Ron

90 miles and we have all the boating facilities you could wish for here in Poole. But we've had a long association with the Thames. I got sidetracked into military vehicles 30 years ago though. Ron

I guess that's Dave Morse at Hitchcocks? He has a WD/CO too. He's been here to my place and mentioned coming again sometime. Also and completely off topic, my wife keeps here boat round the corner from you at Chertsey Lock! As far as I'm aware, every Royal Enfield WD model has those angled taps as fitted to mine. I see Hitchcocks list petrol taps but I don't know if they are correct NOS or repro or something else? Here are some genuine NOS taps I have. Ron

Hitchcocks is a good firm and they are better than "Amal" to deal with for genuine Amal parts. You can also buy the correct fuel pipe from them #8 http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/partsbooks/pages/261/Petrol_Tank_and_Front_Mudguard Ron

It looks right but the number should be stamped on the top of the flange. Some Triumph SV's also used this 'long neck model' to clear the mag. Your float bowl is on the wrong side, which is not a serious problem for a 'zero' angled carb. Ron

Yes indeed. The body I showed is CO and the carb should be a 276AC/1A (1A should be stamped separately on the float bowl) Ron

Andy the 3HW has a tin chaincase and there should be a tube at the rear of the inner chaincase with another tiny spout coming out of it. The oil flow is adjusted with a pointed screw and spring similar in effect to your carb pilot air screw. Personally I never want any more oil than is usually leaking from these bikes and I seal the oiler and put a dummy screw/spring in. The chain is usually flinging off oil anyway that it picks up from the gearbox bearing or clutch aperture in the chaincase........If not I would just squirt some with an oil can once in a while or better still immerse it in that special melted chain grease. Ron

Firstly check you have the correct union nut at the bottom of carb body. There are 2-3 different lengths to those. Just above this nut is a bleed hole in the carb body and no amount of new gaskets will stop it leaking if the float level is too high or the float needle is not sealing. A good first indication is to remove the float bowl and clean/blow it out, reassemble it, turn it upside down and try and blow through the petrol inlet. You can also prove it by operating the tickler to allow you to breath past the needle valve. You can also refit the bowl without the cap and watch the level rise and shut the fuel off. If your float and needle are in good condition, but fuel is still seeping from the bleed hole, them maybe the float level is too high. You can try adding an extra fibre washer between bowl and carb to drop the level a touch. On the other hand, these pre monoblocks will sometimes weep with just the tap turned on and then settle down when the bike is running. Ron

Yes I was thinking 'Dukes of Hazard' But google tells me that their 'General Lee' was a 69 Charger. I'm always interested in what others are up to. Ron

Dem Dooks!! Or was that a 69 Charger? Ron

Yes the milkiness indicates it's got water in there somehow, and maybe hence the high level. ... Has A previous owner been wading? You don't need to remove the whole box, you can take that cover off with the box in the frame. Ron

If there was a significant amount of oil inside that outer cover? It's probably as Chris has already suggested and coming through the mainshaft bearing. That bearing is well above the oil level and is fed by the gears picking up the oil and leakage is kept to a reasonable minimum by a simple steel shield/thrower. From my experience it's usually the kick start bush that leaks and especially as it's down near the oil level. If you decided to take the inner cover off, the nut on the end of the mainshaft is L/H thread and if you fit one of those sealed bearings (good idea) I would remove the lipped seal from the inside. I usually fit these to the drive end as a matter of course during any gearbox rebuild. I doubt the push-rod is worn enough to give a problem, but easy to just pull it out for inspection/measuring. Ron

I've ridden most makes of these old WD bikes Rik but I'm just comfortable with the Beeza and Enfield's and especially the Indian Special, which even has a 'MIRROR'!! I think that would probably hold its own against an M33? To be honest I'm just pleased to still be getting my leg over on a fairly regular basis these days. Ron

Yes I rode with a guy in France who had fitted a B33 engine to his M20.......We couldn't keep up!! Ron

ML 3488 is as the previous poster suggests within contract S1972.....frames ML 2 - ML 3541. As for originality, I would prefer to see a picture with the paint stripped. The first '8' looks strange in your pictures. Ron

Ian, I never want to piss on anyone's firework, and I can't see your number all that well, but what I "think" I can see is:- ML 34 then a strange looking 8 then 8 and maybe another digit 2or5 ??? Can you confirm or strip the paint for a better picture? The last recorded number for wartime ML's is 8500 with the possibility of a further unrecorded 200 machines to the admiralty. Regards Ron

Here is my engine number. Ron

I think you'll find that the 1948 BSA M33. was some sort of a factory-built " hybrid ", using M20 cycleparts and the engine of the 500cc B33. Later that year, telescopic front forks were introduced. Ron

Enjoy it! I like riding my CO and G. No front number plate on a CO. In fact by this period, both plates were deleted, but of course you need a rear plate. Here's a couple of the many factory pictures. Ron

I wouldn't risk EP oil in these old boxes. Extreme Pressure oils have properties that can have an adverse effect on bronze bushes. Best use straight 50 or 90. You can't really overfill them as you just fill to the level plug on the back of the box. I've found 'Hitchcocks' to be one of the best firms for parts. Dead easy to order from their on line parts books, next day delivery. It might be a good idea to invest in a manual. http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/books-manuals-workshop Ron

There's no seal as such. The kick start shaft runs in a metal bush (I can't remember if it's steel or bronze) This bush has probably worn and possibly the shaft also. You can remove the kick start and inner covers with the box in the frame. A good engineer will be able to make a new bush, pressed in and honed/reamed matched to your shaft.........Again from memory, the nut on the end of the main shaft might be left hand thread. Too cold to go to the shed to check my manual. Ron

Ha Ha! For me in the early 60's it was a Tiger Cub.. Not much has changed. Except now I have a hydraulic bench instead of sitting in an oil spill. Ron

I can't see enough of your front hub to determine if it is wrong or not, and the correct hubs are extremely difficult to find. (I think they are unique to the ML). But your handlebar arrangement is definitely post war. Ron

As it is now. Ron

Bjorn As far as I know the frame number was stamped lower down on the right hand side headstock. The stampings are quite light and often barely visible under layers of paint. I had to strip the paint to read mine properly. It might pay you to take a closer look at that one. The frame number you show somehow looks wrong and too modern? Ron

Yes indeed a thin wire mesh sandwich can be almost on the outside of the tank. Thanks for joining in Arnaud. Ron