I bought this bike in 1984 and used it very regularly until hitting a diesel spill, followed shortly by a Citroen, on the A6 in Buxton, UK. Up to this point it had been pretty reliable, suffering only from a few electrical problems. The magneto failed twice and was rewound twice and the points fell off once! The crash damage (bent frame and forks and dented tank, front mud guard and chaincase - just about all the tinware!) and hassles with the insurance meant it was several years before it was back on the road. A new frame, forks and front mudguard were bought and the rest repaired. However, it was never reliable after being rebuilt. Actually that isn't quite true as it would reliably sieze within the first ten miles of the journey. A substantial time was spent in fruitless tinkering. Eventually after no little effort major engine problems were found - amongst other problems there was 1mm lateral play in main bearings! A spare engine that I had picked up several years before was put in the frame and this bike became number two as described below since by now it had both a new engine and a new frame!
The original frame was bent back to straight by a friend in the POC. I sorted out the bent Dowtys with professional and amateur assistance. The engine is rebuilt with oversize main bearings. I have most of the parts to put this bike back together (except rear mudguard and stand, magneto, seat, bars). Recently fabricated a set of engine plates and have assembled the frame and engine / gearbox. The wheels have been rebuilt professionally and I am restoring a rather rusty tank I bought nearly ten years ago - unfortunately it is too rust pitted to chrome, so silver paint will have to do.
Nearly half a year later the bike was unloaded in Sydney and the carb was attached. It started third kick and after some experimentation with carb needle settings seems to run reasonably well. Unfortunately, I am still struggling with the Australian red tape and can't actually get it road legal at any remotely sensible cost. As a temporary resident no exemptions apply for importing a vehicle - it must meet a fairly exacting set of specs for brakes, indicators, noise, mirrors etc. It may be easier to export and re-import the thing!
For now classic club plates are probably the solution and they allow me to go on runs with the Classic & Enthusiasts MCC and on testing runs within 10kms from my home. With the latter runs I have clocked up several tens of kms in late 1998. All seems to be reasonably healthy with the exception of a refusal to tick-over. Have done several hundred kms in 1999 and there are several minor niggles, but overall seems to be going nicely.
1932 Model 100
This is a challenging project! Complete (?) engine that turns, most of frame (although rather rusty), tank (also quite rusty), front forks (rusty again!) with bars, remains of seat, (wrong?) rear hub. Will spend some time acquiring the missing bits - any offers (hubs, gearbox, clutch, tinwork particularly wanted)? I have recently purchased chaincases and other bits an pieces.
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