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91
Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Bent Brass Lever
« Last post by cycarmark on 07 Nov 2023 at 13:37  »
I recently purchased a set of brass throttle and air levers for another bike and the lower (throttle) lever is bent out of position.  Attached is a picture of the bent one and a picture of a proper one.  Any thoughts on how best attempt to straighten it?  The lever is from the late teens to mid twenties.
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Greasing points.
« Last post by eddie on 07 Nov 2023 at 11:37  »
If you've got a Mk 4 or 5, you're almost 2/3rds of the way!!
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Greasing points.
« Last post by phil1 on 07 Nov 2023 at 10:30  »
Hi Friends
                 Just thought this may help all those suffering with mild insomnia. So instead of counting sheep try counting the greasing             
                 points on your MK series Dougies? more than ten ****.   Regards Phil.
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SOLD thanks



I assume this is one of the parts described in this thread: https://www.douglasmotorcycles.net/index.php?topic=9203 The thread at the lower end is 1/2-20 BSCy.

It screws into the top of a 2 3/4 gearbox (not sure if it's 2 or 3 speed; not sure if they're the same), I think to clear the frame so you can add semi fluid grease well clear of the frame lug.

Has some surface rust, but threads and hexagons good and ready to screw into the gearbox of your original TS.

I have thrown it into my box to go to the Bendigo Swap Meet this weekend. $A20 + postage (or collect at Bendigo).

Leon
95
Changing the casting would have required altering the pattern and several core boxes. That requires time and equates to money, so presumably they figure it was not cost justified. Particularly for a cinder track machine where aesthetics was secondary. Who knows how big a stockpile of left over castings were on hand. And even if not a massive stockpile, they could have had a situation where when they ran out, then figured just running off another quick batch of castings would see them through. At some point they would have realized this dirt track phenomenon might stick around for a while. The more likely reason is you could still buy a I.o.M./TT model in 1928, and while the 1929 catalog shows the I.o.M./TT model as using the Dixon twin cam engine, I have my doubts that model ever went into production. So a 1929 I.o.M. model (if they sold any) would have likely been the same as the 1928 model. So it would behoove them to keep the pattern around unaltered, in which state it would suit either model.

I had a look though my collection of images and could not find one where the second carburetor control shaft was installed.

The tall airbox for the DT was drawn up in October 1929. There must have been an earlier drawing for the I.o.M./TT model, but it has not survived. Had it done so, it probably would have dated to around November 1925, when the 1.o.M./TT airbox lid was drawn. The 1929 drawing still has the features for the mechanical oil pump drive (see above rational), though the boss for the oil pressure gauge is not shown. The small airbox was drawn up in November 1930. Drawings seem to have been created after initial production was underway, and September-November was a popular time for such drawing work judging by surviving drawings.

The hole in the bottom of the tall airbox for the throttle shaft return spring is clever in its simplicity. They dropped a cotter pin (or split pin) through the hole and bent the tails over. Then used the eye of the cotter pin to hook the spring to. Quick and cheap to manufacture.

-Doug 
96
Leon,

I have a tall DT air box that would have been cast from the same pattern as the one you show in the pictures. I concur with what Doug says about its origins.

I note that your airbox has a few extra holes that are not on mine, so possibly later modifications to fit a oil sight / drip feed and maybe an oil pump off the camshaft? I circled these on the following marked up version of your pictures.

Interestingly your airbox also has a "problem" with where the quill oil feed to the crankshaft goes very similar to mine. It appears the casting did not quite have enough "meat" on it when they bored the hole!!. On mine the leather seal on the quill only just covers the gap in the circumference of the hole. Not a good thing for a racing machine (!) but I gather it must have worked well enough.... I marked that with an asterix on the picture air-box-2 marked up.jpg

Douglas were renowned for not letting anything go to waste and this airbox looks like another example of this! I wonder if the factory fire of 1927 would have been partial reason why they may have had a surplus of these parts? They would have been concentrating on supplying EW machines during the recovery at the expense of all other models - in particular manufacturing specialist machines such as the TT? ...then came along dirt track racing in Britain and they had a ready market for the left over bits?? Not sure.....

Cheers

Hutch

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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Douglas for sale
« Last post by cardan on 06 Nov 2023 at 22:05  »
The WD/23 stamp on the timing chest is interesting: one of the bikes I listed above https://www.vintage-motorcycle.com/en/motorcycles/archive-sold-bikes/douglas-350-cc-1923 is identical, and has some interesting documentation with it suggesting it never went into military service. I wonder if yours was similar? What's the first date in the reg record?

Re value: It has all the makings of a lovely thing. A sensitive deep clean and polish, as suggested by EWRon, and assembly, plus whatever mechanical tweaks required, would bring to the top of the pile for a 1923 TS. As it stands, it would have to be a "mid-range" price - higher than a project or an average restoration, but some way from the top because it is not together and running.

If you like a bit of fiddling, keep it for yourself. You can deep clean it without disassembling it: just take the screws and bolts out one at a time, clean, oil and refit. It's very relaxing and satisfying.

Cheers

Leon
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Thanks Doug. Funny they didn't modify the pattern, given there were probably more DTs built than TTs!

It's interesting that the main casting has (unmachined) bosses to accommodate a second cross shaft to operate air slides in the carburettors (as used on the RA), but so far as I can see even the earliest TTs used the AMAC 15TT25 carbs which had the cable-operated air slides on the outside of the mixing chambers. Another relic of earlier design.

Cheers

Leon
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Douglas for sale
« Last post by EW-Ron on 06 Nov 2023 at 21:28  »
Thinks for the pics. Does look to be in good condition.
If that was my bike, I'd be giving the black enamel bits a dust off and a wax and polish.
But maybe you don't want to anticipate what a new owner may want.
A dust off wouldn't hurt though. !

Ze moderator will likely be along shortly, to fix the aspect ratio.

There are spiral fittings fitted into the cylinder head tops that I have not seen on any other similar machine.

Those are called fir cones.
They were (mostly) an accessory, fitted over the exhaust valves.
Allegedly to provide extra cooling.
Not sure if there is any data to back this up.
I've not seen them on a Duggie before either.
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Douglas Motorcycles - General Discussion / Re: Douglas for sale
« Last post by Harry 5 on 06 Nov 2023 at 15:08  »
Thanks to all for the comments received.
The original log book shows the last entry in Dec 1939 and fist change of ownership Aug 1947. I assume these were the dates the owner departed for WW2 and when it passed to my Uncle.  From what I heard the m/c was dry stored with only occasional use at local shows after 1939, which explains the lack of any significant rust.   There are spiral fittings fitted into the cylinder head tops that I have not seen on any other similar machine.

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