Hi Ian, I put the frame number on my original post, but I'll post it again it is XM20 5381, Hopefully someone out there will be able to tell me more about it, Regards John.
I think you have one of the post war frames that Ian mentioned. The X prefix was from 1946. All the wartime numbers from 1940 were prefixed W. I hadn't refered back to your original post. Ron
Hi Ron, Still not found out yet it's sitting on the back burner while I collect parts for it, BTW the rear frame has the side car fitting screwed into the mounting, the threads are in a poor state anyone know what thread it is so I can get a die/die nut, to run down it?, Regards John.
Only a few of the military contracts specified sidecar lugs. Henk can tell you which ones.
I have an XM20 Frame No 771, dispatched from the factory on 10 Dec 1945. It was consigned to the High Commissioner - Southern Rhodesia, probably for police duty, and the spec was Dry Battery, Sidecar lugs, Crash Bars.
The bike was painted matt black with a new style BSA logo sticker on the tank. When I stripped the black paint, the colour below was a military olive green. Mine has steel foot pegs, cut away tank, pannier sockets on the rear stays and the matching engine number (771) is prefixed WM20 as I assume the WM20 was pre-stamped on the casing.