Hello everyone, I need a couple of clarifications on lucah ammeter and spedometer smtih mounted on BSA WM20.
- The original ammeter was the Lucas CZ 27 but the ring that stopped the glass was in painted or plated iron, or in brass?
- the original spedmeter was a stmiths, but that was the precise model? S433M or S467? And also in this case the ring was in brass or painted metal?

Thank you for these clarifications

Greetings Mauro

email (option): bongiovanni1988@libero.it

The bezel rings on both instruments were always brass. Originally dull-chrome plated but in the course of the war, the plating was dispensed with and examples exist both painted and plain brass.

You will need to examine photographs of the contract that interests you in order to see what was most likely.

Thanks for the reply.
I am interested in doing an accurate restoration.
My contract is n. S 5209 my BSA is from the early months of 1944.

For the speedometer model, you know what it was?

John O'Brien also has an S5209 machine and isn't able to post on the forum at the moment but he's asked me to pass on the following :-

This New-Old-Stock mid 1943 headlight has the ammeter painted.



My feeling on the speedo is that it would have been of the standard post-1941 wartime type with the alternative types shown on the dial. It seems likely that all the wartime production retained the 'MA' (Motor Accessories) stylised logo.

http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3155626639&frmid=16&msgid=1258625&cmd=show

Thanks, so my ammeter can have the crown painted like the lighthouse. Well
The discussion on the odometer is very interesting, I had not found it, thank you

But last question,
the speedometer with the partial of the miles traveled (the revolving reels in the lower part of the quadrant), which have the MA logo, are correct on a military motorcycle of the war? Were they for military use or just for civilian use?

thank you

The trip mile meter was not used on WD bikes apart from maybe some of the very early bikes. The earlier speedos had a pointed bezel, the same as the civilian speedos, but for some reason, the point was removed leaving a rounded bezel. Ron

This is a standard WD speedo



This is a NOS late war speedo

The WD speedo bezel had an 'anti tamper rivet' I'm not sure what it was in aid of though. If a rider wanted to hide the mileage he'd covered, say to visit his Mum or Girlfriend, he could easily just disconnect the cable??

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

I suspect, Ron that it was to stop him increasing the mileage and syphoning off the fuel that he said he'd used. In the days before electric drills, it would have been hard work to put miles on.

I remember a post on this subject before where Ron discovered a speedo cable he was fitting had wire locking holes drilled in the end. It was thought that this could have had a lead seal attached so it couldn't be disconnected. Or have I remembered that wrongly?

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Yes you are right about that Horror! I still have that cable fitted to a bike but I can't remember where it came from. The top and bottom brass nuts are drilled in such a way that a wire can be passed through without interfering with the threads on the speedo and gearbox. I guess the wire could then be attached to an adjacent part of the bike with a lead seal fitted.

However, it's the only time I've ever seen it! I'm sure if it was in any way a practice that was even remotely used, Rik would have it in his book book on rivet counting!!:smiley: Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

All very interesting information
But does anyone have a tutorial on how to disassemble, clean and lubricate the interior of a Smiths speedometer?

Thank you
regards
Mauro

email (option): bongiovanni1988@libero.it

Are you competent on doing watch repairs, if not leave to the right people. If you over oil you have the risk of clogging up the balance spring and also getting oil on the millage drums and they rely on friction to make them turn correctly.

Mauro,
There is an overhaul article in the technical section of the web site.

Here to save you searching.
http://www.wdbsa.nl/Jaeger-Chronometric-Overhaul.pdf

Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com