View Full Version : Help with 1942 Royal Enfield 350cc OHV WCO military sidecar
Hi Guys,
could I ask, is it the original british army ww2 sidecar frame?
LeeEnfield
12-05-2008, 19:31
Hi Guys,
could I ask, is it the original british army ww2 sidecar frame?
Certainly LOOKs right, Radek,.......but I'm thinking the box wouldn't have been mounted on it.
Andy
Certainly LOOKs right, Radek,.......but I'm thinking the box wouldn't have been mounted on it.
Andy
Hi Andy,
is it the same frame as for this sidecar? Have you any better pictures or plans for make the replic?
Thanks Radek
catweazle
12-05-2008, 21:07
The Malta sidecar looks like used with the bren gun on norton big 6.i gave away a book with pictures and drawings of this side car.i will try and find it for you.
Hello Radek, I see that you've been asking the same question on MLU !
This is the sidecar wheel drive Norton chassis without its body :-
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/5838/big4swdwobodyxr4.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=big4swdwobodyxr4.jpg)
The Nortons were the only specifically military-bodied sidecars to see service with the British Army. Big 4s also had the alternative of a straightforward 'Commercial Box' or an ''AA' box with a pointed front as used by the breakdown recovery service.
Conventional motorcycles seem principally to have had either a single seat passenger chair based on the pre-war Swallow type or a box.
The bike is any time at home an now we are working on.
The fron forks, handlebars and wheal is from Matchels. I have original forks and now I am looking for the complete front wheal.
Can somebody halp me?
Thanks Radek
Radek,
For the front wheel you could try Hitchcock motorcycles or Burton's bike bits - they might be able to help. CO stuff comes up quite often on Ebay as well. As for the sidecar chassis, from what I can see I would hazard a guess and say that it looks like a Watsonian - but I could well be wrong. Your best bet would be to ask someone like Charnwood Classics, they should be able to help.
From what I have been led to beleive, sidecars (and not a lot of them at that), were attached to the BSA M20/21 and Norton 16H, because the 350's would have found the going remarkably hard in anything approaching off road conditions due to their limited torque and lighter construction. I agree with 79 x 100's comments, the non military sidecars I've seen photographed all seem to be of Swallow maufacture, although I know for a fact that The RAF used 16H's with box sidecars to ferry tools around - An Italian collector had one that was original down to having it's full complement of tools. Unfortunately he died some years ago and despite my best endeavours to find it that particular bike seems to have fallen off the planet........
Of course I live in hope!
All the Best,
Stefano
Hi Stefano,
many thanks for info.
I know the BSA is better then any 350c.c. Here is brothers project. :-) No all parts are show on the picture.
Radek
Radek,
Don't get me wrong, the 350's are brilliant bikes (the o.h.v. ones anyway), and the only way that I'll part with my Triumph 3HW will be when they use a crowbar to prise it out of my cold dead hands...
All the best,
Stef
Stef, I meen the 500 c.c. are stronger for the sidecar. :-)
Radek
Hi Stev,
I have calculated the final price for spares from Hitchcock, uh, something over 500GBP + pp and vat. :-( :-)
But I need change the Matchels parts for R-E. :-))
Radek,
Glad that you've managed to find the bits, although it's always frightning to see how the bills add up. Keep us posted on how the bike comes along!
All the Best,
Stef
Radek,
Just in case you're interested, there's an incomplete set of forks for sale on Ebay - item number is 180313857054. He's also got a front wheel apparently.
All the Best,
Stef
Hi Stef,
many many thanks for info. Still I have the forks, but I will contact the seller for another parts what I need.
Thanks Radek
Stef,
I have recieved the front wheal.
Now I need "only" new wires, front breaks, mudguard, speado drive, .... :-)
First test drive. :-)
Still looking for R-E front parts.
As a Biker with riding experiences spanning back to 1964 I would say that the 350 would never have been used with a sidecar during it's military life. With at least two soldiers, kit, weapons etc it would have been hard pressed to move around on the road, let alone cross country. The Norton had a dog clutch to engage the drive to the sidecar wheel, which no other bike in British service had. The only other possibility for a sidecar outfit of 350cc would be an impressed civilian bike with sidecar already attached.
Here are any pictures of forks progress.
I have only hobby sandblaster. First I have to remove the paint with the remover and after then sandblasting.
I have recieved many parts fro Hichkock store, they are greats. :iloveyou:
Hi guys,
I am looking for the valve lifter lever - decompresor and front forks rubber rings (schock absorbers). Can somebody help me?
Regards Radek
Any anothers parts are ready to paint and on the second picture are new parts what I have bought a few months ago. :cool2:
What I looked, I will need the new toothed wheals for speado drive. :-(
Hi Radek,
I have made some copies of the speedo gearbox cog and the exhaust valve lifter. Please contact me on wd.register(at)gmail.com for more details.
http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww140/rewdco/speedocogandvalvelifter.jpg
Cheers,
Jan
So...ready in January? :coffee:
Now I need sundblasting only the for forks. :cool2:
To: Enigma: I will need finishing with all until April.
To: Jan: many thanks for all of your help!!! :tup::
I need a new sundblaster, this one is for childern. :-D
Still I have made a order for something better (price around 100GBP) :cool2:
I have bought the bike in England and the story about it was: This bike was used in army workshop for transporting spare parts and mechanicals in the workshop. :???
My theory is, that somebody replaced the corect RE front forks for the G3L. Is better for ride. I would like replaced it back.
I don´t know, if is army adaptation, if is war or post war. Nobady knows. :???
But what I know is, that no only Norton has sidecars!!!!!
Hi Mike,
if you look on the first page of this thread, there are my front forks. I bought it with the bike. Usuely is on the RE forks only main spring, but on this forks are two small side springs. Mybe somebody calculated with the sidecar.
You are right that ride british bike with sidecar on another side is quite problem.
The box on the sidecar outfit looks like as any ammunition box.
Now is my bike as solo. I have problems with the sidecar bars. I can slide with the bars and make good obliquity of wheels. http://czechlions.rajce.idnes.cz/09-08-22_Cihelna_09_-_sobota/#IMG_0395.JPG
Mike, many thanks for all information, will be helpfull for me in the next steps. :thanx:
Radek,
Later contract WD/CO's were fitted with check spring front forks as standard fitment. If you get the sidecar alignment spot on you should be alright even if the bike is on the wrong side of the crown but it will help if you keep the sidecar loaded..
Does you bike sit upright when it's on a cambered road Stefano.
Or have you a bad back for a few days after a long ride?
No, not really. Last summer I did a couple of hundred miles over a weekend with my '39 high cam Sunbeam B28 and Swallow Bedford sidecar. I've kept the lean out a little bit less than usual so the steering's a bit heavy but apart from that it's no problem. Different when the chair's empty of course, but roads nowadays are nowhere near as cambered as they used to be a couple of decades ago, at least in northern Italy. Braking with a very light sidecar could be a bit worrying but the swallow is a heavy old thing. I used to have a 1919 Scott with a fabric sidecar and it was lethal without a passenger. Still miss it though, an absolutely magical thing, it would boil away merrily to itself up mountains (and was brakeless coming down them!!) but never missed a beat :)
I understand what you're saying, and I might well give it a try. If the steering becomes too heavy I suppose I could reduce the toe in a bit and maybe do the same with the sidecar wheel lead.
Cheers,
Stef
I have a new powerfull sundblaster.
Now are all parts sundblasted and painted with deruster, ready to primer painting. :cool2:
spence.smith
17-03-2010, 08:38
Hello guys,
i saw a bike which looks n sounds like those bike which was used by
the german army during the WW2. i dont know the name of the bike
but i saw a word ' BULLET' on the seat behind the pillion.
i love the look n the sound of the bike, its very cool.
may i know how much does it cost n what is the brand n model of the bike?
i need your help.
thanks alot, http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/images/smilies/icon-thumbsup.gif
Hi,
have you any pictures?
Bullet is type of Royal Enfield now make in India.
sandblasted and painted with deruster the panniers frames and cleaning the side stand
Now I have "big" problem. :nut:
I have removed the head, Ihope that is demaged the head gasket. But it looks o.k. When I have filled the oil on the piston, the oil leak around the piston down. :cry: The barel looks fine.
On the piston is stamped ID 61 +.030´´ FRONT
What can I do or what can help:
1, exchange only the piston rings
2, or make new grinding? But the original pistons are only until +030 anthers are wiht higher compresions.
Cheers Radek
The piston rings exchanged and ready to go with friends. :D
Excellent Radek!! Looks really nice :)
I have took a litle time from my busy days.
Parts for front fork are primed. :cool2:
Hi
I thought you would like to see my almost complete Royal Enfield WD C (replica) with a sidecar I built for it based on the example in Coventry Motor Museum. The helpful staff let me measure and photograph their example, it formed the basis of my design. The chassis is possibly a Watsonian VG21, with two half cart springs. The sidecar is now completed with a Austin 7 seat base, original mudguard and spare wheel. The body is scratch built with 18mm thick waterproof ply with aluminium sheet on the front and aluminium half round trim on the edges. The handles started life as boat grab handles modified to fit.
Currently I am changing the bike engine so it is off the road.
Advice to anyone adding a sidecar to a solo motorcycle - allow a few months for all the paperwork and inspections required by the DVLC. It can be very annoying.
Will post more pictures them I get them.
I hope this helps?
Cheers, Graham
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