Danny, re your #7135 no need for snake oil if methanol was available! During that period in 1947-48 when there was no ‘Basic’, I adapted my 350cc ex-WD Royal Enfield (‘Built like a gun’ according to the maker’s blurb, and sounded like one too) to run on the stuff. Problem was, I also used petrol (legally) from time to time when attending RAFVR training so devised a method of doing this without having to drain the tank when changing fuels; a risky procedure if it involved the use of cans, as spillage would result in damage to paintwork (methanol being an excellent stripper).
In principle the mod involved having a can of methanol in one of the pannier bags, said can being slightly higher than the carburettor and feeding it via a siphonic tube through a cork in the can’s spout. At this distance in time I don’t recall details such as how I primed the siphonic flow or arranged the plumbing necessary for switching fuels, but vividly remember that running on meth did have a good side – the old bike pulled like a steam engine, when 2 up easily surmounting in top gear slopes that were barely manageable in third on petrol. The downside was that mpg was barely half, and also that a larger main jet was required; those acquainted with the old Amal carb will recall this necessitated separating float chamber and carb body, so switching from one fuel to the other was hardly a roadside job.
Then I suppose that, methanol being in fact an alcohol made from wood, it could be termed a renewable fuel – might I perhaps be styled as a forerunner of the Greens?!