I'm trying to fit the battery holder/oil tank assembly to the frame on my '58 M21 but I can't get them to line up properly.
Assuming I've mounted the battery holder on the down tube correctly (see first photo) the oil tank holes don't align with the rear mudguard bracket correctly.

Unless I have the wrong mudguard?

Ideas anyone please?

Gary.

email (option): gj.owen@hotmail.co.uk

G'day Gary,

These's not much to go wrong with the fitment of the bracket to frame, I'd look at how the rear guard is fitted. Is the guard original or pattern?

Hello Gary,

I'm not sure, but from the picture it looks like
The front of the mudguard (The part facing the front of the bike)
Is a bit bent backwards, towards the rear wheel and needs to be pulled
Towards the front a bit.

Worth a check...

Noam.

Thanks both and yes, the more I think about it, the more I'm coming round to agreeing it's an issue with the rear mudguard.

I bought this as a basket case so can't be ansolutely sure that all the bits are original to the bike but I'm pretty sure the mudguard is right as it carried the rear numberplate with the original reg number.

I'll take another look at the fitment of the rear guard over the weekend and see what's what.

Thanks again

Gary.

email (option): gj.owen@hotmail.co.uk

Gary, I have one of those later battery carriers as it was incorrectly fitted to a WM20 I bought. When that is fitted to those two frame studs on the rigid frame the front edge of the battery bracket runs very close to parallel to the frame downtube.
In your picture it looks like the lower stud is forward of the upper one? That appears to be rotating the battery bracket down at the rear (to the eye).
Does the lower frame stud look the same as the upper one? - it may be positioned differently on the later frame of course but worth asking.

Ray

Hi Gary, On my 1957 M21 I had fitment woes because I was tightening the frame bolts then trying to put the bolts on tight as I moved to the rear of the bike. You may want to try to keep all the bolts LOOSE, then assemble and tighten, having them tight on the frame caused me hours of frustration, once I had loosened everything up, it fit and I could tighten it all down. Good luck!

Jack, you were absolutely right!

I'm pleased to say that after loosening all the rear mudguard fittings and starting by loosely fitting the battery carrier and oil tank to the rear mudguard before attempting to fit everything to the frame I was able to get it fitted. It was still a bit of a wrestle (never ceases to surprise me what difference a layer of new paint makes) but I got there.

Thanks to everyone (esp. Jack) for your advice and contributions. The rebuild continues..........

Gary.

email (option): gj.owen@hotmail.co.uk