onto stuff like they did.
He has been looking for an exhaust for a few months as he can't pay £350 for a Honda one!

Offline murdo

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #19 on: June 11, 2019, 09:20:33 AM »
I have some wheels, forks, guards and a carb body left from my resto which I would be happy to give a young fella to help him, but I'm sure the freight from Australia would be a killer.
Re the XL125, try Musket Mufflers in New Zealand, but the freight may again be a problem. Part No MH226
https://www.musketmufflers.com/pages/muffler-silencer-catalog

Offline winchman

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #20 on: June 11, 2019, 09:24:21 AM »
I have some wheels, forks, guards and a carb body left from my resto which I would be happy to give a young fella to help him, but I'm sure the freight from Australia would be a killer.
Re the XL125, try Musket Mufflers in New Zealand, but the freight may again be a problem. Part No MH226
https://www.musketmufflers.com/pages/muffler-silencer-catalog
Thats very kind of you do you mean for the Enfield or XL? If its the Enfield that would be fantastic but I wonder what it would cost?

Offline winchman

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #21 on: June 11, 2019, 09:43:08 AM »

There's a coincidence: only yesterday in another topic http://classicmotorcycleforum.com/index.php?topic=5942.15 I mentioned that the Model A Royal Enfield was sold in Australia as the Cottman Colt in the late 1930s.

Of course RE also sold bikes out here, and there a couple of surviving Model As, in addition to a few Cottman Colts. They a quite a nice little bike - not hugely valuable so a few not-quite-right parts in the rebuild won't matter.

First step: get a copy of "The Vintage Motorcyclist's Workshop" by Radco. It makes a great companion to any rebuilt.

Good luck,

Leon
Thanks found it and some other great stuff here
https://www.billymegawatt.com/the-reading-room.html

Offline R

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #22 on: June 11, 2019, 10:23:05 AM »

He also has a 85 Honda XL125 and its extreme hard to find anything for it, I don't think people hang onto stuff like they did.
He has been looking for an exhaust for a few months as he can't pay £350 for a Honda one!

There is a 1980 one in the USA for peanuts, but the postage might be a killer.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/80-HONDA-XL125-XL-125-S-OEM-EXHAUST-MUFFLER-SILENCER-BAFFLE-SPARK-ARRESTOR/132930401958
The good thing about these is they are black, so a bit of heat resistant paint and they look like new.
It also means old ones can be welded and patched up, and the paint hides everything !

I agree this era stuff folks are not hoarding so much, but it means I got an XL175 front wheel for nix to try in a Douglas, until the duggie front brake
can be made to have some braking power and the wheel is made presentable. Which probably means it will become permanent...


If you are patient then Enfield parts will come to you, but its not an instant process - ask me how I know !

Offline winchman

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #23 on: June 11, 2019, 11:23:26 AM »

He also has a 85 Honda XL125 and its extreme hard to find anything for it, I don't think people hang onto stuff like they did.
He has been looking for an exhaust for a few months as he can't pay £350 for a Honda one!

There is a 1980 one in the USA for peanuts, but the postage might be a killer.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/80-HONDA-XL125-XL-125-S-OEM-EXHAUST-MUFFLER-SILENCER-BAFFLE-SPARK-ARRESTOR/132930401958
The good thing about these is they are black, so a bit of heat resistant paint and they look like new.
It also means old ones can be welded and patched up, and the paint hides everything !

I agree this era stuff folks are not hoarding so much, but it means I got an XL175 front wheel for nix to try in a Douglas, until the duggie front brake
can be made to have some braking power and the wheel is made presentable. Which probably means it will become permanent...


If you are patient then Enfield parts will come to you, but its not an instant process - ask me how I know !
Thanks but the USA spec is different the spark arrestor would be in the way of the air box or battery, postage is a tad expensive too but thanks for looking for us

Offline R

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #24 on: June 12, 2019, 03:32:38 AM »
P.S. I can't help but be wondering if the XL wheels can be made to fit this beastie ?
It may not be quite right, but would defray costs somewhat.
And if you don't irreparably alter them/anything, can always go back.

Offline winchman

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #25 on: June 25, 2019, 08:46:39 PM »
Well the first of two parcels have arrived from Belgium.
We have another engine and gear box, forks well most of them are in the other box along with some bits we haven't a clue about so when it arrives I will be asking for help again

Offline john.k

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #26 on: June 27, 2019, 04:49:16 AM »
Anyhoo,there is no need to do everything straight away..........my advice,is to collect more bikes and bits,and everything will come together eventually.........Money cant buy happiness ,but it can buy lots of old motorbikes.Which is the same thing.

Offline winchman

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Re: Help My sons bought part of a 30's motorcycle!
« Reply #27 on: July 23, 2019, 11:11:26 AM »
Small update
He bought a small job lot of bits from a guy in Belgium, so now has a growing collection of engines!
We went to the Vmcc Founders day near Lutterworth, got a pair of forks, gear box and almost the correct carb.