Most of BSA’s WD M20s went to ground forces, but some were supplied to the Royal Navy. Len Page restored this one well
Len Page’s WD M20 was supplied to the Royal Navy in mid-June 1944, a time of intense activity for the Senior Service in supporting the Normandy landings. The side-valve 500 is in remarkably original condition featuring the many brass fittings dictated by wartime steel shortages, the correct handlebar levers, and the canvas handgrips, as rubber had become in short supply soon after the Japanese entered the war in December 1941.
The light fittings and switch are correct for the year, though a dipswitch is now fitted since the wartime headlamp black-out mask has been set aside. Len explained how originally the main bulb behind it had been wired to operate on one filament only, and if that failed the wiring would be changed to bring the other filament into action.
