classic motorcycle forum

Should have read down further - all is explained.
Will enquire if someone is perhaps interested in a trade.

What are you going to put it in ?

This is for something long stroke ?
Someone mentioned one the other day - and may be interested in something shorter.

I'm picking up my new Moto Guzzi single tomorrow, it's in working order but well used condition.  Anything I should look out for on these bikes?

That you don't wear it out from enjoying riding it ?!!

I think I read somewhere that the idle speed could be set down to as low as 200 rpm on these - but that is too low to ensure enough oil is where it should be.

Enjoy !

What country is this likely to be - England ?

Having the magneto behind the engine like that is fairly unusual, certainly in the 1907ish-1910/11 time span that this bike is going to be from.

The letters on the magneto chain cover look to be EMA, maybe someone can shed some light on that, or what they actually are.

Great pic, motorcycling back then was a real adventure, so your grandad was a seriously serious enthusiast. !!

This is usually connected with either a layshaft bearing on its way out (more a Commando problem though) or a bush in 1st gear working its way out and rubbing on the kickstart thingy. Only cure is to go inside the gearbox endcover and examine the bits in close proximity to the kickstarter...

Also worth checking the oil level, if its dry it may do the same !
And checking the oil drained out for metal bits....

Population pressure may have something to do with it too ?
Gotta house all those surplus folks somewhere.

Speaking of sheep, maybe this sums it up = global phenomenom ?
http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/gif/201241/65lzh35c.gif

Frame diagram(s) don't show brace plates under steering head which all road bikes had.
There was a lot of discussion recently about whether slimlines had 24 degree steering angle, or whether ALL featherbeds had 26 degree steering angle....

Fitting a wideline tank to a modified slimline frame is not going to give you the reduced width in the knee area that was the reason for going slimline ??

When you count them all up, there were about 20 versions of featherbeds, so who knows "how accurate the manufacture by Reynolds" was. ? You certainly hear stories of them having a hard life.  With all the replicas these days, must be awash with versions, take your pick...

Enfields used a cast alloy nacelle, as part of the top fork yokes, where Triumph just used tin covers. So Enfields had neatly sidestepped Triumphs patent, and improved on it. (?).   If you like the looks....

There were quite a lot of fully enclosed bikes over the years, including around the headlamp, so the concept goes way back into time... ? 

The Wooler 'Flying Banana' of the early 1920s had a nacelle, sort of, before the headlamp was incorporated into it in later editions....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Autostadt_Wolfsburg_-_motorrad_ikonen_-_Wooler_Model_B_1919_1_-_Flickr_-_KlausNahr.jpg