1926 Douglas EW - 350cc
	Marque Douglas Model EW Year 1926 cc 350 Engine 4 stroke twin (fore 'n aft) Starting Kickstart Gears 3 (hand) Top speed oh! plenty no doubt. Notes The brakes are 'servo' type and the clutch is housed in the external 'wheel' on the left hand side of the engine (runs at engine speed). This Douglas is new to me and Douglas in general is a completely new area for me too. I can't wait to get this one out on the road and have a feeling that I'll really enjoy it. First impressions are very good and the Douglas has a real feeling of quality about it. The EW is very light and the styling is very pronounced giving it a real flair. When the exhaust system is sorted out it will look great. I'm told that these EWs are supposed to be very rideable and have much more zip than the older generation of Douglas side valves. When I've sorted out the EW and have given it plenty of open road then I'll write a road test.

First firing up! Superb! There is a lot of work to do and it may be a while until I can have my first proper ride. First impressions are excellent and the way the engine sounds and pulls far exceeds my expectations! I know right away that I'm going to really enjoy this motor cycle so long as I can get it into a reliable state.

The wheels have been rebuilt as the old tyres were completely useless. The front one exploded on the garage the night after the test ride. 3" tyres for 25" beaded type rims are no longer available so I have had new rims laced onto the hubs (26x3). The brakes have been relined.

I have a brand new exhaust system but it is a very bad fit. The vendors are not that interested (we had emails and they don't think that the customer is right!) so I'm taking the pipes to a welder who will do the necessary changes. Unfortunately the nickel plate will be ruined in some places. Buyer beware : This has cost a lot of money and if you want to buy a system for your EW I'd advise that the front pipe and silencer can be used from this well known southern English vendor but if you do buy from them do make sure that they make the middle section longer so that the silencer has more than 2mm to connect to and also make sure that they give you more length so that the pipe actually meets the rear cylinder.

The flywheel has finally been extracted! Now to examine the clutch giblets and see if everything is present.