SamB

It's an R71 or one of its derivatives from the 1930s - 750cc Side Valve.

it might not be what it appears to be though... As this was the bike that the Russians and later the Chinese copied and it's not unknown for original Soviet or Red China parts to be replaced with German originals. As all 3 were basically interchangeable. The Russian bike was (is) known here as the Ural and the Chinese bike was the Chang Jiang.

But.. Having said that... It's likely original as its carrying what looks very much like a Nazi era number plate. (WW2 German army plate) issued in the Berlin military district. Not something I would expect to see on a British road. Are they making a film or documentary anywhere nearby - I wonder, and someone thought it might be great fun to take it out for a ride.

Great information! Coventry has a big motor museum, maybe someone visiting it while touring from Germany on it? Bungee cord on the back may suggest carrying luggage and German lock on the wheel.

Are you certain that this is actually whole frame as produced by a bike manufacturer or could this be a hybrid left over from the 60s and 70s craze for trying to turn anything into a chopper ? In other words does the hardtail actually belong to the original frame ? The single front down tube is not unusual but the way it remains as a single tube under the engine is . What are you planning to do with it ?

I’m not too sure if the hardtail actually belongs to the frame to be honest, I got it from someone who didn’t know anything about it, the hardtail definitely seems to be the same age as the rest of the frame though.

I’ve not got much planned for it as of yet. Cheers!

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I got a frame a couple of weeks ago but I'm not too sure as to who manufactured it, I was thinking possibly Matchless/AJS because there’s a tank bracket/fitting which is pretty typical of them but I’m not certain. It's a bolt on hardtail section and the front frame doesn’t split into two. From what I can decipher the numbers on the downtube, which would be directly under the saddle, read 23 then directly below that is 82/18462. The frame is fairly small, probably capable of fitting a 250 or so engine in. I've tried to look for models with similar frames but I haven't found any that have the engine/front frame sitting lower than the bottom hardtail mount. I know it’s not much to go on but any help or a point in the right direction would be much appreciated. Sorry there’s no pictures, I’m not too sure how to upload them yet. Cheers!

Sam