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[stinkwheel]

Supposed to be an '03 500 bullet. It isn't (well, maybe the frame mostly is). I'm trying to ID some of the the parts and at least the engine year. Maybe someone can help?

Among the odder things on it, it has twin, single leading drum brakes. Norton?

The forks have a similar wheel attachment to enfields I've seen but the leading part is much longer.

The clutch actuator mechanism is mounted on the left hand side, inside the primary casing, on top of the pressure plate. There is an extra blanking plug in the primary drive cover to access the clutch adjuster. The hole the clutch cable would normally go through in the gearbox appears to be undrilled. The font on the gearbox for the gear marker looks very dated.

It has twin plugs and a valve lifter on the tappet cover. presumably aftermarket extras.

Speedo is on the rear wheel.

It has a two wire alternator.

The points back plate appears to be on backwards.

The ultimate aim is to make a 612 motor so it's gong to be a full strip=down and rebuild, most of the non-standard stuff will be replaced with other non-standard stuff but I need a baseline to work from. Engine year at a minimum so i get the correct bits.

The front hub leaves the intriguing/possibly entertaining or downright lethal possability of a 100mph bullet with a home-brew 4-leading brake.

Link to photo gallery: https://goo.gl/photos/PsxGEJMGPodNmudg7

[Tim NZ]

Sound like a Scissor clutch from a late 50's RE twin, and a Side-car double 6" brake front end. What dia is the front hub?


With out pic it will be anybodies guess.

[stinkwheel]

Cheers. Having put me onto it and done a google image search, the forks look like they could be off a late 50's meteor minor. The hub does indeed look like a 6" double sided front hub.


You should be able to get onto a picture gallery with reasonably detailed photos using the link I provided at the end of my first post. If you can't, let me know and I'll try again.

[Tim NZ]

Big twin front end, side car forks, (Scarce item) You will hate them on a Solo bike, the handling will be 'odd' to say the least.


Scissor clutch from off a Meteor Minor/Conny. DONT hold the clutch in when stopped! the thrust bearings in the Clutch over heat (I fit std sealed ball bearings)! ALWAYS select neutral at a stop! Apart from which it is an Excellent clutch. Far better than the Indian clutch and will cope with a lot more power, over 50Hp!


Get the cast iron pressure and backing plates crack tested, the backing plate in particular, also check that the three pillar bolt mounting studs are not loose in the backing plate. If they are loose the backing plate is prone to crack.


The front brake torque stays are a dodgy afterthought! Really dodgy!


IF the eng number is correct (1B435283? the last Digit is suspect?) your motor is based on a 1991 350 bottom end...


The swing arm mounting has been right royally Fudged!




110w Alternator fitted. Dont attempt to hook it up to an Indian Reg/rectifier unit!


I really really hate the 612, and would not do so unless planning a 'soft' motor (std cams and head) and fitting a 'chair'?

[ric]

I think the last digit is a letter to identifying the month of manufacture. Occasionally duplicated on the rear of the points back plate.

[Mark M]

I agree with Tim. It looks like an interesting project but you would need to sort out those forks! The long extensions of the axle clamp are intended for sidecar use as Tim says and will be horrible to ride solo, I've had the experience! They are not a complete disaster but spoil a sweet handling frame. The torque stays mounted onto the mudguard brackets are pretty naff and probably dangerous too so I'd rebuild the forks with new (different) sliders as a priority. Otherwise someone has spent some money and time on that, it could prove to be a good basis for a project, let us know how it goes!

REgards, Mark

[stinkwheel]

I'll probably move the forks on to another owner and fit something a bit more appropriate, particularly with regard to braking. I'd quite like to re-fit a casquette yoke too for the look of it.

I suppose an "early doors" check will be to have a look at the top end. It's got an iron barrel but is it actually a 500? I'll be a bit miffed if it's actually a 350, I already have one. If I remember correctly, the crankcase opening on a 350 needs to be machined to take a 500 barrel?

I was looking to make this a fast bullet. I love my 350 and want to make something that has the same sort of "fun factor" but with the performance of a modern 500 single. So I want to be able to downshift/roll on the throttle and overtake a car that's doing 60mph in a convincing and timely manner. The 612 kit seemed to me to be the way to go but maybe there is another route to a similar performance level? I'm prepared to put some money into this. I'd like it to be able to do 100mph (not necessarily sit there, but to see it on the clocks if I want to).

Same will go for the suspension and brakes. A disc is probably going to be a necessity and some fettled "modern" forks. Although I can't really fault the handling of the standard 350 frame I have. I've not done it on a motorcycle but I can lace up bicycle wheels so a set of tasty hoops will also be on the cards.

Interestingly, owner number 5 (I am 7) is one A. Hitchcock. Not sure if anything stuck to it when it passed through there...

[stinkwheel]

Oh yeah, I fully agree abiout the leading forks. It's horrible to push, never mind ride!

[Adrian]

People do have some very weird and wacky ideas about customising Bullets, some good, some filed under "what on earth were you thinking?"



Fortunately this rather misconceived effort looks to be well recoverable!



As for the side car forks, you could actually fit a side car, but if that does not appeal then sell them on as has been suggested. Set up properly, the twin sided 6" front brake works nicely, and our hosts sometimes have the appropriate solo forks from the late 50's in the used section. Otherwise, if you wanted a disk front end you could use a set of early B5 EFI forks with the leading axle and screw-in stanchion to fit the early RE Thunderbird yokes that are fitted to your bike.

[Adrian]

Once again the forum software has managed to lose part of what I had typed. The following paragraph should have appeared immediately before the photo.

"While you mentioned re-fitting a casquette (and looking at the utter mess that the previous owner has put together it's not hard to see why!), you can do an awful lot to improve the looks simply by fitting the proper Thunderbird headlamp brackets (make sure you have the lower shrouds with the plastic inserts), re-use that 7" Lucas headlamp with the wiring and switch panel tidied up, and test your skills be designing a nice neat speedo mounting bracket, the top yoke should already be drilled and tapped at the front for the Thunderbird speedo and rev counter bracket. The same yokes and other parts were used on the Electra-S, and the factory made a nice neat job of it, too."



A.