Codes and numbers
of the main components.
In general during
this period, location of the component codes and serial numbers are in the
following locations:
Frame: 2-3/4hp,
left hand side of frame lug mounting countershaft/gearbox (when fitted!). Very early models sometimes in a circular pattern around right-hand
rear frame lug. 3-1/2~4hp, right-hand saddle tube top.
Sometimes unstamped on early machines but on later models this can indicate a
dealer replacement.
Engine: 2-3/4hp,
crankcase directly above rear cylinder. 3-1/2~4hp, crankcase
top at rear edge alongside magneto.
Gearbox: 2-3/4hp,
vertical joint face next to shift lever. 3-1/2~4hp, top at
rear on projection for supporting clutch.
The first machine - the Fairy
Around 1905,
Barter's Light Motors Ltd manufactured a 200cc side valve flat twin, clipped
into a more or less standard bicycle frame, and known as the 'Fairy'. The
crankcases were cast at the Douglas Brothers foundry in Bristol, 1905 to 1907.
Only about three of these are known, so your chance of finding another one is,
to say the least, remote! It was not a Douglas but the immediate
predecessor, and as such is not in the list below.
The early Douglas 350 cc side valve,
2-3/4hp - 1907 to 1926.
When Barter's
Light Motors went into liquidation in 1907, Barter was invited to join Douglas,
and a new and improved machine, the Model A, was exhibited in 1907. By 1910,
the bicycle look had been supplanted by a more purposeful-looking motorcycle,
the Model B, which nowadays is by far the most familiar old Douglas of the
period.
The 2-3/4hp
models tend to be the most difficult ones to date, because the model had a
relatively long production run, and because at that time no-one seemed to have
thought of putting code letters on the frames or engines. I have indicated
approximately the range of frame and engine numbers for each year - these (like
all the rest of the data in these tables) are taken from the Club Machine
Register, and not from the factory records.
Since many people
tried to keep their bikes running by 'mixing and matching' whatever could be
made to fit and work, numbers tend to be a bit irregular in the real world,
whereas at the factory at least the early frame and engine numbers would have
matched. The gearbox numbers, on the other hand, would not have matched, at
least at first, because they produced a large number of machines without any
gearbox (or clutch) at all!
Some one must
have noticed this discrepancy eventually, because by around 1915 they seem to
have caught up. Around 1919, letter codes at the start of gearbox numbers were
introduced - leaving the field open for more numerical mayhem in later years as
people continued to swap boxes around as they thought fit. I've shown the
commonest combinations as they are recorded in the Register. Some people even
added gearboxes from other manufacturers - in these early days such hybrids
were entirely genuine attempts to get something on the (pretty awful!) road
that worked and was serviceable, so if it was put together around the right
time, then it's a perfectly acceptable example of early motorcycle history.
Don't knock someone's ancient runner just because it's not exactly like most of
them that left the factory. Also the factory offered an aftermarket kit to
convert single-speed models to two-speed. These came complete with chain,
guard, longer drive belt to suit, and a gear change mechanism that could clamp
on to the frame.
BUT!
But just to keep
you on your toes, after ten years without a frame code, the factory seems to
have introduced the CF frame prefix in about 1925 - never too late, I guess!
However even this generalization may be misleading - a couple of years back Ronald van der
Hoek in Holland told me that he bought
what was described in an advert in a local paper as a "moped with frame
for sale, 1920, for collector." - salvaged by a scrap yard worker. The
'moped' apparently turned out to be a 2-3/4hp Douglas! The frame has the code
letters 'RR' stamped above the number, so maybe they did do some coding then,
but so far no-one has let me know what it was. Any help with this would be
appreciated - if I can update these lists it will help people like Ronald
identify their finds.
For anyone with
an unidentified wreck (or if you're lucky, something a bit better), the
following numbers can be used as a guide - if you have roughly the right number
for the year - give or take a year - then you've probably got at least
contemporary bits. If one of your numbers or letter codes is way out, then
you've probably got a hybrid. Don't worry - the main thing is to get the old
thing going and enjoy it.
By all rights,
Part One should end at 1920, where Part Two takes over. But for the sake of
model continuity, the 2-3/4hp and the 4hp side valves are allowed to run over
to the end of their production life without introducing new models developed
from 1921 onwards. For these see Part Two, the 1920 and 1930s.
Note: where you
see in the tables a code followed by three or more asterisks (e.g., CF/*****)
the number of asterisks indicates the number of digits in the code number, a
hyphen (-) indicates 'same as previous year' or 'ditto'.
The 3-1/2 and 4 HP side valve twins,
1914 to 23
Demand for larger
bikes than the original 2-3/4hp ("two and three-quarter horsepower" -
they still hadn't metricated then!) for sidecar use
led to the introduction of new 500cc (3-1/2hp) and 600cc (4hp) models. These
were all side valve machines, the early ones were used for wartime service.
Civilian production continued until February 1917, when it ceased for the final
year of the Great War.