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What type of girder fork is this?


Einbeck Bowl

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Is it possible to identify this girder fork? I am completly new to British motorcycles and there are not enough details visible in the few books that I own.

 

24g0wfl.jpg

 

Thanks

 

Oliver (Triumph 3sw since today, but with a post-war front fork)

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It's Royal Enfield. However the mudguard looks like it might be Triumph.... Need to see more of it. The top front spindle has the fixing buttons for the later side check springs but there are no provision at the lower damper spindle for the springs. There is very probably a frame number in the nearside head stock. Here is my WD/C. Ron

WDC 005.jpg

Edited by Ron
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Please stay away from the Indian made forks unless you have a penchant for hospital food. Their forks are not jigged properly and the lugs are made from cast iron instead of the correct steel. Ron

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I know. The german importer of Mahindra Jeeps, back then when they were the Willys CJ3 type with Peugeot engines, told me the only problem he had with those vehicles: He had to re-weld the frames in Malta and the bodys needed complete new welding in Germany.

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As Ron said, definitely a Royal Enfield front end. WD/CO type 2 (early 1944 onwards) to be precise: the extra tube on the headstock can clearly be seen (in a cut off state...). It would be nice to know the frame number that is stamped on this headstock!

 

Regards,

Jan

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I will try to find the frame number under that rust and dirt. You know where to find me in case you see a cheap Royal Enfield with Triumph 3sw front fork.;)

 

 

While we are on the subject of 3sw forks, that is the one I have on the 3sw (Frame TL15254, engine "3s" 35244. fa7gg6.jpgIs it from a Triumph Speed Twin?

1ioem8.jpg

Edited by Einbeck Bowl
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As Ron said, definitely a Royal Enfield front end. WD/CO type 2 (early 1944 onwards) to be precise: the extra tube on the headstock can clearly be seen (in a cut off state...). It would be nice to know the frame number that is stamped on this headstock!

 

Regards,

Jan

 

Gentleman, the remains have been indentified as WD/CO number 18157. My condolences to the Royal Enfield family. Those who knew 18157 will remember him as a true warrior, no civilian paint visible on frame, fork or fender. It might be a consolation for us all that the front fork from 18157 might live on in somebodys future project.

Edited by Einbeck Bowl
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Thanks for checking this number! But I think you misread it somehow... 18158 is a 1943 number, these bikes still had a type 1 1/2 frame. Your headstock is definitely a type 2, from 1944 or '45...

 

Jan

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Looks like 18157....? And, all looks original frame-wise.....? But I'm a tad rusty with WD Enfields and isn't that an odd location for a frame number...? Weren't they either on the headstock or front downtube..???? (almost "vertical" ?????)

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Thanks for this picture! But... this doesn't look like an original frame number... As Steve already mentioned, this number was always stamped vertically on the WD/CO. It could of course have been a replacement frame...?

 

This is the "normal" frame number location:

 

Mybikeserialnoonframe-1.jpg

 

Cheers,

Jan

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  • 3 years later...
Thanks for this picture! But... this doesn't look like an original frame number... As Steve already mentioned, this number was always stamped vertically on the WD/CO. It could of course have been a replacement frame...?

 

This is the "normal" frame number location:

 

 

 

Cheers,

Jan

 

Hello,

I am new around here but I bought about 2 years ago the royal enfield front fork and fender. Last winter I worked on it and now it is build back in my Royal Enfield. I am still working on the bike but yes it wasn't the original frame number. I found the original one under the paint. The original number is 1515 and as far as I could find it in the books it must be build in 1940. You still can see a part of the number 18157 which must be added after the war.

Regards

Theo

DSCI6388 front fork enfield.jpg

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Nice that you still have the original number that hasn't been filed off! It's an early 1940 WD/C from contract C5654 ( could be ex BEF) Where did You find it. Any numbers/symbols on the engine case? More pictures please!

 

Here is my own from a later contract in 1940. Ron

WDC 099.jpg

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Mosi, I'm puzzled here. Your post seems to indicate that the headstock on the machine in the photograph is the one which was photographed detached in the 2014 posts. (Has the headstock and front tube been grafted onto another frame ?) Certainly I can see the horizontal numbers '8157' which appear to be part of the '18157 ?' on the earlier photos...

 

But then the problem with the newly visible number 1515 is that as 'Rewdco' pointed out, the headstock has the horizontal cross-tube lug of a Type 2 CO frame. This would have had a number between 19827 - 26542 and prefixed with an 'M'. (although there were some Type 2 frames used at the end of contract C12425 (around number 11000 but again with the 'M' prefix.)

 

Previous research also seems to indicate that the number was stamped parallel to the headstock between the bearings. I fear that 1515 is another non-official stamping.

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Ah yes I agree with Rik. I just hadn't paid attention to the fact that it's the cut off frame section from the previous posts in 2014. It's clearly part of a late (1944/5) CO frame and therefore couldn't have had such a low number. Would you care to post more pictures? Ron

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  • 2 weeks later...

Fed up waiting for a response from the person who posted a query in post #14, so I thought i'd liven the thread up with the NOS WD/CO forks that a French friend acquired from a scrapyard in France that had a lot of Royal Enfield stuff. My WD/CO had WD/C forks fitted and I've now corrected the situation. Ron

CO 033.jpg

CO 040.jpg

CO 044.jpg

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Very nice, Ron. No idea what scared off the previous poster ! +

 

You'll have a nice taut front end now. Did you not have the check springs before ? I assume that you're well on the way to building a project based on the WD/C forks ?

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As you say Rik "A nice taught front end" it never had the side check springs before. But the gearbox has always let it down a bit. Quite usable but never the nicest box, especially since I've been spoilt with the slick change and positive selection on my WD/G.

 

I acquired another gearbox from our same French friend, which after cleaning all the rock hard grease from, seems to be in perfect condition, so I thought 'worth a swap' (not the easiest thing on these Royal Enfield's). It was whilst removing the engine sprocket that I discovered there was far too much end float on the crankshaft..........So the job has become a bit more involved!!! Ron

CO 078.jpg

CO 090.jpg

CO 092.jpg

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Well I've never opened the bottom end until now. The engine was rebuilt by a previous owner who restored MGB's for a living and everything else is just fine. So I guess it's always been like that but has always had more vibration than I'd like. The book says to use thrust washers of different thicknesses to obtain end float of 5-15 thou, but you can only buy them in 63 and 85 thou. Which are the two sizes fitted (one each side and both are worn and I've ordered new ones). But there is no combination to add the 40 thou I need to fill the gap. Darren Wrudd is sending me some 30 thou hard washers and I'll see what shim washers I have if I need any more. Ron

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