Dunelt and Barnstormers

[cardan]

Interesting to read about the combined oil filled and sight glass - apparently there is a bowl and drip feed under a glass filler lid, which somehow swings out of the way when it's time to fill the oil tank.

Tempting to say the rear carrier is missing, but on p33 of the parts list there is a set of mudguard stays "if required". So maybe the stays are original. Back stand is missing. Love the Dunelt-specific flanged hubs with 4 7/8" drums.

Quirky little bike, even before we get to Professor Supercharge's stepped piston.

Leon

[33d6]

I don’t know what that gearbox is but it certainly isn’t what I expected to see. I expected to see an FW (Featherweight) Sturmey Archer which that is not.
There’s nothing wrong with the FW box except the ratios are so spread out.
It’s not just a wide ratio box, it is ultra wide. Top is normal as it always is but bottom is so low you barely have time to get your feet on the rests before you have to grab middle. It’s so low you could haul wrecked Russian tanks off the battlefield. Middle gear then has an impossible job between the two. Perhaps the box now fitted gives a better spread.
That said it’s not too hard to find an FW box. Few sellers understand what they have. They look pathetic compared to other SA boxes.
Still, as you’ve shown Leon, this bike has all the impossible to find pieces so it’s a straightforward restoration. Not a twenty year hunt for hens teeth.

[cardan]

That's weird - pity I can't get a look at the right side of the bike while it's hanging where it is. The idea of getting it down is a bit daunting.

My guess is that piston/bore condition would be a big factor in the restoration.

Sadly the owner's health dictates that the bike must go, so it is available. Best to go to a Dunelt-appreciating home. Yell if you're interested.

Leon

[33d6]

I wish I could make an offer Leon but I’ve already got more restorations on the go than I can keep up with plus finding the room to put it is tricky to say the least.
Of course should I have an unexpected windfall from a friendly billionaire things could change but billionaires don’t knock on my door very often.

[R]

I'm curious what a "fully restored bantam" would/should go for ?

I've seen them between $2k and $22k, although I doubt either of those numbers are typical !!

[33d6]

The gearbox mystery deepens.
I was going through my Dunelt literature last night which includes a repro 1928 catalogue. This shows the Sturmey Archer FW box throughout but down the back it has a page devoted to the accessory Miller lighting system with a thumbnail picture showing how the set looks when fitted.
It’s a small and inadequate photo but appears to show the gearbox as being the same as that fitted to the Adelaide bike, not an FW Sturmey Archer. Did the 250cc K series Dunelt change gearboxes during its production run?
The next few days will be spent ploughing through old magazines looking for Dunelt stuff.

[cardan]

I'm curious what a "fully restored bantam" would/should go for ?

I've seen them between $2k and $22k, although I doubt either of those numbers are typical !!

I would have thought $A4-5k? https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-motorcycles-scooters/bsa+bantam/k0c18322r10

Re the gearbox mystery, I'll try to get the thing down to ground level to get a better look. If you don't hear from me again, you'll know what happened!

(I turned pages of 1928 mags, and Dunelt literature, but all the gearboxes I could see were the "standard" FW Sturmey Archer, with the change lever either on the box or up high at the front for the fancy models. Mmm...)

Leon

[Rex]

Don't know about in the colonies but in the UK prices for all bikes have slipped. A lot.
Where a good DBD34 could've made maybe £15/16K you'd get £9k on a good day. A7/10's were fetching £7-8k some years back but they'd struggle to achieve £5k now.
It's a harsh reality that those who like codger bikes are dying out, and their grieving families are dumping the bike collections onto an already flooded market, hence the price crash.
I reckon £2k would buy a top-notch Bantam now.

[R]

 £2k is not that far short of A$4000
The pooond starling is holding up quite strongly ?

[john.k]

Just before easter ,a relative was selling a 1970s restored ,but now  slightly rusty BSA B31 plunger ......complete with speedo...........anyhoo ,started at $10k ,eventually sold for $4200

[R]

Didn't sell it on Facebook Marketplace, did he. ?
On that, you can see the original asking price and the new asking price.
I've watched in fascination as some stratospheric opening prices have been whittled down to sensible levels.

Euphoria replaced by stark reality, as it were.
Or desperation  ....

Back to Dunelts.

[33d6]

Haven’t found a different gearbox yet but have solved the “special Dunelt clutch” bit. Apparently Dunelt must have felt the sheer power of their engine would overwhelm the standard FW clutch so demanded an upgrade. Anyway, to meet their concerns Sturmey Archer fitted a BS clutch to the FW box. So no great drama, all standard Sturmey Archer parts but honour satisfied.

[john.k]

The tiddler clutches are often clever use of pressed metal with the sprocket as the only solid part ..........by bending the tangs on one plate through slots in the sprocket and using the bent tangs to engage the other plate ............... clever when made ,an awful mess when severely bodged by the last desperate owner.

[33d6]

I’ve got a little more information on the “special clutch “ arrangement. It’s not special at all. The Sturmey Archer FW blurb advises on which clutch to fit for what engine capacity. The basic for up to 200cc, then one for for 250-350cc and finally a heavy duty cum de luxe version if you’re serious. The K Dunelt features exactly what Sturmey Archer recommend for a 250.
They also fitted an extended kick start shaft and offset kickstart lever. All standard SA parts used on various makes.
Its surprising what detail you can find if you really ploughing through old spare part manuals but it drivesyou bonkers doing so.

[cardan]

I got a slightly better look at the right hand side of the bike. The gearbox seems to be Albion? Certainly the lever has ALBION on it, but there are two drilled holes (one to mount the rod that goes to the gear change on the front of the box) which are drilled into the writing, so I wonder if the whole gear change lever and gate is a bit cobbled up. Maybe Albion CJ (2 speed +ks), EJ (3 speed + ks) fromt he late 1920s or Midget from the early 1930s?

Maybe the original box failed early in the bike's life, and this one has been adapted to suit. It looks like it's been there for a long time.

Leon