Anglian??

[tammyanddaveky]

Hi all,

This is the Wessex/Anglian?? I was speaking of in the Vintage Motorcycle Days at MIDOH in USA under shows thread.

Dave and I were riding about the event on Eleanor (MCS) and Grizzy (Wessex) when an elderly gentlman passed by us on this beauty...the chase was on and we followed him all the way back to the camp site and where the Mid OH Valley British bike club members were.
Apparently he bought her years ago, only fixes things as they need, not many needs etc.

Can't for the LIFE of me remember the frame #, he says he researched it and talked with Frank and it's an Anglian not a Wessex as frame # THS??? something definitely started T ended in S and Anglian in origin. To me, looks like American Specification Wessex, down to design on the exhaust, lights, engine....any input??

Anyway, for my Wessex American Specification this bike solved 2 great mysteries! The Wipac brake light switch for tail light...was thinking maybe triumph one..but looked strange...an aha moment
Also, the headlight bracket...now I knew what to look for!
I found it at the swapmeet..the bracket in with rusty lot of Ranger and MX5 parts, the wipac new

He refused all offers, but did take our number in case he decided to sellHe uses the bike around his farm and you can tell he's very attached. This bike with just the right patina...When Dave showed him the peice of 90 degree coper pipe he used on the Wessex's exhaust to direct the exhaust out the side and away from under the fender he responded "That's cool, but now without the oil in the exhaust mixture gumming up your fender...it'll rust"

These are the moments you live for!!!
Tammy

[Colin Sparrow]

Aluminium? Rusting?

Perhaps its another unlooked-for effect of bioethanol...

[John Wakefield]

Aluminium? Rusting?

Perhaps its another unlooked-for effect of bioethanol...

Its a STEEL 2.5 gallon roadster tank. I think these export bikes were put together with whatever parts were available, some mods my have actually been done once the got to the USA.

[John Wakefield]

Errrrrr, NO.

These tanks do not have the seat cutaway typical of roadster tanks.


Marcelle

May be a Fleetwing tank, dont think these had the cutaway, or maybe the ISDT tank with the basic shape same as roadster though.

[John Wakefield]

I was not suggesting that Greeves 'threw' bikes together, but, as you say had the ability to vary specifications for particular customers. Thus producing bikes that were not in the catalogue. Obviously the design of the Greeves using many common components across the range of comp & road bikes made this easier. I do think though that US exported bikes may have had further mods done by the importers once they arrived on US soil. One Randy Wilson was well know for this & in fact he was advertising 32DC East Coasters using faked up artwork from the Motor Cycle Mechanics road test. Looks like he imported standard 32DC's & then painted them black. Some time ago I posted a copy of his brochure on here. http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/for...r+Randy+Wilson

[Stan Nicholson]

"Looks like he imported standard 32DC's & then painted them black."
I don't think so, John. I rubbed through the repainting (gold ) of the tank on my 3T engined "East Coaster", originally imported by Randy and it had the remains of the silver and black finish underneath, complete with gold pin striping and the original shaped panels.
The frame number of mine, and another in the hands of a friend in the US, is 32DD***B so I think they would have been special order from Randy. They also have separate pipes and silencers, headlight mounted light switch and the long rear number plates (although I cannot remember when these were required in the UK due to the changes to registration numbers).
Stan

[John Wakefield]

"Looks like he imported standard 32DC's & then painted them black."
I don't think so, John. I rubbed through the repainting (gold ) of the tank on my 3T engined "East Coaster", originally imported by Randy and it had the remains of the silver and black finish underneath, complete with gold pin striping and the original shaped panels.
The frame number of mine, and another in the hands of a friend in the US, is 32DD***B so I think they would have been special order from Randy. They also have separate pipes and silencers, headlight mounted light switch and the long rear number plates (although I cannot remember when these were required in the UK due to the changes to registration numbers).
Stan

Greeves never marketed a 32DC East Coaster in the UK so these must have been a special order, the pictures in the brochure made up by Randy Wilson depicts the 1965/6 25DC East Coaster with the 4T engine. These as I said in my previous post were 'lifted' from the road test report in Motor Cycle Mechanics in Sept 1965. You say the frame number was 32DD, this would have originally been an Essex, so looks like Greeves made these bikes up from spare frames & parts they had around. The 32DC & DD had ceased production in 1963.

[John Wakefield]

In hind sight its surprising that Greeves did not market the TFS & Anglian/Wessex over here as trail bikes, particularly as trail riding/green laneing was becoming popular. Not sure if the Ranger was available here but if so very few were sold & it was not widely advertised.