Iv'e seen a few m20's sporting different front wheels (girder)
Anyone used a diffent front wheel ?
What Issues were faced and how was that achieved?
Sorry if this offends any resto nuts
My bike is far from original for the time being

email (option): hutman80@hotmail.com

Hi Maxwell,
I saw one or two M20's with another front wheel.
The main thing to worry about is to have the hub firmly held and stopped by the girder, so you might have to do some modifications such as use another hub stopping screw (or a screw holding a bracket/metal bar to engage into the new brakeplate ) instead of the original one, and spacer to the spindle if the new wheel is narrower than the original.

Noam.

email (option): noam10@gmail.com

there is 2 type of wheels that i know of early type with the speedo drive on brake side and then the later type with the speedo drive on the opposite side as to there being different forks i am not sure about other than there are 2 different length of forks

Cheers, I was thinking about how the wheels are securely held in those open ended fork ends. I suppose they rely on a circular part the same size as the hole on the fork.
Or are they held in by just being done up really tight

email (option): hutman80@hotmail.com

Hi Maxwell..Yes, the shoulder on the back of the wheel nut fits into the round part of the 'keyhole' slot in the fork leg, preventing the wheel from coming out of the fork ends until the nut is unscrewed.
If you are considering fitting an alternative wheel there are 6 things you need to consider...
1)Attachment of a brake torque arm of a suitable thickness and at the correct angle to control the torque reaction produced by braking forces.
2)Provision of a speedo drive.(or alternative)
3)Connection of the front brake cable...the cable adjuster/stop is mounted to the brakeplate of the M20 wheel.
4)Correct attachment of the wheel to the forks..in the case of a push through spindle this will mean a shouldered spindle head and machined spacer (washer) and a shouldered nut and machined spacer (washer) on the other end, with appropriate spacers etc. between the forks.
5)Rim offset/spoke angle..the brake plate of any potential replacement wheel will have to be spaced off the back of the wheel mounting fork to avoid it hitting the back of the fork leg tubes on that side.
The spoke flange on the M20 wheel sits directly behind the brake plate and this provides sufficient angle for the spokes from the flange to the centerline of the rim. Some wheels (the 8" BSA brake for instance) have the spoke flange further 'inboard' behind the brakeplate and in that case when the wheel is built with the rim in the correct position the spoke angle is too close to vertical to be structurally sound.
6) brake performance..sizeable increases in the power of the brake will not be beneficial unless the fork damping is improved first..in fact a really good brake on the standard fork set up will produce unstable handling under heavy braking....Ian

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

Cheers, I'm now clear on how the thing is held in the forks. The spacers and collar things are a hastle, the rest seems easy enough to arrange.
Maybe there's an existing wheel with the same axle thread as m20, allowing the use of the m20 collar'd nuts

There is a reason for all this-
The Bitsa is far from standard.
Was hoping to avoid another arduous expedition/quest for a correct wheel
we shall see

email (option): hutman80@hotmail.com

This photo of a different wheel fitted into girder forks was posted a couple of days ago.

http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll127/anitaws/?action=view¤t=IMG_1534.jpg

More information about the bike on the BSAOC forum http://www.bsaownersclub.co.uk/Forum.html

under... Index > General > Star and Garter > A Spring Wander

this one

Ian: could you expand no. 6 a bit? I know about the dive problem when fitting a more efficient front brake (the front fork spring collapses excessively under heavy braking) but what do you mean by "unstable handling"?

email (option): jonny.rudge@verizon.net

is that your bike maxwell

Nope, its the one reffered to in the post prior to mine, I would like to be at that stage with my grid tho
It looks to be some sort of japanese wheel on that one.

Also to Ian : Are You saying the bsa 8" hub front wheel is not structually sound in general, Or that it would not be structurally sound if laced up for use on an m20?

Cheers

email (option): hutman80@hotmail.com

Hi John..I think in assessing the likely effect of an improvement to the performance of the front brake it is worth considering the suspension system that it is being put onto the end of. M20 forks are (theoretically) damped in both directions of movement. However, the side damper only really works effectively for a short period after it has been overhauled. If contaminated by grease, not adjusted correctly/frequently or made up of worn parts it's effects are minimal. Pressure is exerted on the damper plates, whatever their condition, by the 'star' spring incorperated into the damper mechanism. These are rarely replaced and generally will be operating below 'par'. Excessive pressure applied to the spring to compensate increases the degree of preload and therefore reduces the amount of sensitivity.
Also I think it is true to say that the bulk of M20's have never had a new main fork spring fitted and this component is way out of spec on most.
Recent observations after the fitting of a correct new spring confirm the marked difference in the performance of 'old' and 'new', not only in the springing characteristics but also the effect on the amount of 'trail'.
An improved front brake feeds increased forces into what is already a fairly crude or simple suspension set up.
The result is that the main spring is very quickly compressed to a point where the energy absorbed exceeds the braking force being applied. The (undamped) spring then rebounds. As it equally quickly loses energy the braking forces again becomes the greater force and the cycle is repeated.
The result is a 'hammering' movement of the forks and front wheel which is severe enough to necessitate the release of the brake, as it makes the bike difficult to control, particularly in a corner.
We had a lengthy discussion on this subject in a previous thread a few months back, but it is my belief that the forks/damping ideally require modification, or at the very least a complete overhaul including the main spring, before fitting an improved brake...Ian

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

Thank you, Ian. I recall the prior thread but, as I recall, there was not much info or detail. Someone (I don't think it was you) simply said that fitting a disk brake setup would bottom the fork each time the brake is applied, but it seems to be a bit more complicated. For me, fitting a "stronger" spring is not a solution: New York streets are notorious for bad maintenance. As an example, I have sidecar springs on my solo RE Mark I Interceptor and it's impossible to ride it in NY for more than 3 minutes without risking my brain getting liquified.

email (option): jonny.rudge@verizon.net

Hi John..Interesting to hear you have an Interceptor.Have you had it long? and how do you think it compares with other twins? I am a long time Enfield fan and think they are consistently under rated. I've have had a lot in the past. No Interceptor but 2 Constellations,a Turbo Twin, a J2, a works 350 Trials, an Olympic, 2 Continental GTs, a Crusader Sports, a couple of 350 Bullets and a 350 Clipper, a Meteor Minor and last but not least one of the rare unit construction 350s.
I recently bought an Interceptor Mk1A engine,gearbox and transmission and will probably buy an old Bullet at some point, as a donor for a future project using the Mk1A engine.
My biggest regret is I passed up the chance to buy a Mk2 Interceptor before they got expensive ...Ian

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

Wow, that's a lot of Enfields. I haven't had mine long, only about 40 years (and a donor bike which I bought about 30 years ago). It was one of my fist bikes. It's apart now, ready for restoration, but unfortunately, not much time to devote to it. Riding the RE was great when I lived in the country, where roads are fairly well maintained. It has lots of power, especially in comparison with what was available back then. When I moved to the City it was not very useful because of the combination of street ruts and heavy front springs that I mentioned earlier. It was part of the reason I started to restore it and I will be replacing the springs with the ones from the donor bike. That should make it rideable here. Apropos, do you happen to know a source for the valve seat cutter for the curved valve seats? As far as I know RE was the only bike to use such cutter.

email (option): jonny.rudge@verizon.net

Hi John..I don't know of a source for that cutter. I should think the main two Enfield dealers in this country would be the best bet, though I suspect people don't bother with it...Cutting the seats with two angles on them would achieve similar results and is fairly common practice...Ian

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