Joris Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Well done!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 (edited) Awaiting a price up for parts, the first batch of parts shall be: Front forks Front wheel and spindle Rear wheel and sprocket Exhaust Silencer Handlebar lowering pole and clamp Tyres and inner tubes Tank pump Cables Need to undo the brazing on the front of the frame, luckily the bearing mount is still in place and has been worked around rather than removed. Found out that the forks on the rear for the wheel have been widened, will have to get a bit of weld put in and file it down. After that just need to prepare for painting and then paint Edited July 27, 2012 by MHillyard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Nice work, great little machines, when I watched that video I swear I could smell that thing, they where so unwanted in the early 60s kids had them given to them, the big thing was to dare to ride the length of the village without getting caught..........nothing changes :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Just found thishttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIdgeY4fGLE&feature=related Any one recognize the music in this video? Signature tune to Music While You Work maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 You're quite right Bernard it was the signature tune for Music While you Work. That brings some memories back, mostly of being home from school due to illness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 had a good go at it today, attacking the modification on the headstock. Luckily (see photos) it was only brazed in and brazed in badly. Only disappointment is that the headstock has been cut through where some of the frame numbers are :banghead: Uncovered one more number though "6" so only missing one number. Might be able to work out what it is using some mathematics. The two tubes came out well and the bearing mount is still in place so little more is needed to be done there apart from a good clean-up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 had a good go at it today, attacking the modification on the headstock. Luckily (see photos) it was only brazed in and brazed in badly. Yep that is a bit of luck as if oxy or arc welded, would have been a lot of hard work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 another modification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Forgot to ask as I noticed on the other thread the headstock was also modified. Is this a common problem and why? I am assuming that these bikes were only made to last a short time something wears out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 (edited) Forgot to ask as I noticed on the other thread the headstock was also modified. Is this a common problem and why? I am assuming that these bikes were only made to last a short time something wears out? I dont know exactly why but my main guess is that these bikes were used by teenagers etc after the war and probably used off road and at high speeds. There is no suspension which meant that every impact with the ground affected the bike, also because of the impacts people would fall of, crash etc doing damage to the bike when it crashed/fell. The front forks, i believe, are just metal tubes which with a certain amount of force would just crush or bend. My one the forks have been replaced completely and on the other on they have been bent back. Also the bearings i am sure were not designed to be used for years after the war, so these would wear out making the bike more unreliable. Just my theory:D Edited December 30, 2011 by MHillyard another idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I dont know exactly why but my main guess is that these bikes were used by teenagers etc after the war and probably used off road and at high speeds. There is no suspension which meant that every impact with the ground affected the bike, also because of the impacts people would fall of, crash etc doing damage to the bike when it crashed/fell. The front forks, i believe, are just metal tubes which with a certain amount of force would just crush or bend. My one the forks have been replaced completely and on the other on they have been bent back. Also the bearings i am sure were not designed to be used for years after the war, so these would wear out making the bike more unreliable. Just my theory:D My memory is they were made for D-Day invasion. Did they have any service after that i.e. post war did the units retain them in service or were a one off item? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 My memory is they were made for D-Day invasion. Did they have any service after that i.e. post war did the units retain them in service or were a one off item? They were first designed for the SOE so when spies dropped in France etc they could ride away, this was rejected by the SOE for obvious reasons, the sound of a 98cc Villiers engine is quite loud and distinctive and would give away anyone's position. Although the SOE were not interested the parachute regiment took a liking to them and they had several made for the idea that they would drop in containers with the paras, the paras would then retrieve them and ride them to their destination then chuck them away. This is what they were made for. Several Welbikes were issued to other units and some can be seen landing with the British on D-day (will try to find the photo), there is even one photo of an American on one, and not to forget one with a German on a captured one! A number of Welbikes during and after the war were used as airfield run-arounds for officers or anyone who could get hold of one. They were easy transport for going short distances eg. from Hanger 1 to hanger 3, or from barracks to mess hall etc. Several were on airfields in the middle east, not quite sure how they got there. One story which i will have to check up on is that a fighter pilot used to attach one under his plane in a container and use it when he got to his destination. After the war, i think, several were given to India and Australia and a few to Russia. i will have to check up this next bit but: Those that were not kept on bases were either scraped or sold to America, this was because they did not fit the specifications for an MOT so America bought them and sold them in shops. I believe that it was not allowed to let the bikes sell in the UK because of laws etc but this was often ignored and many did find their way out and were used by teenagers for on fields or on farms. In America quite a few were also used as parade bikes for some organisation who few flags from the back of them. It is often thought that the bikes were completely pointless for their task and highly un-necessary but they were great for propaganda saying that we had things very well made for such small tasks and that we were prepared for anything. Well i think that covers most things :-D will check up on details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 Also not forgetting the Brockhouse Corgi that was made after the war, It was a civilianised version based loosely on the Welbike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 It is often thought that the bikes were completely pointless for their task and highly un-necessary but they were great for propaganda saying that we had things very well made for such small tasks and that we were prepared for anything. That's something I was wondering about also i.e. use after the war etc as often it gets lost in the glossy overview. Not that such things detract on the collectable value as a lot of military kit are like this. The Land Rover Lightweight was supposedly built to be helicopter liftable. But the Lightweight is heavier than the bog stock civilian model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 The Land Rover Lightweight was supposedly built to be helicopter liftable. But the Lightweight is heavier than the bog stock civilian model. It was designed that body sides, tailboard, doors, etc could be removed, yet still functional, in order that it could be lifted by the then in-service Westland Wessex helicopter, a stock civvy model would have been too heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 It was designed that body sides, tailboard, doors, etc could be removed, yet still functional, in order that it could be lifted by the then in-service Westland Wessex helicopter, a stock civvy model would have been too heavy. I rebuilt one of these a few years back so went mad into the history as one does. Even stripped it could not be picked up by helicopters in service at the time. The removable gear box cross member and 24v generator were some of the extra weight issues. Best Land Rover built but in the initial stages did not fulfil the stated purpose. Not sure what year the helicopter that could lift it came into service, got the book here somewhere :readbook:. Anyway the comment was made about, whether or not a mil vehicle was a pefect success in service does not really affect is collectable value. The RB44 may yet get it's own cult following Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 It was designed that body sides, tailboard, doors, etc could be removed, yet still functional, in order that it could be lifted by the then in-service Westland Wessex helicopter, a stock civvy model would have been too heavy. Like the 101 the 'Lightweight' (Which is heavier than a standard), was mainly designed to fit into the RAF transport aircraft of the time, then mostly VC10 frieghters. But someone then had the bright idea of buying Hercules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 (edited) Here are a selection of photos of the Welbike used in different services Obvious use, the paras: Man from SOE trying it out Welbikes used on RAF bases in far east Polish Paras: D-day: Welbikes on Vehicles: Welbike with Princess: Yank on Welbike: Captured Welbike: http://www.welbike.co.uk/index.html Edited July 27, 2012 by MHillyard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Have been rubbing the parts down for painting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Got an email from Welbike UK today. Parts should be ready next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 Got all the parts i need now to get going again. Welbike UK were extremely helpful, the parts are of an outstanding and accurate quality. They know everything there is to know about the bikes and how every single part works and fits. Most pieces are hand made to fit perfectly and as per the original specification. They fitted all my parts so slack was down to a minimum. They had to do quite a bit of work on the seat tube on my bike as it has been bent at some point meaning the seat would not go in but this was sorted. Great people with a wealth of information, highly recommended! Now to strip paint off the rest of the parts them prime, then paint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scammell4199 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 That looks really nice Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I wonder where it will turn up next http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270931992001?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 looks great the way it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Photo of bike at Welbike Uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHillyard Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 For the past week and a bit i have been sand blasting everything down. I have pitted the chromed parts enough so that the primer should stick. Today was spent priming the parts. Used acid etching primer which seemed to work well. It certainly looks a lot better now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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