Reports

Oil Pump

Road Test

No road test as yet. I have taken it up the road but there is a lot that needs sorting out and it will take some time to do so. The main jobs that I need to do are as follows...

Front Brake : The tiny front hub looks as though it's from a 225cc machine and is not that much use on a sports bike like this. The correct hub should be a 5" type and I'm looking for one! Pictures here

I have just acquired a Tiger Cub front hub which will hopefully be easily modified to do the job. This could save me years of waiting for the correct part and will allow me to put the bike on the road this year with any luck.

Tank : I was baffled when I first took delivery of the Enfield and put my finger in the oil tank. The oil was not very oily! I disconnected the oil feed to the engine and the oil there was oily so I wondered if someone had put petrol in the oil tank and not started it. I have now realised that there must be a leak in between the oil and petrol compartments. The oil tank had a fair amount of gunge in it and there was no oil filter! If possible I'd like to find someone who can operate on the tank without destroying the paintwork.

Everyone says I should use a sealing solution of some sort so I will probably try this route. Many people are telling me to use POR15 (from Frosts) rather than Petseal so I'll get hold of some of that and see if it does the job.

Engine Noise : I can hear a fairly loud clonk coming from the engine and suspect the big end. I have no choice but to open her up.I have stripped the top end of the engine and the small end bearing is completely worn out and this must explain the knocking. I now have to suspect the rest of the engine and will strip it down and get it sorted.

The crank has come back from Alpha Bearings. The oil pump has been cleaned properly and it was clogged with restrictive crud.

There are some other odds and ends but the above are the main points. The carb has been restored and like other Brown and Barlow carbs they seem to work much better when they're not restored. Someone out there is doing some strange things to them and the problems that I'm having are probably in the float chamber. The Enfield is hard to start and the carb is suspect.

I have found a B&B carb at the Shepton Mallet autojumble that has the same float chamber. The new float chamber is on the bike and although I think that the level is probably incorrect it is at least maintaining a consistent fuel level.

The gear lever is not strictly correct for 1927 but works well and looks right. The silencer does not look quite right and maybe I will try to get one made up at a later date.

I'm really looking forward to having this one out on the road and opening up the taps but must sort the above items which could take a while. For the time being it looks really nice in the garage.

Here are some photos of the Enfield being dismantled. The cam follower looks like it has lost its hard face and needs hardening. The bore has some scoring but is not as bad as the photos makes it out to be.

April 2008 : The engine is back together and the bike is complete except for the new front wheel but the spindle has been re-worked and I just need to get the brake altered and then had a wheel built.

28 May 2009 : I'm still waiting for a local engineer to sort out a couple of bits. This process drags from one year to another.

11th Oct 2009 : After being sidelined by the Douglas and other projects the 351 has risen to the top of the pack again. The engineers have done their bits and the front hub is at the wheel builders. I have also picked up a very groovy silencer and am thinking about using it as a mid level sports exhaust.

23rd December 2009 : A new pipe has been created which will be nickel plated (picture below). The Tiger Cub front hub is away being rebuilt. It's possible that this one will be back in action for the 2010 summer riding season.

Is it for sale? No, but it may be. I have spent a lot of time and money sorting this one out and am not finished yet. It will end up as a very desirable OHV flat tanker and I really like my old side valve Enfield and have too many bikes so anything is possible! But... maybe I'll like it too much!!!