Hi
Can any one help me with two questions relating to research of tank and corresponding frame numbers for both my M20 and one my father rode in WWII.

1. This picture shows my dad on the right riding BSA Tank Number 87738 942 located in Western Australia at the time taken. Would anyone know the frame and/ or contract number and history of the this bike. Or point me in the right direction to start researching.


2. My WM20 has frame number WM20 63125 and I would like to know what tank number and/ or contract numbers correspond to this bike and if any history is known. Here she is in combo with a Dusting Side Car.

email (option): parr_1@hotmail.com

Hi Mark

A very nice picture, unfortunatly Australia used its own numbering system for military motorcycles and I don't know if any records exist that can link a serial to a frame number.

The "942" would be a unit serial and that may be researchable.

Your M20 frame WM20 63125 is not in the post war keycards which is not surprising if it was in Australia at the end of the war but it would have left the BSA factory as part of contract C11101 with the serial C4666833, if it was then sent to Australia this number would presumaby have then been replaced with an Australian number?

Rob

email (option): robmiller11@yahoo.co.uk

Nice to see my old bike again. I originally restored it about 10 years ago in W.A . (no sidecar) I bought It from a guy in Kalgoorlie.When I sold it I gave the new owner the original engine cases that had matching numbers. Hope they have been passed on.
Cheers,
Mike

email (option): jamik@westnet.com.au

Rob

Thanks heaps for taking an interest and providing this inf so quickly. You guys are great and really do promote good will in the M20 community.

I'm in the process of trying to secure unit diaries for the 38 & 39 General Transport Companies which dad was posted from his service record. Hopefully this will lead to some kind of stores allocation document.

Cheers mate

email (option): parr_1@hotmail.com

Mike

Thanks for making contact. I bought the bike from Andy Manas in NSW with the matching engine. I'm in the process of rebuilding the original engine and keeping for a rainy day, but it's a slow process when you've got kids and no time!!!

I picked up the Dusting chair from a guy in Hobart, who dropped it off at the Ballarat swap meet adn I drove (7000+ km) mad dash there and back to pick it up. The misses wasn't happy!!!

If your still in Perth, I can bring her around and re-unite you. Just email me direct.

When you restored her, did you establish any service history. The guy I bought it from said it may have served in PNG?

Mark

email (option): parr_1@hotmail.com

AFAIK there are no records left apart from the ones in the National War Museum in the ACT.

When I was trying to research my B40GA I came up against a brick wall as the only information was linked to the rear number plate and the bikes were sold without plates , should have recorded the dust imprint before I washed it.

Engine & frame numbers were not used nor recorded.
Australian bikes got a brass plate rivited to the removable part of the rear mud guard and if that is intact you might be able to do some searching against that number.

When we got the bikes we also got a substantial number of replacement engines.
The army was just as under equiped then as it is now so when a bike came in for a major scheduled service they just swapped the engine and sent it straight back so no bikes that saw active service will have the matching engine & frame numbers that it left the factory with.

Matching numbers are takes as a post war surplus sale bike ( Mine is one of them ).

As far as seeing active service it is also unlikely that it would have been repatriated from New Guinea.
Most of the minor transport units were left in NG as was a large amount of the obsolete armaments.
These formed a large part of our supposed "foreign aid". ( largely unwanted by the locals )
We used crushed coral extensively on road surfaces in the Islands and this ingested into the engines without filters destroyed pistons valves & bores in no time flat

email (option): wariron@tpg.com.au

Here's some pictures of WM 20's from PNG, you may recognise your bike, if you are lucky.....















There are not too many photos of bikes in the far east campaign, so I hope these are of interest.

email (option): stinkypete80@hotmail.com