L-Plate Rider
Went to the swap meet in Hamilton today and found this... Can anyone tell me what I brought? The owner said he thought it might have been Royal Enfield but several people throughout the day said they didn't think so... Looking at the styling I would guess 1930's but could easily be well off...
Forum whore
Raleigh 20?
Scooter boy
Zundap...
Forum whore
A challenge.
it's not a bad thing till you throw a KLR into the mix.
those cheap ass bitches can do anything with ductape.
(PostalDave on ADVrider)
Forum whore
Those filled in girders would date it pre war (or just after) and probably 250cc or a lightweight of some sort.
Low personal B.M.E.P.
The fork blades suggested New Imperial to me....a quick google search suggests it's a mid 30's New Imp lightweight - probably a 150cc
Not a lot around...i know of a unit construction 500 under restoration in CHCh
Kiwibiker Senior Member
Very cool find. Love the girder front end.
Find out more at www.unluckyones.co.nz
Forum whore
It's off a 2011 Harley Springer softtail.
Any other questions?
Trumpydom!
L-Plate Rider
after some serious internet trawling, it looks like it is a Famous James from around the war...
http://throttleyard.com/2011/03/01/m...946-james-m-l/
So the plans for this are restore the frame and forks, fab up the missing rear stays and hang it on the wall - unless someone has a villers 125 laying around that they don't want?
Forum whore
Forks are similar but they may well be an industry product from someone like Metal Profiles. Lots of these bikes were built up from outsourced bits.
Frame is quite different at the bottom of the seat post. Your frame has tubes brazed into cast lugs where the ML James has a bolted up lower rail.
You are in the right era - email someone like 'The Classic Motorcycle'
It may well use a Villiers engine but it looks a bit better made than an ML.
The instructions are simple...
My guess is also a James...
This is a 1946 model and seems to tick the boxes... http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk...46%20james.jpg
Note the headstock protrudes below the point that the downtube connects, the various mounting lugs for the engine, and bolt points for the seat and rear subframe.
The one thing I can't find is a clear photo of where the 'swingarm' meets the main frame. Earlier models appeared to be bolted on, rather than welded a la bicycle frames...note the difference in this one of a 1938 ML http://media.onsugar.com/files/2010/...938_ML_Col.jpg
Last edited by MSTRS; 18th April 2011 at 12:05.
Do you realise how many holes there could be if people would just take the time to take the dirt out of them?
Forum whore
Nah - not buying it.Originally Posted by MSTRS
There are two basic types of girder and the OP's one have the straight front blade, triangulated rear. This is no biggie as they were for sure made by Webbs or Druids or someone and its definately a lightweight, prob villiers powered (if british) because the seat post is a long way back (indicated a unitised or semi unitised power pack)
I thought maybe a RE 'Flying Flea' but some sort of later ML is a possibility or as someone else suggested a Zundap or summat.
The instructions are simple...
The similarities to a James of 1938 - 46 vintage are too many to be ignored. Unless of course, James' were utilisers of someone else's frames as well as engines...
Chances are, that around those war years, bikes were assembled with whatever parts were to hand, meaning some years could have either a mix of parts, or parts left over from years previously.
Do you realise how many holes there could be if people would just take the time to take the dirt out of them?
Forum whore
Are there no numbers anywhere on the frame that could be plugged into google?
it's not a bad thing till you throw a KLR into the mix.
those cheap ass bitches can do anything with ductape.
(PostalDave on ADVrider)
Fair weather rider
I had one when I was 15 (it's probably still festering away somewhere around Raumati) and I bought another (untouched) one recently. The chain adjusters are very different and the frame area at the bottom of the seatpost doesn't match.
That having been said, the forks look a match- could it be an I17 from '36~37?
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