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General => Douglas Motorcycle Discussion => Topic started by: Hamwic on 02 Nov 2020 at 15:30

Title: M32 Frame wrangling by Motoliner
Post by: Hamwic on 02 Nov 2020 at 15:30
I delivered the M32 frame with all its issues to Motoliner in Maidstone, and they confirmed that it was indeed bent in all directions. Using their jigs and fixtures they have managed to get the final drive sprockets to line up, and the headstock bearings to be plumb to the frame.

The frame had been repaired before apparently, and they made good the previous efforts that were probably done pre-war, or at the time of the accident that resulted in the fitting of the Sunbeam forks. They found a solid bar had been fitted running right along the bottom tube, and the tube had been cut and pinned in a couple of places. They also managed to correct the distortion around the front of the gearbox lug.

Although a pricey job, the bike would have been unrideable without their efforts. So far, a happy customer!
Title: Re: M32 Frame wrangling by Motoliner
Post by: EW-Ron on 02 Nov 2020 at 22:06
And it was RIDDEN like that with the Sunbeam forks fitted ???

That does look significantly betterer ...
Title: Re: M32 Frame wrangling by Motoliner
Post by: Hamwic on 03 Nov 2020 at 09:56
It's not been ridden by me yet, but some poor soul obviously tried it - as I surely will. The entire bicycle is so flimsy in all areas, it's a mystery it got anywhere at all. Not surprising there aren't many left!
Title: Re: M32 Frame wrangling by Motoliner
Post by: Doug on 03 Nov 2020 at 19:22
But is it any worse than a Triumph Cub frame?  :)

My A31 frame (partially similar) while having no signs of crash damage, certainly needed the head stock brought back into plane. I do not know if you can see the chalk marks on the table, but it was about 1-1/2 inch off. The hydraulic jack was not really necessary, a large four foot long monkey wrench and depressingly little effort was all that was needed to twist it back into alignment.

(https://www.douglasmotorcycles.net/aa-files/images/doug/2020/A31-frame-straighten.jpg)

-Doug
Title: Re: M32 Frame wrangling by Motoliner
Post by: Dads bike on 03 Nov 2020 at 20:38
If you are in need of some Douglas forks,
Looking through eBay UK tonight, there are an alleged early prewar set of Douglas? girders for sale, only things I am sure of is they ain’t cheap and they are not mine.
Item No 402315972513.
Steve.
Title: Re: M32 Frame wrangling by Motoliner
Post by: Hamwic on 03 Nov 2020 at 21:18
Hi Doug,
Motoliner reckoned the headstock was pretty easy to move, but the real trouble lay elsewhere, not least the solid bar inserted in the bottom section. All pretty flimsy at the front really! I knew a guy with a single down-tube Triumph who called it Access, because it was his Flexible Friend, to quote the credit card ad from the 1970's. I watched it spit him off one day, and am wondering if this one might be another Access in the making?....

Thanks for the heads up Steve re the flea bay forks. I'll keep an eye on them. Would they be of the period 31/32?
I have done a good few miles behind Sunbeam Model 9 forks, and rather like them, and as the bearings all seem to be good, I have something to be going on with for now. The Douglas steering damper seems to fit the Sunbeam 1 1/16" stem OK - unless it's a Douglas stem matched to a Sunbeam blade? The head bearings are a skinny 1.710 OD and one is nicely modified to match the Sunbeam top race. The bottom one fits the stem as it should.

Rear wheel build is next. All good lock down fun!
Title: Re: M32 Frame wrangling by Motoliner
Post by: graeme on 04 Nov 2020 at 09:34
I remember Alan Cunningham mentioning that every EW 350 frame he had seen was bent in the back end from the the feeble amount of HP transmitted through the chain! Light weight was a real consideration back in those days, from both a license and fuel consumption perspective