Topic: Any oldies in here who recognise this bike? :-)

[MadDogMcq]

What a puzzle this is turning into     I think it's almost certainly a BSA myself.  I've since found out that when foot-operated BSA's went into production, some models could still be ordered with a hand-change for a while. That doesn't help does it 

I have now contacted a guy called Leon Hoppenbrouwers http://home.planet.nl/~leonhop3/index.htm who is a BSA enthusiast and he's also trying to help.

It sure would be nice if someone actually recognised it because they'd owned one. That would be pretty definitive.

[Bob Wessner]

What a puzzle this is turning into

Everybody like a good mystery. 

[Teach]

i'm sending this thread to my dad, born on date 1942, to see if he recognizes the image...he's an old BSA guy himself...

Your dad wouldn't happen to go by the handle LongJohnSilver on the Road King Riders forum on delphi, would he? :
http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=Live2Ride&msg=19428.24

[cbjunkie]

nice sleuthing teach! that is his name - he occasionally sticks his nose in here if i send him some juicy link...

[cbjunkie]

http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/Ariel%20Bikes/pages/Ariel-SB31.htm

i think my dad has spent the entirety of this past week looking for this bike  ... the link above seems to be the front-runner

[Jim Shea]

Could well be. The tank knee pads are very unusual, I wonder if other bikes of that era had them as well??

[bill440cars]

I know quite a few British bikes had the knee pads. Not sure about any others. later on,  Bill




                    Except, of course the Japanese later.

[MadDogMcq]

Sorry for dragging this thread up from the bowls of the SOHC forum, but I just wanted to mention that whilst at Glasson Dock recently, a 76yr old guy on a Norton took a look at my Dad's photo and declared (without any hesitation or doubt) that the bike was a Rudge Ulster!!

So there you have it - another ingredient goes into the puzzle pot 

This is getting a bit like politics - you never get to know the absolute truth 

[Bob Wessner]

You might find this site interesting..

http://users.senet.com.au/~mitchell/bikes/rudge/rudge.htm

[crazypj]

I'm not sure if there are scallops in the top of fuel tank?
Ariel used them as something of a trade mark. Twin port singles were relatively common through the 1920's
 My father had a 1928 BSA Sloper (now passed on to my brother) It has relatively small, almost round knee pads on tank
It had nickel plated parts, most of the bikes were painted as it was cheaper (depression years) so plating was optional
 The BSA girder forks were distinctive but I don't remember why (my father died a couple of years ago so cant ask him)
PJ

[heffay]

looks like it to me... compare the pipes and the side shift.