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11
Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Douglas S6 ring gap
« Last post by alan reid on 27 Sep 2023 at 18:15  »
Many thanks for your replies, but the pistons are aluminium, not cast iron, so i will run with a 6 thou gap.

Regards Alan
12
Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Help, Nesbitt Robinson
« Last post by Red on 27 Sep 2023 at 12:06  »
Hi Leon

That's an interesting theory. His grandson tells that he has spoken to his grandfather's younger sister, who is still alive, and by all accounts the family put pressure on Nesbit to give up racing. With a much faster bike they may have been concerned that he was likely to have a very serious accident. Was the bike then returned to road trim for Nesbit to continue using as a very fast road bike. Who knows?

Thanks to you all for your input in to this matter. It has given the grandson plenty of food for thought.

All the best

Roy
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Help, Nesbitt Robinson
« Last post by cardan on 27 Sep 2023 at 07:20  »
OK, here's a curious coincidence that might bear on Roy's comment that Nesbit Robinson's S1 Douglas did 100 mph at Brooklands.

A few years back we discussed how Pullin's development of the S1 lead, in March 1922, to him becoming the first rider of British soil to exceed 100 mph. https://www.douglasmotorcycles.net/index.php?topic=7014.msg27563#msg27563 To do this, he arranged to be timed over the very unusual distance of half a mile at Brooklands; usually the shortest recognised distance was 1 km. And the man who set up the electronic timing equipment at the record attempt? None other than Col. Lindsay Lloyd, the man who, just a couple of weeks later, was to sponsor the Public Schools MCC race meeting at Brooklands (see above).

There are many things I don't know about all this! But I do like the (unproven) idea that our top photo shows Nesbit at Brooklands, maybe at the Public Schools MCC meeting in April 1922, just a couple of weeks after Pullin had broken the 100 mph barrier. Col. Lloyd was the president at the PSMCC, he also timed Pullin, maybe Herbert Robinson presented a trophy to the PSMCC where his son Nebit was a member? If so, everyone knew everyone.

Re-reading Roy's last post I see I've misunderstood: what if Nebit's fancy bike - a road-going S1 Douglas with twin carbs and an airbox, as ridden by Pullin, the fastest 500 in the country - did do 100 mph at Brooklands, but not with Nesbit on it? (I was puzzling the impossibility of young Nesbit doing 100 mph!)

Was Nesbit's racy S1 Pullin's record-breaker, sold to Herbert Robinson, Douglas agent in Cambridge for his son?

That would be a good story.

Cheers

Leon
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Help
« Last post by cardan on 26 Sep 2023 at 12:14  »
Yes it is, but it's a very special one: seems to have twin carbs and an airbox. Not something available to the average customer.

Clocking 100mph at Brooklands on a bike like this would be a big ask. Cyril Pullin was the first to do 100 mph on a 500 on his Douglas at Brooklands, but this required a very special motorcycle and special timing arrangements. Seems unlikely that an amateur (was Nesbit Robinson and amateur?) could emulate this feat. Perhaps he borrowed a special bike from Pullin?

Leon
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Help
« Last post by Red on 26 Sep 2023 at 11:23  »
Attached is a photo of Nesbit Robinson's road bike. Is it a 1922/3 3 1/2 HP Sports? I'll leave it to you experts to tell me exactly which model it is. His grandson tells me that it was used at Brooklands and clocked at 100mph. Thanks

Roy
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Model Z rear wheel off set
« Last post by saluki42 on 26 Sep 2023 at 10:24  »
Hi there, can anybody tell me the correct off set for the rear wheel for my 34 Model Z. I've visually lined up the two sprockets, g/box and wheel, and it seems around 1/2" but I would prefer to know what is should be with a greater degree of accuracy.
Any info would be gratefully recieved.

Chris
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Help
« Last post by cardan on 25 Sep 2023 at 12:37  »
As EW- Ron has said it all looks so well organised I wonder if it was possibly this event which is listed for 1920

This event was a hill climb on public roads, so the machines were road-equipped and registered, although there were some naughty exhausts. So I doubt this was the event.

If we skip to 1922 the Public Schools MCC was pretty active, and club president Col Lloyd sponsored an entire "impromptu" race meeting at Brooklands, held on April 1, 1922. This would be a great opportunity for young members to put in some laps? On the day Col. Lloyd was "a tower of strength, officiating as starter, jusdge, time-kepper, and in various other capacities". I wonder if the club set up the trestles in the paddock for the ladies to to do the admin and the sandwiches. Nesbit would have been 19, which seems plausible for the photo?

Eddie did Stroud actually race the Douglas on velodromes, or just "demonstrate" it? Out here they tried racing on cycle board tracks - for example the Saucer built in Melbourne in 1909 - but it proved too dangerous. But at most events the local "crack" Cecil de Fraga gave demonstrations on his motor bike, eventually lapping at nearly 60 mph, despite the track being 8 laps to the mile. Madness.

Cheers

Leon
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: 1923 TS cant get slow idle
« Last post by eddie on 25 Sep 2023 at 10:07  »
I have not had any dealings with the Douglas carb, but engines with 'normal' slide carburettors often wont tick over slowly if the carb body has become worn. Nothing makes itself obvious when inspecting the carb with the engine stopped - but with the engine running, the vacuum in the manifold pulls the slide against the worn portion of the body and wont allow it to drop fully. On hearing about this, quite a few club members have looked at me as if I was going mad - that is, until I offer to re-machine the body and slide - then they find out what a difference it makes!

  Regards,
               Eddie.
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Help
« Last post by eddie on 25 Sep 2023 at 09:51  »
We know the history of our 1913 TT Douglas. It was bought new from the factory by Edward Stroud and used for racing on the board tracks around London. It was then laid up until 1960 - when it was bought by Alan Phillipps. The board tracks were originally intended as venues for bicycle racing, but were soon utilised for motorcycle events - so the board tracks could be added to the possibilities for events that catered for these early racing machines!

  Regards,
               Eddie.
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Help
« Last post by Red on 25 Sep 2023 at 08:53  »
As EW- Ron has said it all looks so well organised I wonder if it was possibly this event which is listed for 1920:-

“THE FIRST POST-WAR INTER-VARSITY motorcycle event resulted in a dead heat, each University gaining 32 marks. The event created a great deal of interest, and, considering the fact that the delivery of new machines is slow, the number of competitors was quite remarkable. Of the two universities, Cambridge produced by far the most entrants, and it is a curious fact that motor cycling has always flourished to a greater extent on the Cam than on the Isis. Among the numerous machines to be seen at the start, we noticed two of the new NUTs, a Beardmore-Precision, and one of the new flat-twin Harley-Davidsons. Among the competitors, the best-known rider produced by Oxford was Openshaw, who is now a professor of engineering at the University, and is riding an overhead valve Zenith, the only machine of its type in the competition, which, as usual, was wonderfully fast, and well ridden. On the side of Cambridge, we noticed TV Prestwich, son of Mr JA Prestwich, of JAP engine fame, who was riding a Diamond…The event concluded with a slow hill climb over a distance of 100 yards. Slipping of clutches or touching the ground with the feet was forbidden. The first three classes (250cc, 300cc and 350cc) were not counted, as Oxford could provide no entrants, so that Cambridge had a walk over in these events.”

It is hard to believe that Robinsons Garage was not involved in some way
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