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General => General Douglas Discussion => Topic started by: Carts on 24 Nov 2015 at 00:27

Title: My Great Grandfather - Please tell me year of Bike
Post by: Carts on 24 Nov 2015 at 00:27

Hopefully the photo attaches.  It is of my great Grandfather who was the agent for Douglas Motorcycles in Adelaide.  Note the number plate SA2.  Apparently SA1 was kept for the Premier or similar and Great Grandad was the first to register a bike.

Can anyone tell me the model, age of the bike in the photo?

By the way, I have still got the leather coat he is wearing some 100 plus years later!

Thanks for your help.

And if anyone has a similar bike for sale, please let me know. Regards Chris Carter

Title: Re: My Great Grandfather - Please tell me year of Bike
Post by: cardan on 24 Nov 2015 at 01:54

Hi Chris,

Great photo and story, and close to home for me. Plate "2" was originally issued to E. S. Rymill of East Terrace, Adelaide. There was in fact a plate "1", issued to J. Bannigan of Malvern. The first registrations were in September 1906.

Your photo and your great grandfather's bike is early 1930s (I'm not expert on this era, so someone else will fill in the details). To get "2" he would have to either be E. S. Rymill, have bought one of Rymill's bikes carrying "2", or have had more sway than most with the Registrar of motor vehicles.

What was his name?

Leon

Edit: Here's the photo as jpg

Title: Re: My Great Grandfather - Please tell me year of Bike
Post by: eddie on 24 Nov 2015 at 07:40

The bike looks to be a 1931 or 32 version of the 600cc S6 (tartan tank and single spring forks). What is unusual is the fact it appears to have a small bore unsilenced exhaust - the S6 exhaust pipe was considerably larger than that shown.

  Regards,
                Eddie.