WD Motorcycle forum

Author

Comment

Apr 20, 2020 - 4:32PM

KM20.101

This is a photo of KM20.101 the very first KM20. Looks pretty nice but I can't say that I would have build such a KM20 myself.

Henk.

email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

Ian Wright

Apr 20, 2020 - 5:04PM

Re: KM20.101

That's the rare OHV M20...Seems a shame to do that with the first one...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Henk Joore

Apr 20, 2020 - 5:55PM

Re: KM20.101

Yes, that's the one. It's in Holland now. It's a civilian BSA.

Henk

email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

Rob Miller

Apr 20, 2020 - 7:25PM

Re: KM20.101

I think I have found 3 entries for KM20 101 in the BSA ledgers?

Frame 101A Engine M21 199 25/10/1938 Fair Bristol C&S
Frame 101 Engine M20 DL 101 05/09/1939 War Office London C&S Model M39-20
Frame 101B Engine M20 DL 101 25/09/1939 Kinchen Ltd Bromsgrove

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

Rik

Apr 20, 2020 - 8:24PM

Re: KM20.101

I started off looking at those Rob and drifted into despair....

Engine number KM20 101 is also listed as being a Standard fitted to frame 2290 (Tally no.5952) and despatched 10/3/1939 to W. Briggs; Hulme...and as a DL installed in frame no.156 (Tally no.5977) and sent to Millard, Guernsey on 29/11/1938

We therefore seem to have the following Tally numbers for frames fitted with engine KM20 101 :-

9672 (5/9/39) - War Office
9733 (25/9/39) - Kinchin
5952 (10/3/39) - Briggs
5977 (29/11/38) - Millard

Four identically numbered engines...three identically numbered frames...plus the M21 that I don't have records for...no wonder we're confused ! This is absolutely the norm for late 1930s BSA records...Their habit of using one frame prefix for four different versions (M20 / 21 in Std and DL) was hard enough and then they started trying to supply matching numbers for Government contracts and ended up re-stamping numbers that they had already applied to non-matching bikes !