[Sheshagiri]

Originally Posted by gendarmee

@Sankar
Its not the original carb It's a really really old rajdooth's carb.
.

The carb looks so much like the Amal 376 Monoblock except for the float chanber cover. I think these came with the older Amal 276's, the ones with the seperate float chamber.

[netchef]

Originally Posted by gendarmee

Can anyone help me out with the info about the particular model of triumph?

Attachment 19486

Still starts in one kick and runs well(most amazing part), all I know about it is that its a 1944 military model.

gendarmee:

What a pleasure to see this bike and what MEMORIES it rekindles.
It's called an ex-WD 350 OHV Triumph made if I recall right between 1939 and 1945 primarily for the Military (WD- is War Department).

I owned a modernised version from 1982 till 1995 but she didn't run for the entire span. In fact when Dad bought it for me in my 2nd year of Pre University, he gave me a simple option: I could choose my ride (he actually wanted to get me a new TVS 50) within the budget of Rs 5000, but it would be entirely my headache if the thing didn't run or I could not source spares etc. I had my heart set on the Triumph that was then offered for sale by a used clothes dealer on Brigade Road, and prevailed.

I loved the machine. It had been fitted with the telescopic fork and swingarm from a Triumph 500 Speed Twin, and also had the 500's gearbox (that carried the speedometer drive running off it). She ran beautifully and had loads more power and character than a Bullet. She was tuned by a whizz mechanic called Zafarullah Khan in Chamrajpet, and would hit the megaphone- reminiscent of old British racing singles, a truly fabulous sound. I rode her to Mysore and Mangalore and Nandi Hills and would even drag with RD 350s- she was that quick. An older biker -neighbour and friend- owned a BSA Gold Star 500 around the same time, and the two were often mixed up by the sound bytes.

Dumb an dumber:
I was young and foolish and could not leave well enough alone (no one told me "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"). Thinking I was mechanics-savvy and keen to get grease on everything from hands to jeans to walls, I stripped her on some wild and half-baked pretext along with some equally maverick pretend-mechanic friends, and she was never the same again.

Finally grew out of her due to a lack of: time, spares, money, and sold her to a collector who pushed an emotional button: 'would you rather see her rust in the rain?'

Gorgeous FIRSt bike. I fitted her with the original Army issue storm air filter that rode on top of the tank. Incidentally, mine had the tank from a Speed Twin too that had a chromed carrier atop it: the original Army tanks came with a cut-away on the right side to permit the hose to run from the air filter to the carb. Mine ran an Amal Monobloc 276/352 that too was non-regular, the original I believe being an Amal with a side float chamber (the Monobloc too had a side float chamber, but it ran sideways and opened via 3 screws. I could and used to clean the carb without removing it from the bike!)

The machine you've depicted has a pressed steel clutch case, which was standard for Military machines. Mine had the cast aluminium cases of the civilian models. As someone correctly pointed out, she needs to have a girder fork - the one on that bike seems to be from a Matchless but I could be wrong as it's been so many years since I was conversant with these details.

I could write a book about this first love of mine.

[Gregory]

lol! The same seller also has a BSA B31

And AFAIR he said 85,00 for this Triumph model

[netchef]

Originally Posted by Gregory

lol! The same seller also has a BSA B31

And AFAIR he said 85,00 for this Triumph model

BSA B 31? Those things wouldn't sell for 4K in them days.
As far as the rest went, the Triumphs, Nortons and Matchlesses in top nick would sell for 5-6K. I was offered a Triumph Bathtub 500 for 10K by its Canadian owner. Could kick myself now for not buying it, but 10K was a lot of money in those days.

[Gregory]

Originally Posted by netchef

BSA B 31? Those things wouldn't sell for 4K in them days.
As far as the rest went, the Triumphs, Nortons and Matchlesses in top nick would sell for 5-6K. I was offered a Triumph Bathtub 500 for 10K by its Canadian owner. Could kick myself now for not buying it, but 10K was a lot of money in those days.

lol he wants a 150,000 for the BSA

[insaneroller]

BSA should be selling for 80 to 1.1 max. I was offered 1.2 for my 1942 Triumph - cycle seat.

[anjan_c2007]

This is a 350cc, 1946 BSA from Nagpur.
cheers:

[netchef]

Originally Posted by Gregory

lol he wants a 150,000 for the BSA

Gregory:
Good God!
This Gujri place I used to knock about in 25 years ago in Bangalore to source used parts for my Triumph had one shop run by a corpulent gent named Nawab. I remember clambering over Brit motorcycle engines piled 2 deep, filling an entire room.
Broke my heart to see deshabille twins and other exotica awaiting a collector trying to build a machine, or else the smelter!

Originally Posted by insaneroller

BSA should be selling for 80 to 1.1 max. I was offered 1.2 for my 1942 Triumph - cycle seat.

insaneroller:
FM- please do something about this Inflation thingy.
Irony: my Sr. biker buddy that owned the Gold Star got Rs 35k for it- considered a princely sum in '83/84. The chap who bought it from him offered it back at Rs 7 lakhs!!! Beat that?

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

This is a 350cc, 1946 BSA from Nagpur.
cheers:

Attachment 30927

anjan_c2007:

Lovely, Sir. Thanks.

[redfire]

@ anjan - what you are talking about is a BSA B31 plunger, which is very identical to the above triumph model. What gendarmee posted is a Triumph 3HW for sure, without the girder fork.

[anjan_c2007]

Thanks for the update redfire. That its the BSA B31 plunger is news to me.

[netchef]

Guys- this friend of mine badly wants a Triumph Thunderbird (it's a 650 twin) and is willing to pay top Dollar for it. Please let me know if you hear of any going.

My apologies for being off topic, but there were so many Triumph-afficionados in one place, I figured twas my best bet to broadcast.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by netchef

Guys- this friend of mine badly wants a Triumph Thunderbird (it's a 650 twin) and is willing to pay top Dollar for it. Please let me know if you hear of any going.

My apologies for being off topic, but there were so many Triumph-afficionados in one place, I figured twas my best bet to broadcast.

I saw one being restored the other day. He said it will be sold on completion. PM me if interested, Ill pass on the contact.

[dominator]

[quote=netchef;907824]gendarmee:





An older biker -neighbour and friend- owned a BSA Gold Star 500 around the same time, and the two were often mixed up by the sound bytes.



Finally grew out of her due to a lack of: time, spares, money, and sold her to a collector who pushed an emotional button: 'would you rather see her rust in the rain?'



quote]

Who was your neighbour, who owned a Goldie 500 ? Navroze Contractor.
Or Karl Munshi ?
Which collector bought the bike from you ?

[drive_factor]

Gendarme-ji

Did you buy the bike? This little ride is a hidden jewel. The engine is immensely powerful and estimated output is about 20~22bhp. This is the only oldtimer bike which can do a pivoting manoeuvre. Try that with a RE Bullet.

These WD350 were a plentiful till early 90’s. Then they suddenly started to disappear. Mostly re-exported back to UK. I bought my last 3HW for about Rs. 1,200 in 1995. I started a complete restoration project. Rebuilt the engine, gearbox, front forks, clutch, everything. Then disaster . I had a severe accident in 1997 and the restored parts went to storage pending a final assembly. Just earlier this year I restarted the project. Now the “restored” parts needs “re-restoring”. Its finally happening but now a friend is doing it. I will post the pics.

Now some tid bit:

Front forks:

As already pointed out this is not the original fitment. And as rightly retrofitted suspension is neither a factory job nor the army did it. They always had the girder forks. This is a civilian modification which a user must have done at some stage. So don’t believe the bull**** your mechanic is feeding you. I am noting with interest that you are having a new girder fork being fabricated. As a person of some who have dealt with the quirky girder forks the only advice I can give you is DON’T EVEN TRY THAT! It’s fine if you can get the original girder fork from a donor bike. Even then you have daunting task at hand. That fork has a very ingenious arrangement of spindles and bushing. Even in the olden times very machine shops were able to precisely align the spindles, fork and the mounting T. Unless properly aligned to you will never get a steady handling. It will rattle and high speed cornering will be a test of wits. So if you intent to ride the bike on daily basis (I would do that) don’t try the girder fork trick unless you get it up the original spec.

Engine:

From the pics the engine looks in original condition. Usually the cooling fins on the cylinder head /block are broken by careless mechanics who do not know the correct procedure of dismantling the head/block. Absnes of physical damage also suggests the happy possibility that the inside is untouched. You will never less need to completely strip down the engine. Get the block rebored to standard. You will get NOS piston, rings, valves and its guides and springs. The one potential problem area will be the big end bearing assy and the bearing at flywheel case. The original Herman bearing is a not standard size (it’s sealed in one side) and the big end rollers will need careful attention. Try to source a NOS big end bearing assy. That is your best bet. And insist on it fly wheel assembled on a mandrel. It’s a very precision job; your mechanic might try to convince you that he can do a great job manually by just looking at it. That’s bull****. Unless the fly wheel is assembled perfectly you won’t be able to put together your engine. Period.

Gearbox:

This albion made Gbox is should be all right. But check the 4th gear pinion and shifter. You will also need to change 3 small size bearings. These standard numbers and get the best you can. There is nothing else that can break., The main shaft and counter shaft are virtually indestructible.

The gearbox runs on oil bath but the usually the road side mechanics would replace it with grease oil mix called “hulwa” in the mistry-lingo. So avoid the advice if your mechanic insists on it.

Clutch:

This wet clutch I think is the weakest link of this model. You can get NOS pressure plates and the cork instets. Try to find a speed twin clutch. It’s a direct fit and comes with the advantage of having rubber. Results in smoother bike.


Amal carb:
It’s a good thing that you have the original amal carb. Now a practical advice. Junk that carb. It’s excellent. But by now the Slide must have worn out. Back in the days original slides were available. In the absence of that vital spare your amal carb is no good. Get a new Mikarb and calibrate the settings once you start running the bike. Put the remains of the amal on ebay. You will recoup some of your investment.

Magneto & Dynamo:

Best is to get NOS. Failing that get new armature windings. If not then at least get the think completely stripped and serviced. The magneto plays a vital part in not just running the bike but getting the maximum performance out of it. So I would suggest spend max money on this.

You must be amused how often I am repeating “get NOS” parts. On face of it this may sound daunting. But remember this is a WD bike. For each bike imported, there were X3 qty of parts imported and stocked at various army depots. These parts were finally auctioned as scraps and bought by part dealer as there were a huge number of war surplus bikes on civilian hands. Typically each dealer was overstocked even in 90’s. So do a little legwork and ask around the usual suspects. For your info in 2008 I bought brand new Lucas magnet, dynamo, smith speedo, Lucas cut out etc. So its not impossible besides this hunt is part of the restoration process.

You biggest challenge will be to find the right mechanic to rebuild. Most of the old timer mechanic who new about these bikes are now dead or too old to do such things. Seek around one of these oldies. Build a good rapport with him. Press the right buttons. Then get down to the job.

I will safely give you about 2 years as you find the parts and complete the rebuild. But be assured that this is one of the original performance bikes. Off the block the new Bajaj Pulsars etc will have a tough time catching up. Forget the Bullet 350. It’s a great way to overawe the college kids “dudes”. The ultimate sleeper bike.

The bottom line is you have an almost 90% original bike at hand. Happy times ahead to you !

[netchef]

[quote=dominator;980061]

Originally Posted by netchef

gendarmee:


quote]

Who was your neighbour, who owned a Goldie 500 ? Navroze Contractor.
Or Karl Munshi ?
Which collector bought the bike from you ?

NC was the neighbour, though I knew KM as well.
Bloke named Prabhu bought my bike- I think it subsequently went to his cousin.