Hello everybody,

I own 2 WM20’s for few years now, but do not really know any details regarding their history.
The only thing I do know is that one of them should be a 41’ model, and the other is from 45’.

Can anyone shed some light on its history, or even a key card registration?
Any info would be just great !

One (45) has frame No. WM20 121433 and engine No. WM20 66801
And the other (41) has frame No. WM20 39557 and engine No. WM20 93775.

Thanks allot,
Noam.

email (option): noam10@gmail.com

Noam Zehavi

Hello everybody,

I own 2 WM20’s for few years now, but do not really know any details regarding their history.
The only thing I do know is that one of them should be a 41’ model, and the other is from 45’.

Can anyone shed some light on its history, or even a key card registration?
Any info would be just great !

One (45) has frame No. WM20 121433 and engine No. WM20 66801
And the other (41) has frame No. WM20 39557 and engine No. WM20 93775.

Thanks allot,
Noam.

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

Although Orchard & Madden don't list WM20 121433, it was actually produced under contract S7218. This was originally for 10,000 machines but was cut short by the end of hostilities.

Machines produced were to have been WM20 116818 - WM20 126817 but in fact the last bike produced under this contract was WM20 122687 so yours is very close to the end. It would have carried census number C5890533 when delivered to the Royal Ordnance Depot at Chilwell.

Production was contracted at 1500 per month commencing May 1945 which would put 121433 somewhere around August 1945. This ties in of course with the end of the war against Japan.

All machines under this contract were to be 'suitable for the tropics' - presumably a Vokes filter and in common with the other late M20 contracts, the bike was fitted with 3.25x19 tyres.

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd suspect that the bike was in store for a year or two before being either issued to British forces or sold on to a friendly nation.

Hi Lee and Rik,
Many thanks guys, that’s great !

So the 41’ is in fact 40'.. Henk will need to change it in the chart…

Is any of them have a the key card, and would you might know the C No. of the 40’?..

Thanks,
Noam.

email (option): noam10@gmail.com

Hi Noam,

According the the BSA factory ledgers BSA WM20 39557 left the factory on 4-7-1941 and went to the War Office London.

We have this information for all bikes up to WM20 69669.

Henk.

Here a photo of surplus bikes being shipped to a friendly nation.

email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

Thanks allot Henk !

Regarding the official C numbers of the bikes,
is it available anywhere, or just try to calculate
using the charts?...

Noam.

email (option): noam10@gmail.com

Noam Zehavi

Thanks allot Henk !

Regarding the official C numbers of the bikes,
is it available anywhere, or just try to calculate
using the charts?...

Noam.

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

Thanks again Lee !

email (option): noam10@gmail.com

I also have WM20 frame and engine number 122648.
Was it in the last contract of the War Office?
Is it possible that the bike was made after the end of the war?

Thank you all,
Chen Kalmanovich, Israel.

email (option): gilitkl@gmail.com

Chen, Contract S7218, catalogue reference No.38 was certainly the last substantial contract. Orchard & Madden show a couple of higher numbers but these were just for odd machines.

There is a good possibility that your bike was made after the end of the war (viewed as 5/8/1945 in the UK and 2/9/1945 in the US, when the formal surrender of Japan was signed).

1500 per month commencing May 1945 was the target set in August 1944 when the contract was placed. We really can't tell if they did start at that time but there is a refernce to 'P 15/5/45' and 'A 10/1/46' but I don't know what these relate to. It is possible that the last deliveries were in January 1946 or that may be when the final payment was made.

Regardless, your bike was built under a wartime contract and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorate those who died in service up until the end of 1946.

I wonder Noam and Chen,
You are both from Israel, maybe both of your bikes were sent to Israel together? Long lost brothers? You should compare and see how far back you can track their histories.

email (option): vinver@ns.sympatico.ca

Hi Vincent,

That’s what I’m trying to do now- to track my bikes history,
But I don’t think that there is any special contract brought here, or a production batch.

As can be seen at the “Engine and frame numbers” chart in this site, there are bikes there made on 39’ , 41’ and 45’
And there are many more (I believe that at least 50 are still drive around today in Israel from the WM20 model)
which are not registered at the chart and are from various years of production.

Some of the bikes were left in British camps (such as “Sarafend” ) some came from army surplus from Cyprus and some from other places..
Anyway, it’s nice and interesting to know as much as we can of the history of the bikes.

Cheers,
Noam.

email (option): noam10@gmail.com

i have heard that russel motors of clapham who brought a lot of suplus military motorcycle and spares after the war who still supply military motorcycle spares exported M20 and spares to israel

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

My bike was first registered on 11/12/1960 at the Transportation Office. Most of the WM20 bikes imported to Israel after the war recieved the manufactured date of 1942 regardless of their real manufacturing date. Only few recieved 1945.