M21 engine - factory records?

[berniej]

When I built my B31/M21 hybrid a few years ago I got a dating certificate through the club which recorded that the original bike was despatched (as a B31) direct from the factory to 'The High Commissioner of Southern Rhodesia' in 1952 which was rather interesting.

However, when I got my hands on it - completely dismantled in several old tea chests, it had a 1949 M21 engine with it.
I don't know if this engine had ever been fitted to the frame before (although M21 engine plates were included so maybe) so I would be interested to see if it's possible to search the factory records for the engine number to get some idea of it's history.

However, I'm not sure what sort of request to make or whether such a search would be possible.

Thanks for any info.

Bernie

[Dr_Pinky]

Hi Bernie,

You may be lucky if you ask on the WD BSA site forum. Your bike's post-war, but you never know...

[JABBA99]

You can get the year of manufacture from the website (https://www.bsaownersclub.co.uk/machine_id.php and go down to "extra letters" for the links) or drop a line to Steve Foden (detail on same webpage.

[berniej]

Thanks, I did get the info through the club. Turns out that both bikes went to the same destination albeit three years apart so maybe stable mates for a while and now amalgamated into a single hybrid.

Cheers,
Bernie

[DAVE BRADY]

Hi Bernie,

An interesting story.  I suppose then that it is possible that somebody somewhere has the juxtaposed hybrid to yours.  M21 frame and B31 cycle parts.

Dave.

[berniej]

Hi Dave,

That's possible! Although I suspect that what I have is all that was left after many years.
The chap I bought it from was a farmer in Rhodesia and had to leave the country in a bit of a hurry a few years ago as many of them did.
He told me that he cleared out one of his barns into a container along with everything else and shipped the lot to UK where he now lives.
The bike bits were in several old tea chests and had obviously been that way for a long time (tarry oil deposits in the cases suggesting years of slow evaporation and also a mouse nest complete with droppings and a few seeds!).

There were engine plates for both the B31 and M21 in there so it's possible that it had been fitted in that frame while it was out there - unfortunately the guy I bought it from didn't really know the history.

The only 'problem' with the arrangement is that when I wanted to put a sidecar on I thought it unwise with the lighter 'B' model frame - so had to find another rusty pile of M21 parts to restore and build a second old thumper 

Cheers,
Bernie