I've just had a look at JonB's post re key card info on his bike and was wondering if similar info is available for mine? The frame number is WM20 110717

Any tit-bits, no-matter how small would be gratefully recieved.

Lee.

email (option): lee@twowheelstested.co.uk

Hi Lee

A simple check of frame numbers in the keycards has come up negative I'm afraid however............

When WM20 110717 left the factory it would have had the serial C 5551417 and that does appear in the cards.



The "NA" is common enough and presumably means that a unit or depot holding this particular vehicle failed to fill in the relevent box on the census return.

But because of the quantity of errors in the keycards and the swapping of components during the postwar rebuilds (petrol tanks included I suspect) we cannot be sure that this is your bike unless you have some further evidence such as a registration plate or brass rebuild plate showing the postwar registration 35 YD 77.

Rob

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

Hi Rob

Thanks for looking.

It has a brass Ministry of Supply plate which says it was rebulit to class 1 on 12/11/48 by Army Auxiliary Workshop no. B198 - does this help with tracking down it's history?
Out of curiosity, is any info available on C5551417?

email (option): lee@twowheelstested.co.uk

Any idea what BAUR in the "Unit to" column means?

email (option): lee@twowheelstested.co.uk

BAOR - British Army of the Rhine.

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

I've taken a few pics, rebuild plate included, and (hopefully) they can be found on the Photobucket link.

http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z335/ktm_nut/1944%20BSA%20WM20/

email (option): lee@twowheelstested.co.uk

Hopefully not diverting the thread from Lee's requests, but I have same questions on mine if Rob (or anyone else) can help me too, my frame is 101531. I don't even know the original census number. My guess is 5212231? (The previous owner painted the bike to match an early war one he liked so the one painted on it is way off.)

thanks
Steve

email (option): ziggyfoos@hotmail.com

Thanks Lee, I must have seen your M20 somewhere I appear to have taken a picture of your rebuild plate before, do you take it to Beltring?

Hi Steve, your calculaion is right WM20 101531 left the factory with the serial C5212231 but so far I've not come accross either in the keycards, Rob.

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

No Rob I probably gave you a picture. It's a bike I imported from Ireland that my mate Tim had off me, and subsequently sold to Lee. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Thanks Ron, that explains it Rob.

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

Hi Ron

If you've got any historical info on the bike, no matter how small, I'd love to see it. Bikes that I've had in the past (70's Jap stuff) have all taken me back down memory lane but the WM20 has notched it up a gear. I've read (according to the wife) more than enough ww2 books and to have a bike with a historical link is something special.

Even the smallest amount of info will be very gratefully received.

Lee

email (option): lee@twowheelstested.co.uk

i have an M20 which has a number 10 YE 62 there are not any key cards for this registration letter so there must be other registration number key card missing it is fantastic that these key card were save by people on this forum thank you

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

I'm afraid I haven't got any information Lee. The bike was in my possession for only a short while. Apart from the bits of info coming from the likes of Rob and Rik, it's always an unknown.
Some speculation and guesswork can be defined sometimes. Like Rik's Norton that was found in Belgium in it's nearly original condition and markings. Otherwise the best you can hope for is to establish it's original census number or a record in the post war key cards.
The normal procedure is to mark the vehicle according to what interests you or a unit that a family member was associated with.
Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

The WM20s coming out of Ireland seem to be either early or late. We know that the 1940 models were supplied direct by BSA and it would seem likely that the later bikes were supplied to the Republic from Royal Ordnance stocks.

Britain had been stockpiling for an extended war against Japan and suddenly those stores were no longer needed.

If the bike in question was struck off prior to the 1948 inception of the post-war numbering system then it certainly wouldn't appear in the Key cards.

I believe that some posters here have accessed the Irish archives and can identify some bikes there.