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wdbikemad

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Everything posted by wdbikemad

  1. Jan, many thanks chap for the info on the RE centre stands........very useful ! Cheers !
  2. Well known image..........taken during operation Varsity and Hamminkeln given as the location.............................
  3. Ron, you work at an incredible pace chap ! Lovely job so far........... Regarding the Model C stand, my experience of these was never good ! Using my C as daily transport years ago now, I was rather surprised to find that one leg of the stand fractured with use..............it didn't break apart but had a hairline crack and the foot had started to bend at the point of fracture.........I had it welded up, but then found a NOS ex-WD part still in KG No.3 so fitted this...........unbelievably, this too fractured on one foot within a month..................maybe a point worth checking if you use a Model C regularly.........?
  4. Agreed Ron, I also have a soft spot for Enfield's..............I'm a fan of the WD/RE, but also like the bigger machines.........as stated earlier, I once used a WD/C as daily transport for work and back (about 10 miles a day) for a couple of years back in the late 1980's..........I liked it, being very reliable, easy to get parts for and simple to maintain........it was also pretty good up to 50mph on the back roads................sadly, I managed to blow the thing up by seriously flogging it on occasion, and one day the conrod snapped at speed taking out the piston and a few other things as well ! But a subsequent rebuild, along with a rebore, sorted the beast out and she was back to her reliable self.......... I'm sure with your track record that a J or KX may well come along in due course.....!
  5. Ah yes Ron, I now recall......that's one nice restoration there.......you seem to be the "King" of rare Enfield's...........don't you also have a model "G" ? Thanks also for the info Jan.......... It's always puzzled me a tad as to why Enfield's were non too prolific throughout the military during WW2, in comparison to similar products of other manufacturers.............if we discount the model C's serving with the French and the BEF up to 1940, and the WD/RE between 1943 and 1945, all models appear from various sources, especially photographic, seen from later 1940 through to the end of the war appear to have served primarily on the home front.........even the (then new in 1942) WD/CO was released in some quantity from WD stocks from 1943 onward for issue to NFS, etc...............certainly, photographic evidence proves the fact that some WD/CO's were issued and used by the military late-war although again, little if any evidence exists to show service overseas unlike other makes............ Rumours abound of the Enfield's being "too heavy", but that's nonsense as they compare favourably alongside other bikes.........personally, I suspect (I don't actually know) that the various 4-stroke Enfield's were not favoured for "front line" use simply because the engine design with the oil stored in a vulnerable compartment in the crankcase was a disaster waiting to happen, any impact on a rock liable to fracture the aluminium casing rendering the bike completely u/s.......... This is rather odd, when it is considered that Enfield were very focused on updating and improving their products throughout the war, including forks, frames and various other details..............yet for whatever reason, no crankcase protective bash-plate was ever introduced for the WD/C and WD/CO...............makes you wonder.............
  6. Silverman's have never had MoD contracts to manufacture clothing or equipment, despite claiming to be Contractors to HM Government..........the latter refers to their purchase of surplus from the MoD and the WD before that................ CWCW is a name used on products specifically produced for sale by the company.............they regularly used to have various garments made-up by established MoD clothing manufacturers and contractors identical to issue gear other than the labels........after all, they had the buying power and capacity to do this.......... I used to know the family fairly well since the 1970's although have since lost touch other than the odd hello every now and then...........
  7. Tremendously interesting thread and appreciate the regular updates Ron. Well done chap ! Don't overlook Burton Bike Bits when sourcing RE parts. You can browse their stock on-line using part-numbers and they have a fair few rare RE spares - for example, only last year I managed to obtain some Flea throttle/grip tubes, plus flanges and twist-grip stops........worth a try...... Jan can probably answer this, but regarding early war RE's, are there any known WD/L's or WD/J's surviving......?
  8. One thing that always floats my boat are WD motorcycles with a pretty likely provenance................and they are rare in the extreme................this particular WD/C, and Rik's 16H are two examples...............if they were mine, I'd never part with them.............. About 20 years ago now, I was fortunate enough to acquire a very original 1940 WD/C complete with nearly all the original fittings, alu brake plates, etc..........it had, I think from memory, frame No. 3002 which made it the second bike produced under contract C.6125..................I restored it, didn't use it, and it was soon snapped up (wonder where it is now ?)......early engine timing cover too without the additional oil filter and small toolbox with the "briefcase" lock.................. Prior to this I owned a late WD/C that I used as daily transport..............it was good for 50mph, more on occasions, but eventually expired one particular day with the conrod shearing, taking the piston and much of the engine with it................Lol........but in fairness, I flogged it to death.................... I know my Flying Flea was delivered to the WD at Cambridge in September 1944 despite being built a year earlier in 1943.........I also know it was retained post-war until nearly 1954...........................my James was also sold-off in the early 1950's as war surplus "rebuilt" despite being built in 1943............my 1942 Ariel was found disassembled in a coal cellar in Kent many years ago now still in WD trim, and my 1941 Norton found in New Dehli, India........but with paint traces underneath showing desert use and the piston marked as being made by 501 Command workshops, IME (Indian Mechanical Engineers - the equivalent of our REME) based at Chaklala (Pakistan) in 1945........................ The history of our individual bikes and War service often remains frustratingly absent today.........................
  9. Thanks Lex. That's very interesting...........I have seen WD Flea's with odd prefixes, and in some cases suffixes to the engine number that is usually prefixed by a "V" (thought, though not confirmed, to indicate the fitting of the Villiers carburetter)........... We also know that these numbers are individual engine "build" numbers and like the ML, seem to have been allocated at random therefore not matching the frame number..............however, the latter is (usually) duplicated on the engine crankcase on the top behind the cylinder and below the carburetter illustrating the particular machine to which installed originally....... My Flea too (first contract) also carries the original tyres...........they're rather hard nowadays and were a bugger to remove/fit, but with new tubes fitted they're okay........I calculated that the Flea is never going to see mileage other than at the odd show therefore road use is not an issue..........and in any case the bonus is that hard tyres stop them from going flat !!!!!
  10. Hi Lex...........info came from a 1948 Edition of the "Pearson" series on Royal Enfield, written by C A E Booker who was service manager at Enfield's.............he must therefore had info to factory despatch records though we can't argue with your evidence either.................what does Jan Vanderville think about pre-war RE Baby production.......?
  11. Regarding Flea wheels..............pre-war "Royal Baby's" started at Frame No. 1001.........these had cup and cone bearings in the wheels up to frame 3100..............the next sequence from 3101 to 4140 had ball-journal bearings....................... Wartime Flea (WD/RE) production manufacture commenced in volume at Frame 4141 back to cup and cone wheel bearings up to Frame 8170..............thereafter from frame 8171 upwards back to ball-journal bearings....................my own WD Flea has one wheel fitted with ball journal bearings, the other with cup and cone !!! Doubtless a workshop replacement at some point............
  12. What tyres did you eventually fit ? They look good...............mine has wartime originals still fitted (Dunlop Universals)..........
  13. I admire anyone restoring a 3HW as they are not easy to get parts for today...............sure, mechanical parts are not too much of an issue, but cycle parts are.................... The 3HW did not really begin to appear in any numbers until 1943 (Italy) and a few were issued for the Normandy campaign a year or so later, but they were never really that common........the bulk of production appears to have been introduced into service from 1944 onward and particularly for the Far East campaign with other numbers appearing in the Middle east occupation forces around the same time..............a massive amount seem to have remained in military storage, unused........... A lovely bike to ride with decent performance too, but if you are over 6' tall too small to ride comfortably for too long............
  14. When restoring a WD Flea, it is absolutely essential to have three things to hand..................firstly, a WD spare parts book, secondly a post-war civvy equivalent to compare numbers, etc, and thirdly a WD workshop manual that is extremely detailed...................aside from that, plenty of period images to hand.................... First thing to remember is the WD Flea was based on the pre-war "Royal Baby", itself based on the similar DKW...............the post-war Flea was based on these earlier examples, not the other way round...................whilst you CAN modify a post-WW2 bike to look "WD" to be totally accurate it is rather a lot of work at the end of the day and numerous parts differ in pattern and detail............ I have a lot of the answers on WD Flea's.............you only have to ask................
  15. Hi Ron.......hope you and the Boss are well. Seemingly, the dummy grip and throttle grip were only supplied as a complete assembly for the WD Flea with the canvas grip and ferules already fitted......part number 30480........... Post war, the canvas WD grips were no longer required as rubber grips now fitted, therefore only one steel tube (for the twist grip) was now required, and supplied without the earlier canvas outer........therefore the steel tube was listed post-war as "Throttle Twist-Grip Assembly, Complete" (presumably with the cable attachment flange fitted) as part number 32971............the rubber grip was additionally listed as part number 32923...................so it seems the throttle tube was allocated 32971 with the cable flange attached, even though the latter retained it's own part number of 29967 !!!! (and could be supplied separately)............... The pumps fitted to my ML and Flea are minus stirrup and both genuine ex-WD...........they were found at a local autojumble NOS and several were there, both in olive drab and SCC No.2 brown so definitely ex-WW2..........they also fit on the bike a treat............but they are made of steel, not plastic or bakelite................no marks on them whatsoever either but ex-WD for certain.............. Some other Flea matters..................bikes built up to approximately mid/summer 1944 were finished in SCC No.2 brown.......after that, British Olive Drab................. The WD Flea has one extra tooth on the rear wheel sprocket.............copies are available from Hitchcock's.................... Tyres as originally fitted were WD-marked Dunlop Universals in size 275 x 19.................. Two leather straps with buckles were used on each bike to secure the wiring........plus a few pliable steel/aluminium ties......... Saddle was a "Mansfield" pattern as fitted to the James ML.........Mansfield badge on rear of saddle..............
  16. Some further Flying Flea observations..........:-) The tyre pump, although given a RE part number, was a standard commercial pattern also used on the James ML...........note that unlike the majority of other WD motorcycles, the pump used on the Flea and James did NOT have the foot stirrup (RON !).... The last two large Flea contracts were fitted with a "banana" shaped flat steel plate mounted on hexagon posts at the top/front of the magneto cover........the first contract didn't feature this........the plate was intended to protect the HT lead pick-up from damage..... The Flea HT lead does not feature the usual WD-type immobiliser.......this is because the entire HT lead could be easily detached..........the lead however does feature a waterproof rubber cap for the HT connection, the resistor, and the large "bell-shaped" Lodge brand plug cap........the later are rather hard to find nowadays and also fitted to the James ML................. Repro Miller points are at long last now available (Villiers Services, etc) but condensors are not..........I used a standard modern condensor suitably adapted to fit.............. The Flea decompressor assembly in the cylinder head is not the same as the Villiers item fitted to the James ML but are available from Hitchcock's, etc............... Note that on the various control cables, specifically clutch, front-brake and decompressor, special ferules are used to fit the cables into the handlebar levers/mounts..............I never buy modern cables for the Flea, preferring to make my own using as many original fittings as possible................. Miller lightswitch is unique to the WD Flea......positions "Ch, H, T, P"............Arnaud was making excellent replicas of the WD switch tops and knob........the beauty of most Miller switches compared to Lucas is you can strip them down completely and change the top over............underneath, you may have to move some of the terminal posts around which are riveted in place but with care these can be drilled out and remounted.....................
  17. Terry's (Metal Magic) reproduction kick-start assemblies were copied from an original and are extremely accurate........so buy with confidence........Terry also produces an extremely accurate copy of the Air-Maze filter assembly (actually better than the original as with improved filter element inside)...........Arnaud did make the name plates as stated earlier.......... As for the handlebar end-plugs, two types exist.......the first pattern fitted completely inside the handlebar and was used up to Frame No. 7168, the second pattern used from Frame 7169 incorporating a narrow flange wider than the handlebar to prevent the twist-grip rotor tube sliding off the end of the 'bar...........I may have a spare or two somewhere of the later pattern........ Note that the Flea's WD canvas grips are unique to the model, being factory-fitted onto very thin steel tubes that are a close fit on the handlebar.......both the left grip and the throttle share the same part number therefore are supposedly identical....there should be sufficient room at the end of the canvas grip brass ferules (steel never used on Flea grips) to expose sufficient of the steel inner-tube to mount the throttle cable flange on.....................as for the dummy left-hand grip, this was secured to the 'bar by a small grub screw underneath the 'bar through the exposed end of the steel inner-tube (a hole may need to be drilled for this in the tube ?)........if you have a set of original handlebars then you should find a small hole underneath the left-hand side about 6 inches up from the end of the 'bar................ Note that the carburetor used on the Flea is not the same as that used on the James ML.............it used a different (non-standard) needle and jet............both these parts are available from Villiers Services........... A quantity of Flying Flea's (possibly up to 1500) from all contracts were retained post-war by the War Department for use by Airborne forces and Glider Operations...they were also post-war military registered under the new numbering system.......these were in reality little used if at all and remained in storage under "care and maintenance" and all were disposed of during the early 1950's. My own Flea from the first contract was not disposed of until 1955, being civvy registered in 1956.............. Contract plates used on Flea's were the stamped steel variety, brass not being used...........1st contract had the tag wrapped around the left-rear seat-tube just above the chainguard and secured with a screw and nut...........subsequent contracts had the contract tag riveted to the rear mudguard................saying that, my own Flea from the first contract actually had the contract plate hidden and affixed to the top cross-bar of the stand by way of wrapping around and the usual screw and nut fixing.......... Another source for Flea parts is Burton Bike Bits.............you can browse on-line but you need to use the original part numbers..........I managed to get several bare twist grip tubes, twist grip cable clamps and throttle stops from there only last year, all NOS..........worth a try or phone call maybe ?
  18. CW Son is not "Compton Webb"...............it is actually "Clifford Williams & Son Ltd", a rather old manufacturer of Battledress, etc, and having some of the first contracts to manufacture DPM 1968 Pattern smocks and trousers between 1971 and 1972.............. Following this, they don't appear to have manufactured further contracts so maybe out of business thereafter..............they were also the only manufacturer to (usefully) date their smocks and trousers !
  19. Can I just politely remind people that this is also MY book, not simply Chris Orchard's. It always was, and remains since first publication a joint collaborative work with equal input from BOTH of us. Steve Madden
  20. I too, am looking for a set of wheels.........Lol.......for my second ML project........ For info, both the Flea and the ML used WMO 19" size rims.......BUT, the ML specified 36 spokes front and rear whereas the Flea used 40 spokes per wheel................. The ML hubs are pretty unique, BUT were made by the British Hub Co in Birmingham so worse case scenario other lightweight hubs could be modified..............
  21. The Flea tank badge does turn up on Ebay sometimes.........but Hitchcock's Motorcycles in the Midlands list and stock pretty decent looking replicas that are fully coloured-in.........they were in stock a few weeks ago now........ As for the tail light, as Ron mentions impossible to find nowadays so it will be a case of making one.............I cut down a suitable red lense from something else and machined the tubular body up on a lathe............
  22. For Korea, the only cold-weather headdress available from British sources were the wartime khaki-gabardine "ski-cap" as intended for mountain troops and the "Cap, Sheepskin" (as the name suggests)...........the pile-lined caps worn were from US military sources............... During the 1960s, a green pile-lined cap of British origin was issued, this still being listed in the 1986 "CM" QM Catalogue (Cold Climate Clothing)........it is described as "Cap, Cold Weather" and described as "Acrylic on polyester and cotton, lovat, for use by one special unit only", three sizes (Small, Medium and Large) and assigned British NSN's of 8415-99-136-0663 to 0665 respectively................the item is not shown (then) as obsolete........the DPM pile-lined cold-weather cap is also listed in three sizes plus "special" for those with an enormous head..........NSN's 8415-99-132-3734 to 3737............. Interestingly, the Norwegian-issue green ski cap is also listed as "current", being described as "Cotton, with earflaps, for AMF(L) only", sizes 6 & 3/4 to 7 & 1/2 (Continental sizes 55 to 61cm), NSN's 8405-25-821-5803 to 5809............... The original DPM pile-lined cold-weather cap was introduced in the late-1970's with a nylon quilted lining............issues from the very late 1980's/early 90s onward were entirely faux-fleece lined (dreadful material) and some of the 90s issue were made from ripstop cloth as opposed to windproof cotton gabardine.................:-D
  23. Nice application of SCC No.2 Brown...............so underrated in my opinion but the standard colour for most between mid-1942 and April 1944...............existing stocks of paint held by manufacturers had to be used up first but you can safely say that any British motorcycle dating from 1943 and well into 1944 was originally finished in brown rather than olive......... As Ron mentioned, I would thoroughly recommend "Classic Transfers"....................I use a matt-finish aerosol fuel-proof lacquer in a spray can intended for model aircraft use over my transfers...............it is good stuff !!!! Available from Swindon Model Centre, Theatre Square, Swindon, in either brush-on or spray can........semi and gloss finish available too, and the stuff becomes even more fuel-resistant with age............. Classic Transfers can also supply a pair of "C" numbers for several WD motorcycles in the correct font.........these are made on ultra-thin vynil on a backing paper for ease of application and they snug down perfectly on the tank..........after a coat of the appropriate varnish, they are identical to the painted-on type..................just give Marcia your "C" number and they do the rest.............
  24. The original canvas grips were not generally introduced into new production until early 1943.........however, manufacturers and military workshops continued to fit the earlier rubber grips where stocks remained............. The original WD new grips had a label attached with fitting instructions........that was for both the handlebar and grip to be smeared/soaked in petrol to activate the black-coloured adhesive applied to the inside of the grip to attach firmly to the handlebar...................... Personally, I find Araldite, Evostick, etc, works just as well...........
  25. As mentioned before, you can ignore all UK lighting requirements and laws if you use your bike during daylight hours only............... All of mine are wired exactly to wartime military specifications and wear blackout masks............but then again, I never ride at night or during darkness................ When MoT's were required for "historic vehicles" in the UK, the lighting arrangements on my bikes were excluded from the test because I informed the tester that the vehicle (bike) was only used during daylight hours......and to comply with the law those lights fitted need to be "masked over" (eg - a blackout mask) and cannot readily "Be put to use" (meaning that you can't simply operate a switch to put the lighting to use, needing to physically remove the masking, etc).........just for good measure I used to put a piece of duck-tape over the MCT1 rear light lense for the test........... Now MoT's are no longer necessary in the UK, it very much relies on the rider to comply with the current legal requirements............For example, you can legally drive a modern car on UK roads with non-functioning lights providing it is during daylight hours and/or if said lights are defective but in-between/en-route to repair workshops, etc..........same with a modern trials bike or scrambler...........if not fitted with lighting, and/or even if lighting is fitted, but "masked over" or "cannot be put to immediate use" then lighting, even if fitted, is considered non-functional and therefore excluded from any (MoT) test or any "stop-check" on the road by the authorities providing if used during daylight hours.......... It obviously means that if you follow the above, you do not need a stop (brake)-light or a rear reflector, speedo light, etc...........if your bike is considered to not be fitted with lighting and used during daylight hours only then these requirements are also null and void.............. My James ML and WD/RE lightweights are not even fitted with speedo's ! But, if necessary, you can always clip-on a modern digital bicycle speedometer out of interest.............. The onus will always be on the rider to prove, the police to question, and if it ever gets that far a Court to decide..............but as a long-serving retired UK cop I think, personally, that there will always be far more important issues to concentrate on..................
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