B29 girder forks ,

[carl denton]

hello all

I am trying to find out what the girder forks look like for a B29 , mainly the steering stem if any one has one could they send me some detailed photos please , and if they have any parts that would help.


yours carl 

[Alan]

Carl....pics of my B29 ( sold earlier this year) on the members gallery that might help...date 29 July 2008.....Looking at the pics, some people might think a  B29 is just an EW with a saddle tank, but was quite a bit different and fast as well.....

[carl denton]

hi mate

B29 is for sure nothing like a EW I am rebuilding both bikes at the same time , well at the moment trying to workout what I have still got to get and what to make . I have got a EW frame and forks that came together and another set but the steering stem looks nothing like EW set ?   

[Alan]

Carl..the B29 is substantially different to an EW..to quote from the " Motor Cycle"  April 24 1929....the engine has been redesigned,new crankcase,cylinders,cyl heads,timng gear and pistons.It has a new and more rigid frame and top rail to allow the fitting of a saddle tank and double bottom rails to carry the engine and sump........New and better gear change on side of tank, improved footrest supports,larger and more efficient mudguards, new and larger silencer. The sump holds ½ gal of oil which is sufficient to run 1500 miles.The machine will do 6 to 60 mph on top gear ( mine would get near this which is why the dreadful brakes were quite a worry !!!!). Terry saddle and many improvements..Inverted levers... subdued explosions of the twin engine make it the most silent machine on the road....Price 45 pounds...

Alas like an EW, you can't get the correct replacement tyres..

[carl denton]

hi all

looking forward to getting home again and doing some more on the bikes in the shed ,,,,,,, so many bikes and just not enough time . tyres should be ok as from the factory 26in wheel are a factory option on the EW so I would think they offer the same on the B29 . 

[cardan]

Page 23 of the B/29 book: " 26" x 3" (710 x 85 mm) can be supplied at extra cost. "

Douglas were still using beaded edge tyres in 1929?? The larger manufacturers were using wired-on tyres at this time.

Leon

[Doug]

Douglas were still using (using up?) 25x3 tyres on the 1934 250cc, the Model Y (250cc) and the Bantam. Possibly on the Y1 & Y2 as well, though hard to say since the later are only described as fitted with "Best British Make". This uninformative description carries forward into 1935.

-Doug

[cardan]

Yes there are some funny things to be learned in the study of vintage motorcycles. Most makers changed to wired-on tyres by the end of the twenties, but then again wired-on tyres on motorcycles were not unheard of before 1910! In 1906, for example, the FN instruction book tells you how to fit and remove a wired tyre. DT Douglases could be had with either wired or Beaded Edge tyres. There are very few absolute rules.

Leon

[Doug]

It looks like Douglas started offering wired on tyres with the advent of the 1930 S5/S6 model. As typical with Douglas, the more expensive heavyweight models got the premium improvements first and the lightweights soldiered on with the obsolete features. Probably to keep the price down and use up inventory.

-Doug

[Alan]

I think that the main problem of fitting 2 ¾ HP type 26 in tyres on an EW and especially a B29 with its deeper mudguards  ( and I must stress here that this is my personal opinion although similar comments have been made in the past where people have done this on EW's), is that the the nice flowing line of the bike is lost...The tyres simply look "wrong" for the bike ( again purely my opinion) and as Chris said some months ago, this is why many people  change rims to a period looking wired on design with tyres readily available..Rim originality versus aesthetic appearance I suppose !
There was a set of old Dunlops at the Cass sale and you could see why Douglas fitted these as they would have looked "right"
on the bike.

[oil baron]

I once owned F/29 which was in quite original condition, except for an earlier 4hp carrier fitted.  This model was basically a saddle tank version of the 600 E.W.sports model, with foot rests rather than foot boards.  It was fitted with 26"x 3" beaded edge rims as standard. I have not seen any references that says that wired edged rims/tyres were available to special order, so I suspect they were hell bent on using up old stock of rims/tyres, before the introduction of the S6.  I also once owned parts of an early S6 which was fitted with wired edged WM 2 rims fitted with 19" tyres

Cheers SteveL

[Daren W Australia]

Hi my 1928 EW600 has its original wheels WM3 x 19 with "Dunlop 1928" stamped on the rims and I have some other rims on douglas centers stamped 1928/9 also Daren

[cardan]

It wouldn't surprise me if in 1928-9 a dealer wouldn't change the rims and tyres to "modern" wired on if it meant he could secure a sale. Equally the factory may have done the same thing if asked by an influential-enough dealer.

Leon

[carl denton]

hi all was just looking at the post I started looking for photos of B29 girder forks and steering stem ,,,,,,,,,,,, funny how all that people are talking about now is the tyre size . its very interesting BUT CAN ANY ONE HELP ME WITH SOME PHOTOES PLESE .???????????????????

got so many bike to work on and so little time .

yours carl

[oil baron]

Hi Carl

If you go to the archive on the Yesterdays website,  on the www.yesterdays/nl.  There is a series of photos of a very original looking B/29.   The front forks looks very similar to those fitted to my 1930 H.3. I have included a couple of photos of my machine.  If you need further information like overall dimensions etc let me know.

Best of luck with your search

SteveL

[cardan]

http://www.yesterdays.nl/douglas-1929-p-887.html

[carl denton]

hello Steve

thank you so much for the photos , that really helps but the one thing I cant work out is what the steering stem looks like ? I have got a EW and a B29 that both came in very small bitts and no pictures as you can gather its very hard to work out just what I have got and not got .
one more thing do you now any one that has got any alloy tappet adjuster covers { the ones with the slots in }

yours carl   

[Chris]

Hi Carl
These, (the slotted tappet covers and plain ones of more than one design for other models) used to be available from the LDMCC spares scheme. I don't know whether they are still in stock. Chris.

[Chris54]

Hi Carl

See my post

https://www.douglasmotorcycles.net/index.php?topic=5341.0

Are these the forks you are looking at, i can take the steering stem out and photo it with measurements if it will help.

Regards Chris

[carl denton]

hello Chris

they look like EW forks and stem , the one set of forks and the steering stem that I have came in one complete unit . the forks look the same but the stem has got a more bulkier bottom section to it and what looks like two square sections on it at the bottom . if you have any ideas about or parts information for a B29 that might help . I would post a picture of them but not back in town at the moment . I will contact the club about the covers .

yours carl .