1931 James/villiers

[33d6]

I've circled around electronic ignition a few times but eventually concluded it wasn't worth the bother. The standard Villiers magneto can be made very reliable with little drama and parts are readily available so why change? It's not as if we're playing with a high revving screamer.
 I'd forgotten about the Barnstormers site. I have that particular Albion box in a 1930 1E powered Radco but it's a long time since I've looked inside. The Radco is one of those bikes where the artists illustration in the catalogue looks good but it's not a pretty thing in the flesh; very gawky and inelegant. It's been hiding at a mates farm for several years now. It's very much an ugly duckling which isn't going to turn into a swan when it grows up.
Have you started on the carb yet? They are also remarkably simple and easy once you learn the Villiers way and realise everything you've learned about any other carb is just a handicap. I can see you have a lever throttle so at least you won't get bogged down in the "It won't idle" nonsense.

Cheers,

[iansoady]

Looks very nice.

[ScottT63]

I've circled around electronic ignition a few times but eventually concluded it wasn't worth the bother. The standard Villiers magneto can be made very reliable with little drama and parts are readily available so why change?
Have you started on the carb yet? They are also remarkably simple and easy once you learn the Villiers way and realise everything you've learned about any other carb is just a handicap.

I went with the electronic ignition for my Cadet because it offered a 12v conversion as part of the system. I live near the Lake District and there are miles and miles of great little roads that just suit the cadets 35-45mph speed, none of them have street lights on and i do like to be out riding it in evenings after work, often getting carried away and returning home in the dark so having 12v lights was an essential for me, the ignition conversion seemed the ideal way to go about it, and it gives me the option of fitting indicators at a later date as its a bike that gets used a lot.

I got a manual from the National motorcycle museum on the carb, interesting reading.
At this moment in time i'm not sure if i'll keep the lever throttle or just use a normal throttle, i've never ridden a hand change before so the normal throttle might be better, i'll getting it running first then try it and decide.

[33d6]

Yes, the original Villiers literature makes interesting reading. It's finding out what they don't say that causes a little angst.

As you rightly imply using either a throttle lever or twistgrip is a personal choice. It just takes some riders a little time to appreciate that with a hand gear change a self closing twistgrip is a hindrance but it works just as well once you increase the friction loading so it replicates the lever characteristics. Hand signals are more relaxrd also.

As an aside I couldn't really appreciate at first why the VMCC started up their training days. Why did members need this? Eventually it sunk in that the controls have been standardised on modern bikes so todays riders never get any exposure to earlier layouts. I've had riders refuse offers to have a go on my old clunkers because thry lack confidence in the different control layout. It makes you realise how much the world has changed since our old dungers were standard fare.

Cheers,

[ScottT63]

Well its taken a while but i've got it finished.

Here is a video of it running https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTODelaCfsI&feature=youtu.be

[iansoady]

Looks very tidy. Well done.

[33d6]

Thanks for coming back and showing us the finished article on the road. For all the queries that are answered here we get very little in the way of feedback. It's good to see a bike come together and being ridden.

Now it's running so well can we now have a photo of it taken at Lands End or John'O'Groats? It's more than capable of getting you there and back.

[john.k]

The Newnes car books also have a chapter on the Albion gearboxes,and are far more common and cheaper  than anything bike related.The little lightweight 3speeder was used in a great many things,and you often still see them on small lathes.In fact Ive found some very hard to find boxes hidden on old scrap machine tools.