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Messages - R

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1306
Autojumble / Re: BINKS MOUSETRAP Racing Carb for sale - very rare!!
« on: July 20, 2012, 11:33:08 PM »
You don't show a view down the throat - is this the one that is full throttle all the time, and you control the speed via the magneto kill switch ?? - ala Sopwith Camel etc.

Or does the mousetrip bit give the kill function to the engine ?

1307
British Bikes / Re: Motorcycle Maintenance
« on: June 30, 2012, 12:18:03 AM »
The Owners Manual for most bikes (postwar) would have shown a basic maintenance chart - usually about 40 points that either need the oil changing, a drop of oil, regular geasing or some other form of lube or adjustment. Along with a list of how often these need doing - eg engine oil every 1000 miles, gearbox oil 2000, wheel bearings every 10,000 miles, cables lubed every year, gease lube points monthly, etc etc etc.

Military (WW2) bikes had quite good charts, aimed at covering EVERYTHING that needed doing - find one of these and follow it, if your bikes doesn't have such, and you can't go far wrong.

By the time you follow these, and note any parts falling off, leaking oil making funny noises or out of adjustment, it will all be old hat....    Hopethishelps.

1308
British Bikes / Re: Unleaded fuel
« on: June 15, 2012, 11:14:40 PM »
Its perhaps also worth pointing out that folks like the AA have done tests on old engines, and according to them, valve seats have what is termed a "lead memory".

That is, if it has been run on leaded in the past, the seats will retain some lead content, and will run happy for tens of thousands of miles on unleaded without being affected.  Provided the valves/seats aren't reground or lapped in the meantime....

1309
British Bikes / Re: Unleaded fuel
« on: June 15, 2012, 11:07:32 PM »
I ran a Ford on LPG for some miles - late-ish model, suitable for unleaded. Without the drip that is recommended. Compression faded away on several cylinders noticeably, and so did the performance. Hydraulic lifters, so automatic lash control. Never got around to fitting the spare head, to see if the performance came back. Or having a look.

But fitting seats for motorcycles on unleaded does seem like an exercise in futility, engines/valves were originally made for unleaded (pre 1930s) and anything with an alloy head will have hardened seats anyway. And only prolonged high-speed running is supposed to cause problems, who rides like that ??  (Perhaps a C10 on the M1 ?!!).

1310
Identify these bikes! / Re: What was this scrambler?
« on: June 10, 2012, 01:07:23 AM »
If you google Brian Stonebridge Memorial meeting at Hawkstone Park, there are multiple entries for video footage of that 1960 race. Haven't watched it, but maybe the commentary says something ?

Meanwhile, we need to work on you uplaoding this pic, which makes answering your questions possible. Why won't the pic upload - what does it say ? Or does it need scanning or someone taking a photo of your photo ?  Cheers.

P.S. it seems the film footage is silent, so no commentary....

1311
British Bikes / Re: Unleaded fuel
« on: June 08, 2012, 11:10:32 PM »
Quote from:  =topic=4233.msg15545#msg15545 date=1339167061

Octane value just gives a  measure of the chemical energy contained in fuel, so that fuels can be compared to one another relatively speaking.   

This is not strictly true. (Although doesn't detract from most of the rest of this discussion). Calorific value gives a measure of the energy in fuels.

Octane rating is purely a measure of how resistant the fuel is to detonating, instead of burning when the flame is lit. It used to be calculated by comparing how a sample of fuel performed (detonation wise) v's a known sample of fuel with octane in it = the more octane required to match it, the higher the octane rating. (octane being 8 in the fuel series  hexane heptane octane nonane decane etc, fuel being a mix of this and others, many others...). 

Alcohol (ethanol) has an octane rating over 110, but a lower calorific value than most petroleum fuels, for example.

1312
Japanese Bikes / Re: 1983 Yamaha Virago XV500K
« on: June 08, 2012, 10:55:26 PM »
For most buyers of older bikes, having any faults at all - like a gas tank leak - is a reason not to buy. Can it be repaired, easily or not expensively ? Or is it new tank, or tap, time ??  Or just a gasket/seal ?  This is the question buyers will be asking, after all.

I don't know what market you are in,  but unless its considered a collectors model then you are looking at a relatively low price as an older commuter or low-end cruiser (where 'new' and 'bling' are everything ?).

It does look in very good condition though. Ebay sometimes sees such gems offered, sometimes at silly prices - but sometimes they sell.  They charge a fee thou, note. Even the bike wreckers may well offer you a surprisingly high price, since they may have contacts they can on-sell it to - at a profit...  Hopethishelps.

1313
British Bikes / Re: Fastners
« on: May 13, 2012, 04:53:48 AM »
Actually, something more like this comes to mind....

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Norton_Big_4_military_outfit.JPG/800px-Norton_Big_4_military_outfit.JPG

1314
British Bikes / Re: Fastners
« on: May 09, 2012, 10:03:11 PM »
[quote  link=topic=4213.msg15393#msg15393 date=1336421087]
 are typicaly .303 grade s/s.
[/quote]

.303 grade s/s ??
Is that like a ballistic grade of stainless ??

This is a joke, right......

1315
British Bikes / Re: TDC 1911 500 MOTORCYCLE
« on: April 27, 2012, 10:51:49 PM »
Be a brave man/woman that would put a value to something totally sight unseen.
And without hearing/seeing it run....
Are you thinking of buying or selling.

1316
British Bikes / Re: Quick release wheel
« on: April 27, 2012, 10:48:40 PM »
Have you got full width alloy hubs or the earlier style ?
The parts books shows a whole string of washers and spacers along the axles and around the bearings. Is the spacer that goes through the brake plate around the right way, it has 2 slightly different diameters, which have to fit into other components.
There is quite a thick spacer outboard of the brake plate too...   hth.


1317
British Bikes / Re: Old photos of a Norton International
« on: April 18, 2012, 11:06:05 AM »
Has a dolls head gearbox and fork return damper springs and later type frame, so its 1936 to 1938 style, essentially the same in those years. Looks like a 350cc ?, iron top end.

The muffler is "Brooklands Can" style, added to what looks like a long straight-through pipe (slightly unusual setup), so a bit of Brooklands runnings seems to be suggested (those 'mufflers' were required there to quieten things down for the nearby residents)

That large tank is quite special. Long distance race ?
Does anyone have any thoughts on the double floatchambers visible, now that is really unusual... ??

P.S. Great pics, thanks for posting.

1318
British Bikes / Re: HOMEMADE ENGINE UPDATE, HELP NEEDED
« on: April 06, 2012, 05:42:09 AM »
Sorry to say this, but some of us are beginning to wonder if this thing is in good hands ?

1319
British Bikes / Re: Gearboxes, Chicken & the egg?
« on: April 06, 2012, 05:39:50 AM »
Unless you are planning on racing this thing, and using full throttle all the time, a standard imp engine is not going to trouble the gearbox internals all that much ??

Spinning the gearbox at closer to engine revs, and doing all the gearing down to the back wheel will also reduce the torque loadings in the gearbox. Later Commando gears are stronger than early AMC gearsets, and the torque spread of a 4 cylinder should make a 5 speed somewhat redundant... ?

1320
Identify these bikes! / Re: Triumph engine mystery
« on: April 04, 2012, 09:53:17 AM »
Can we see a pic of the engine in question, and the numbers ?

Grand Prix model Triumphs are of course highly collectible, so much fakery is to be watched for....

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