1937 600cc Panther Sloper

Gday All, heres a before and after pics of my first ever motorcycle restoration job, back in 1984! Its a 1937 Panther REDWING Model 100, 598 cc single cylinder two port made by Phelan & Moore Motorcycles of Cleckheaton U.K.
87 x 100 mm bore x stroke Developing 26 BHP @ 5000 rpm, compression 6.5 :1
These bikes sold for 59-10-0 pounds and mainly used to haul a sidecar. Affectionately referd to as "A BIG PUSSY" these bikes
reved slowly and fired every lamp post! The pipes on mine are straight through and sound beautiful, at 50 mph you can still count the piston poppin! The bike was first purchased back in 1938 along with another where two mates rode for years together, then purchased by our neighbour who gave it many interesting times with trips to and from the local pub. My father purchased it for 5 pound in the early 60,s and was even more given a work out by my older brothers on the farm. I believe they may have pushed it just a far it was ridden! Then left for dead out in the open for some 20 years where I took over! After many late nights and $2160, it lives again and attracts attention at rallies.
Rgds Foxy

Foxy, that is a fine job and a great looking bike. The panthers are so out of the ordinary and hard to come by. I would love to have one, but I've never even seen one come up for sale.

Great job Foxy, never thought of putting a Commando motor into it? I like Panthers, heaps of character with enough torque as they said "to pull the side of a house down". I''ll have to get up to Meringur one day and get on the piss and do some paddock flogging.

Cheers,
Mick

SLOPER!

Nice. Very nice.

very cool

Any pictures during the restoration?

Looks great! Is it still holding up?

Gday All, cant say Ive seen one for sale either, bit of a rarity. I believe this is one of only 12 in Australia.
I look forward Mick to your travels up here, a few cans and some dead sheep on the barby, then chase some roos back over to the neighbours place maybe?
As far as photos go of the restoration, sadly I didnt take many. The metal finishing of the tank was a work of art. It had to be extensively panel beated, layers of copper to build it back up then Chromed to a perfect finish!


The Panther is holding up pretty good, I dont ride it very often. Its been in the "Bay to Birdwood" run numerous times and loves the climb through the ranges from Adelaide Sth Australia to the national museum in Birdwood! I was entrant # 2068 one year. I was on a steep learning cuve when I restored it, painted it with enamel with hardener, nice glossy finish but not as tough like 2pack! Will do it all again when I got nothing to do!
Foxy

Foxy,
What a beautiful restoration of one of the coolest old bikes I have ever seen.
Cheers, (make mine a guinness)
Don

Very nice to look at . I do like 1930s style.

Long stroke ? 100mm ? My 500 is that long and a 633cc sv Norton has 120mm ...and yet the Panther is the one with the reputation for being a plodder.

I recall the Panther owners club going to Kiwi. I'd also love to have one, a beauty.

Oh I love the bikes from that era. That is one nice looking bike & a amazing transformation from the rusty old tired cat to that proud looking Panther. I'm SO jelouse. Glenn.

My dad had one of these when he lived at Croyden in Sydney. I'll dig out a photo and post it.

Graeme

You just didn't see them over here in the US, we got the high profit stuff I think. I imagine a sidecar tug may not have sold well in the land of Cadillacs.

Hard to say why but they look so right, could be the sloping cylinder but the bare bones slim look is hard to beat, plus the restoration is top notch.

AMAZING job, congratulations and thanks for sharing

Gday All, many thanks for the compliments. I too love the 30,s era machines, still very raw engineering where big pots with a long stoke provided grunt,I love to make the Panther pull from low revs and listen to the thump! Overhead gear was oiled with a waste system, (also helps to stop the rust). Im told the motor provides more torque if one exhaust is blanked off, havent tried this as I like those chrome pipes. Another attractive look of that era I think would have to be the Webb girder forks, apparently used for racing for some years even after hydraulics first came along.
GRM450, Id love to see a pic of your dads Panther, was it a 600cc?
Foxy

As gorgeous as that sloper is all spiffed up, I would dearly love to have a similar bike in "before" condition, but made nominally roadworthy and left totally scruffy.

You'd see more jaws drop when you rode up and sat there ticking over happily.

This is a blow up of a very small picture taken in 1947 on a trip from Sydney to Tasmania. It was my dad's bike for several years. He said it was a 600, but that's a long time ago so you judge.
It doesn't show much detail as it has reduced to half the quality through photobucket.
The winged emblem must have caused a few nasty injuries. (looks to be mounted to the top of the headlight)
I wish he still had it, and all the rest, AJS, Matchless, Velocette, BSA, etc,etc.

Foxy, your Panther looks excellent in every way and very nicely restored, especially with the known history and before pictures.

Regards Graeme

Gday All, I do have to agree with you GP, I do like to see some of the old machinery still in their original working clothes. The petina earned/inflicted over the years definately adds to the appeal, showing both strenghts and weakness.
Thats a good picture Graeme of your Dads 600. It looks like an early Redwing Model 100, I cant see any chrome kidney shape covers over the valve springs so this suggest 1932 when first released to 35 when covers introduced.
The wings on top of headlight are a dangerous addition, probably off an aftermarket T Model Ford radiator cap? The tool box on the side doesnt look Panther like either, the horn under the tank looks genuine but missing cover and should be where the No plate is, that flag on the front looks like it says Panther?
Your father riding it from Sydney to Tasmania is a good testament to their trusting reliabilty, well know for this and fuel economy.Probably alot of dirt roads traveled and no aircleaner, but I suppose the grits not in there for long.
The original owner of my Panther Mr. Keens was a Chemist, one day with his new bride on the back was travelling home when they noticed smoke billowing from a house in their homes direction. This sight made them screw the OlPanther flat out when all of a sudden his wife let out a scream but told him to keep going. On arrival to their house which was on fire, Mrs keens helped the best she could to douse the flames wearing only her Knickers and bra, the dress had got caught in the chain and subsequently torn off!
Foxy

Excellent photo, Graeme.

Excellent story, Foxy.