This Douglas did not stray far from the factory, and was built and resurrected by Pete Baker into a remarkable running example.
Words: Rich Orriss
Photos: Pete Baker
When it comes to an old motorcycle that is 100 years old, there are a couple of scenarios which could explain why it still breathes in 2026 (particularly when scrap metal was a valuable commodity in the post-war years and motorcycles were broken up for steel and aluminium).
- the rider chucked their tired bike into a shed when it all became too much (we all know what that can feel like!) and is unearthed at some point in the future
- the bike survived by simply ending up in the right hands – an owner that is all too passionate to let it go (we all know that feeling as well!)
This old Douglas falls into both of those remits.
So, where did it all start?
Douglas motorcycles stem from a heavy industrial company that was founded in Bristol in 1882, where castings and machined components were produced. At the turn of the next century the motorcycle trend boomed, and Douglas soon jumped on the bandwagon with their first motorcycle. At the time, most manufacturers pursued single-cylinders which were the norm, however Douglas committed itself to the horizontally opposed flat-twin layout – and it became a hit and put the manufacturer firmly on the map at a time when competition with other manufacturers was notoriously fierce.
During the war, thousands of Douglas motorcycles were supplied to the British and Allied forces, where their durability under harsh conditions cemented the company’s reputation. The experience gained in military service fed directly into post-war production, shaping a range of motorcycles that were robust and mechanically sympathetic.
By the 1920s, Douglas had become one of Britain’s most respected – if understated – manufacturers. Its motorcycles were not built to impress in the showroom, but to satisfy customers over long distances and long ownership. Flat-twin engines remained at the heart of what it was all about, complemented by a sympathetic chassis that provided riders with a suitable level of confidence.
It was in this period of confidence and maturity that the EW350 surfaced.
The EW350 was intended as a dependable middleweight rather than a sporting flagship, and it embodied everything Douglas stood for: balance over bravado and function over fashion.
This 1926 EW350, registered new in Bath, belongs in that stock. Today it lives with Pete Baker, but its survival owes as much to his patience and hard-won factory knowledge, as it does to Douglas’s original engineering.
By 1926, Douglas was very much in its stride. The EW350 was a product of that maturity: a 350cc side-valve flat twin – smooth, low-slung, and mechanically civilised. However, it wasn’t designed to chase trophies or headlines. It was designed to be ridden, and all day if required. The horizontally opposed cylinders enabled a nice low centre of gravity, while the character of the motor prioritised torque and composure with those thumping side-valves.
This particular EW350 left the Bristol factory in 1926 and was registered in Bath. In a nice twist of fate, it never travelled far. Pete, like his brother-in-law before him, lived near Bath at the time, and without knowing it, the bike would spend most of its life circulating within a short radius of the Douglas works itself – never straying far from where it was born.
The second chapter began in the late 1970s, when Pete’s brother-in-law found the bike and began dismantling it. The frame and engine were stripped, the forks restored – and then momentum faded. For quite a few decades, the Douglas sat in a garage in pieces. Not abandoned. Not broken. Just waiting for that time to shine!
That changed in 2014, when Pete finally persuaded his bro-in-law to part with it. He was warned, of course.
“You’ll never get it going.”
It took ten months to prove otherwise.
Rebuilding the EW350 was a challenge, but one that had to be taken on. The engine was carefully reassembled using modified Honda pistons (it is all about being able to adapt and overcome – after all there are very few Douglas pistons out there!). New bearings were fitted throughout, and custom jets were made for the Amac carburettor, which ensured that the motor was able to breathe.
Pete’s advantage lay in experience. He served his apprenticeship at the Douglas factory in the 1960s, training as a toolmaker, and that background quietly underpins the entire restoration. All machining and tin work were carried out by hand. The nickel plating wasn’t outsourced but done in Pete’s own shed. The wheels were rebuilt with black chrome spokes and nickel nipples – a subtle, understated choice that suits the bike’s character perfectly.
The only components made externally were the leather toolbox inserts. Everything else was restored, adapted, or fabricated in-house – the way Douglas men would have expected.
The bike still retains its original seat, but Pete wanted the option of a Pan seat, something both correct and notoriously difficult to source. So, he borrowed an original for a weekend and made his own, producing a faithful copy in fibreglass and steel. It’s a small detail, but it sums up the entire approach: if the part can’t be found, make it – and make it properly!
The foot boards were in poor shape, with one being beyond repair and so Pete decided to recreate another. The knackered one was used to produce a pattern using fibre glass, and then a local chap cast four new ones – he was able to sell a pair which covered the costs.
As you can see from the photos, the tank was had seen its day – and so a correct one was sourced, and painted in the famous Douglas livery of silver and blue. The original logbook survives, and both engine and gearbox retain their correct numbers, anchoring the machine firmly in its history.
Pete has completed the Saundersfoot Run with the VMCC several times, and on his first outing the EW350 took Concours honours. Most of its miles, however, are happily humbler: summer runs to local coastal pubs, the sort of journeys these motorcycles were built for nearly a century ago.
“I could go on,” Pete says – and that is usually the sign of a proper restoration. Not a checklist, but a story that keeps unfolding. And here is a video of this fantastic old Duggie running at the end of a long but worthwhile restoration:
This Douglas was built in Bristol, lived quietly near Bath, slept for decades in pieces, and was finally reborn by a man who once learned his trade inside the factory walls.
It’s simply back where it belongs… on the road.
Thanks to Pete for his input on this story, and for sharing the photos.
an article by The Girder Club
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