jenkinov

Hi Based on the lists published in British Forces Motorcycles 1939 to 1945 frame no TL30318 is from a triumph 3sw which was allocated to the RAF under contract C11465 .the frame range was TL30266 to 30415 ...the engine range was 3SW 40266 to 40415 ..it was one of 150 produced between 12/8/41. And 18/9/41.. Many 3sw were 're engined post war with the higher performance 3hw engine . Ron has detailed the engine is from 1943.. Would it be ok if we got photos of the bike from each side .with close ups of the front forks . Frame number on the front post ..Frame date under the seat and of the engine numbers ..this should allow the forum to identify parts and give you additional info. This is the only surviving frame i am aware of from contract 11465 so a rare .. Jenkinov

Alfie Whilst the repairs completed post war are part of the bikes history i suspect they arose directly from the absence of genuine parts and they were clearly innovative and effective in keeping the bike running which in turn contributed to the bikes survival. But my view is this was pure necessity and had parts been available the bike may have been maintained in Near original condition. As. Such i don't think that you destroy any of its history in returning it to nearer it's military specification . But as the owner it's your choice on the depth and style of restoration.. Whatever you choose please share the journey with the forum Jenkinov Also Th

Hi Alfie In the post war period spares for these vehicles were very hard to get and I am confident these are post war and civilian modifications to keep the bike running .. .whilst it's relatively easy to get most spares today there was a long period where bikes of this type had low value ..spares where hard to locate and modifying them to keep them running was simply the only choice ... As a child I wanted a welbike and was aware my grandfather who had a motorbike shop could locate them ..I saw other children riding them and was desperate to get a - mini bike but he thought I should have a proper bike and my brothers and sisters shared an 98cc excelsior consort as our field bike . I still have the consort but it's value is negotiable in comparison with a welbike today Jenkinov

I visited the United States shortly after the 150the anniversary of Gettysburg And was amazed to hear the thousands that had participated and watched ..there I is potential for ww2 're enactment and vehicle preservation to gain an equivalent foothold. I personally have tried to attend remembrance events and noted that for the last 20 or so years numbers have increased steadily to the extent that for the 100th anniversary of WW1 events it was hard to get near the cenotaph.

Great to see some debate on preservation ..l I wanted to share a strategy that has worked well ..when I got my jeep the paintwork was in a very poor state and there was exposed metal everywhere ,the upper surfaces looked ok but as soon as you looked under a wing there was surface rust . And very little paint ..I was aiming to restore the jeep for a trip to Normandy so needed to concentrate on the mechanical side of the project which I did I was then faced with the issue of having a jeep mechanically good but that looked as tatty as hell and I was concerned on exposing the bare metal areas to weather ...so I took a lesson from the classic steam crews and painted the jeep with 2 stroke oil and allowed it to dry for a week ..I avoided the engine bay to avoid the risk of fire and interior but everywhere else got a good coat ..the jeep was very glossy and incredibly water resistant and the oil preservation strategy worked extremely well .I must comment when we got back the jeep was subsequently blasted and repainted .I still paint spare parts with oil as a preservative and believe it's a good strategy Jenkinov

Hi Alf i was surprised no one had answered your question but having started to write a reply realised that a simple question could in a hugely long reply ..there are so many ways in which people restore bikes from a full makeover to leaving the patina original and untouched ?....it's is that personal preference that makes it very hard to advise... I recently read a great article on restoring classic bikes that I would refer you to ..motorcycle preservation and restoration part 2 at vintagemotortees.com Let me comment that my restoration style is minima! ..I really love patina light and heavy and have a just in time strategy on maintenance ..however as a young man trying to run cars i came to hate rust and my rule of thumb is to kill all active dust regardless of impact to paintwork ..I use kurust and am aware that it changes the colour of paint .. So option 1 leave it alone and enjoy the patina Option 2 is to apply an oil or grease to Rust proof the item and again leave it Option 3 is to lacquer it as is and preserve it Option 4 is to return it to factory as new condition With all these options test the impact on a discrete part of the item and check you like it before proceeding Jenkinov

Phil...I Have a cold lead on an engine ..when I was looking for a spare engine i came across a 5s 1939 engine ...it was featured in a blog on April 2010 .his blog was active until 2016 but there is an e mail address .. it's not unlikely the engine was a long term project and he might still have it..send me a pm and I will give you the web page and contact details . Jenkinov

I acquired my 3sw.in 2012 and saw on a nearby bike a genuine rear rack ..I have been keeping an eye out for a genuine pressed steel one for 8 years but frustratingly haven't found one yet .I will need to check my history but believe another forum member did manufacture a few ? Jenkinov

Ron.my 1940 3sw has a date stamp on the seat post ,and I have seen date stamps on other Coventry bikes certainly from contract 7162 ' it's great to see an original 5sw frame located a real rarity and I am pretty sure with time a 5s enginecan be located ..I am aware of one fitted to a 3sw frame on a bike local to me plus I saw a whole series of 5s engines from the Irish army on eBay a few years back ..I have a spare 3s engine from the same contract 7162 and wish I had picked up at least one of the Irish 5s engines .. In terms of the restoration the bike is mostly 5sw so personally I would restore it as such ..replacing the field stand Tec with matching items as you find them and enjoy this great bike Jenkinov

Ron.I was looking at your pictures and remembered that whilst the field stand mount were bolted the field clip mounts were welded and are likely to still be on the frame. Phil can you please take photos of the rear frame on the near side ( left )of the bike . This could be important in confirming it's a military frame Jenkinov

Phil Thanks for the pictures . As Ron has advised the frame number sits in the range for contract c7828 a batch of 1655 ordered on 18/7/40 ..the front frame stamp is 100 percent triumph .The WD triumph register also has frame TL 19269 so within 8 of yours and The engine number linked to that bike is 32836 .......Rons magic number of 13567.. The 3HW engine is intriguing ..Ron can you associate of with a contract ? Please keep the photos coming Jenkinov

Philip checked the wdtriumph.com register and whilst there are 3sw and 3hw engines listed there are no spare 5sw engines on the register ..but of interest there are only 11 5sw recorded demonstrating the frames rarity Jenkinov

Hi Phil .great to hear from you . It's not unusual for triumph frames to have been 're engined .particularly the early war bikes .would.it be ok if you shared the engine and Frame numbers ..photos are normally the best as triumph were quite enthusiastic with their stamping and you can tell a lot ..As a starter of you look at the seat post you should have the frame month and year ..normally displayed e.g. TE 0840 ..the frame number is usually on or near the front post . With the engine again it's stamps will tell us quite a lot ..if you share photos of the bike we can also identify the parts ..for example you may have a field stand mount ..and as you spotted the type of petrol tank. This info might help with the restoration In terms of 5sw engines the triumph register ..wdtriumph.com has details of spare engines and you might be able to get someone to part with one ..there was a run of Irish army 5sw engines on eBay a few years ago ..so they are around Jenkinov

There's a old thread on the an RT100 where quite a few hmvf members advise they own one ..plus welbike a regular contributor puts in extracts of a large book. .. If they don't spot this thread ..I would suggest sending personal messages to them via hmvf as owners they make have suggestions Jenkinov

Good call ..always worth using fresh fuel.... I regularly use high octane fuel to get vehicles that have been stood to fire then revert to standard octane Jenkinov

Went on companies house and their is a James cycle company limited so yes it's an registered uk company but it appears dormant ......well for now Jenkinov

Hi Chris 3hw forks come up quite regularly . Firstly avoid the Indian copies that you see they are of poor quality and simply not worth the money... ..The Greek army used triumph 3hws into the fifties and there is a steady stream of parts listed on eBay as the bikes are still being actively broken for parts .I looked today and at least I set of front forks is listed in Athens ...just be aware these are from bikes that have stood and will probably need work..but I would I would buy these and repair them .. Cornucopia enterprises is also worth contacting .they don't have forks currently listed but may be able to help Get plenty of photos before you commit to buying them and share them with the forum ..you will get honest opinion on their condition and value Jenkinov

Hi . I would suggest you have a look at welbike UK Ltd ...welbikeuk.com...they appear to have all the parts you need . You may be tempted with cheaper Indian spares but experience has shown these are often poor quality . Welbikes are highly sought after and very expensive for their size ..so worth investing in. Please share some photos with the forum . Jenkinov

Curious ...do you have fresh fuel .....? I seem to regularly run into issues with poor fuel..I often start engines for the first time with high octane fuel...? Jenkinov

maybe a bit late but You might want to consider a semi Matt finish ..Matt can be a challenging finish the paint marks easily and me experience is it will go glossy on wear areas any way .when I originally got my jeep it had lots of shiny areas from wear so painted it in semi matt... 15 years on it still looks ok.. Jenkinov

Another interesting photo of Despatch riders with rifles ...but feel is that this is early war ..based on the gas masks Jenkinov

Thanks that's an incredible amount of detail . So sad he did not make it .we owe so much to his generation . He appears to have been an NCO .which explains his access to the Thompson Jenkinov

I believe the above photo is in Italy .The photo is dated as 4th August 1943 and indicates 2HQ lots of great features on the photo ...I believe that's the army c number on the front mudguard .The 57th division marking is also rare as this was a British deception formation .... In Africa and Italy NCOs could carry a Thompson or Sten but I am aware my that my uncle elected to carry a rifle as snipers would pick off those with these weapons first .Thompson's however were highly prized and I suspect this despatch rider did not want to trade it in for a pistol.. Jenkinov

I believe that was an early war trial to fire on the move.....doubt it hit anything though ..I was thinking of this example Jenkinov