30s Francis Barnett

[Vreagh]

Well thanks to the input from forum members, my Fanny B is finally done and on the road. I bought it as the remains of a 1930 Black Hawk but the FB club has verified it as a 1934 Falcon. I find it a little strange that a date and model is verified by the detachable and exchangeable front forks, I think my seller just picked up the wrong forks. The teflon ring I replaced the clutch bearing with is holding up well. The stainless exhausts were quite challenging, the pipes were made from our old swimming pool slide handrail (With a lot of heating and bending. The stainless silencers were made from standard pipe fittings off ebay. The shine was removed to try to match the unrestored patina of the rest of the bike. The bike's  a bit of a mongrel but it'll do me. Pics of before and after.

[R]

What a marvelous resurrection - nice job !

I don't know, after a few months of enjoying it, that front guard could do with a lick of paint ?
Mission creep, I know ....

[cardan]

Well done! I'd be happy to get our and about on it.

Funny about the ID. My reading is that the Falcon was a more luxurious - and more expensive - version of the Black Hawk. Possibly the biggest step up was the automatic oiling (from the separate oil tank) on the Falcon, which yours doesn't have!

You could have fun sorting out the details (see e.g. https://www.barnstormers.co.nz/barnstormers/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FB1.pdf), dating the engine/gearbox etc., or just enjoy riding it.

I suppose the frame number is on the steering head, as it is on many bikes, but in the case of the FB the steering head is not part of the frame. I wonder if there's a market for pre-1931 FB steering heads for would-be Banbury Run entrants?

Cheers

Leon

[33d6]

I’m green with envy. The 196cc Super Sport is quite willing when sorted. It’ll keep you well amused.
I’ll confidently predict your one piece exhausts will crack and fall apart quite quickly. Don’t ask me how I know. I’ve found out the hard way that elderly two-stroke exhausts need to be made in short sections and not too tightly clamped. You also find out why they painted the silencers black.
Personally I’ve never felt the need to use stainless. These engines of necessity use a high oil ratio so a plain exhaust never rusts out.
Anyway, lots and lots of fun. I hope you have a list of deserving Lake District passes.

[iansoady]

Great job, well done. That horn will certainly scare errant pedestrians out of the way!

[Vreagh]

Thanks for the compliments chaps. 33d6 I'd be interested to hear about the exhaust cracking. Thinking about it, a solid exhaust rigidly fixed at one end, to a cast iron cylinder at the other is going to cause stress somewhere. As I definitely don't want to damage the cylinder, do you think a cut and joint in front of the silencers might alleviate the problem?

[33d6]

Picked it in one, mate.

[33d6]

Further to the above, if you look at the original exhaust you will see the silencer is attached via a large P clip around its body rather than welded on tabs. There is a message there.
The Built like a Bridge frame is rather flexible. The multitude of bolted joints ensure a tiny degree of movement or “compliance “ in modern jargon. It is unwise to attach anything to the frame that fights this compliance. It will lose.
You have the ideal bike to go the full Villiers route. Modern electronics driven by the original Villiers flywheel magneto are quite adequate for the performance. The twin cable “de luxe” system for carburettor operation is head and shoulders above the el cheapo twisty stick thing now fitted. The complete system as used on the postwar 6E will drop straight in, including the throttle slide. This improves carburettor control enormously .
As with all prewar Villiers/Albion combinations your biggest handicap is the wide ratios employed in the Albion 3 speed box. Exactly what was wanted in their day but rather limiting on todays roads. A drop out of top gear brings you down to walking pace. Luckily a 1934 bike can be fitted with Albion’s then new lightweight 4 speed box made to overcome exactly this problem. Unfortunately Francis Barnett dragged their feet adopting this box but you don’t have to be. Put that one down as a future long term project.
Have fun,

[Vreagh]

Thanks for that. I'll bear your suggestions in mind. I especially like the idea of a "P" clip around the exhaust.