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Any ideas on what this bike is?

Any ideas on what this bike is?

fatbat
4 years ago

I’ll try and get some info on the year of the photo but believe photo was taken in NZ in the late 1940s or thereabouts

wello
4 years ago

Quoting fatbat on 03 Jul 2020 01:55 PM

I’ll try and get some info on the year of the photo but believe photo was taken in NZ in the late 1940s or thereabouts

maybe an old ariel ?

keith
4 years ago

My guess a Matchy ?

fatbat
4 years ago

Thanks wello and Keith. I looked up both Ariel and Matchless and it’s certainly good for potentially being one of those. I’ll try and get more info about year and colour but unsure if that’s gonna help to narrow it down anymore unless there’s somebody that knows heaps of details about these old british bikes

B0nes
4 years ago

Quoting fatbat on 03 Jul 2020 01:55 PM

I’ll try and get some info on the year of the photo but believe photo was taken in NZ in the late 1940s or thereabouts

I'm guessing it's a Panther. Looking similar to this model

fatbat
4 years ago

Thanks Bones and that looks like a very good match. I’d never even heard of panther motorcycles. Photo was taken about 1938. Cool old bikes

Uncle Chougs
4 years ago

Everyone is on the right track as of being a british bike....
Although the picture is not very clear,it’s a 1927 or 1928 AJS”flat tanker” ,350cc side valve.
1928 was the last year AJS used “flat tanks”and the last year they used the the “Druid”front fork.
The front fenders(of what we can see in your picture) was fitted on 350cc side valve models(K3,K4,K5 models)the fender skirts were thinner than the 500cc side valves ones.The gearshifting assembly with it’s straight down connecting rod was a typical design of AJS motorcycles of this era..

keith
4 years ago

Good work here to narrow down the bike, FB, is it a family photo ? Be nice to get the full history on the young fellows, bike, location etc....

Far Canal
4 years ago

Really hard to tell from the photo.
The bikes from that era sure had a lot of similarities to each other.
Your best bet would be if you could ask the 2 kids on it, if perchance they are still alive.
Had a similar mystery with an old photo of my father on a bike taken a long time ago.
Could not nail the type of bike down for the life of me.
Ended up phoning his best mate who was still alive some years ago, he told me at once that it was a New Imperial.

fatbat
4 years ago

Thanks guys for input, especially to uncle with all that detailed info. Bloody impressive stuff and it’s a good reminder of what these forums are about!
I’ve spoken to the boy who’s centred in the photo. He’s now aged in his 80s and still going strong although the bike belonged to a neighbour and he wasn’t into bikes that much so couldn’t confirm the make/model. The boy in the rear has since passed away.

Funnily enough, immediately after the photo was taken the bike fell over and the main boy got stuck under it for a little while. Bruises and a bit of a panic as he was only 5yo but bike wasn’t hot and others managed to pick the bike up quickly and it wasn’t damaged. He remembers the day even now.

Thanks for the input all. May never know with certainty but was fun finding out

Uncle Chougs
4 years ago

Quoting fatbat on 06 Jul 2020 12:19 PM
Thanks guys for input, especially to uncle with all that detailed info. Bloody impressive stuff and it’s a good reminder of what these forums are about!
I’ve spoken to the boy who’s centred in the photo. He’s now aged in his 80s and still going strong although the bike belonged to a neighbour and he wasn’t into bikes that much so couldn’t confirm the make/model. The boy in the rear has since passed away.

Funnily enough, immediately after the photo was taken the bike fell over and the main boy got stuck under it for a little while. Bruises and a bit of a panic as he was only 5yo but bike wasn’t hot and others managed to pick the bike up quickly and it wasn’t damaged. He remembers the day even now.

Thanks for the input all. May never know with certainty but was fun finding out

Your welcome FB! Happy to help and thanks for sharing this cool picture!.
As the guys were saying,veteran or vintage bikes can look very similar and if you are not familiar with them they can be hard to identify.
Back in those days,to set them apart,motorcycle manufacturers used different technical innovation or cosmetic designs unique to their brand.

B0nes
4 years ago

Grandfather rode way back then. Not sure what model it was but it had a belt drive. We used to laugh when he told us about how when the manufacturers changed over to chain drive he told his mates that it was just a fad. If he was alive today he would be saying "I told you so" with some manufacturers returning to belt drives again. Pity he didn't just park it in the shed and forget about it. Would have been nice to stumble across it

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