This Forum is now CLOSED use the link to get more details viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13924#p102587
User avatar
By Chris Tindal
#87186
If the engine number is original the casing would have started Life as a Fury, so with the big cylinder head. The numbers too high for 57 Adrian. Looks like it's been changed a lot over the last 60 years and is a mix of parts.
User avatar
By Adrian
#87189
So Selvam's engine is a bitsa, even though it looks the same as the Woodsman engine. My apologies for my earlier error, I wonder what happened to the original head. Anyway, for a Fury with no lighting kit, this is what the original bike would have looked like in all its big head glory, forget the Woodsman!

Image

https://images.ehive.com/accounts/6651/ ... d5va_l.jpg

Ref Graham's point about the non-original magdyno strap, it is of course possible that that a subsequent owner of a non-alternator fitted Fury wanted to retro-fit some lights, and with no provision for an alternator on this crankshaft, replacing the magneto with a magdyno would have been a lot easier than a crankshaft swap. A friend in New Zealand recently imported a Westerner 500 Scrambler, which also would not have had lights originally, but someone had also fitted a magdyno to that bike at some stage so that they could run some.

The front engine plates do indeed look like they're off something from Enfield India compared to the curved items in Bullet Whisperer's Fury picture.

I also wondered about the frame in the background, the Series 1A Interceptor top yoke may be a clue if that also hasn't been swapped from another bike!

A.
By Hercules
#87193
Thanks for the info Adrian.

Adrian wrote:
Thu Jan 09, 2020 10:32 pm
Selvam,

I can tell you that that is almost certainly the engine is from a Woodsman. A what???

This is the 500 export version of the UK Bullet originally sold only in the USA under the Indian name (Indian as in native American, not Indian as in made in India).

The alloy cylinder was standard for this model. Note the ten-hole timing cover with the rev-counter drive, also the large metal strap behind the cylinder for the Lucas magdyno (no provision for an alternator on the crankshaft), which puts this one at around 1957 vintage.

The complete bike would looked a lot like this one from 1958 apart from the magdyno. The 1958 version had an alternator for the lights and magneto for the ignition.

Image

https://bringatrailer.com/2010/12/21/en ... -woodsman/

I hope this helps.

A.
By Hercules
#87194
Thank you . But i got this attached image from Google search. RE Short Circuit Racer 500CC 1955.
Adrian wrote:
Fri Jan 10, 2020 2:53 pm
So Selvam's engine is a bitsa, even though it looks the same as the Woodsman engine. My apologies for my earlier error, I wonder what happened to the original head. Anyway, for a Fury with no lighting kit, this is what the original bike would have looked like in all its big head glory, forget the Woodsman!

Image

https://images.ehive.com/accounts/6651/ ... d5va_l.jpg

Ref Graham's point about the non-original magdyno strap, it is of course possible that that a subsequent owner of a non-alternator fitted Fury wanted to retro-fit some lights, and with no provision for an alternator on this crankshaft, replacing the magneto with a magdyno would have been a lot easier than a crankshaft swap. A friend in New Zealand recently imported a Westerner 500 Scrambler, which also would not have had lights originally, but someone had also fitted a magdyno to that bike at some stage so that they could run some.

The front engine plates do indeed look like they're off something from Enfield India compared to the curved items in Bullet Whisperer's Fury picture.

I also wondered about the frame in the background, the Series 1A Interceptor top yoke may be a clue if that also hasn't been swapped from another bike!

A.
Attachments
1955 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet Short Circuit Racer.jpg
By Hercules
#87195
Hi Graham, Thanks for the info. But , the number looks re-stamped. Will share the image here.

And also, i got one photo from google search. Attaching here. 1955 RE Short Circuit Racer 500CC. Thanks
Grabof54 wrote:
Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:04 am
Selvam,
# 3500 crankcases are from a 500cc Fury dispatched from Redditch in January 1961.
The short crankshaft without alternator provision is presumably original as this bike did not have lights. If the cylinder is alloy, it is also original and probably the piston within it.
The cylinder head is not original and presumably came from an Indian badged Woodsman or Westerner, the Fury always being fitted with the "big head" with integral rocker boxes.
The Fury only ever had a magneto so the long magdyno strap is not correct, those "with lights" having an alternator.
What is the number of the RE frame behind the engine in the photos?
Graham Scarth (REOC chairman)
Attachments
500CC Engine5.jpg
1955 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet Short Circuit Racer.jpg
User avatar
By Adrian
#87196
The 1955 500 racer in your picture is an earlier style of Bullet, note the older frame, gearbox and 9 hole timing cover.

Meanwhile the saga of this old engine is getting more complicated. Having viewed your picture of the engine number in larger resolution I agree that there seems to be the remains of an earlier number. If the old number is still clear enough you can tell us what it was, and Graham can probably confirm its original identity.

This raises the possibility that the original engine blew-up. Furies used in the heat of US flat track racing or being thrashed on the road did have problems with the alloy con-rods snapping, usually destroying the original crankcases in the process, which would leave the owner looking for a replacement engine. If this happened a few years after Fury exports to the USA ceased they would have to use whatever Royal Enfield engine might be available. So perhaps a Woodsman engine was substituted and re-stamped with the original Fury engine number in line with the number in the registration document.

???????

A.
User avatar
By Adrian
#87197
enfield_trials wrote:
Fri Jan 10, 2020 4:19 pm
love the Fury with no lighting kit. ... thanks Adrian for the picture.
do you have more picture like these ?
Loads! Mostly off the internet, I did an image search for Royal Enfield Fury, and among all the irrelevant pictures there are still some good ones of the 1959-61 originals - with and without lights.

A.

Shop for accessories at Hitchcocks Motorcycles