classic motorcycle forum

What is important in big-ends is the up-and-down movement.
There should be none.

While that does sound like a bit of sideplay, if there is no metal in the sump or oil it should still be OK to use. Or thats what the manuals say, not knowing C15's or your engine personally..

P.S. it should also feel quite smooth when you turn it over, holding onto the top of the rod or the piston. Any roughness anywhere is not good...

Opethiselps.

I think your uncle is on a mid 1920s Triumph Model P.

If we take stock of what is in the pic, the engine is a sidevalve (angle of exhaust pipe), the tank is between the frame rails, magneto low mounted in front of engine, the forks are sidespring trapezoidal, mudguards are plain curved c-section,  front brake is small internal expanding, primary chain cover appears to be alloy, the rear wheel has a belt drive style of brake band, but no sign of a belt (chain drive was on the other side). And the tank has a Triumph style of paint and lining, although the emblem is not as standout as you would expect.

This all adds up to be a circa 1925 or 1926 Model P. Don't know my Triumphs well enough to be certain of year, maybe someone can confirm this or correct me - or totally shoot this down.. The Model P was introduced as an absolute price cutting model, 42 quid or thereabouts got you a very capable 500cc sidevalve tourer. That alloy primary cover must have cost nearly that to produce however, and electric lighting was a reasonably expensive addition. If it was still in service in WW2, obviously it survived quite well.

http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/classic_bikes/triumph-model-p.jpg
1926. Couldn't readily find a pic of t'other side, sure to be about.

Opethiselps - great pic.

You can still buy small quantities of carbide for lamp use.
I stand corrected if it was lumps, maybe the modern stuff is powder.
Can't remember where I saw it available, someone in the vintage or veteran club could probably advise. Modaks in Mlbourne may well have it. ?

Lamps were generally nickel plated - you see car lamps in brass, but bikes ones always seem to be nickel ?. Only bicycle lamps had the generator integrated with the lamp, the generator on a motorcycle was a separate unit. The plumbing was done by rubber hoses, exactly like the hose used in acetylene cutting torches.

BTW, until recently there was an old giant acetylene generator for oxy cutting in an old backyard of my youth, but it seems to have gone in a cleanup. It was already beyond functional, to my memory - wonder how old it was?. None of this cylinder rental/hire charge nonsense.....

hth.

Life is too short to worry about someone elses ailing magneto ?!!

The carbide is a powder. Once upon-a-time, it was apparently available at almost every garage.
These days its rarer, but available.

You put a spoonful or 2 in the bottom of the generator container, put water in the top, and open the tap so a drop of water or 2 drips down every few seconds. Light the gas at the jet, close the glass on the lamp, and proceed. Apparently on windy days, achieving this could be problematic...

hth

I give up!!!!!.

So you should.

In the old bike world, such tales are legion of hard-hot-starting magnetos from dud condensors.
Met a few myself........

have found that in most cases a capacitor which has lost some of its electrolyte will usually improve when heated.

Not in old bike maggies it seems - impossible to start hot is a reasonably common fault in old maggies, and has been for a long time. [Assuming your spark plugs are the correct grade and not fouled or oiled].

Once cooled off, away you go again. I understood the heat allows the spark to jump to where it shouldn't, internally in the maggie, and the voltage to more easily escape in a dud condensor. (which are 2 different problems, it should be noted, but sometimes intertwined in old maggies)

Yes, condensors and capacitors are the same thing - buried inside the windings they are none too easy to replace. Since old wiring can have a green look to it, and the shellac insulation can suffer from 'shellacticus', indeed best to get it all done at the same time. You sometimes see NOS condensors avertised, which is ridiculous, they were none too good even at the time. And they don't improve with age.

Probably best you get your maggie redone (not sure if exchange unit are available these days anyway) since you have the core of a good maggie, and it is quite possibly quite original to your bike...

hth

The museum at Nabiac has many interesting bikes. As everywhere, read the plaques beside the bikes with an open mind, you sometimes see some mildly, or wildly, inaccurate words !!

What sort of Honda engines won't drive a generator ?
Even 50cc scooters come with full electrics...