Vintage motorbike

I think it quite likely is a blanking plug for the hole where the optional speedo would have gone.

Lovely old bike. And certainly one worth building a model of. And so quite appropriate to post here. As the number of responses indicates!

MMMM, I had a Rocket 3 with a 3-into-1 extractor exhuast system feeding one gutted megaphone. Now THAT was a noise never to be forgotten. Beautiful bikes. Fast (for the day), handled beautifully, looked like the bike that Buck Rogers would have ridden. But impossible to keep oil tight for any length of time under hard use, and much more fiddly than the twins to do a quick top end rebuild on.

One reason Brit factories liked the parallel twins was they were cheaper to produce than a v-twin. Parallel twin (except Matchless) had both heads in one casting and both barrels in one casting too. So only one set up to machine both heads. Vs two set ups to machine two separate v-twin heads. Ditto barrels. And vertical twin needed only one camshaft, with one set of drive gears. Whereas v-twins need at least two cams and often had four, with associated long string of expensive and noisy gears.

I dont think the v-twins were any smoother than the vertical twins. The original 350 and 500 vertical twins ran very sweetly. It was only when they were stroked/punched out to 650, 750 and beyond that vibration became a problem. But anyone who has ridden a pre-rubber mount Harley will know that smoothness is not part of the mystique. Althlough perhaps the old low-revving, low compression Enfield in the OP was from a kinder gentler age in that respect.

Michael, you are right, no balance problems !. Another factory destroyed by crap management.

> What is that chrome disc for, RHS on the petrol/oil tank?

A tax disc holder. You youngsters wouldn't remember those

I can't help thinking there are lots of pound shops with boxes of redundant tax disc holders and second hand car dealers with their custom, printed ones. Will some bright spark invent a way of recycling them?

The Enfield is a lovely bit of machinery, Nick

I understand that Ketan appreciates their finer points

Neil

Hi all, Sorry Mr Gilligan the Ariel Arrow was a 180 deg twin, not a parralell., but they were as you say a brilliant bit of design, if only they had used twin carbs instead of a single carb single port setup through the engine mount, it would have been a jap killer! I bought a job lot of Arrows in the seventies, there were three arrows and a special racer in a tubular frame, along with a 250cc 4 valve Rudge grass bike which would be worth a fortune now, happy days!

Phil

PS, so no one knows where the Queen keeps her chickens then, I am surprised at you all! It is relevant to the original post.

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Mr Whitley [or may I call you Phil ?] ... I suggest you do some revision before the Geometry Test ... The Arrow engine was a Parallel Twin, with a 180° Crank

As for the chickens ... Yes it was obvious that HRH keeps them in the Royal 'en Field ... but I didn't realise that you needed written answers. [just a wry smile as I read it]

MichaelG.

Triples ehh ? I have the old lump below adoring one of my tool chests. The plan is to put it into a featherbed frame i have, when money and space allow. The twins were good up until they hit about 30 bhp, edward turner thought it a bad idea to even take them out to 650cc's. If you are lucky enough to be able to try an early thunderbird or golden flash, and then sample a late 60's 650 twin , the difference should be extremely noticable. I have a mid 50's BSA a10 golden flash which were built in a low state of tune, and its a very pleasant machine, where as my late 60's triumph 500 is in a much higher state of tune and is a bit tiresome to ride far.

The british bike industry went from one of the most innovative and inventive pre-war to knocking out the usual same old singles and twins post war.

Actually yes i have, but seeing as they were so scarce and expensive thats an easy thing to do !

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Without using additional balance shafts, etc. I think it's only the Ducati layout that can give a fully balanced twin cylinder 4-Stroke [pedants may wish to debate whether this a V or an L but I don't really care].

Happy to be corrected on the uniqueness of the Ducati, but I don't think anyone else has used 90° in a motorcycle.

MichaelG.

My mum used to say an Ariel Square Four was the best bike she ever rode on, which upset my Dad as it was about the only bike of the era he hadn't owned!

Neil

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Brilliant

MichaelG.

You are my best friend with that remark.

Mote serious though . . . .

How the heck do you insert smileys at the end of a sentence?

Every time I try, they end up top left of the post, so I have to CUT then Paste.

Geoff - Pick her indoors up late tonight, from the pub where her ex-boss is having a farewell do.

> How the heck do you insert smileys at the end of a sentence?

Practice

Neil

Michael, you have forgotten the Moto Guzzi, 90° but transverse.

If I had a spare Trident lump is would have to go in a Rob North rolling chassis, would need deep pockets to see that happen though, when I ran my T150V it kept me poor and Norman Hyde rich, I used to be very good at supporting pub landlords and Triumph parts suppliers. My Hinkley Trident just needs petrol, chains and tyres.

Mike

Edited By Michael Poole on 08/10/2014 19:19:49

Both Honda and Suzuki have built many 90 degree v twins. I have a Suzuki Vstrom 650 at present, had a Vstrom 1000 previously. Both great engines.

John

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Mike ... Yes of course

and a quick check on Wikipedia provides a useful list.

MichaelG.

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Edit: ... John; you deserve my blushes too !!

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 08/10/2014 19:41:38

Triumph sent an engine to one of the engineering departments of GEC to see if their experts could tame the vibration, they could and did make a triumph 650 twin engine that you could balance a coin on its edge while it ran. Sadly the engineering was too expensive for triumph to encorporate into the production machines.

A great insight into all things british bike is hughie hancox's excellent book "Tales of triumph and the meriden factory"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Triumph-Motorcycles-Meriden-Factory/dp/1901295672/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412794579&sr=1-2

Michael, that is a long list! I am surprised at the small capacity of some of them.

Mike

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This next post is unashamedly picture heavy.!

I feel that will be OK due to the interest in this post so far.

A couple of years ago I went to pick the car up from a mechanic we used. Barry had a lifelong tradition of building, maintaining, preparing, driving / riding both race cars and bikes. - He had just finished a TriGreeves and it was in the yard. I later life he handed the driving and riding to younger blades.

'Luckily'.!!!!!!!! I had a camera with me and took a few images of his latest restoration. ------ I say Luckily as Barry sadly died of heart failure 2 days later. (that's Barry in the blue overalls)

I feel that due to many of the parts in this project having to be made again from scratch and the fairly modest size of them, plus the general interest (by some) in motorcycles of that era that this post is valid on this forum. (Moderators, please correct me if I am wrong)

Nick

Edited By Nick_G on 08/10/2014 20:51:20

A great post, Nick

Took me back instantly to the mid 1970s , when a chap at work had a 350 Tri-Greeves

MichaelG.

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 08/10/2014 21:05:47:

A great post, Nick

Took me back instantly to the mid 1970s , when a chap at work had a 350 Tri-Greeves

MichaelG.

Hi Michael,

Couple of pictures from 1972, 3 months later I hit a car at 60, wrote the bike & car off, suffered life changing injuries but the full face helmet I was wearing saved my life.

Tony