classic motorcycle forum

I understand your lack of concern over lighting. Who does expect to go riding one of these beastliest at night anyway BUT, (there’s always a but) you do occasionally get caught out. Country town rides and rallies have caught me out a few times, somehow you end up at a local riders home or a different pub and bingo, it’s got dark quicker than you expected. I also like to have a brake/stop light fitted. I have little faith in the road users    following behind. Many only react to brake lights and never think beyond them.
You can fit a battery powered total loss system but then you’re always faffing around charging up batteries. Fit a basic direct lighting set up and you always have no hassle lighting but the brake light set up is iffy. There’s never an easy and simple 100% satisfactory solution is there.

I smiled at the 4.5v battery chatter. They can be sheer frustration. I don’t know exactly when they went off the market and I have mucked around making them up from two ‘D’ cells but eventually I got fed up and stopped bothering. I don’t know how many hours light they originally gave but wangling a replacement in and out of that headlight clip every month or so would drive me nuts.

This is just to say I'm finding it near impossible to get on to this site. I thought it was my old computer which was having various painful bothers but I now have a new computer and if anything things are worse. I've had a real dance around to get on and much emphasis from my new electronic friend about the lack of security involved in getting on.
Does anyone know if Nigel is still supporting it? From the lack of traffic I don't think so.

As for your Villiers switch R I think expecting anything straightforward from any bike produced in the 1945-46 immediate post war period is being very hopeful. As far as I can make out bikes were built up with whatever material manufacturers could get their hands on. The Vic State engine number records show the early post war Excelsior all to be fitted with ex-WD engines. The post war engine numbers start several months later, presumably from a later shipment of bikes. What type of engine number is on your Waratah. Ex-WD AAA****A vertically on the back of the gearbox or post war style on the R/H side gearbox cover? And yes, Villiers seemed to have close links with Miller as they did with Albion but I don't know how formal these were. I've never managed to pin these associations down. Villiers, Miller and Albion have never been treated kindly by the British motorcycle fan base. They seem to find it hard to get beyond the Boring Big Three. C'est la vie.

As you know, your AJS is essentially a re-badged Matchless. By far the best owners workshop guide for you is the “MotorCycling” Maintenance Series covering Matchless 350 & 500 cc Heavyweight Singles 1939-1955.
Republished by Bruce Main-Smith Ltd in 1976 and as they say “intended for Matchless but good for AJS too.”

It contains every bit of technical information you’ll ever want to know plus all the technical differences from year to year and lots of clear illustrations. You’ll love it.

A4 landscape size, published by Bruce Main-Smith Ltd and edited by Reg Hide. Get a copy.

The Mk II designation on the underside of the float bowl refers to general improvements across the whole Villiers carburettor range. It serves no other purpose and has no role in identifying any individual part or individual carburettor. Ignore it.

Your 1 1/8" carburettor is a Villiers MW (Medium Weight). It is intended for use with a Villiers lever throttle NOT a later self closing twistgrip throttle.

The Mk XIIC was fitted with the MW (Medium Weight) carburettor as standard. It was set up with a number 2 jet (the centrepiece) and a number 4 taper needle. Both the jet (centrepiece) and taper needle are stamped with the relevant numbers. Be aware it is very easy for the MW needle and centrepiece to be confused with the similar but shorter parts used in the Villiers LW (Light Weight) carburettor. It is easy to confuse the two.

If all parts are in good condition with the float level set to Villiers specifications the carburettor will work exactly as the maker intended without any further adjustment. Please note there is often a difference between what the maker intended and what a current owner thinks it should do. 

Yes we do. We went down that rabbit hole exhaustively some time back. You’ll have todo a little exploration of earlier posts.

I’ve been plodding through my early BSA literature. It’s made interesting reading. I hadn’t known BSA gave their ignition timings using full retard for several years. They came in line with standard practice sometime in the mid-30’s. They did a full turn around ferociously emphasising all magneto ignition timings were on full advance. In 1936, the last year of Mr Billingtons particular BSA ignition timing was now listed as 7/16” at full advance.
It was a similar curious story with the tappet settings. They were steadily increased over the life of that particular engine. Mr Billington is correct in saying the settings were inlet .004” and exhaust .006” in 1932 but had listed them as .004 for both the year before in 1931 and increased the exhaust setting to .008 for 1933-36.
Lots of food for thought there isn’t there.

I’ve been thinking of other possibilities. My vintage side valve experience mainly comes from operating a 1926 Matchless. This has a splash and hope total loss lubrication system with exposed valves and sloppy provision for valve guide lubrication. This created some entertaining stoppage issues that took some time to diagnose and even longer to effectively resolve. As your BSA is only a little younger  I was wondering whether you might have the same.
The one that most closely resembles your problem was a sticky exhaust valve. This was over lubricated as the piston did not have provision for an oil control ring (pointless with a total loss lubrication system) much oil disappeared down the exhaust pipe clagging up the exhaust valve guide on the way. This caused mysterious stoppages and refusal to start for no apparent reason. Any sort of fiddling with the engine, checking fuel, checking spark, etc, allowed the engine to cool down, the valve freed itself and it would happily restart with me thinking it was my successful fiddling that did the trick, not the cooling off.
I’m not saying that is your problem precisely but I am saying your problem may lie in the valve operation. Guides slightly too tight, valve lifter a fraction tight and so on. It doesn’t take much for valves to not quite seat when hot yet be fine when cooler.