Hi Guys,

As you know, US fleabay has a listing for 5 WD M20s listing no: 151084394167

I have an agreement with the lister to buy all of them. Scotty here in USA is in for one, as is Jeff Bandola.

I will have plenty of my own money in this deal and my desire is to collect the bike next week.

JUST IN CASE!!!!!!!! Can I ask a huge favor of this community to help me out?
I am asking that several of you put aside some money to give me a short term loan. Not much mind you, just $100 or a bit more. I would not want the money sent to me unless I ask you. Just keep it in your account until I ask.

Please answer to this post if you can help. Remember, this is short term. I want to keep them away from the butchers. Short term means 4-6 weeks.

With gratitude,

Robb

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

Robb,

I'm good for a couple of hundred... here's my email and cellphone number if needed.....would hate to see your deal fall through.

John D Edwards

310 7795476
teladelujo@msn.com

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com

AWESOME!!!!

You get a first crack at the spares should you need any. At a real price, not "butcher" price.

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

I can help a little, but mostly tapped out from the move.

Jesse

email (option): V8zspeed @ yahoo.com

Hi Everyone,

This is a great world. Many men all over have offered to help with funding this project.

I have plenty of resources now, and want to thank everyone for their help.

Five bikes have been saved from the butchers and speculators. One is going to Oregon, another to New York.

A special thanks to Bruce Cooper and Jeff Bandola!

Scotty, thanks for everything you have done also.

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

Hello Rob
I am happy to help, but I'm in Australia. I can paypal you the money if you need
Cheers Darren

email (option): Darrenacartwright@yahoo.com.au

Hi Darren,

This is so cool! You guys on Forum are the best.

I'll PM you for details. At this point, it's "Backup" money
just in case.

Thank you very much!

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

Nice job Rob. They are off ebay and I suspect you are waiting for a successful transaction.

cheers, Scott

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

Hi Guys,

One of the buyers has backed out. I still need some help.

At present, I'm 4K short.

Anyone else want to buy a bike?

Thanks,

Robb

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

As reconditioning badly, a set of M20 forks, is set to approach almost £1000 as seen on here from the other thread, which is one third the value of an M20 in good nick, surely it would make more sense to use one or more of these bikes for spares?

Its not as if M20's are rara avis any where in the world, blasphemous as that may seem on here and sacrifice of 2 of those bikes would help complete far more than the five you have.


I am just amazed that so many of them have turned up in the USA.

Hey Ken,

That is a good thought, and I may have to just do it. Perhaps the one that is most in need of parts would be the one. Then I'd have 4 runners.

One of the US posters has 30 of them, a friend of mine has 8-9 just 200 miles away.

I just have to have cash up front, so payback would be really fast. Especially if I do what you suggest.

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

Someone has THIRTY M20's ??????

Big quantities of ex-WD machinery was entirely possible to acquire on a very low budget up to 8 years ago now.........

My good friend Eric imported large quantities of ex-WD machinery from Greece, India and Egypt and the bulk were M20s, 16Hs, G3Ls plus some Ariel's, Triumph's and other oddities.........

Some were half-decent, others in almost scrap-order, but his prices were so reasonable that during 2003-5 I actually had at least 15 M20's in various states in my garage, plus G3Ls and the odd 16H or two.........I suspect that several of these projects are still doing the rounds today.......

I built up at least 4 decent restorations from this source, and know of several friends who did similar, some of these ex-imported bikes now immaculate restorations and on the road and within the MV scene today........

email (option): sjmwdbikemad@aol.co.uk

so the British Army left allthose bikes in far off places, then, after far off people had hammered them into the ground, someone else brought them all the way back here to bring them back to the condition they were in when the Army left them in far off places?????????????????


Must be a moral in it somewhere.

I still can't get over someone possessing 30 M20's, are they still roped together in bundles of 5 as per 1946?

Ken, one of the reasons that so many M20s are in the USA, was a large consignment of reserve stocks stored in Germany (in case the ruskies invaded )in the late sixty's and were bought up from auction in Antwerp and delivered to Florida by enterprising dealers, all were in ready to go order, and had been through a rebuild and had bi annual checks, marking the checks by stencil on to the tank , mine has 1950 51 53 56 58 60 62 ect I imported mine from the USA two years ago , in an as found condition but new tyres and other minor repairs, A brand new engine and gear box ( unstamped)was fitted during a rebuild in Germany, there is now only a few hundred miles on the speedo,I assume it was fitted with a rebuilt one,The bike was at WAR AND PEACE this year on the NOBS display Andrew.h.

email (option): warbikes@gmail.com

sounds good, those recon M20's would have scared those ruskies sh!t witless.
Blimey the damage they'd infilct if one got dropped on a russian foot.
beats shooting them in the guts.


Typical that the army were tipping them out the back of lorries into a council tip near Windsor around 1967/8.

Here's an ad from Cycle World, circa 1964.....

email (option): teladelujo@ msn.com

I paid $250 for mine, still in the crate in 1970. It was one of 6 in Grand Rapids, MI.

There was a battery (worked), panniers (complete) decent tires, and a complete tool kit.

I sold the bike when I went into service (Navy), and bought it back (did not know it was mine at the time) for $25.00 with most sheet metal missing, no panniers, tool kit, battery, and painted purple.

I still have my bike, named her the "Survivor" as she made it through the war, a divorce, my Navy tour, and another divorce.

I pick bikes beter that I do women.

Cheers all, and thanks for the background info.

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

I'm always amazed at what got sent over the pond.
In the 1970's/early 80's when the pound was at rock bottom all sorts of choice and not so choice machinery went out the UK. By the container load.

I even had a hand in it myself.

I had no idea that M20's were so desirable over there back then.

Painted purple?
thats so 1970.........
not being judgemental, he who is without sin etc etc.

As I have said in another thread, I used to refuse them as gifts, last year I sold a really nice and correct WD M20, on behalf of my neighbour who had inherited it, for 3.5k.
Beats me

This is getting to be a huge hoot!!!

Steve, I'm almost finished with a 41 G3L that started with a motor from OB, and a set of triple trees. All I need now is a correct battery carrier and a real rear stand! Less than a year, and build from spares lurking under benches.

Ken, It was also "Metal Flake" Purple. LOL!!!

Anybody there need a front fork? I still need some money to complete this deal. You say it's worth a thousand quid? I'd pay the postage for that.

PM me if you are interested. Really!

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

At my age I need no more bike parts, time i was thinking about getting shot instead, but when you consider the price asked for an iffy, possibly lethal set of Indian made girder forks; 650£ plus for a rebuild thats not making the owner happy, near £1000 for a good set of genuine forks begins to look as if its worth considering.Especially if the owner of the unhappy rebuild goes to law.
One has to factor in time and stress element.

I have seen several sets of girders here sell for 5-600 quid.

For some parts prices are going bonkers, at leats in the eyes of old fart like myself, but if you have 3/4 of a bike thats worth money, it starts to look almost sensible to complete it.
I know a guy that had Matchless Silver Hawk forks made and on sale at £1000.
They will not be Indian crap, probably Czech manufacture where some quality repros are being turned out.

Maybe you should save a set for a pattern and turn out some repros of quality?

Bloody hell,you can send a go cart to Mars, M20 forks should be a doddle?

Why not stick a set on ebay as a taster at say, £700 and see what happens
Indian forks are just short of 400 quid delivery inc to uk.
I know what I'd risk my neck on.

Hey Ken,

I'm an old fart myself! I started collecting Social Security in March, and look what I'm doing with it.

Cheers all,

Robb

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

they collect social security here at 16..................