hello ,i bought this bike last summer ,the frame number is wm 20 11853 although the last digit may not be a 3 as it has been scratched, and engine number wm 20 17542, i have been told the forks are from a matchless .the engine sparks well and the barrel is as smooth as babys bottom and needs a good push to kick ,i cant get the bike running yet as the throttle cable is us and i need the throttle valve spring .i wondered if the forks are a common addition ?ive found a photo of a wm20 in egypt in 1944 with the same front end but i cant find any other reference on the net. thanks in advance for information .jack. i ve got some photos on this photobucket thing and would be grateful for any input ,i wondered which paint code that is on the front mudguard ? and ive taken the tractor exhaust off now. http://s1273.beta.photobucket.com/user/ja3k1/library/ i hope it works

They did that already during the war, who knows when this was done. You need the HTML code to paste photos in this forum.

Henk



Here a war time photo, could be your bike

email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

The headlamp ears look more Norton shaped. Are they alloy or steel ? They're certainly post-war.

Although there is no doubt that some workshops fitted 'Teledraulics' to other makes (In fact Colonel Bowden, RASC inventor of the 'Task' system had an early set fitted to his Square Four), it was never an official modification or standard practice. It happened more after hostilities had ceased in the Middle East and then again in NW Europe.

I'd suspect that these are the result of experiments to make a better field-bike.

Nice project bike..Ian

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

thanks for replying ,apparently the bike was found after the war by a young bloke up near roye on the somme ,after he died his brother sold the farm and cleared all the buildings, this was literally a barn find ! it must have been a tractor shed or something similar as the bike was coated in a greasy dusty film ,the rear mudguard is off a motobecane i think and the levers are saker so as you say its been put together out of bits and bobs to keep it going .the seat has bungy type springing the ends of which still have green paint on the same shade under the black on as whats left of the front mudguard .thats the photo i found which made me wonder if they were produced like this .jack

Hi,
it seems you have a girder-fork front wheel, though.

You have the basis of a really good motorcycle. Sell everything from the forks back on ebay and find the rest of the Matchless parts needed and then you will have a far superior, lighter, faster and more comfortable motorcycle. Cheers John

OOOFF! Steady on John. Your pips will be torn from your epaulettes and your sword will be ceremoniously snapped over Henks knee. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

In hindsight I was clearly inebriated with the exuberance of my own verbosity, and gifted with an egotistical imagination that can at times run away with me. I most humbly apologise if I have caused any offence by refuring to the Matchless as a superior motorcycle to the M20. Never before in the field of human endeavour has such a truer word been said in jest. JT