WW2 Motorcycles Only

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by Drew5233, May 2, 2009.

  1. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    ...battery/toolbox.

    Actually - I think that's a two-piece petrol tank, a sort of pannier-tank setup. I don't think the service-issue Welbike had a battery; in an old flywheel mag setup a battery isn't needed.

    As for tools - all was needed was a small plug spanner in a pocket; if it needed repair in the middle of a battle....it was going in the nearest ditch!
     
  2. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    The last one is a VERY nice clean Zundapp - looks like a pre- or very early-war pic...?
     
  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I wondered if it was a factory as the others are too.
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Just found this picture on my hard drive of the same chap.

    http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/7566/motorbike.jp

    And a good then and now from www.battledetectives.com
    img=http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/1084/eindhovenclarencehester.jp
    http://img5.imageshack.us/i/eindhovenclarencehesterf.jp
     
  5. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    I wondered if it was a factory as the others are too.


    I don't think so, they wouldn't leave the factory with a registration number. I thought more a depot somewhere where reservists are mustering-in and taking possession of their nice new mounts; going by what looks like a clutter of discarded clothes on the ground and on the saddle of the bike behind him...?
     
  6. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member

    #101

    Interesting. Completly above my non existant reconignition skills, looks like a 2 stoke twin judging by the very low (even for a sidevalve) exhaust port.

    Kev



    Kev
     
  7. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    That's a VERY odd pic; the guy's kit is remarkably worn, and he himself is a bit heavily laden for the job of riding a bike! Absolutely EVERYTHING weighing on one shoulder? Even the @rse is hanging out of his trousers. I can't help thinking that one is a modern "posed" pic.
    As for the bike, even in a field-maintained military bike I'm a bit dubious about the bulb-horn!!!
     
  8. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  9. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    It's a Villiers engined James ML, known as the 'Clockwork Mouse'. They were among the first motorcycles ashore in Normandy.

    The bulb horn is correct. Lighter than a proper horn and with a small flywheel magneto, there wasn't a lot of extra power for ancilliaries.
     
  10. arkrite

    arkrite Senior Member

    I was thinking of riding there on my bike for a now shot :D

    When you're over from where?


    Sorry for being late with this reply to the Six Bells in Bicester.

    Old photos, maps, local books, prints and gifts - Francis Frith has a 1950s view of the Six Bells and The Swan pubs looking from the opposite direction. A good view with the church in the background.Not been to Bicester for while. The Swan is still going but uncertain about the Six Bells. Plenty of good pubs in Bicester.:p You can always con,sorry treat your Mrs to a day at Bicester village shopping.Church Street is an easy walk for the able bodied:Hallutinations:

    ps Here are the ref numbers for the pics

    refB365015 page1 taken 1955

    refB365082 page2 taken 1965.

    There are 70 odd pics over 4 pages.
     
  11. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member

    It's a Villiers engined James ML, known as the 'Clockwork Mouse'. They were among the first motorcycles ashore in Normandy.

    The bulb horn is correct. Lighter than a proper horn and with a small flywheel magneto, there wasn't a lot of extra power for ancilliaries.


    Thanks Rich. Didnt know the British used 2 strokes, twin Villiers not the single?

    Kev
     
  12. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    The Swan is still going but uncertain about the Six Bells


    It is - that's how I found the address details to Google Earth it, from a couple of pub guides on the Net.

    It's a Villiers engined James ML, known as the 'Clockwork Mouse'.


    That makes more sense all right. The bigger bikes had relatively useful "ancillaries"....but then again I can't ever see anyone on a James doing convoy escort!
     
  13. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    The James's were used for all sorts of marshalling purposes in the early days in Normandy before the larger bikes came ashore. They're good for 40 mph which was the maximum permitted speed.

    Other stinkwheels were the Royal Enfield 'RE' (Flying Flea) which had a special airborne dropping cradle and the folding Welbike.

    Generally the 2-strokes of the time didn't come out too well in the pre-war tests and they were used specifically where their light weight and compact size were important.
     
  14. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  15. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    Drew, that's an interesting pic for ANOTHER reason!

    See the LCT behind it? bow-on to the camera? I think THAT is one of the LCTs that the British had a ramp built on the deck, so that a tank onboard it could fire OVER the bow doors on the run-in to the beach. There was an article about them in this month's CMV, and that looks suspiciously like a deck ramp in there!

    Welbike or Cushion being carried ashore on Sword Beach


    Sure it's not a Raleigh Chopper???
     
  16. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Dunno if it helps to ID her but the numbers on her bridge look like:
    2 1013 2263
     
  17. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Anyone posted this yet?
    Our family in wartime and post war England

    <TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=0 borderColor=#0000ff cellPadding=5 width=900 bgColor=#ffffff><TBODY><TR><TD>[​IMG]
    1943 - Edward came on his own army motorcycle to visit me at my Special Unit's Training Centre in Polmont, Scotland.
    </TD><TD vAlign=top width=445>[​IMG]
    I am trying out Edward's motorbike
    </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
     
  18. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Those are interesting pictures Owen. The bike is a Royal Enfield WD/CO and I've beaten Rewdco to the ID !

    The census number C1366275 falls correctly within the batch 1363211 - 1368210 issued to Polish forces. It would be interesting to know whether this Polish census number replaced one in the factory contract sequences or if these vehicles were additional as yet unaccounted for production.
     
  19. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Drew, you need to be a bit careful with your captions. The bikes in 117 are certainly British (Nortons) but the Formation sign on the fuel tanks, a 'C' with roman numeral II indicate 2nd Canadian Infantry Division.

    The Arm of Service marking '67' which would have been on brown would seem to refer to the second battalion of the third brigade, in this case probably The South Saskatchewan Regiment of 6th Canadian brigade and based on the clothing and the details of the bikes, I would suspect that the photo dates from before their losses at Dieppe.

    The sash windows in the stable blocks mean the photo was probably taken in the UK, unless anyone has ever seen sashes on mainland europe (I never have).
     
  20. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

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