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[tdc5fan]

Thanks for the responses. I think I was guilty off over simplifying the barn find. It is in pretty good condition and we have had a run out of the engine, bit rough though so far. The gearbox lubes were quite something and drained like a light jelly, flushed that out and chased the rest out with an airline blowing oil/ air mix. The engine oil was drained and replaced with a made up flushing oil (sae30 + a little diesel). I was surprised at the quantity of oil the sump swallowed but from the responses here perhaps the dipstick is telling the truth. The air filter was not fitted and the rubber elbow missing but just received a new one ex HMC. Now tackling the electrics which have suffered over time but that's not a real problem since it was my 'day' job before I went on the Govt. payroll (pension). Current reno projects are the Meteor and a 1963 Canadian built chainsaw.

Derek

[Mark M]

Derek, sounds like you're on the case. Does yours have a distributor or a Magdyno? If it's a Mag it's pretty straight forward but if it's a distributor there are a few things you will need to know! Also, what colour is it,does it look like factory paint? REgards, Mark

[Norm]

Mark that is interesting , magdyno? never seen or heard of one fitted that way, but obviously they must have been, otherwise you wouldn't have asked. Derek good luck, sounds like you have all the main bits and that is the hard part.

[Tim NZ]

Hi Derek.
ANY RE is a rare beast in NZ, and post 1955 even scarcer, as that was effectively the last year they were imported here.
Other than private imports and a couple or three new bike imported in 1964, that is it aside from Indian made ones.
If you would care to contact me off list I can assist with technical help, and put you in touch with other Meteor owners (very few, myself included) in NZ, plus contact for the NZREOC...

royalenfield AT clear DOT net DOT nz

Tim

[tdc5fan]

The plot thickens. Some paperwork has caught up with us and it is a bit of a mind bender and a few anomalies. To try and get it all straight, I'll give the engine/ VIN numbers and hopefully somebody can shed some light. It appears on paper that it was imported into NZ in 1986 and is listed as previously registered in UK. Manfacture date 1956, with a registration number of 85PLJ which from memory is similar to the Pommy system for that time. Yet it left Redditch January 1955, going to a company in Suva Fiji. It does have a mag/ dyno so that points to 1955.
The engine number is 7T2116, VIN 7AT0F007x10482169. First time I have had anything to do with these beasts, was always an AJ/ Matchbox man. Still a reno freak though

Confused? welcome aboard

Derek

[tdc5fan]

Norm. Dunno where you are in NZ but most stuff electrical I can fix.

Derek

[Adam]

Derek,

85PLJ is unlikely to be a Fiji registration. As far as I can see Fiji has always used two letters followed by three numbers.

However, you are correct in as much as it is a format used in UK and the last letters, LJ, identify it as having been registered in Bournemouth and the P indicates it was issued post September 1954.

Richard Lewis is the REOC contact for South Dorset and his contact details are here http://www.royalenfield.org.uk/?PageName=branches_south He might have some historical information as to who the supplying dealer was at that time although if you want to search the history of the machine this is probably a very cold trail by now.

Bournemouth is on the sunny (relatively) south coast of England, it is now in the county of Dorset but was, prior to 1974, in Hampshire.

Adam

[Mark M]

Derek, the engine number looks ok but the Vin number doesn't make any sense, could it be a modern one? The frame number should be on the left side of the steering head (when sat aboard,) and if an original pair should be the same number as the engine but (possibly) no prefix.
REgards, Mark

[Norm]

Derek I'm in Aus and I was tounge in cheek about the Trade Me bit, but it seems you have a good bike to work with and the fact it has a magneto puts you way ahead of the distributor ones that rely on the genny to charge the battery so you can have spark. It also depends on what your plans are for it, to ride it around NZ or just take it to shows etc, if you want to ride it you want it reliable

[Mark M]

I did some checking and the registration number is interesting. It is a British registration and the letters LJ indicate the bike was registered in Bournemouth (which at the time was in Hampshire,) but the letter number sequence is the wrong way round for the time, ie, the letters should come before the numbers. Have you read it correctly?
REgards, Mark