ww2 motorcycle?

Question

My grandfather has recently died and left behind several momentos of his time as a despatch rider for the Royal Signals (UK) during the Africa campaign of WW2.

One of these momentos, belive it or not, was the motorcycle he used during the war; since 1947, when he finally returned home after serving in the far east, the bike has been left in our barn, under tarpaulin, stood on it's stand and completely unmolested.

The barn is never too cold or hot (heavily insulated) and is virtually damp proof; my question is, what condition is the bike likely to be in? I would love to get it restored to it's former glory as I believe it was manufactured in 1940 and, as such, is a genuine front-line relic of the war. Nobody ever touched it as we are not a mechanical family and were scared we would damage it further.

So is it likely to be completely unrestorable? I'd love to see it working again- at any cost, and I would donate it to a museum or re-enactment group after a while
Thanks!

PS I do not know what the motorcycle is as it was largely forgotten by my grandfather, who wasn't too keen to recall the war himself, and told us very little about his experiences.

Mailbox, great answer and thank you, I'll relay this information to my father...but not sure a British Army motorbike from the war would be BMW?!

Answer 1

Actually, it is very likely to be a prime candidate for restoration, but check first with collectors. Many times "original condition" (that is, un-restored) is preferable, especially with military antiques.
Sounds like an excellent legacy!
Issues that will face any restoration are mainly related to the length of time the thing has sat there "unmolested". Depending on what preparations your grandfather took before he tossed that tarp over it, the engine may be seized, the various fluids will have probably decayed to sludge, the electrical components may have rusted to be non-functional, the rubber will certainly have perished from age and any plastic bits will have grown brittle. Anything not chromed or painted is likely to be rusted.
These are "normal" and may be irrelevant, if your intent is to sell the bike.
Cheers, and not a little envy.

Answer 2

Could have been an Indian or BMW. Yes this is restorable by the right person with the knowledge and accesibilty of parts. If it hasnt been started after all these years, more than likely the engine would need to be rebuilt, new piston rings for one. trying to start it now may do more damage , the rings are probably rusted to the cylinder wall so i would not recomend trying to crank the engine over. You can put some penetrating oil down the spark plug holes to help it along if you do try to crank it, but i would leave the plugs out for the first couple of cranks just so that the compression is relieved and make it easier to turn over. If you dont , then you risk breaking the rings and scoring the cylinder wall. Check the web for motorcyles of that era and see if you can match some markings or numbers from the bike. Good luck and i wish i had your problem. Love those old vehicles and technology

Answer 3

Zowie! You may have a WD16H British Expeditionary Force Norton Motorcycle. They were around in 1940.
If you can restore this and later place it in a museum it would be just awesome. But first take it to bike shows and show it off once you have completed the restore.

Good luck, mate.

Answer 4

Mailbox is an idiot!
How is it possible that a BRITISH dispatch rider would be issued a BMW (GERMAN) or Indian(YANK) bike???Still at least the Harley wasn`t oiffered LOL.
Check out the t`internet mate there are many collectors that could offer you valuable and accurate advice - also try the Military Museum websites

Answer 5

A.W. Johncock has an extensive collection of restored Brit bikes He's an expert and a hell of a nice guy.

http://lonestarmotorcyclemuseum.com/