Project 1934 VG 500

[AlbertR]

Dear all,

This post is a continuation from my presentation post, you can read it here for more context: viewtopic.php?p=108806

So this last week i got a sturdy wooden box delivered!








Including lots of spares too.















I want to thank you all for your advises prior to making the decision, specially to Vincent.
I received the bike is in a semi-restored state, currently assembled just to present all the elements, but all the nuts and bolts are loose. Few things need painting and finishing off, and adjusting.

There are a few things which you have pointed out that are wrong, including:
- Mudguards are not correct
- The oil tank fitted is from 1935
- May too much chrome
- The handlebar clamp is upside down
- The combined lifting handle/rear mudguard stay is upside down and there are two stays missing

Before buying the bike i had several concerns, the main one being that the bike seemed to have a BA gearbox that seems an update, and does NOT have a tank operated gear change, or any signs of it on the fuel tank.
However, quoting from the club registrar (thank you for that Simon), providing him the Framenr: Y5326 and block GA1588,

From the details in the despatch book, those details produce a matching-numbers VG despatched in May 1934 – which ought to be hand-change.
Foot change was an option in 1934 and was standard on the Red Hunters; they would have (and did) record foot-change where it was invoked as an option.

Moreover, I found this picture from a 1934 VG on the forum archive, which made me decide maybe it was a good investment!


I also have the pictures before the restoration, but i need to digitalise them in better quality.

[AlbertR]

So, today I started working on the bike a bit, disassembling the fuel tank for painting and also the transmission case.







And here comes the first questions for you, if you dont mind

- Is the fuel tank original?
- I am also in the process of finding somewhere in the forum how the lines should be painted for that model. I guess the correct way would be in black on the side like the picture of 1934 model vg from the forum? But i'll need some template.


Regards

[AlbertR]

Found this image in this thread, looks promising.



viewtopic.php?t=4764

[Roger Gwynn]

Tanks were painted by hand and eye and could vary by as much as an inch on each side of the tank! Your gearbox is a BA, just a foot change version rather than hand change, a common mod.

[simon.holyfield]

Tanks were painted by hand and eye and could vary by as much as an inch on each side of the tank! Your gearbox is a BA, just a foot change version rather than hand change, a common mod.

Which in turn would imply the tank is not original given that if I recall correctly, that bike wasn't dispatched as a foot change machine. The original tank would have had the hand change bracket.

I'll have another look tomorrow when I do your certificate Albert!

[admin]

Albert
Please see the note in this topic about using links to images that are hosted elsewhere: viewtopic.php?t=193
Can I ask you to please replace the image links that you've posted with the original images?
(Over time a lot of things on the web change and disappear. As an example we already have problems with images from photobucket that were used in posts and are now unavailable.)

Thanks

SG