Hitchcocks Forum

Hi, here's an old bike amongst the newer ones!
My 1952 G2 has a gearbox with an external clutch cable and is unlike the type shown in the handbook, which is the type where the clutch cable enters the gearbox. Can anyone shed any light on this? Is mine earlier or later, or an alternative or what? The handbook I have (dated 1955) doesn't even mention this arrangement or detail the adjustment.
Thanks.

I suppose the obvious question is where then does the cable enter? I'm not all that familiar with the older models but I know enough to know enfields are a bit like lego in many respects. I once bought a 2003 bullet which had a 1991 350 motor bored out to 500 and was fitted with a 1959 meteor minor primary and gearbox. So on that one the clutch cable went in through the top of the primary chaincase.



I'm sure if you can tell us in a bit more detail what you've got, someone will be able to tell you what it's off. Even better would be pictures and/or a part number (I know all the ones I've had had a part number stamped on, wether it relates to anything is another question).

That is the correct type of gearbox for a 1952 model. The gearbox was "tidied up" in 1954 (the books say 1955 but some machines were fitted with the new box as supplies of the old one were used up,) by moving the clutch operating mechanism inside the outer cover and uniting the gearlever and kickstart on a common shaft. The later box is slightly wider so the early type continued to be used on Trials machines right up to the early 60s. The clutch lifting mechanism on the early box is on a "quick thread" mounted in the outer cover and it can wear badly as it is quite exposed so do check that if worried about operation. Incidentally, the internals of the box are the same from 1954 to 1958, it's only the inner and outer cover and the levers and selection mechanism which is different. Be aware there are different internal gear ratios available if you are swapping parts!

REgards, Mark

Good to know, Mark. Thank you.