Ok, that's great Ron! I do have another NOS hub here, but it's a bit too narrow, about half an inch, that will be for sale again, these ML hubs/wheels are just impossible to find, been working on that for mover 3 years now!
And Bob, I did send you 2 emails yesterday, hopefully you can make some sort of drawing from them.
Once again, thank you Lex and Ron. I have your sketches and dimensions Lex.No bother to read them. They look remarkably like the stuff I draw up for workshop use.
I remain surprised at how similar the James and Excelsior complete front ends and front wheels are. They are definitely brothers under the skin. One may have a few civilian fripperies and the other made a little simpler for wartime production but definitely from the same family.
Anyway, it's now full steam ahead after I buy myself a 3BA die.
It's a series of pictures, I'll send them on, but wish someone would make a proper drawing! I don't have the time, and have 2 original sets for my bikes.
I've forwarded to you all the info Lex sent me Ron.
I've also tried to respond to Lex's latest email to me but the only response I've got is a notice in Dutch from my email provider. I think it's telling me it couldn't deliver but I don't really know. The message claims an English translation is available but this translated everything --- except the message! Sometimes you just can't win.
Anyway, I've got everything I need, you've both been a great help and the bike is moving forward again.
You may wonder why the enthusiasm over just another 1930's lightweight. I'm a great admirer of one Frank Fletcher who won a bronze medal riding a similar model Excelsior Universal in the 1938 ISDT held in Wales. Next year he rode another in the 1939 Austrian ISDT held on the eve of WWII. Like all in the British contingent he left for home before the event finished but as a mere private entrant I've never been able to pin down the exact details of his return home. I've been keen to get myself an Excelsior Universal ever since I read of his exploits and adventures and now I have one. I was very pleased to get it.
Hi Lex,
Now we know the secret. You have a full to the brim computer memory! I don't trust computers that much. I've had one hard drive fail and I never want to go through that again. I've taken various back up precautions since then but from friends tales of woe it seems that no matter what you do you never quite get back everything.
Back to interesting things. No, I have very little photographic eveidence of Frank Fletchers rides in the ISDT. He was a private entrant with no affiliations. When you look at ISDT reports there are lots of photos of National teams, factory teams, Services teams, club teams and so on but not much of solo private entrants. They are occasionally seen in the back ground or as part of a group on a stiff hill or through a watersplash or some such but you have to hunt for them. I've found a few of that sort showing Frank but nothing good enough to show how he prepared the bike. I also contacted the Technische Museum Wien, who hold much of the official German photographs taken at the 1939 ISDT but they have none of him. Possibly I could contact Mortons to see what they have but that could be an expensive exercise and I'd rather save that one until my next trip to England and do it in person. Much more fun.
Of course the 9D Villiers engine itself has an excellent ISDT record even though the British didn't like them much. The Dutch Eysink team did very well with them both before and after WWII. I'd be very interested to know how they prepared their bikes.
I'm sorry this seems to be getting away from WD bikes but it does involve general proprietary items used across a range of machinery as well as in the WD field. In fact you could say they are regular civilian items successfully adapted for WD use.