James Captain 1951 spare parts

[DELONSTAINWALL]

Hi Team,
I am looking to buy front & Rear Wheel Rim with Brake Assembly complete for a James Captain 1951. If you could help with any other parts for this bike as I only have the frame and the engine.

regards,
Delon 

[R]

Wow !
Do you have some sentimental attachment to this engine/frame, or is it a test/challenge of your persistence.
Or ....

We hope you are young and enthusiastic - this may take some time ?
Unless you come across a stash of parts, or a good basket case.
Being in the UK would probably help here too. ?

I built up such a bike, starting quite a while back - when parts were at least around, and fairly
inexpensive. And I think it probably cost me about triple what a whole bike would have been.
All the small bits cost the most, you just don't appreciate how it all adds up.

A lot of the stuff around now are rejects from other folks restos, so the quality may not be great either. ?
And you'll get used to buying bits that don't fit or don't belong, unless you have a complete bike to compare to.
Now what does that fit ?
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0UEAAOSwPMpfr-79/s-l1600.jpg
If you are prepared to use say Kawasaki wheels and Maico handlebars etc, then it will go a lot quicker, and less $$/££/EE

P.S. Look at all these folks hunting for James parts - you'll need to get in ahead of them !
https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/bikeads_make/james.htm
Oddly, there is no Captain section ?

Finding a good basket case or even incomplete runner is always a good ploy...
Good Luck  !!!
Tell us how it goes.

[Rex]

By a strange coincidence when I was at school I swapped some LPs for a frame, engine and petrol tank of an early 1950s  James Cadet, and I too had hopes of "I'll just buy the missing bits and I've got a bike" but parts weren't plentiful even back then.
Now I would follow the advice in the post above and use what I could adapt to fit, but back then I thought that it would have to be the correct parts.
I never did get it finished (or even anywhere near running) before it was moved on but a valuable lesson was learned, namely start with the most complete pile of parts possible.
Chasing a long list of missing parts is expensive and time-consuming.
On reflection I wish I could buy that pile of parts back...I reckon I could make a nice little special out of it now.

[TGR90B]

I believe later on that James and Francis barnett were very similar (badge engineered) FB parts may fit and be more plentiful.
I have a road test of a 1950 James Captain de Luxe. If that would be useful send me your email address via a personal message and I will send you a copy.
Good luck, Dave.

[DELONSTAINWALL]

Hi Team,

Thank you for your reply's.

R no, sentimental attachment I just like the Villiers engine.
I also have a James 1951 197cc with a 10D Villiers completed. I am missing the Speedo drive gearbox. Can anyone help with this? Righthand front wheel.

Regards,
DS

[DELONSTAINWALL]

please see photo attached. I am looking for a speedo drive gearbox, pinon rivet and the pinon 15T. The guar ring 44T is present and is in the wheel.
IF you could please let me know where I could source one please.

[R]

Have you tried Modaks ?
They have lots of obscure stuff, always worth a try.
At Dealer prices, but if its unobtanium elsewhere.
And the last thing you need for your resto ...

And compared to some of the stratospheric high prices on ebay etc.
Where 'rare' has become an overworked substitute for 'junk' !
Having said that, I have found some unobtainium there
Without paying through the nose either.

[DELONSTAINWALL]

Thanks R. Tried modak and part was not in stock. Tried several other places with no success, is their a place in the UK that I can order from??

[john.k]

The angle drive was also used on engines as a tacho drive.....although it wont have a gear .....but the gear is ,maybe,available from the Ariel Klub ,Slovakia........Note ,however ,even as a Perkins part the drive was costly ...and Perkins spares were the cheapest of most.

[DELONSTAINWALL]

What would I expect to pay for a Villiers James speedo drive? I have a seller asking $500AUD, Is this to much to pay? Appreciate your comments on this.

[33d6]

You’d be lucky to get a complete, and original working speedo set up for under $1000AUD. That consists of the drive in the wheel, the speedo cable and a working speedo head. It is not a cheap exercise. This is why many of us run electronic bicycle speedometers.
I have seen a very neat set up where the owner fitted the bicycle head into the original speedo shell.

[Rex]

I just fit a non-working or dummy speedo when I haven't got a working item. I'm never going to breaking records or speed limits on any of my bikes, and anyway, cycle speedos would look incongruous on my old heaps.

[33d6]

Thats often been my approach as well Rex but it depends heavily on what you want to do with your bike and where you ride it.
 
With speed cameras nowadays and speed limits starting at 40kph around schools and roadworks and so on its very easy on almost any bike to find yourself over the limit on occassion and getting a letter of demand though the mail. You'd be unlucky but over the years it can be surprising how often your luck runs out.

Plus of course there is the odd Harold Parsons type regularity run where one aims to maintain a fixed average speed. Tricky without a speedo and clock. It was this type of event where I saw a bicycle speedo fitted in the shell of an old speedo. It looked pretty normal until you really had a good look.

[DELONSTAINWALL]

Once again thank you to all members for your input specially to all of you who took the time to out to reply. Your information has been very helpful in making my decision to install a speedo to my James. I have decided to go ahead with the purchase of the speedo drive unit and the cable to drive it.

[john.k]

Would you mind showing a pic of your speedo drive ...just the anglebox is all I need.....ive got brass ones and alloy ones ,all off diesel engines,and it would be good to see whats what.