A Royal Enfield land-speed record project that had deteriorated to a quaint bit of "lawn art" went up for sale recently. Asking price was $500, but it was the picture that caught my interest.What was the story behind this collection of Royal Enfield parts, advertised as being from 1947?
The seller, Jeff Aldrich of Boulder Creek, Calif., was kind enough to explain:
"The bike was an old project of mine (10 years ago), going for a vintage 350cc record at Bonneville and El Mirage. Never finished it and it sat around 'til I stole the girder for another project."
He sent a photo of his land speed racer "about as complete as it ever got."Jeff called his position on the motorcycle his "under the paint riding posture." You can see that he was serious.
Thanks for sharing, Jeff. Better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all.
Hmmm... gearbox doesn't have a neutral finder. Exhaust has sort of sharp angles. Girder forks. Assuming all that is original this looks more like a WD/G. Many of them were refurbished as civilian models after the war. So it is possible that it was sold in 1947, but likely to be manufactured long before that. Didn't know that WD machines were sold in the US, so the bike may have other interesting twists in its life.
ReplyDeleteJorge, it looks to me as though the neutral finder may have been there but was deleted or even sliced off...(?). Hard to see, but I think this may be a model G engine/transmission. No telling how frame or fork or exhaust may have been sourced/modified.
ReplyDelete