War-time or maybe pre-war ladies Royal Enfield with undated SA hub

[3-speeder]

I picked up this bike from CL last year but never did much more than remove the rear rack and quadrant shifter. Recently I took the time to dig into it a bit more and was pleasantly surprised. It seems that this bike may be a wartime machine. It has Dunlop War Grade tires, a black SA quadrant shifter, and instead of a headbadge the logo is painted onto the headtube. It is not in bad shape for it's age and I plan to rehab it and make it into a rider again. I found an old posting here that describes a similar machine with similar components but no date was ever firmed up on that one. Any info would be appreciated. Link to other post below. I thought maybe the leather cable straps were a home made fix but the other poster mentions them on that machine as well

I Have This Old Bike................ | Classic Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-1965

I was just given this old Royal Enfield 3 speed from a guy thats about 70. He said her received it from his uncle when he was 14 and it was not brand new at that time. So far here are the details that I have. * Royal Enfield frame - obviously made in england like the frame says. * Frame...

thecabe.com

 

[3-speeder]

I haven't seen an oil port cover like this one. It appears to have a patent number and say "Garland"? Best thing was that the wheel with this old SA hub spun like a top and had a beautiful tick, tick, tick, tick....

Dunlop War Grade tires.

The rack that came on this bike is currently on my 1950 Schwinn World

Black quadrant shifter

Looks like I'll need a pin spanner for the bb

Dunlop rim

 

[juvela]

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always fun to see the cannons chainwheel

are the lightweight orange lines at the trailing edge of the stern mudguard the remains of a transfer or just scratches?

head transfer may be decalcomania...or it may be varnish fixing

headset appears a Brampton item

@dnc1 shall be able to share some of his high lumen archival treasure


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[3-speeder]

Orange lines on rear mudguard appear painted on like fancy pinstripes.... maybe a transfer?

 

[gkeep]

That looks like it will clean up very well. No date on the AW hub and blackout parts sure sounds wartime. The use of leather straps to hold the cables is interesting, seems like a typical war time metal saver. My wife loves riding her 1951 Armstrong, these bikes just have that nice "sit up and beg" riding posture for us older riders.

 

[3-speeder]

Forgot to add this shot of the B-dub front hub. This wheel also spins like a champ. Well stored bike.
Bayliss Wiley & Co. Ltd. ads courtesy of Grace's Guide here: https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Bayliss,_Wiley_and_Co

 

[bikerbluz]

Very cool bike, love that chain ring!!

 

[juvela]

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B - W -

they produced some quality innovative products during the interwar period and the immediate postwar time

here is an advert for their oil bath bottom bracket:

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[dnc1]

They started using that style of top run chainguard in the 1940 catalogue, but interestingly only on the single speed models; the 3-speeders used a full chainguard.
This chainguard design had disappeared by the 1950 catalogue, so that definitely gives you a 10 year dating time span.

I wonder if your 3-speed hub is a later upgrade by a previous owner.
Although, being from the wartime period they may have mixed and matched models maybe?
The hub oiler looks a little chewed-up around the edges, perhaps it has been re-used from another purpose?

Unfortunately catalogues are not currently available for the years 1941 to 1949.

 

[3-speeder]

If that oil port cover had said "Levis" on it I would know exactly what happened. Haha. I thought it looked like a rivet off a pair of blue jeans... just happened to fit.