Why red?

[steveale]

the recessed area and back of flywheel are red, also the magnets on the mag are red and the raised letters on the crankcase are red.  All red paint looks like old fire engine red and has been there a very, very long time.  I've only seen one other pre-war bike with the red flywheel.  Is it possible it was commandeered by either a military or civilian fire brigade?  Bike was in museum then private collection since the early 20's. 







Also of interest is the chain guard has the word Humber but was hidden by the flywheel.  was this a normal supplier of the guard or a non-original part?

[cardan]

Hi Steve,

I've seen stuff like your red paint frequently enough not to worry about it too much. In fact I've just come in from the shed where I've been cleaning up some (non-Douglas) frame parts and thinking to myself "at least it's not the original enamel", otherwise I would have had to save it. In my case the paint was black, and like yours had been there for a long time, but was clearly not original. Parts like the Bosch magneto and the flywheel (and my frame) would have been stove enameled originally, but you'll probably find that the red paint will come off quite easily with a scraper, particularly if assisted by heat from a heat gun. Stove enamel was rugged stuff, and the magazines of the day would recommend scraping it off with a sharpened hacksaw blade before re-enameling. It was a very tough job. If the paint comes off easily, it's most likely not original.

The Humber chain guard and the highlighted raised letters point in the same direction. An owner who liked to have his bike looking a bit special. You'll probably find that the chain guard comes from a bicycle. Consider keeping it on the bike as a memento of early owner who proudly put it there. There are plenty of 2 3/4 Douglases around that are restore to catatlogue condition.

Cheers

Leon

[steveale]

Thanks Leon, I plan to leave the bike as is.  Eddie had already pointed out several non-original elements to the bike but knowing the history of it back that far means it's been virtually untouched for 80 years or more.  Fully restored it's one of many...as is, it's one of one.  :-).  Plus now I don't have to worry about ruining an "original survivor" on my cannonball endurance run across america next year.