classic motorcycle forum

The valve lifter is your friend. It helps start the engine, it stops it and can be of great assistance with maintaining control in some situations such as off road and descending a steep embankment or the like.

Using the valve lifter to set the engine in the correct starting position, cracking open the throttle a whisker, plus giving what the Army used to call  “a long swinging kick” sets you up for relaxed starting with no dramas.
Then once learned, you have a technique applicable to most every old fashioned single out there.

And finally, once learned you never forget. It’s like riding a bicycle. The muscle memory kicks in and you can do it no matter how long the break since last time.

Best of luck, it’s a nice looking bike. Now we need a photo of it being used in anger.

That bike is a Henley or an early New Henley i think. New Henley replaced Henley when they went tits up in 1925. Mind you, New Henley went tits up in 1930.

If this is related to your bike at all, the decompressor cable goes down
into the crankcases between the 2 pushrod tubes.

There is some gubbins inside that crack the exhaust valve open a trace.
To give easier starting and that all important stopping function.
The decompressor lever is usually a little trigger-like lever near the clutch lever.
Hopethishelps.

https://img1.bonhams.com/image?src=Images/live/2008-06/02/7659933-356-1.jpg
[/quote]

If this is related to your bike at all, the decompressor cable goes down
into the crankcases between the 2 pushrod tubes.

There is some gubbins inside that crack the exhaust valve open a trace.
To give easier starting and that all important stopping function.
The decompressor lever is usually a little trigger-like lever near the clutch lever.
Hopethishelps.

https://img1.bonhams.com/image?src=Images/live/2008-06/02/7659933-356-1.jpg

I usually stop mine by raising the valve lifter/decompressor. By the way, nice bike, well done.👍

Morning all.

Having spent nearly 10 years restoring my 1928 New Henley, and waiting for 5 years for 1 piece of the jigsaw, I finally got it started over the weekend.

Now that she's running, what is the best way to stop her running, apart from putting my hand over the intake. There's no wired electrics on this bike.

Thanks