When you’re trying to rebuild something which is a little different to the norm, finding exactly the right part can stop you dead in your tracks. As Phillip Rashleigh has discovered…
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So I’d got myself a project bike and had sourced most of the off-road items needed to make a B31 into a scrambles special. What else did I need to find?
A ZB34 head and barrel topped the list. Why? I could just have used the iron ones that came with the bike — but the bike was once fitted with a ZB34 top end (so I am told) and… well… it would be nice to fit one again. This is where the heartache begins. I found the head quite easily which led me into a false sense of security. Locating the barrel proved a little more difficult — in fact — a LOT more difficult. It made me I realise how lucky I was to find the head. However I have decide to push on with the project in the hope that a barrel will turn up at some point.
So onto buying and building. I started by building what I had to then see what was missing, and then move on to buying the big lumps to see what else I needed. This process stared with the tool box to match the oil tank, and alloy rear guard and then by chance I found a 7-inch front hub with wheel and tyre.
(Great little story that goes with this. A good friend and I had set out to find a classic motorcycle emporium just over the river in Cornwall. We got a little lost and decided to ask for directions [not very manly, I will agree], so the next house we passed with a chap in the garden we decided to stop and find out where we went wrong. We walked up to the chap, past the Messerschmitt bubblecar — should have been a clue — and asked for directions to the classic bike emporium.
He retorted ‘Why are you looking for them?’ I said I was looking for parts for an old Brit bike I had acquired, the chap asked more questions about what bike it is and the like and then said he might able to help with the front hub. To be honest I was doubtful until I followed him into his shed…
Once in the shed I noticed about five pre-war motorbikes and a post-war BSA twin in gold metallic paint. The chap said he thought he had the part I needed in his garage, and in the double garage were a couple of outfits; vintage, classic and modern and a nice Velo single used for continental touring with the classic Craven panniers and top box.
And up in the roof there were a few more bikes in bits along with about 20 wheels — one of which was the 7-inch drum I was looking for.
A good result for a Sunday drive, I think you will agree!)
Back at my humble garage I put in the front wheel and, for a laugh, I tried to pump up the tyre – it held 30psi and did so until I cut the rim off the hub five months later…
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Now for a bit of eBaying. I found an inner and outer primary chain case, timing side case, 8-inch front hub, swinging arm, and I also found an A65 rear hub and drum which suited my needs better as the sprocket can be changed, which will allow me to play with the gearing when I get the bike running. Fitting the A65 rear sprocket and brake drum was an interesting experience and required machining off a spigot and getting a bush made. I have since found out this is a common conversion and I didn’t go about in the ‘acknowledged’ manner. Ho hum… Along the way I have collected a sidestand (centrestands are for road bikes!) and a few nuts and bolts to fix the thing together. So now I have something that looks like a bike and the wife is impressed to say the least. She is less impressed when I tell her that it’s only a rough build to see if I have all the parts. So there I am one with bike which looks like a BSA B31 with high bars and a knobbly back wheel… I am still missing a few bits, however; most importantly the ZB34 barrel! Any information on how to get hold of these items will be greatly received. |
BSA B31 Stuff on eBay.co.uk |
Can you help Phillip find the right barrel? If so, please email him ASAP at phillip.
[email protected]
Looks nearly finished to me…
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