Just Shoot Me. Another RE

[2LZ]

Ran across this a couple weeks back. Buddy who travels a lot found it, said, "I may know a guy....." and the deal is done. Dammit.......

[JerryHawk250]

Nice score! I know it's hard to resist a good deal on any bike. lol

Hi, my name is Jerry, I'm a bikeaholic.

[Sport Rider]

I think this now makes you a distributor.

[2LZ]

It's home! My delivery driver/buddy Greg on the bike for a pic.

[JerryHawk250]

Sure is pretty. Really like the chrome tank.

[cheesy]

Sweet.

[2LZ]

So far, everything is in spec and clean. Check ou tthese rockers by the fine Redditch folks. It's almost artwork.

[2LZ]

So after I took off the tank, I found three of these. According to overseas Brit Bike folks, they are famously known as Royal Enfield Cat Collars they used for cable/wire ties, and are sought after for restorations. Apparently no other Brit Bike companies used them, They used rubber. I have a few survivors. I'll end up doing zip ties and probably Lexol these and stick them in a frame to hang in the shop. The surprises keep coming.

[cheesy]

Those look like bicycle toe straps.

For your enjoyment, 2LZ, a 99 RE 500 Bullet.

[2LZ]

An old Bullet is on my list!.....but I would love a Flying Flea to hang from my shop rafters with a fake parachute.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

An old Bullet is on my list!.....but I would love a Flying Flea to hang from my shop rafters with a fake parachute.

Oh man, you have been bitten.

[2LZ]

I found this metal tag in one of the tool boxes. Being the curious sort, I wrote the REOC in the UK to see if this was from them. They wrote me back this morning and said that their club goes back to 1976, but if the wording is exactly as I stated to them, it seems that this may have been the club from when the factory still existed. They requested a pic and I just sent it. I'm curious to read the response when I get it. I'll pass it along

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Oh man, you have been bitten.

Indeed. I have to tell you, I enjoyed the BSA and all the learning that came along with it, but RE built a better bike back in the day. The Model G is a mechanical work of art.

[2LZ]

According to my contact in the UK, the tags authenticity cannot be determined. He's not seen (or has documentation) of one with a blue background, nor is he certain about the Great Britain sticker, which may have been added at a different time.
Thanks to all the numbers stamped on the bike, and his thorough archiving of RE, he was able determine that this particular Model G left the Redditch factory and was sent to Whitehall’s of New York on 9th April 1948. Cool stuff......

[2LZ]

Update!
After changing all three lubes, the primary dripped a little so I popped the cover to check out the gasket. It was ancient and needed replacing, so I have one ordered. It was a huge cork belt. 1/2" x 1/2" tall and wide.
The clutch is a mystery. Of all the vids and pics I've seen online, I've not seen this. Fortunately, the RE community overseas takes their history very seriously and have tons of documentation. Apparently the safety wire is an add-on by someone. They only safety wired for racing, not for street. Also, the machining marks are done by apprentices with a wooden dowel and grinding compound for appearance purposes, to fancy up the work. Now whether that work was done at the Redditch factory, or by someone later, is yet to be determined.
I'm still waiting to hear more info on this.
I mink oiled the leather cable ties last night to see if I can reuse them but I'll probably replace them with available repops. Take note of the handwork on the backside square nuts. Obviously done to keep them from scratching the frame. It worked. The frame has no marks where these were mounted.
This has been a blast so far and I'm very fortunate that what few parts I've needed, are still available with the click of a mouse.