Hitchcocks Forum

Sometime ago, I sent an email to RE, as I wanted to know the correct colour for Tornado, my classic army bullet.



I never did get a reply!



After a little research on the internet, I have deduced a possible answer for the silence from RE, namely, they were painted with whatever mixture resembling a sort of army green that was mixed up on the day of production! Let's not forget that Tornado's petrol tank, toolboxes, mudguards (stuff with gold lining) was a different shade to the frame, engine and other parts! Of course, in the lead up to WWII, the British Army did just the same, with different manufactures using anything from glossy or matt brown, through to green!



Of course I may be wrong about RE's colour system, but here are a few pics I discovered. (OK they may have been repainted, there again, maybe not?)






OK, hard to tell, even this Indian army bike has a different colour headlamp ring, but it is very close to the early WWII british army glossy green.




Apologies, but I am naming this shade 'Puke'. Seems there wasn't a touch-up paint to match! Notice the glossy green one in the distance. There is a Honda hidden here, which looks more correct!





Here we have 'Dark Satin', quite a nice shade for the bike!






This is my preference, a quite passable matt/almost satin olive green drab colour.



I'm off to the local MT workshop to try and blag either some paint, or at least a colour sample. If I totally redo Tornado's 'Green rainbow' paint scheme, then I want something that I can get touch-up paint for!


Actually, seeing these pics, I'm torn between olive drab and a nice glossy green. Not sure now! Bugger!




Tornado in 'two-tone' green. (only tried fishtail pipe, didn't even tighten the bolt, just didn't go!).



Anyone got a preference for army bike colour?

Have a look here http://www.militaryvehiclepaint.co.uk/index.php Colour? Olive drab and definitely not shiny. Dump that fishtail it belongs on a replica Brooklands bike. Colour

And there would be no chrome, matt black exhaust, handlebars same paint as frame & tinware inc headlamp & rim

C'mon SCALY, I know you know the answer to this one 'coz you've done your time out in the field wiv der ladz in khaki...... It can only be}------DRAB OLIVE ( her from}--- On the Buses) GREEN !!...................... And this coming from an Ex-Pusser lad as well !!..Shame on you, sirrah !---More BONUS POINTS for The Admiralty I think ??.......

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The trick is to put a type of question at the end of the post, otherwise I quite often not get any replies!









OK, to be honest, I'm really stuffed!


I wanted olive green, but the gold lining on the tank, toolboxes and mudguards, along with real shiny paint looks very pretty.



So either keep the shiny and match as in pre WWII olive drab or...



Paint everything in olive drab and heat resistant black. Usually, emblems and things would be painted over, but sod it, I want these on my tank...





Hell, I can get away with these can't I???



If not, I'll get the tin ones and just paint them out. Don't matter if the chrome is crap then! Can just paint the 'Royal Enfield' in gold then!




At least tell me I can have the tin ones???

Think BSA used Cad plating on what would be Chrome, RN had a lovely Navy blue

I don't think there is any chrome showing on Tornado? (except where it gets rubbed off the pedals.).



I had a stroke of luck with the fishtail pipe extension. Found an adaptor for Moo's vacuum cleaner, and she uses it for getting the dust off her curtains and sofa!

Took Thunderbolt my woodsman through the equivalent of 'green lanes or byways' in France (absolutely miles of them!) Them ensign universal trials tyres seem to just lap up the shale. So odd, my road bike has trials tyres, and my army bike has road tyres!



It's late at night, I have just returned to France, I just have to take a quick look at Thunderbolt before bed.