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Coventry Eagle

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33d6:
Most of your dragging clutch issues arise from accumulated wear in in every component between the handlebar lever and the clutch. All it takes is a little wear in the clutch lever pivot, the lever pivot on the gearbox plus the 1/4" round it pivots on and so forth through the whole mechanism for all the clutch lever movement to be taken up before it lifts the clutch. You can also bet the adjuster screw in the gear box lever is half worn away making it fussy to align properly.   
The clutch pushrod is also noted for boring a recess in the clutch plate which also upsets things. None of it is dramatic wear. Just minor wear in everything that can wear. Its the accumulation that causes the problem.
Later Albion clutches have a mushroom head on the short piece of pushrod that bears against the clutch so you can eliminate that wear point. Nowadays I make all new including a new pushrod and re bush every pivot to get optimum performance at all points. Luckily Albion boxes are idiot simple and so easy to work with. Makers used Albion because they were cheap and unfortunately when you shave costs to the bone to make things cheap it doesn't leave generous allowances for wear.   Then again, sort it now and you will never have to do it again in your lifetime.

Finally, modern electrical upgrades. Essentially the original set up was so basic that a modern upgrade merely means a modern solid state rectifier so the battery can get a full charge plus a modern zener diode arrangement to ensure a happy battery plus LED lights. Nothing super dooper and exotic. Merely bringing the electrics up to what is regarded as everyday stuff now but exotic space age stuff when viewed from a 1931 perspective.

Rex:

--- Quote from: iansoady on May 26, 2019, 09:45:51 AM ---I look forward to many stories of trials and tribulations....

--- End quote ---

I don't quite know how to take that Ian.. ;)

iansoady:
In the spirit was made of course.....

john.k:
Villiers seem to have invented the flywheel magneto around 1920........think of how many have been made in the century since ..........even now the solid state ignition on little engines is still a flywheel magneto,just has no mechanical parts...I have an antique pump with a Mk 10 /100cc 4 stroke on it,the spark was so weak it couldnt be seen in daylight,yet the little motor starts and runs reliably,and has been used industrially in the years since.Bit smoky tho.

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