Hitchcocks Forum

Hi guys after 3 years away from owning a Enfield I'm back and very happy , today just bought myself a 1950 RE MODEL G put a deposit down today getting it delivered Thursday its Very good condition loads of history with 2 owners only. It was in a museum from 2005 to 2015 when it was bought by a gentleman who has restored it and run it for a year then has asked a dealer to sell it for him , I have paid 4 k for it I would be greatful for your honesty do you think this is too much EBay number is 231883186005 it would be greatly appreciated for your feed back

Regards Paul

it doesn`t matter how much you paid as long as you are happy with it and are not expecting to sell it on at a profit, just enjoy it !

just had a look, very nice motorcycle...

I agree with Boris; enjoy it!
-C

That looks ok to me. A few points if you don't mind? I'm no Model G expert but I can see a bit too much chrome (battery strap, chainguard bracket,) and too many RE transfers. I'm not sure if the wheelrims should be painted or chromed for 1950. The curve on the exhaust pipe is not quite right, a bit too "round". It has the correct long necked carb which is hard to find. Keep an eye on carburation, the carb will very likely have some wear by now which will affect low speed running. The horn is not a Lucas Altette as it should be and there are some Allen headed fasteners here and there which might be a concern in that these are unlikely to have the correct threads. I can't see a brake light switch and although it probably wouldn't have had one when new you really need one now! If the bike has an MOT and no brakelight I'd be concerned about the Testing Station. (The brakelight law came in in 1953 and was retrospective for larger machines.) The lighting dipswitch is incorrect but easily fixed. The numberplate letters are just ugly, if it was mine I'd change them! A Previous Owner has fitted a neat Triumph style twistgrip which routes the cable away, a good idea. Overall it looks very nicely presented and authentic, the small points can be fixed cheaply. Sorry if this sounds like a lot, it isn't really and the most important thing is, if it rides ok and you like it, the price is ok. You expect to pay a little extra from a Dealer but that's because they have to give you a warranty which is well worth the peace of mind. Now the weather is turning it's the perfect time to get a bike like this, enjoy many happy miles!

REgards, Mark

Thank you for your replies , Mark very thorough reply cheers , I agree I'm not keen on the number plate as thery are stickers I will be getting a real one any ideas where you. Can get these made up ?

The brake light works as the lights were one of the first thing I checked . I thought at first what have I done when I could of got a brand new one for this price or a nice newish one for half the price but I thought you only live once and I have never had a real classic so I thought why not it's 65 years old but it's a piece of British motorcycling history and it's quite charming to look at.

Regards Paul

Reds, an old fashioned sign writer might be hard to find but the VMCC Transfers scheme has some nice stick on letters that have a sort of hand painted look about them and would be much better. I live near a canal and there are still some chaps doing old fashioned boat work, that might be a possibility? I just noticed another thing, the rear mudguard stays are actually from a later Bullet but they've been adapted so neatly I didn't spot it! Have a look at the Parts Book and you'll see what I mean. The setup you have actually looks better to my eye. Good luck with it and please come back and tell us how it's going and how you find the ride? Tip: don't run too high tyre pressures, the recommendations at the time were quite low by modern standards, they actually form part of the suspension!

REgards, Mark

Mark ,
Thank you again so we're the number plates painted on originally ? Rides lovely I took it for a test ride yesterday sounds lovely , and felt good bouncing up and down on the spring seat .
The levers on the handle bars advance and retard and air mag lever will take a bit of getting used too.

Silly question the advance lever I take is the timing etc the air / mag lever is that like a choke ?

It is just Air lever (not mag) and yes, that's the choke, pull towards you for OFF. Advance retard lever is the mag control and towards you is for starting and away for normal running. It is just possible the mag has been changed and the magneto controls reversed but a bit of playing on the road will soon get the hang of it! I suggest you buy a copy of the original instruction book from our Hosts, it seems to be coded INS 6 and will cover a load of other points too. Number plates at this time would have been painted or if you had a bit more money you could get pressed alloy plates, still widely available.

REgards, Mark

Mark M thanks again for your advice.
Regards