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Dave

2025-01-07, 19:16:39
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2024-06-11, 21:02:05
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Dave

2024-06-08, 19:30:04
For Sale
xman has two very nice 1950's machines available - a green 1950 mk4 and black 1951 mk5 - both in good condition and running well.

Dave

2024-06-07, 03:13:36

Dave

2024-06-03, 09:23:05
For Sale
Duncan has just listed his green and cream 1957 Dragonfly for sale with spares and documents.

Dave

2024-06-02, 09:34:05
Parts avalable
alistair still has parts available - barrels, carburettor, castings - see all listings.


Dave

2024-06-01, 19:33:27

Dave

2024-05-28, 01:09:46
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RAL Stone.

Started by Sgtbiro, 12 Oct 2017 at 13:27

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Sgtbiro

Hi Does anyone know if there is a RAL No for the stone paint on a Dragonfly,or if there is a equivalent  colour that you can use.

Cheers Kevin..

Pensioner73

I have the stone coloured Dragonfly which was in the Beaulieu Museum for twenty years up to about 2000. Investigating the history I found that it is actually two bikes, both of which were silver/black and only the engine and gearbox match the original registration. They  :? were renovated prior to going into the Museum as a stone coloured bike, though the sheet metal parts could be from yet another bike which was probably stone coloured. Consequently it has two, or maybe three, close matching shades of stone. Getting to the point, I tried to find a matching colour for touching up but I could not find a near enough RAL colour. The RS Bike Paint touch up is pretty close, if you didn't look too hard, but slightly too light. I did read that the Austin Morris beige was close but was nowhere near any of my colour(s). I tried my local paint shop who do vintage vehicle spray jobs but with no joy, he was though able to mix a colour a close match to the part I took in, and with more time reckons he would be able to get a very close match. I didn't find anything that was satisfactory to any of the shades on my bike and will opt for my local paint shop when I get around to a respray so that it is all one shade.

dalgrae

I use a company called Cromadex in Bristol who will mix any Ral colour into spray cans that spray superbly I have resrayed 2 bikes using this paint,I have matched the paint by taking a part of the bike to the shop where they have a full Ral  chart to try to get a match,I managed to match Triumph Crystal grey and the light fawn colour for my NSU ,the paint can be ordered in full gloss and as far as the Triumph is concerned it looks as good now as when I resprayed it 5 years ago ,and as a bonus petrol does not effect it ,I entered Cromadex Newcastle and there seems to be a shop in Gateshead.

Hope this issome help

Regards. Colin

Roys rider

I have just had a D/f resprayed by a local guy who obtained a matching paint from a firm in Manchester. The match was against an NOS toolbox and tank. Frame and mudguards look good but that is as far as I have got so far. Engine in this week  - I hope. He did the rims and tank painting properly too.
Peter Priest is his name 07966589520 peter@priest-bikepaint.co.uk.

Cheers
Peter

eddie

Excellent - so far - except that the stand should be black!

Regards,
              Eddie.

Roys rider

A complement from Eddie is very worthwhile. The criticism, well that comes down to the old problem of what should Douglas have done and what they did and what I am trying to achieve. I wanted to put boxes of NOS onto the road. The first hurdle was that, as you would expect, the nos paint was not good enough. The new paint looks good but is not original. The stand looks better stone than black however I agree it should be black but I'm going to leave it. The painter suggested a different way to paint the number plate again I should have left that black. See attached photo.

Question is that the right type of rear plate and Miller light? I ask because the other bike has an enclosed plate and Lucas light. The Miller has no brake light so that is another complication.
Comments please.
Peter

eddie

Hi Peter,
Douglas seemed to make a habit of fitting non-colour-matched items - Mark headlights were black, irrespective of the colour of the rest of the machine - the same applies to the Dragonfly stand and rear brake pedal.
Yes, that is the correct numberplate but the light is a later model than that originally fitted. The fact that the Miller light doesn't have a stoplight is not a big problem. If you take the innards out of the lamp holder, you can replace it with bits from a Lucas stop/tail lamp - then you just need to file off one of the staggered pins from the bulb (the original bulb had 2 pins in line), and then just make sure you fit the bulb the right way up!

  Regards,
                Eddie.

Roys rider

Hi Eddie,
So I am also going to put the wrong colour brake peddle on.
I will do the rear light trick.
Again, thank you very much
Peter

eddie

Peter,
         Some late Dragonflies were fitted with a stoplight, the switch was operated by a lever brazed across the head of the rear brake lever pivot bolt. The switch was clamped to the inside of the lower run of the pillion footrest loop - the 2 were linked by a spring with long tails, and the power was taken straight from the live side of the battery.

  Hope this helps,
                           Eddie.

Roys rider

Hi Eddie,

All help gratefully received.

Cheers
Peter

PS Apologies to Sgtbiro for borrowing his post.

Sgtbiro

#10
Quote from: Pensioner73 on 04 Nov 2017 at 18:38
I have the stone coloured Dragonfly which was in the Beaulieu Museum for twenty years up to about 2000. Investigating the history I found that it is actually two bikes, both of which were silver/black and only the engine and gearbox match the original registration. They  :? were renovated prior to going into the Museum as a stone coloured bike, though the sheet metal parts could be from yet another bike which was probably stone coloured. Consequently it has two, or maybe three, close matching shades of stone. Getting to the point, I tried to find a matching colour for touching up but I could not find a near enough RAL colour. The RS Bike Paint touch up is pretty close, if you didn't look too hard, but slightly too light. I did read that the Austin Morris beige was close but was nowhere near any of my colour(s). I tried my local paint shop who do vintage vehicle spray jobs but with no joy, he was though able to mix a colour a close match to the part I took in, and with more time reckons he would be able to get a very close match. I didn't find anything that was satisfactory to any of the shades on my bike and will opt for my local paint shop when I get around to a respray so that it is all one shade.

Hi thanks for the reply the bike i have is black now but was originally stone so trying to take it back to its original, i have been told that a old British Layland colour called EL Passo Beige is a very good match.
Cheers Kevin.

Sgtbiro

Quote from: dalgrae on 05 Nov 2017 at 09:01
I use a company called Cromadex in Bristol who will mix any Ral colour into spray cans that spray superbly I have resrayed 2 bikes using this paint,I have matched the paint by taking a part of the bike to the shop where they have a full Ral  chart to try to get a match,I managed to match Triumph Crystal grey and the light fawn colour for my NSU ,the paint can be ordered in full gloss and as far as the Triumph is concerned it looks as good now as when I resprayed it 5 years ago ,and as a bonus petrol does not effect it ,I entered Cromadex Newcastle and there seems to be a shop in Gateshead.

Hope this issome help

Regards. Colin.
Thanks for the Reply Colin will look for the shop.

Sgtbiro

Quote from: Roys rider on 07 Nov 2017 at 08:41
Hi Eddie,

All help gratefully received.

Cheers
Peter

PS Apologies to Sgtbiro for borrowing his post.

Hi Peter its not a problem if fact its all very interesting.
Cheers Kevin..

Pensioner73

Hi SgtBiro.

I tried the El Paso Beige but it was not close for touch up. It would be OK for a complete respray but the RS Bike Paints is closer to the original.

Ian

Sgtbiro

Hi Ian, thanks for the reply will definitely take a look at the RS bike pant.
Cheers Kevin..

Rex

I will do the rear light trick.

Alternatively Vehicle Wiring products list a replacement staggered-pin bulb holder which is an easy replacement.

eddie

Peter,
          The Miller light you have fitted is a model 38ET - the light originally fitted to the Dragonfly was model 37ET (also used on mid 50's Velocettes).

  Regards,
                 Eddie.

Roys rider

Thanks again Eddie.  There must be a difference for you to have noticed, any chance of a photo?
I am going to put a comment on my "silent-bloc" post. The club hasn't got front ones.
Cheers
Peter

eddie

Hi Peter,
              Sorry about the fuzzy image, but here is the 37ET lamp that was originally fitted to my 1955 Dragonfly. You may just about be able to see that there is the word 'Miller' in the centre diamond.
Regards,
              Eddie.



Roys rider

Thanks again.
Mine of course has a circle in the middle and 38ET is printed on the box. You don't think this could have been fitted to the later bikes?. Otherwise if anyone can do a swap that would be good.
Cheers
Peter