H: Hubs, Wheels and Tyres Grey Flash Replica rear mudgard

[Michel]

Hello,
I ride with a Grey Flash (road configuration) built identically by the late Patrick Godet. I have questions about the rear mudgard FT148: doest it is the same as the Comet Serie C with the fixing points exactly in the same places and reinforcement FT152 ? Michel.

 

[davidd]

I am not sure that there is a definitive answer. As far as I know, there are no original photos of the road-going Grey Flash model. If you examine the two existing road-going Flashes they are set up like the Comet. Of course, over the years the position of various stays or hinges can move due to the owner changing them.

It seems to me that the Factory would have set up the road-going Flash just like the Comet because that was the well-known standard. So, the hinge would be forward of the reversed lifting handle and the FT152 would terminate at or around where the rear seat terminated.

The work order for one of the machines in road trim had the stock Comet fenders crossed out and "Racing guards" written in place. The work order for the other machine has the stock fenders listed, but it also has "Racing" written at the end of the stock fender notation. I am not certain what this means. Each owner could choose whatever configuration they wished.

David

 

[Peter Holmes]

I visited Ted Davis's garden many years ago, at the time he had a very nice looking road going Flash, I have no idea whether it was genuine or otherwise, I think one went to a Bonham's auction that I attended at Hendon Aircraft museum, the same day that the Motorcycle Museum purchased one of George Brown's Nero's, I forget which one, maybe Nero as opposed to Super Nero, its a few years ago now, might still be on Bonham's archives though.

 

[vibrac]

There is a limit to how far I dare ride my Flash from my home based roller starter (especially as I have sorned my van) so I am considering a marriage (and later a divorce as required) between a similar era road Albion box front with a kick start to my albion race box ....any info happily received

 

[davidd]

There were two Grey Flashes at that auction in March of 1999. One was the road-going Flash that was originally supplied (most likely) with racing mudguards:

The road trim Flashes would have been equipped with a number 16 Albion gearbox, which had a KS. The original rear wheel was a 20". The above photo is the auction photo.

David

 

[timetraveller]

Several years ago I sold what was supposedly an original Grey Flash rear wheel. Thus when I bought it in around 1960 it was only ten years old and had clearly seen little use. I had bought this from Tom Somerton about 60 years ago and never used it. It had a 20 x 3.25 rear tyre, not 3.50, which was an original rear racing tyre. I imagine that the problem for those wishing to replicate every detail of an early bike, getting original sized tyres is just one of the problems.

 

[Marcus Bowden]

I too still have the rear wheel of LRO 993 the earliest works big port Flash going by Glyn Johnson's article on Flashes and the two rear set plates as we made new ones as the old had several mods done to it.