Seeing if you fine gents could help me find out more about my new '44 M20.

Here's a link to some photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/61320964@N08/sets/72157634272680450/

By all of my initial observations, the bike seems to be a civilian model. Lots of chrome parts, etc. The paint may or may not be original — there are no longer any markings or badges on it. I've dug up some of the numbers for the frame, engine, etc, but none of them seem to line up.

Here's what I have so far:
Frame Number: 10 M20 119656
Engine Number: BW2804

Numbers on Toolbox Service Plate
Plate is labeled: Ministry of Supply
Vehicle Number: 57 YD 98
Chassis Number: 100404
Contract Number: N/A

Is there anything in these numbers that might help me learn a bit more about the bike?

email (option): berryman.brian@gmail.com

Lex or Henk should be able to tell you more about the post-war registration shown on the rebuild plate but it doesn't seem to belong with this machine.

Your frame number should begin with a letter. probably a 'W'. Is there a chnace that it's been mis-read ?

It's difficult to see the engine number in your photos but it looks overstamped. Any suggestion of 'B' or 'BW' usually relates to a 'Base Workshop' It is very difficult to bring up obliterated numbers on aluminium.

Do you have documents with the bike ? If you are intending to restore it as a wartime military machine and looking for accuracy with the numbers then it may be easiest to look for replacement crankcases.

Thanks, Rik!

I don't believe I've made a mistake on the frame number. I snapped a pic of it and the engine number and put them into my flicker album.

I don't have any other documents with the bike to help with its origin.

email (option): berryman.brian@gmail.com

There is no doubt that's a '10' Brian. The question is why ? I'm not well-up enough to be sure if the rest of the numbers are factory stampings.

The crankcases have been polished and the original number seems to have been lost.

I suppose that a lot depends on your plans for the bike, where it came from and where you're located, in terms of obtaining documents. Personally, the way things are going, I'd be pretty wary of a vehicle without documents unless I was 100% sure of the numbers and the probability of obtaining a satisfactory dating certificate from the BSA OC or the VMCC.

That doesn't mean it can't be done, but it will be less straightforward.

Both engine and frame numbers are not as they left the factory, maybe replacement parts with newly stamped numbers making sense at the time. The YD number has nothing to do with the frame number and this all makes it hard to find any information about the bikes past.

This all will not make any difference in the fun you can have with that bike.

Henk

email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

Hello Brain,

Looked at the pictures for a while and think your bike is not civilian but a late wartime on, with the cut-out tank and plain mudguard. You also have the rearmudguard stays with the braced-on bolt for the panniers. so they would probably have been fitted in the past.

So it looks like someone has made a trip to the chromer in the past. The paint is to shiny and to nice to be original in my opinion.

The rearframe has no lugs for the rear pillion footrests which the latewar type have, so that is bit strange.

I compared your framenumber with mine and the stamping style looks about the same except for the "1", yours is more pointed at the top. So, like Rik, not sure if it is original. If there is a flat spot in the lug on which the numbers are stamped, then the original numbers have been grinded of and it would be a restamp.

Good luck, won't be to hard to put it back to the right specification if you would like.

Michiel / Netherlands

I see Henk has solved the question of the framenumber in the meantime. Good luck

Thanks for your help, guys!

email (option): berryman.brian@gmail.com