Ron

Bloody Hell! Thanks Rik. Ron

Thanks for that Noel. It puts it right in my mind.👍 Your explanation makes perfect sense to me. Whether the other guys will believe it is up to them. Regards Ron

Ah Neil I didn't realize it was you? I guess you also have a interest in the Town. Here is a link to the thread......I think you're able to view it in 'General Discussion' https://bsac10c11c12.co.uk/smf/general-discussion/can-you-help-me-ron/ Ron

I don't think anyone is claiming ownership! The guy who posted them on that BSA C10-11-12 forum lives in Trowbridge and is interested in the history of the town. Any pictures posted on that forum, automatically get tagged with the site name, and I just lifted them off the forum. Do you think he's not correct with his ID of the location? He seems to have done some research on it. I'd still like to prove the guys wrong who claim the registration CMM is 1952!!! Ron

Funnily enough I've been discussing this picture on a none military motorcycle forum. I ID'd the two outside vehicles as Commer Beatles, but wasn't sure about the center one. (I've only got Bart's WW2 directory.) I also ID'd the two motorcycles as BSA M20's and dated the picture at 1938/39. Strangely though I'm being told by several other guys that the CMM registration is 1952.......How can that be? The guy who first posted the pictures lives in Trowbridge and has identified the place as in the yard of the old drill hall (Used by the TA) The building on the right is the gate house to County Hall Trowbridge which was completed in 1940 and then covered by netting to disguise it from enemy bombers.He thinks the cap badges are from the Horse Artillery and they changed from horses to vehicle in 1939. Ron

Makes sense to me now John. Probably makes it a BSEAMER😏 Ron

Sometimes the typed word is not enough. All along I though he was talking about a 1938 BSA. Ron

Forgive me John, I might be missing something here! Does the carb sit in the standard vertical position, but with a vertical stud pattern? I initially thought you were talking about the horizontal carb like this one.......And why two carbs? Ron

Today I managed 2 x 7 mile test rides which included some 45+ MPH duel carriageway. The first run proved that the engine vibration was vastly improved and would probably be completely eradicated with some non regulation rubber foot rest and handlebar grips. However I must have disturbed the carb as the engine wouldn't idle properly and wanted to stall at traffic lights etc.....So back on the bench to remove the carb for a strip, clean and poke out those tiny drillings with thin wire. The second run was much more enjoyable with only a noisy tappet to re-adjust when home and back on the bench again. I must admit though, I am completely spoilt by my Model G/WD which is essentially the same, but a much smoother ride with its heavier crank shafts, rubber foot rest and handlebar grips, and rubber mounted handlebars. Ron

Did you mean me Bob? I've had it for over 30 years. I'll phone you. Ron

Also it's occurred to me, that the fitting of the Burman engine/gearbox plate to the off side would possibly iron out the last kink in the clutch cable........But too late now! Ron

I finished my engine installation today and it started second kick (I don't think I'd tickled it enough first time) . The wind, rain, and inevitable 'Sunday, garden center Muppet's' precluded any attempt at a test ride today! I'll give it a try on the next available dry period to see if the vibration has been eradicated or at least improved on. Ron

You're an officer! You can easily order such a field workshop modification...."Sir yes sir"🙂 Ron

It's all in the report😣 Mine has always been fitted with the plates this way round and it looks neater on the side you can see, so i'll leave it like that. Cheers Jan. Ron

I didn't know that Chris, I've never given it a thought, but of course it makes sense that there would have been different plates for the Burman box........As it happens, the crankcases I;ve just replaced were from the Burman contract. Ron

Always a lot easier and more accurate to do the ignition timing whilst the head is off! All the Royal Enfield WD models are the only ones I know of that have a slack wire cable advance. Actually a better idea! Adopted by other make after the war. Ron

😃😃Especially needed for failing eyesight for the tiny dots on the pinion!

Crankshaft end float clocked and adjusted with different thickness thrust washers. Bottom end built and back in the frame. Ron

I collected my crankshaft from Ainsley today. The outcome is that when he first checked it, he calculated the balance factor at 43%. After drilling the flywheels at the big end area, he's achieved a balance factor of 58%.. I've ordered new gaskets and small parts from Hitchcock's, so I can proceed with the engine build tomorrow. Ron

I think you are right Chris, in all the pictures I have where you can see the left foot rest, the foot rest is either left down or in that halfway position. The pictures are all from around 1942 though. So unless a picture from a later contract proves different......I guess that's how they were. Leaving only a workshop or subsequent owner modification......Like mine! Ron

Indeed it is Jan! I had my suspicions and marked that disc before I let the bearing fall out in the oven. So put it back in the same location and it's well and truly held by the new bearing and its thrust washer now. Will seal the crack with JP weld or something. There's no need to knock these bearings out! In fact there is nothing to hit. I have a small electric oven in my workshop and at 220 degrees the bearing was laying in the bottom of the oven. Some butchery must have taken place beforehand as the old race had a big chuck broken out???Ron

PS. Some people think that these engines are 'wet sump' like a car. It's not the case. They are 'Dry Sump' like all the rest. It's just that the oil tank is part of the crankcase. Ron

My WD/CO is from the RAF contract C14219. I completely rebuilt the engine about 350 miles ago which included a +40 thou rebore and installation of a modern dome top Bullet piston which raises the compression from 6.1 to 7.1 and just gives these bikes a little more pulling power. Unfortunately the bike vibrates a bit more than I would like and is especially pronounced because of the lack of foot rest rubbers and handlebar grips. It's always bugged me because my engine is from an earlier Army contract, so I decided I'd rebuild my engine again, including balancing of the crank assembly if only I could find some engine cases to match my contract. Within moments of asking, Jan put me in touch with a very nice guy, Leon in the Netherlands who had the engine cases I needed. I local friend who visited the Arnhem event last week collected the cases and I picked them up from him this morning. I've already cleaned them up and transferred my new main bearing races and bronze timing side bush from my old cases. (God knows how the drive side bearing had a big chunk out of it?) My crank assembly is with my engineer Ainsley who tells me that the heavier piston I fitted is producing a balance factor of about 45%, where 55-60% would be more normal for this sort of bike. He'll now proceed with drilling and lightening the flywheels accordingly to alter the balance factor. I'll post updates as I proceed. Ron

Ian if you replace the stud with a 3/4" longer one and make a simple 3/4" tube spacer will do it. Ron

Ian, belay that information. I've just been chatting with Jan and we've discovered that there is some sort of discrepancy in the parts list. It clearly quotes 2 x eye bolt 28416. But these are only 1 3/8" long to the center of the foot rest pivot bolt. I've just measured mine which is about 2 1/8". which is sufficient to clear the tool box. There is no mention in the parts list of this extra long eye bolt or a spacer for the standard eye bolt. Jan can easily rectify this problem and I think will make his own comments. Ron