A new television program on the military channel called "Triggers, weapons that changed the world" starts tomorrow at 10:00 EST. The previews show a guy on a modern Royal Enfield equiped with a drum magazine Thompson SMG mounted on the handlebars, just like the famous photo of the 16H most of us have seen. They actually test out it's functionality by riding at speed and firing at a moving target, a dummy dressed in a german uniform. Anyhow, if some of you get the military channel, it might be a way to waste an hour tomorrow night.

Actually Sam, that was an OHV Norton! Model 38 I believe. With one of the ugliest silencers I've ever seen. I think it was nicknamed "The Cows Udder" Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Oops, didn't have the photo in front of me, I remember that silencer now. The program previews also show the guy shooting with the right hand. They must have jury rigged the throttle to the left side.

People have been talking about the Volkes filter ruining your manhood if you fall off, you'd stand no chance with one of these fitted

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

It's hard to imagine that anyone ever considered this a sensible or practical idea...When everything was in short supply and wartime production was supposed to be a priority it is amazing how much effort was expended on things like this, the fruitless 'standardisation' and 'lightweight motorcycle' projects (though admittedly these were more sensible ideas) and bizarre efforts like the Panjandrum...to name just a few of the multiple examples....Ian

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

Someone even patented it, well you wouldn't want someone stealing a "brilliant" idea like that would you?

http://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=0&adjacent=true&locale=en_gb&FT=D&date=19430225&CC=GB&NR=551504A&KC=A

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

Trojan Ltd. were mainly occupied with making bomb racks and parachute containers during the war...I guess if they had landed a contract for 10-20,000 of their patented contraption it would have become a 'valuable brilliant idea'...and worth hanging on to...Now, where can we weld some brackets for this sidecar mounted 17 pounder?....Ian

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

There is reference to a quantity of these 1938 Model 18s being used by the Grenadier Guards post Dunkirk. I suspect that this one was rigged up for the press photographer.

The silencers were a one year only affair and were reputedly very quiet. They have two spiral baffles internally, one above the other. It's true that the works nicknamed them the 'Cow's Udder' and they quietly reverted to the earlier design for 1939.

I quite like them in an odd sort of way and have an ambition to find a 1938 twin port and build it to trials specification (£5 extra in the day) with one of those each side at high level. The tail-pipes would look fantastic from behind !

Quite where these identical three-year old bikes all came from in 1940 is a bit of a puzzle, there is no reference to a WD order for Model 18s in the ledgers. I wonder if they were connected with the large orders for military spec Model 18s supplied through the French Norton agent, Psalty.

Quite right Rik! Model 18 not 38. I was probably thinking of the year. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

The 1939 Army ISDT team had at least one Model 18...Ian

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

Could they be Model 50's (350cc) instead of 18's? As it seems all the OHV WD bikes used were 350's and the SV's 500cc

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

We're talking pre war Dave. according to O&M, models 18 (500cc OHV) and model 19 (600cc OHV) were used for testing purposes. They even used 250 and 350 SV's as standard equipment from early war. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Ah ok, thanks for that Ron. I've got a few Model 18 engines and might have to built one up and put it in the 16H for a laugh

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

I'm afraid you won't be able to patent your field gun in the sidecar idea.......

email (option): stinkypete80@hotmail.com

There's something about 'heavy' sidecar outfits of the military type..everytime I see one I feel a need to get one!..Nice Gnome et Rhone flat twin...great picture...Ian

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

I believe that the reason they had to carry those 25mm Hotchkiss A/tk guns portee was that the wheels were so weak, they couldn't tow them any distance.

The BEF had them for use by the Brigade A/tk companies and generally lifted them into the back of Bedfords.

Going back to the Model 18, I thought that I'd read somewhere that there were 50 machines but I see in O&M reference to seven or twelve purchased post-Dunkirk but they don't say they were 1938 models.

Although this one has the WD/trials type fork snubbers, the frame geometry doesn't look WD to me. It is possible to fit the 500cc OHV engine into the shortened WD frame (with appropriate fuel tank). According to Peter Roydhouse, only the 600cc OHV Model 19 engine wouldn't fit and having seen one of those in the civilian frame with the tank off, I can believe that.

If you do fit a Model 18 engine, it will need the appropriate magneto platform as the mag drive line is wider for 1938 engines and wider still for the 1948-on units with the non-lever followers

That's a brilliant picture. You wouldn't want to go around corners with that on, I think you'd be on your side in a ditch

I've got 3 Model 18 engines 2 are dated 46 and 1 is 56, the only year they did the long pushrod tubes and ally head, so that one wouldn't look right. The pushrod tubes and tappet cover are also different between the the years because of the changes in 48. The 46 engines looks the same as the one in the picture. I'd have to build one up and maybe if the 16H engine ever went wrong I could do a quick REME job and swap them over. I've also got a Norton rigid tank for a OHV motor and it's unusual as it has the pump mounts. I thought only WD Norton's had them on the tank? So I think it's do-able. As for the cows udder... well would anyone want to put it on

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

The '46 engines will fit in OK but the cam gears are wider which means that the magneto sprocket sits slightly further out from the centre-line, thus the mag also has to move to the right.

The platform has, therefore, a little more 'overhang'