Identifying a Royal Enfield of the 1930s

Girder forks, tin chaincase and forward slanted motor distinguish this Royal Enfield.

It's a Royal Enfield motorcycle and an old one. But what model and what year?

Jamie Kos of the UK wanted to know what he'd bought.

"I recently purchased what I believe is a 1930 350cc SV Sport. I have tried to look around at what model this bike could be but I’m struggling and wondered if you could help me?" he wrote.

...but identifying it precisely takes a sharper eye.

I couldn't. But Jamie had a motor number from his bike and I suspected Graham Scarth, chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club of the UK, might be able to use that to identify Jamie's Royal Enfield. I put them in touch.

The Royal Enfield Owners Club of the UK has the factory records from Royal Enfield when it was in Britain. Graham has made a further study of the motor and frame numbers used by Royal Enfield of India, and can often decipher those, as well.

(Need help identifying your old Royal Enfield? Here's my blog post on how Graham can help you.)

Magneto drive is on the right, not the left.

It didn't take long.

"I have spoken to Jamie on the phone a few minutes ago, advising that his bike is a 1931 Model C," Graham informed me in an email. He went on to explain how he knew:

"1930 version had magneto drive on the left and 1932 had a crankcase incorporating the oil compartment.

"1931 is the only year that the engine looks like the one in his bike — external oil pump and the oil (still) in a separate compartment in the petrol tank."

Crankcase does not incorporate an oil tank.

Wizard!

Jamie was appreciative.

" It was brilliant to speak to Graham and to find out much more info about the bike and about Royal Enfields in general. I'm looking forward to joining the Royal Enfield Owners Club," he wrote.

I asked what more he could tell me about his motorcycle.

Tank has separate caps for oil and gas.
(And a hole for the speedometer?)

"I found the bike in Belgium and as far as I can see it is relatively original with only a few parts missing. I am not sure what my hopes are for the bike yet but I am looking forward to restoring it over time. It doesn't run yet!"

So there are miles ahead. But isn't it nice, knowing where the journey started?

Tracking down a mystery noise in a new Royal Enfield

James' new Royal Enfield pictured with the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
(James Conley Photo)

Photojournalist James Conley thought he heard an odd noise coming from his brand new Royal Enfield C5 motorcycle. The noise struck him as "similar to the sound vibrating keys might make against a handlebar, but much deeper."

James may be a bit of a perfectionist. He posted about the noisy Enfield on his blog Compleat Life, which is subtitled "Getting things done in the best way possible."

The blog features brightly written travel and product reviews, and beautiful photographs, many of them showing James' new C5. These are striking; James claims to have chosen a silver Royal Enfield C5 so it would look better in black and white photographs.

James posted a YouTube video of the motorcycle making the noise.



His Philadelphia dealer couldn't pinpoint the cause. It stumped me, too. The usual suspect would be loose valves out of adjustment; but the C5 has self-adjusting valves.

And then, almost purely by chance, James found the answer, or thinks he has.

I won't give it away. You'll have to turn to James' blog to read the surprising answer and see a photo of the culprit.

Can you help identify this motorcycle sidecar?

Do you recognize this sweet looking sidecar?

Can you help identify the sidecar attached to this vintage Harley-Davidson? Its owner wants to know and is asking for help. He writes:

"My name is Carl from Germany and I´m desperate for information on the sidecar fitted to my 1946 WLC. Except for a frame number no manufacturer's plate is visible.

"I bought the WLC last spring in Göteborg, Sweden. The previous owner told me nothing about the sidecar, just that this WLC (Canadian model) was owed by his family since 1946.

The sidecar is well sprung.

"So far as I can see from the old papers the sidecar was fitted to the WLC in the early '50s, but the sidecar looks to me an older model from the 1930s. It's on the left, of course, since Sweden drove on the left side until the 1970s.

"The sidecar is metal clad all over.

There's a small cubby behind the seat.

"The English Swallow sidecar (the sidecar maker that became Jaguar cars) looks pretty close to mine.

"The sidecar looks professionally made by a factory.

Frame number is A 292.

"The frame number is A 292."

Can you help Carl? Write to him at carl.rettieck@web.de

Frame number location.

Nose is well reinforced.

Curved leaf connects to a coil spring (below).

A glimpse underneath. Note coil spring suspension, right.

Long, slim, tapering nose.

Who was the woman on that old Royal Enfield?

Ole Kragh's mother rode a Royal Enfield before World War II.

My best efforts to identify the Royal Enfield in Ole Kragh's photo of his mother as a young motorcyclist in Denmark suggested that it was a 1931-'35 Model J.

But who was the spirited woman on the motorcycle? Curious, I asked him to tell us more.

"Unfortunately I know nothing about the bike," he responded. "I do know that my mother, Grethe Eline Kragh... used it for riding from home to work in a period in her very young days.

"She was indeed a great spirit who didn't care too much about public opinion (nice girls did not ride motorbikes, especially back then).

"She was working as a nurse and in the years 1940 to '45 when Denmark was occupied by Germany she was busy helping hospitalized English and American paratroopers, escaping the Germans.

"After World War II she started up the scout movement for local kids, using a bomb shelter for clubhouse.

"Aged 40 in 1953 she gave birth to yours truly and in 2001 she drew her final breath."

Woman on Royal Enfield in old photo from 1930s

Vintage photo of a woman motorcyclist on a Royal Enfield in the 1930s.

A striking period photograph of a goggled woman on a Royal Enfield motorcycle arrived recently in an email forwarded from Royal Enfield USA. In it, Ole Kragh of Denmark wrote:

"I've just found this old photo. It's my late mother, born in 1913, so my guess would be that this photo was taken in 1935 (...in Denmark) give or take a few years. I'm sure you can identify the bike she's sitting on?"

I can try. Old Royal Enfield catalog art usually shows the right side of the motorcycle, which has the showier bits such as gearshift and transmission. Photos of restored motorcycles can't always be trusted to date old pictures, since restorers may have changed elements of the original.

The mystery motorcycle is clearly of the era after 1928. According to Jorge Pullin's Royal Enfield Virtual Museum, Royal Enfield introduced the rounded saddle tank (straddling the frame), as seen here, in 1928.

The primary drive cover has a nice circular lump, bisected by a rib, something like the cover seen on a photo of a 1930 Model K V-twin posted at the Royal Enfield History Facebook page.

Some details match this 1930 Model K V-twin.

At the rear, the passenger seat and the various frame rails, rear stand and fender supports may match the Model K as well.

The arm running back to the tank appears in Ole's photo.

Speaking of the tank, photos of the same Model K show us a better view of the shiny rail running across the top of the tank from the front suspension. It's visible in the original picture, under the woman's arms. We also see the very prominent adjuster wheel atop the forks, as seen in our photo. The headlight is all wrong — our motorcycle has a streamlined headlight.

And where is that magnificent fishtail silencer seen in our picture? It appears that Royal Enfield ran both exhausts of the V-twin down the right side of the motorcycle. In fact, this would have been good policy, since, if placed on the left the dual pipes might have interfered with fitting a sidecar. Pulling sidecars (fitted on the left in England) was an essential duty for V-twins of the day.

I think the mystery motorcycle is a Model J of the early 1930s. Although it had only one cylinder, this cylinder sloped forward like the one in our picture to give a sporting  appearance (and perhaps also to ease sharing parts with V-twin models).

The Model J was the only single-cylinder Royal Enfield with dual exhaust ports. Since tugging a sidecar was not its primary duty, a gorgeous sweeping silencer could run down each side of the motorcycle to service each port.

Here's a catalog illustration (as usual, from the other side) of the 1930 Royal Enfield Model J.

1930 Model J; one sloped cylinder, two silencers.

The sloping single-cylinder design did not last long in the Royal Enfield lineup. It appears to be gone by 1936. But it was still a feature of the Model J seen in the 1932 catalog illustration on the Sheldon's EMU site. The squarish knee pads are a match here too (the 1930 knee pads were round).

 As a match, I like the shape of the silencer in the 1932 catalog illustration better than the 1930 version, as well.

1932 Model J silencer looked more like that in the old photo.

I think Ole's mom was posing on a 1931-'35 Royal Enfield Model J.

Ad for Royal Enfield Cycar includes historical photos

Pictured with its original owner, this Royal Enfield is for sale on eBay.

The rare Royal Enfield Model Z Cycar that caused some "head scratching" when it went up for sale recently is back on eBay, illustrated with remarkable photos of the motorcycle with its original owner.

The ad now includes fresh information on this unusual, full bodied Royal Enfield, from Graham Scarth, chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club in the UK.

The Cycar is powered by a 148cc two-stroke Royal Enfield motor, with a three-speed hand gearshift. What most distinguishes it, however, is the pressed-steel body, meant to hide all the ghastly, greasy internal parts far from milady's skirts.

Rare Royal Enfield Cycar as it looks today.

Pressed steel leg shields would have protected her from dirt and splash from the roads, but these are missing from this machine.

Only about 1,500 of Cycars were built between 1931 and 1936.

The historical photos of this very motorcycle with its owner are a wonderful addition to the advertisement and worth looking at just for themselves. It is for sale on eBay in Glenmont, N.Y.

1936 Royal Enfield Model Z Cycar had full body frame

Rarely seen Royal Enfield is a Model Z "Cycar."

An unusual looking 1936 Royal Enfield motorcycle for sale on eBay is causing some "head scratching" on the Internet. Thanks to the outstanding Sheldon's EMU website, we know exactly what it is.

It is a Royal Enfield Model Z "Cycar," with a 148cc two-stroke motor. According to Graham Scarth, chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club, the motor was of Enfield's own design. The Villiers logo shown in the eBay ad may have been added by the owner along with the "Speed Scott" decal on the side, as if to throw off the unwary.

Catalog illustration for the Royal Enfield 1936 Model Z Cycar.

What sets this motorcycle apart is its bodywork. The frame is a single steel pressing enclosing the motor and gearbox. Detachable pressed steel leg shields would have been present originally.

Royal Enfield called the Cycar "An economical, reliable lightweight of unique design, which will take you anywhere and keep you clean." The bodywork kept the oily motor and chain away from the rider while the leg shields and ample fenders protected her from dirt.

The three-speed gearbox is controlled by a slender hand gearshift.

The seller, in Glenmont, N.Y., states that the motorcycle has had one owner since new and that the photos show it as it was kept in his garage until he died.

The motor turns over, the seller states but has not been test started.

Note the hand pump tucked away in bodywork.

Royal Enfield Bullet looks great, but what is it?

Shiny alloy fenders give this Bullet a racy look.

With bright alloy fenders and nacelle, an usual looking and very pretty Royal Enfield Bullet is for sale on CraigsList near San Francisco. It is  described as a 1952 model in the ad, but has features typical of later years.

The owner, John, didn't much care what it was when he bought it in 1993 according to Chris Thompson, who is selling the motorcycle to help John cut back on his collection.

"He just liked the way it looked," Chris said.

It's an "Enfield" but not one from India.

The paperwork says the motorcycle is a 1952. But Chris says John remembers describing it as a 1954 and was given the impression when he bought it that it might have been some sort of prototype, perhaps for the Bullet-derived Indian Woodsman, which appeared in 1955.

Gorgeous nacelle really draws attention.

The dual seat and silencer parallel with the ground would be features of the 1954 and later Royal Enfield Bullets. The gearbox looks like the kind introduced on Bullet road models in 1955, with concentric kickstart and shift lever. The frame and folding kickstart suggest a 1956 or later Bullet. The dramatic nacelle might be the one that became standard in 1960, near the end of the Bullet's run.

Is that the speedometer drive on the rear wheel?

I don't know enough about these British Bullets to know what to make of the speedometer drive (if that is what it is) coming off the rear wheel.

Why does the tank say just "Enfield," instead of Royal Enfield?

The ad says that the motorcycle was restored 20 years ago. Perhaps the restorer finished it to his liking without regard to the year of manufacture. Again, if it was a trials model being switched to a road bike it would need some additions, such as the nacelle, to hold the lights and instruments.

It's a Model JS.

Perhaps the Royal Enfield Owners Club can pin down the origin of this motorcycle based on the engine number, visible in one of the pictures: JS15124.

Asking price in the ad is $6,800 and Chris is hoping it draws quick attention because John has other British motorcycles to sell, too: he mentioned Triumph, Vincent and Norton.

Nacelle has light switch on right.

UPDATE: REOC Chairman Graham Scarth was able to identify the motorcycle by its frame number and engine number as a clever combination of Royal Enfield models sold as Indians. The motor is an Indian Woodsman 500cc single of 1956 while the frame and probably the cycle parts as well are from an Indian Tomahawk 500cc twin of 1955. Because of differences between the models, the frame — although older than the motor — is of more advanced design.

YOU CAN HELP: If you have a pre-VIN Royal Enfield, the REOC wants to hear from you. Here's how you can help complete its records.

Old Royal Enfield mystery motor identified

Royal Enfield used inclined cylinders on its single-cylinder, four-cycle motorcycles for only a few years, in the 1930s. Some had four-valve heads; all looked racy indeed.

Royal Enfield motor has forward-sloping cylinder.

But which Royal Enfield model was this curious chromed "sloper" motor, which had served as a doorstop for 40 years?

Scott, a resident of Sunderland, Ontario, Canada, asked for help identifying it. He wants to sell the motor (or parts of it) to those who can make proper use of it.

He provided this history of his "doorstop:"

" Back about 1974 I had a Super Meteor (never should have sold that!) One  spring day I rode to Magic Motorcycles (British motorcycle shop, now gone) to get a gasket set for a friend's pre-unit Triumph. The owner had the little motor holding the door open while he was sweeping out the winter's dirt. He had a strip of masking tape on the cover marked 'fifty.' I had to have it, if only to be a doorstop. It looked so neat.

"Purchased the motor and the gasket set, called father to drive down and meet me, to load it into his trunk. Kenny (the shop owner) had told me it was a '63. He gave me a carb and said 'good luck'. I have no intake manifold; probably when it was chromed someone nabbed the cams as well.  I have enjoyed it as a doorstop for almost 40 years.

"Now my thoughts are that someone somewhere may need these parts to complete a project. Perhaps by piecing the motor out, lots of guys can complete projects. I have no idea how many of these are out there or how much interest there is in a little motor."

Well, we now know it was no '63. Blogger Jorge Pullin narrowed it down to a Model T, S or S2 of the period 1935-'38! One way to distinguish between the Model T and the S models would be to measure the bore, Jorge suggested. It should be 56mm for the Model T, 64mm for the S models.

And that is what Scott did.

Royal Enfield 1936 Model S motorcycle.

"My thoughts are that it is likely a Model 'S'," he wrote.  "I have removed the head (two-valve) and measured the bore; 64mm."

If you have a serious interest in the motor, email me with your contact information and I will forward your message to Scott.

In the meantime, he writes that he is "completing a two-year restoration on my 1940 Indian Chief 'Essential' (a war-time model built for civilians with jobs judged essential to the war effort).  I always regretted selling my big Enfield."

How would you identify this Royal Enfield motor?

Can you identify this Royal Enfield motor?

Identifying now rare Royal Enfield motorcycles from the past is a challenge. I was reminded of this recently when these pictures of a Royal Enfield single-cylinder motor arrived in my email. With them came this plea:

"I would appreciate your assistance in determining what year this motor is. It has been used as a door stop for about 40 years. Unfortunately some chrome was added in the 'swinging sixties.' I would like to sell it and am trying to find out its worth. The only numbers I can find are: 279 on rear S375 on front. Any help you can provide as to year and model would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Scott"

Royal Enfield used inclined cylinders in the 1930s.

I'm no expert, but the unusual forward-slanting cylinder made me think I might quickly pin down the answer. Never seen one of those before!

Sure enough, the reference material I have showed that Royal Enfield used the inclined cylinder design only briefly, in the 1930s, sometimes with four valves in the head. I turned to blogger Jorge Pullin, who built his online Royal Enfield Early Years Virtual Museum to clear up such mysteries, up to 1929.

Jorge passed along pictures from three possible candidates:

1. The Model T of 1935-38. This was a 148cc motorcycle the catalog called "A real sports model with a remarkable performance and the lowest possible running costs." Bore and stroke: 56x60mm.

2. The Model S of 1935-36, a 248cc motorcycle, called "Probably the fastest machine of its type — certainly the most silent mechanically." Bore and stroke: 64x77mm.

3. The Model S2 of 1935-36, also a 248cc motorcycle, with high compression, called "A tuned sports model with the acceleration of many larger machines." Bore and stroke: 64x77mm

In an effort to identify our mystery motor, I cropped the catalog artwork for each model down to the motor, and set them side-by-side.

Which Royal Enfield model had the mystery motor: T, S or S2?

It is apparent that the catalog pictures were "stretched" a bit by the artists, no doubt to produce a lower, racier looking motorcycle. The actual photograph of the mystery motor shows it taller, and more narrow.

Allowing for artistic variations, the mystery motor could be any of these.

The "S" in the number found on the front of the motor suggests it is one of those, in any case. But how to be sure?

Jorge suggested that pulling off the head and measuring the bore (56mm vs. 64mm) would tell the owner whether it was a Model T or Model S motor.

And that is exactly what Scott did. I'll tell you what he found next time.

Mystery motorcycle has great '30s style but even the experts can't name it

I've learned a little about old motorcycles since acquiring my far from modern Royal Enfield Bullet. But I'm still not much good at identifying old motorcycles.

When "Enzo" asked me to identify the crusty, rusty V-twin motorcycle shown here, I posted an item with several pictures, expecting that some reader would instantly recognize it as some garden variety model known to everyone but me.

It wasn't that easy and, in fact, it turns out that this very motorcycle has frustrated some real experts.

Ever game, Jorge Pullin, who blogs at My Royal Enfields, did the research and concluded that this is a 1930s motorcycle built especially for the Spanish market. Read Jorge's full explanation.

I wrote to Paul d'Orléans, a true expert and the author of The Vintagent blog, asking for help. He was kind enough to comment that Jorge may be correct. Congratulations, Jorge.

Paul noted that he had earlier posted this motorcycle on his Vintagent Facebook page asking for help identifying it. I looked up The Vintagent on Facebook and was fascinated by the discussion there. You get a real feel for the issues involved in identification. Here's a taste of what's being said:

Pete Young: Right hand sidecar mounts...

T.Duke Stuedell: Vintage Husqvarna?

Pete Young: Husky's looked kinda like this. But the hand shifter was in the center of the petrol tank.

Theodore Smart: ‎1930-1933 Triumph RR 750, 2-cyl. 741cc 16hp, one of the German ones.

John Beechell: Shuttle-worth snap.

Fred Rozario: From the right hand side view, the engine looks a lot like a 1918-1920 Indian Powerplus. If only I could see more of the transmission...

Seth Jaramus: I think Amy's right. Appears to be a early '30s NSU V-twin. Seems like an Amal-Fischer carb on the LHS of the bike and standard German Steib-type sidehack lugs on the right. I think Sweden was a RHD country in the '30s so the lugs would have been on the left of the bike if it were a Husky. I am not 100 per cent sure, though.

Fred Rozario: Just reviewed my pictures from the Deutsches Zweirad NSU Museum in Neckarsulm Germany (visited earlier this summer). I saw no early-30s NSU V-twin engines, period, in the museum, but perhaps I missed one.

Philippe Murat: Russian PMZ "A-750" (or "Podolski")???

The Vintagent: The machine is in Spain. Don't be fooled by a saddle tank; the engine looks 1926-30. I'll post more photos... Theodore, that's not an MAG engine, so I don't think it's a German Triumph, unless they also used JAP engines?

Buzz Kanter: A ratty flatty?

Eric Halais: It has some Crocker style there.

Magnus P Matthis: Sweden was was a LHD country until 1967. From then on it's up to the driver! ;)

Tom Sappington: Engine looks like JAP or a close knock-off; pre- Ricardo heads. 1920s? Magneto/dyno drive off the primary is new to me, but looks neatly done.

Trent Reker: It is a JAP motor. The front end looks like it's off a Royal Enfield from the mid to late 1920s. The tank isn't original but I'm going to guess the bike used to be a Royal Enfield Model 180.

The Vintagent: Trent here's a 1928 Royal Enfield V-twin; different chassis:

Trent Reker: So it's not a JAP in an Enfield?

Tom Sappington: Rear frame bend in bottom tube reminds me of a Dresch; unusual.

Keith Marshall: Errrrrrrrrrrm!

Hop on The Vintagent Facebook page if you'd like to weigh in.

Will someone please let me know how it all turns out?

Can you identify this mystery motorcycle?

It's not a Royal Enfield (I don't think) but the motorcycle shown in these pictures really is a beauty — or once was.

Enzo from Argentina emailed me these pictures, asking if I could identify this V-twin motorcycle by make, model and year of production.

I certainly couldn't but maybe one of you readers can. My guess is that it's British and very old. The tin cover on the primary drive and the pedestrian slicer license plate holder suggest Britain. Girder forks and hard tail suggest it's old.

The tank is very elaborate, with several caps and openings. This must have been a powerful and expensive machine it its day.

Enzo doesn't say where he found the motorcycle or whether it's for sale. It has a picturesque resting spot in what looks like an old shop/shed.

A really beautiful sidecar is there, too, collecting dust.

What do you think?