Hi all

Just taken delivery of my new project, a wd g3l, a nice wee bike methinks !

With advice from adrian & john, i have checked the serial no on the frame

It has 2 !!

Frame serial no 1 (under seat) 43355
Frame serial no 2 headstock 012559 M&B +

Eng no b 41/g3l 67870

This indicates a contract of c14499 on the frame with a later motor, or does it ?

The frame has a post war type side car lug, 1949 i'm led to believe but has 2 toolboxes like a G3

Am also looking for
Brass brake lever
Speedo bracket
Lower left side fork leg with brake anchor point
Correct rear carrier

Hope you can point me in right direction, no experience to date with matchy's

Best regards

Jo'b

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

Nice one John ,with over head valves engine! Hold your breath with such a acceleration.
Will gave a look I think there must be a fork leg in my stock of parts.

Guy

email (option): guy66@skynet.be

Any G3L frame with a side car lug on the downtube in front of the Cylinder head..is a post war frame.if its 48/49 it will have revised headstock angle.
The Matchless Owners club can shed light on the frame number by the headstock....the number under the seat may be a later addition...if the frame was replaced due to damage in service as a lot of G3l,s were still in service up until the mid/late 50,s. and had to use civilian spares
AMC classic spares 01462 811770 or their website or Russells in London are a start for general spares and you may get a speedo bracket that way...fleabay will turn up the rest if you are patient...Ed

email (option): edd@abbottracing.com

Shouldn't it have the strange looking thin steel levers? I think I've got the fork slider spare if you need it. You can get the parts lists for free on www.archives.jampot.dk. I have quite a few duplicate parts if you need any. One thing I've learnt about Matchys is that there is no such thing as a standard one!!!

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

Hi John,

Welcome to the Matchless club! If I can help in my limited capacity, just drop me a line.

Pete

email (option): cruaser@aol.com

It'll all end in tears John.. ..and being black balled from the M20 club.
Ref. Eds comments about civvy spares being fitted post war...The same thing seems to have applied to BSA. I bought a NOS rear frame section which was in postwar gloss green and still had most of its wrapping material. This had the 'twin' sidecar lugs as per the post war civvy spec. Quite a lot of M20s also seem to have acquired post war MU42 headlamps..mine came from the Army with one.
Postwar batteries and MCR2 regulators would also be likely post war fitments I would have thought.
I guess now you will forever have people telling you it is the 'wrong' frame..when in fact it probably isn't, having been fitted by the Army postwar. I am often asked why I don't get rid of the 'F' plate on my M20 and get an 'age related' number..yet that is its correct number, issued at first registration in 1968...Ah, the dilemma of choosing where history starts and ends!!...Ian

Good point Ian. it can be more basic than that...i have lost count the number of "Experts " who have told me that my G3L can,t be wartime ,because Teles wern,t invented ,till after the war...!!!

email (option): edd@abbottracing.com

Well if tele's weren't invented till after the war, then a lot of Germans would have had to ride around on unicycles Also Triumph were well on the way with developing their tele's early in the war, but the bombing of Coventry put paid to that. In fact they were put back so much that they even had to purchase the girders for the 3HW's from WEBB. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Hey Dave, the strange tin levers were only fitted to the first couplle of contracts, after that various Amal or Bowden types. Some engine numbers were stamped with an A or B to indicate which levers were fitted.
Cheers, Mick.

email (option): mick@motorbikemike.org.uk

My crankcase is stamped with a b, does this relate to bowden

Jo'b

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

John, I would agree with Edd that it will be a post war frame. Go with the frame number under the seat and grind the sidecar lug off.The tin levers were thought to be fitted only to the first contract but I have found a photo with a G3L with pannier bags and a tank top Vokes filter with them fitted. I believe the later bikes had the universal levers that were fitted to all makes. Welcome to the world of light, fast war time bikes. I am going to relay my driveway so happy to buy your M20 for concrete reinforcement. Cheers John

email (option): tinley@btinternet.com

Hi John, here's a set of cases I have-

The B in the top left corner indicates Bowden levers were originally fitted to the bike.
Cheers, Mick.

email (option): mick@motorbikemike.org.uk

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

Thanks all for your help and comments as usual, spot on.

The BSA will never go Ian, it's like a family pet, loved by all the o'b's back in Ireland,

have done the fast motorcycle thing, so maybe the not as slow as BSA G3L might just show a slightly different side to WD motorcycling

:-)

Jo'b

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com