Anyone know of a chap in a French van, not certain of his nationality, who was at Newark last weekend with a complete 3HW engine for sale, please?

Want to contact him to buy it .......

It sounds like the 3HW rebuild is following the usual 'ex middle eastern' pattern...

By the time I got this on the road there was virtually nothing left from the original 'ex Egyptian' donor bike....
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..... Ian

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

Same here Ian & Nigel.
only frame, girder fork, carburettor, handlebar, and the wheel hubs made it in the end. (well chromed Indian donor bike) and a three year search for finding the right parts

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Sure is,
The more I look, the more I want to change/sort out, and yes I will be missing any june events at current rate of build.

I now have the added 'problem' that this bike could be going to Bonneville next year, after the 350 VINTAGE, PUSHROD, PRODUCTION record ............ hence the requirement of a spare engine.
I'm going as 'support, so may as well take something to race.

It's either this or the ES2 with a 350 engine in it.
Everyone tells me how well the 3hw went in post war racing, its light, its got a good gearbox, got NOS forks blades (i can make links) - yes the crank is questionable, but so is the Mod50 crank - I have a couple of prototype cranks I started on, I think they are short enough stroke for a 350 - of either type, just need 3hw main shafts.

The French guy will probably be at Stafford - wanting to avoid going.

Your bikes do look nice though, so something to aim for.

Hi Nigel

I know one of the French traders & over the years I have bought lots from him - he cleared a BSA dealer in France some time ago & had for a time quite a bit of wdm20 & 3hw stuff

If you can describe him- it might be Pascal - pm me on this

If so, I have his contact no

If not, maybe pascal knows him

There are a number of French dealers going to stafford this year

Best regards

Job

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

think John could be right on this.
it must be pascal bouvy you mean John.
he's a Belgian from the french speaking part of Belgium.

Unfortunately, I was on holiday and am getting the story secondhand - my Cuz tried to contact me but was on airplane at time, so cannot describe him.
I have bought some triumph g/box from a French guy - good stuff, but I got impression he was from southern France?

sorry for being so vague - have now got a permit for Stafford on Saturday, so will be going (wife's birthday is on Sunday and she's organized something for herself...)

What with forks replaced, different gearbox, and so much done to frame - only the current engine will be left from original purchase .....

Just discovered that AMA world record for a pushrod, production, vintage, 350, has been set in 2013 @ .... 64mph - surely I can get her to do more than that ?
The modified pushrod vintage 350 record is 105.6 mph !!!! on an AMC, yipes!

['Just discovered that AMA world record for a pushrod, production, vintage, 350, has been set in 2013 @ .... 64mph - surely I can get her to do more than that ?
The modified pushrod vintage 350 record is 105.6 mph !!!! on an AMC, yipes!']

Don't forget at Bonneville there is a power reduction due to the rarified atmosphere....

What do the AMA mean by 'vintage'....?

Both of those figures seem achievable...The side valve record in the UK is faster than both but maybe that is the effect of the power reduction...?..

I did see some info. on the actual percentage of power lost but can't find it at the moment...Ian

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

VINTAGE IS PRE-57 .......................?
Sadly no side-valve class.

We reckon we need another +10-15mph at sea level - i.e. 80 mph along the M18 in my case.

There is a substantial reduction in power due to temperature and altitude, at least 10%.
There are 'tricks' you can play, like running a very high compression/advance to compensate for lack of actual air going into the engine, etc.

Am planning on +tiger80 spec + a damn sight more compression - temperature will be a problem and as there is no seperate FUEL (anything liquid) or GAS (supplied petrol) class, we may be able to use methanol - which at least should help cool things off.

We have sponsorship in form of new short stroke crank, barrel piston, etc for the B50 - i'll be on my own.

In amongst everything else, will try and get the Dyno up and running - luckily am planning on retiring (again) in next month or two.

email (option): ginantonik@tiscali.co.uk

['We reckon we need another +10-15mph at sea level - i.e. 80 mph along the M18 in my case.']

That shouldn't be too difficult..A B31 does 75mph in standard trim...

I know when I built my 5SW I was distinctly underwhelmed by the crankshaft assembly, specifically the light construction of the big end and conrod...

However, something in the back of my mind tells me the Tiger 70/80 had a more substantial set up...Is that correct?

I guess it'll be down to how much space you have for valves and what you can come up with for cams as much as anything...Ian

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

Henry Cole used a Triumph 3HW engine for the speed record he set. He was meant to go to Bonneville but didn't make it. On the TV program they said they needed over 80mph in England to get need the sixty something mph needed to beat the record.

Here's a write up I found on the net;

Henry Cole from ITV4s the Motorbike Show broke the record for Vintage Gasoline on his Triumph 3HW 350cc Pre 1955 with 88.8mph. Peter Thorne set the Vintage Fuel Record at 86.8mph.They should have been going to Bonneville to attempt this, but due to various situations couldn’t make it and so came to Elvington and managed to achieve the goals they had set.

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

IAN - part numbers are same for T70/T80 and HW3 big-end and no i do not trust it - i believe in building power from the ground up.
Starting with the crank!

Unfortunetly the ES/model 50 crank is similar - with crowded rollers - though a bigger crankpin.

Yes i am aware of the Henry Cole 'attempt' - unfortunetly i've never heard such BS in my life - it blew up on its first real run and has never been heard of since....

email (option): ginantonik@tiscali.co.uk

John, can you let me have Pascals contact number please on please.

email (option): ginantonik@tiscali.co.uk

Hi Nigel

Pascal speaks little English so I managed to contact him over the weekend for you

It was not him at Newark

So for now, it's a mystery -,maybe stafford show will reveal more

I'll look out for you

Best regards

Job

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

Yes i am aware of the Henry Cole 'attempt' - unfortunetly i've never heard such BS in my life - it blew up on its first real run and has never been heard of since....[/quote]

Yes he did seize it up on the first test run, he was told to take it easy but didn't listen. However the bloke rebuild the engine with a bit more clearance and they did the record attempt and beat it. They showed the event on TV and I guess that record still stands at that event, so not sure why you think it's BS..? Henry Cole owns that bike and it's sat in his garage with all his others. No he probably won't use it again.

The bloke from Cornwall who built the engine seemed to know his stuff, can't remember his name now though.

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

Hi Dave

Hope all is good with you

Henry Coles programs on TV are very much subject to intense critical review by those of us with an interest or in depth knowledge of Oldtimers

Putting that aside, my opinion is that anything that projects old bikes & the great hobby it is on TV - can only be a good thing

Next weekend is Stafford Bike show, an event I have travelled to from Ireland ( when living there) since it was based at Belle Vue - it's possibly the greatest event of its type in Europe but if we look about - it's full of blokes 50 + & does nothing really to attract committed younger enthusiasts both male or female.
I must somehow calculate the average age of visitors - such rivet counting !

Without TV programs as such ( despite their journalistic inaccuracies or fluffy text) we need this & more from the print media to encourage younger riders to share their passion for plastic rockets & Oldtimers at same time

There are exceptions, down my way - John Tinley has actively encouraged his son Joe & his pals to ride & maintain WD bikes provided - in France over the last few years they have been among the few who have looked like genuine WD riders, early 20's and like stick insects in build compared to us older lads. In netherlands there appears to be a number of younger riders & enthusiasts with many attracted to the living history side of things

As custodians of these machines for the future, the knowledge & information required for them - I wonder who will be these future custodians - will there be many at all ?
maybe I will be pleasantly surprised at Stafford this year with hoards of younger folk wanting to buy old rides or parts to fix them

Just my thoughts on a Monday folks

Job

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

I agree John, you're not the only one who's noticed the average age at these shows. It was even the same at Daytona Bike week, grey hair and fat bellies, it made me look a bit healthy and young

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

Thanks guys - I hope I find the guy at Stafford.

RE Henry C - nothing against him and what he does for m/cycling, but unfortunately I think we have all winced at odd comments about various rebuilds/finds and even his inability to start a 250 Husky.
I know only too well how contrived these program are.

Regarding whatever record he broke, I cannot find anything and anyway his non standard frame (metises) would put him in different class than I am considering.

For myself, nothing will happen until I have a complete spare engine to play with (Stafford), I sort myself a crank and get the whole lot to do +80 down the M180 - that is a standard s++t brown WD 3HW
Though, to conform to regs I do have to fit a working steering damper (hydraulic off the H2 Kawasaki) and ball ended levers, etc.
All assuming the record isn't broken this August, I need to get it ready for shipment by this time next year

I've been attending jumbles for decades and for the entire time people have been saying it's full of old blokes and the whole scene will die out...

Funny thing is the old blokes from those days have died out...but it's still going along nicely...

The fact is when your in your teens/20s you tear ass about on whatever you can afford...

As you get older and develop a more nuanced attitude to bikes an interest in something older or something you can actually get involved with comes into play....Then you get involved.

Personally I never expect to see 'the scene' full of young people, although there are some...Rather, I hope that there is a continuing supply of older people who get interested...

If anything is likely to change it's a shift from British to Japanese and foreign machines...the ones the following generations started out on....Ian

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

IAN - exactly.

There is a drift towards 'newer' bikes as years go on.

Recently have been wondering who will buy the pre-war bikes our group seem to be buying as 'investments' (the secret to any investment is what you pay for it!).

I think there will always be a market for pre1930 and prewar/girder bikes and any V twin.
The '50/60's grey porridge and +70's Japanese stuff do seem to be very hard to sell - particularly @ Ebay prices.

Probably the biggest tell-tale is the circuit racing scene, which has pretty much collapsed for Vintage/Classic/FRE racing - as values/costs have increased.

Recently am involved in the 'vintage' (pre '89) Enduro scene (Vinduro) - a growing and very interesting sport 3 years ago, cheap and fun - as bike prices increase and ages stops/slows some of the older riders, its already past its peak and interest is falling off.

There is a generation coming through with no interest whatsoever in anything mechanical, not even bothered about cars in general - a very few interested in 'drifters' whatever that supposed to be about and that's based on a computer game.

Guess I'm now an old twat where everything was better (rickets) years ago ......
The thing to remember is that it was our generation than designed and made all these bloody electronic products, interweb, etc ......... (it was either that or hoops and sticks)