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Messages - john.k

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1
British Bikes / Re: Norton Owners Club
« on: October 24, 2020, 12:14:42 PM »
I dont think the subs are much different from other one make clubs,a few quid a year maybe........however,no complaint from me ,because in Oz ,postage on the little club mag was more than my subs....I did get burned on used spares not fit for the scrap bin...(not  just once either ).......I suspect the reason is the commercial deals with the two Norton biggies,and from this the fact they never have any items manufactured ,again commercial agreements,and manufacture of small run items costs big money ......for instance ,the Ariel club has new S4 conrods made ,at a estimated cost of 2000 quid a set.

2
British Bikes / Re: Norton Owners Club
« on: October 23, 2020, 01:09:56 AM »
I was in the NOC for some years.....I actually did them a favour ,because they were spending more on magazine post than my yearly......anyhoo ,be that as it may,I found the spares scheme a disappointment ,and buying any used stuff from the scheme is folly,as it wont be worth  post cost........I believe they have an actual commercial agreement with the big boys in Norton spares to not compete......Which basically means if you have a Commando ,spares are plentiful from commercial suppliers,but anything uncommon,you wont get spares from the NOC or any commercial supplier.........My other observation is there is virtually no information on the forum ,except for a very few ,and all the "experts" who would normally post on other make forums ,are in fact doing Norton work professionally,and keep things to themselves.........(I dont need info ,just an observation)......And yes ,they are well heeled ......half a million quid in kitty when I was a member.

3
British Bikes / Re: What's the worst decision you made when rebuilding a bike?
« on: October 18, 2020, 04:29:41 AM »
Most notable of mine was in a rebuild of a Manx Norton,the owner was very keen to run the bike in a track day,so I used a Bedford truck gudgeon pin bored thinner ,just to get the motor going for a "demo run ".......as might be imagined ,owners son ignored orders to just chuff around for a couple of laps,and floated the valves down the straight........gudgeon broke ,engine smashed to pieces ,even the mag was knocked off and ended up on the track.

4
British Bikes / Re: ATD
« on: October 18, 2020, 04:23:17 AM »
The fibre gears are also used  to transmit heavy loads without noise......quite common on some electric motor drives in largish horsepowers.........also use in lathes and drill presses to reduce noise from meshing gears..........which would be why they are used in mag drives ,to cut noise.......Only time I see them stripped is when large spanners are applied to mag drive nuts.......They are however notably abrasive ,and will wear contacting steel gears,unless the steel is very hard.......Ally used for cheapness,the fibre is very costly.........The large ally idler gear in the Vin. cam drive was notorious for shedding teeth.

5
The Classic Biker Bar / Re: 1914 HUMBERETTE "Cyclecar" Valve Timing
« on: September 18, 2020, 11:33:53 PM »
Ah ,yes,I see a Queensland rego ,and a HMCCQ 50 th anniversary badge ,a recent pic,even if the 50 th has turned out to be less than ideal............Anyway,I would suggest maybe a 276 Amal may be more suitable,as this was the size generally used on 500sv,and ohv ...the 289 being more of a sports bike carby......Since the motor is watercooled ,there is no risk there ,and as others have done the same without overstressing the works ,and the mod is reversible......No harm in changing the timing either ,but have regard for the maximum revs ...no point going beyond whats needed....The 15/60 timing used to be good for all sorts ,cars and bikes,and you also doubtless have valves made of more recent materials ,so the extreme caution of the veteran era is not necessary,as valves never break as they once often did.

6
British Bikes / Re: girder forks of unusual type
« on: September 07, 2020, 03:12:31 AM »
Some oligarchs collect football teams ,some collect bikes.......This place also has a Brough or two .

7
British Bikes / girder forks of unusual type
« on: September 06, 2020, 04:17:30 AM »
Has anyone noticed a tube video on F book of a Russian museum Matchless X3 /1931 ,...the bike has a set of uncommon girder forks ...not Matchless ,IMHO ,but maybe some continental type.........four straight tubes ,with a bridge across the top for top pivot and also headlight mount.............Im sure Ive seen similar on one of the 1930s tiddlers ,maybe a Wolf 250? imported to UK from Germany?

8
British Bikes / Re: What's the worst decision you made when rebuilding a bike?
« on: September 03, 2020, 10:17:56 PM »
Damn right about the five Vins........vice pres holds up a letter.."Heres a letter from a young enthusiast ,cant afford a bike ,I think maybe if some of "us" might give the lad something to start with...Not me ,obviously , but some of you who have a large surplus of stuff."......Yeah ,right......and then ...."look ,youve got too much on your plate".....I say ,mate ,coupla old bikes ,you joking ?........Ive had three D9Hs in pieces,thats when youve got too much ,and I mean in pieces ,stripped down to the bare frames to get the housings and track frames repaired.

9
British Bikes / Re: Norton Electra
« on: September 03, 2020, 10:07:53 PM »
The front forks and wheel are in fact ,Short Roadholders,with the internal rod damping and the Electra was a good source of front end spares for the bigger twins ......the many points of disaster built in to the small twins meant they more often broke unrepairably ,rather than crashed at terminal velocity ,as a Dominator or a  650SS might be expected to do.............Incidentally ,I suspect Herby Hopwood cribbed the unusual head design from the abortive Indian 249 model ,very similar IMHO............The gearbox is prone to seizure if an owner is careless in checking the oil ,seized bushes turning in the case and often cracking it.

10
European and Other Bikes / Re: Cito KG
« on: August 08, 2020, 12:17:16 PM »
Appears to be a Bosch starter /generator  above the gearbox .....quite common on early cars ,never seen one before on a bike .......not quite,many years ago I fitted a Lucas starter generator on a WW2 Norton 16H sidecar outfit for a boss at work.....the unit was quite large ,and had to be mounted in the sidecar frame ,with a direct drive to the engine sprocket....it was off a big pommy car ,and certainly whizzed the Norton over .

11
British Bikes / Re: AMAL 289 questions
« on: August 05, 2020, 09:26:09 PM »
I also note the aim of using a single carb per cylinder is air resonance in the intake ,and the overall length of the intake would need to be 15-20 inches long .......this is easily seen in the elaborate intakes of high performance US V8s of the 70s.

12
British Bikes / Re: AMAL 289 questions
« on: August 05, 2020, 08:08:26 AM »
Yes ,agreed ,the carbs on the fabricated manifold are postwar......prewar carbs quite clearly have four large holes .two in either side ......postwar 2 series(289) have only the front internal intake .........The other pic with the Holley also has a 4/71 blower mounted beneath the carb.......now while the 4/71 came out in 1937,the blowers were so expensive as a part  that no one in England would have used one........However ,now they are worth diddly,as the GMs are just scrap (except to a few one percenters who think everyone likes noise).......I have several 4/71 blowers I saved off compressors when the sandblasters sold out.....also one off a 6v71............The favoured one is of course the straight 6 blower off a late 6/71.,next the blower from an 8v71.

13
British Bikes / Re: AMAL 289 questions
« on: August 05, 2020, 07:56:24 AM »
Behind that is a through hole in the jet block that is listed as small primary air/fuel drain to prevent the engine filling with petrol when parked and the tap left on......Obviously this only works as a drain when the carb is conventionally mounted .......and furthermore ,this feature is absent on the prewar carbs .....which are somewhat different in the jet block as well ......This is because the  jet block  air comes in through four holes in the carb body ,and corresponding holes in the jet block ......this air is unfiltered ,and the system was changed in WW2 ,when engines were wearing out in 3000 miles in the choking dust of the Libyan desert.................Consequently ,I suspect this is the reason post war 2 prefix carbs wont work in odd positions............More to follow.

14
British Bikes / Re: AMAL 289 questions
« on: August 04, 2020, 09:26:29 AM »
Shoulda looked a bit closer ......not horizontal as in Triumph ,but downdraft with a horizontal slide ........Oddly enough ,in an old car book somewhere I have details of an Amal slide carb mounted downdraft,I know Douglas used one mounted updraft inside an airbox.........Instead of a Bugatti straight 8 ,he s got an old Ford flattie boat anchor...........Id certainly suggest 8 Strombergs ,just the same as my beach buggy of the 70s ,a Ford 292 Customline engine with 8 Strommies from sideplate Holdens.........and a small Blitz diff with aeroplane tyres.

15
British Bikes / Re: AMAL 289 questions
« on: August 04, 2020, 07:30:31 AM »
I believe the late Freddie Dixon ,of Douglas fame had a Bugatti with eight Amal RN dirt track carbies mounted on it ........but not on their sides,I suspect.......Ive never been able to figure out how the idle circuit would work for starting with the carb horizontal,without spilling fuel all over the magneto mounted underneath.....but Triumph were an adherent of the sideways Amal all through the 30s.....so it must have worked .......Ive never found anyone who could say if the horizontal was different internally ,and how they were different.......Unfortunately ,most millenials who own 1930s Triumph singles paid a large sum for them ,and consequently dont ride them ......fearing sudden devaluation of the investment on contact with an immovable object........or meeting another millenial playing with a device while driving......They will tell you how cool they think their cycle is,and thats about it.

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