Author Topic: Raleigh 600  (Read 12626 times)

Offline Mirko

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Raleigh 600
« on: August 26, 2014, 07:32:30 PM »
Hello,
my Name is Mirko, i am from Northgermany, i found this Motorcycle and bought it.
Can you help me finding Photos and descriptions how i can bring this Bike back on Street?
here Pictures from my Bike   www.fluft.de
sorry for my bad writing, i got a 5 in School :-\

Thank you very much,
greetings
Mirko

Offline R

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2014, 11:37:40 PM »
Nice find. Quite a late one too.
Is it like this model ?
http://www.veteran-motorcycle.com/raleighMH31.htm
(click for bigger pics)

Raleighs are quite well thought of in the vintage world, and were quite popular, also selling engines and gearboxes as the Sturmey Archer brand, so there should not be too much trouble finding parts lists and brochure pics for it.
The Vintage Club in the UK - VMCC - would likely have these - and should have a marque specialist, who can advise on most of the difficult questions.  Later Raleigh ohv bikes were reportedly designed by someone who had worked at Nortons, and there is a similarity between the 2 makes - Sturmey supplied the gearboxes to Nortons also,

Raleigh Industries still exist, as bicycle makers (?) and are proud of their manufacturing past and have a website with some history and pics. They ceased making motorcycles in the early 1930s, and your bike must be about then too.
http://www.raleigh.co.uk/Company/History/

First step in the restoration process is to take good close up shots of everything, like you have been doing,
so you can see exactly how everything fits together and what goes where.
The next step is making a rough list of everything that seems to be missing - and checking if the recent owner still has any of these parts nearby, or stored on shelves or in boxes etc. Or if he knows where they are. Finding the original parts is much better than trying to obtain them off ebay etc - or having them made. Making contact with other Raleigh Owners will probably open up a whole world of information and spares sources and providers of services, Most owners will welcome contact with another owner of a similar bike, and share info etc.

Whole books have been written on how to restore motorcycles, so I won't even attempt that here !, but its largely a matter of photographing everything FIRST, taking everything to pieces (maybe one piece at a time), cleaning or painting or chroming it, making all the mechanical parts new or good enough to use, and then assembling it back into a motorcycle again.
Document everything - always good if a record is kept of what has been done, and useful if anything needs to be redone etc.

We will look forward to progress reports and pics, and any questions etc.
Have fun.

Offline Mirko

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2014, 07:38:16 PM »
Hello,
thank you for this many Information, i can now search for more :-)
Do you have take a look at my Website? there are a few Pictures of my Bike.
i cant find the Frame, perhabs i am not good in finding things, Pictures and informations :'(
do this Bike have a Batterie??
the ignition thems to be rebuild or somthing.
Ok, i looking forward to get some more information from the Sites you write to me :D
Thank you so much.

The Picture in the link is not the same Bike, i got three Chains, one to the Gearbox, then one frome the Gearbox
and one for Dynamo? Generator?
and why so i have Shockabsorbers?

so, sorry for my english 8)
Thank you very much.
Greetings
Mirko

Offline R

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2014, 01:21:38 AM »
Your english is excellent !
We all speak motorcycle here  (!?).

I missed those shock aborbers - plunger rear suspension pic.
Someone has very cleverly grafted on a set of 1940s style rear suspension.
A very common modification in the 1940s and even 1950s.
It made rigid frame motorcycles comparable in comfort/suspension with new-ish motorcycles.
Someone had a similar old Norton with a similar change, and is immensely proud of it.
You also see Enfields, Triumphs, AJS's, etc etc.
If it is strong and sound, keep it, as a valuable example of owners improving the breed. !

I can't find an example/pic of your 600 Raleigh, so it may be a little rarer than earlier years.
(Depression era sales were quite low in numbers, especially for the bigger bikes).
All the more reason to restore and show it.
Can we see a pic or 2 of the whole bike please, once you have cleaned and polished what you have of it.

This is a brochure for a slightly earlier year.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Original-1930-Raleigh-Sales-Brochure-Covers-Complete-1930-Range-/121418680086
Someone will have one for your later one - you are looking for 1931 or 1932 ?

P.S. Did the previous owner have any missing bits stored away ?
It is quite important that they not be left behind.
Cheers.


Offline Mirko

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2014, 07:51:32 PM »
Thank you so much,
i have no idea how the Fork get together. :-[
i load up new Pictures at www.fluft.de
in a German Forum somone tell me that the Frame and the Engine are not original, he says that the Frame was rebuild. what is with the ignition, do anyone have information about this?
but first i must  say that i havent realy seek for informations, because i have a bad work this Time, in two Weeks my Worktime is better  :D
thank you very much
Greetings
Mirko

Offline R

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2014, 10:06:59 AM »
Mmmm, we don't know what to make of it all then.
It has been rather changed, hasn't it.
Those front forks have been made into a chopper type too ?!

Which is why we asked initially about a comparison with
http://www.veteran-motorcycle.com/raleighMH31.htm

Offline 33d6

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2014, 01:03:59 PM »
Hello Mirko,
You have a very uncommon Raleigh. I never knew Raleigh made a 598cc OHV engine but there it is. I knew Raleigh made a 598cc sidevalve model in 1932 and 1933, the MB32 and MB33 but didn't know they also made an OHV engine of that capacity as well.

The engine number LPRO 33 RAL 128 describes exactly what you have and the year of the engine.
The code is as follows,
 L=598cc, 85 bore x 101 stroke with inside flywheel.
 P=ohv (Pushrod),
 R= Rear mounted magneto. You can see where a previous owner has sawn off the original timing case and magneto mounting.
 O= Dry sump lubrication with an internal double acting pump.
 RAL=Raleigh. Raleigh sold their engines to other motorcycle factories but stamped a customer code to show who they were sold to. Examples are DE for Dunelt and CE for Coventry Eagle. RAL shows they made this engine for themselves.
128= engine number. In this period Raleigh usually started their engine numbers at 101 so this is quite a low number. I think they made very few of this engine.

The frame number seems to fit in the 1933 sequence for the 500cc ohv model MH33 so it looks as if in 1933 Raleigh made an ohv 600cc engine and put it in the 1933 ohv 500cc frame. The idea is very similar to what Norton did with their model 19S. I think the bore and stroke are identical to the 19S. There were close management links between Raleigh and Norton so maybe as well as D R O'Donovan moving from Norton to Raleigh they shared ideas anyway.

I think you have the makings of a very nice bike.
Cheers,
   

Offline Mirko

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2014, 06:57:11 PM »
thank you very much for this news, i have took (taken?)a lock at the Magneto, you are right :-)
how does it work? can i build it back? is it important? do i have a Batterie ?
and you think that the Engine and the Frame are build in the same Time, and not different as i wrote it in a Post before? that would make me happy :D
where can i find technical drawings, or help how to buil it togehther?
First of all i will know how to fix the front, do i need to have Raiser for the Handelbar?

in a German forum i have 3 Answers in three weeks :-(
i like this Forum :-)

greetings
Mirko

Offline P.V. Motorcycles

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2014, 10:20:53 AM »
You could contact the VMCC marque specialist for Raleigh, David Comber - dcomber@btinternet.com . Hopefully he can give more information.
Send him a link to the pictures you have, and details of any engine and frame numbers.

Sie könnten die VMCC 'Markespezialist' für Raleigh kontaktieren: sein Name ist David Comber - dcomber@btinternet.com .
Hoffentliich kann er weitere Information geben
Schicken Sie ihm einen Link zu den Fotos, die Sie haben, und Einzelheiten der Motor und Rahmen-Nummern.

Nick

Offline Mirko

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #9 on: August 31, 2014, 10:48:36 AM »
Thank you for this Email contact, i write him a mail.
i will thank you all for so much help, its great, thank you.

Greetings
Mirko

Offline P.V. Motorcycles

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2014, 05:28:44 PM »
Some pictures here of a nice 1932 500cc model, to give you a general idea of what it should look like:

Einige Bilder hier einem schönen 1932 500cc-Modell, um eine allgemeine Vorstellung zu geben, wie Ihr Modell aussehen sollte:

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/havik/tags/1932/

Nick

Offline Mirko

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2014, 07:03:13 PM »
thanks a lott, i also have searched Google for Pictures :D
but i dont find a Frame like mine, the Fork is about 20cm longer, and i dont know what about my Dynamo and ingniton coil, i think i must build it back.

greetings
Mirko

Offline P.V. Motorcycles

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #12 on: August 31, 2014, 09:52:52 PM »
I'm not sure about the forks, but there looks to be quite a lot which is original when compared to the 500cc model in the Flickr photos (this is not an expert opinion - just 'an opinion').

The main frame, engine, tank and gearbox appear similar to the 500 arrangement (and so correct?).
You look to have the correct carburettor, with the mixing chamber horizontal rather than vertical (that would have been difficult to find).
Looking at the rear stays, I wonder if they're mostly original, but have been cut and had the plungers welded in.

The electrics on the 500 model appear to have been a Lucas Magdyno - these are common on British bikes of the era, and ought to be find-able.
Hopefully the engine cover is the same as the 500 version, if parts have been cut off.

The rear mudguard and carrier look wrong.

You could ask here about forks: http://www.jake-robbins-vintage-engineering.co.uk/ - or http://www.elkpromotions.co.uk/ which has girder forks at autojumbles - but worth finding out what Raleigh fitted. The ones on the 500 model look like Webb forks or similar.

Hopefully Dave Comber will have the answers.

Nick
« Last Edit: August 31, 2014, 09:55:06 PM by P.V. Motorcycles »

Offline cardan

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #13 on: August 31, 2014, 10:47:50 PM »

Mirko,

The front fork on your bike is BSA; or was BSA. It has been made longer at some time, probably to make a "chopper".

Cheers

Leon

Offline Mirko

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Re: Raleigh 600
« Reply #14 on: September 02, 2014, 08:14:08 PM »
Hello,
i have take a deeper look at the front, someone had make the Fork longer, about 25cm :-\
what can i do now? i want to drive with the Bike, do i get TÜV with such a Fork??