James 1928 V Twin 500cc parts and help needed

[DavidR]

I am trying to restore about 90 % of a Jimmy 500 and need help to locate any of the following- webb girder fork parts, muffler (aluminium with James scroll on side) valves (or suggestion on what may adapt) Valve lifter,valve caps etc Would love to correspond with anyone out there that has restored or is restoring similar Cheers David

[zjsagurs]

Hi Dave,
I am in the middle of sourcing out parts for a 1930 James v-twin B2 500cc. I am hopefully getting a petrol tank pattern to make the correct tank; I was able to find the correct girder forks on ebay,  and other smaller parts. I am also in need of an exhaust, but it is a 2-into one; not sure of that is the same as yours. I do have a copy of brochures for your year if you need one sent via email.

I beleive I saw a set of girder forks last week for a James on ebay...email me direct at zjsagurs(at)ibl.bm

Zach

[daddymull]

hi good luck with sourcing parts for your james.i have a tank for a james captain available.just post or e-mail....

[brufsup]

any idea of how many of these are around? how many were ohv? I found one ( sv)  for sale that needs a total resto as well . it does have that cast alloy silencer

[harry]

Hi  About James V Twins  post 1922 I have had an interest in these  machines for some years and would estimate that there anywhere between 10 & 20 machines in the UK.I think I can recall about ten and there are probably another ten waiting to be discovered. If you have a pattern for your tank there used to be a chap called Terry Hall  near  Shrewsbury  who was a super craftsman in sheet metal.He made me a couple of tanks and they were perfect.I am not sure  whether he is still working: if you are interested I will  enquire.Valve caps if missing are probably best made to fit otherwise there is a danger of them blowing out and causing damage to the tank or person.Silencers,there were some reproduction ones cast some years ago  but I fear they are all gone now.If you can borrow a pattern you could get some cast chances of finding one for sale are slim.Valves try looking at car valves of similar size morris minor valves come to mind ;the stem can be ground down to length and a slot made to take a cotter.My v twin works well on a round cotter.Dinner calls must go ride safely Harry

[harry]

Hi  About James V Twins  post 1922 I have had an interest in these  machines for some years and would estimate that there anywhere between 10 & 20 machines in the UK.I think I can recall about ten and there are probably another ten waiting to be discovered. If you have a pattern for your tank there used to be a chap called Terry Hall  near  Shrewsbury  who was a super craftsman in sheet metal.He made me a couple of tanks and they were perfect.I am not sure  whether he is still working: if you are interested I will  enquire.Valve caps if missing are probably best made to fit otherwise there is a danger of them blowing out and causing damage to the tank or person.Silencers,there were some reproduction ones cast some years ago  but I fear they are all gone now.If you can borrow a pattern you could get some cast chances of finding one for sale are slim.Valves try looking at car valves of similar size morris minor valves come to mind ;the stem can be ground down to length and a slot made to take a cotter.My v twin works well on a round cotter.Dinner calls must go ride safely Harry

[harry]

Hi  David further to my message of last night my wife has seen a message on the James site  mentioning  a James flat tank for sale at yeomans,contact is Steve Jones on 0121-4538886 the angle of dangle at the rear is a good guide as to the age  smaller angle later tank.The site is http//groups.yahoo.com/group/jamesmotorcycles  worth a look,good hunting Harry.

[DavidR]

Many thanks people for all your suggestions- I have bought a silencer and spare engine from Hungary- aint the web wonderful!- a bit rough but worth getting. Made the webb girder fork bits and had some valve caps machined. So things are happening!
 however I would like to locate a carburetor- the advertising material for the 1928 says Binks Amac or Villiers. Would anyone know what the model numbers for those carbs would be so that I can look for them on ebay etc
Thanks for the help
David

[Rex]

Eight years must be a record for a follow-up post though!

[cardan]

Binks - pretty rare in this period
AMAC - pretty common in this period
Villiers - easy to find, but you'll have trouble convincing others that it's correct! In the early 1920s James used the Mills carburettor, which was adopted (bought out?) by Villiers, so by 1928 a "mills" carby hadn't changed much, other than being re-branded Villiers. I think it was still bronze in 1928??

I assume your bike is a 500c side-valve twin, so the required carby is only small (250cc-size). Does it bolt on to a stub or a flange?

Binks would be a model J (2-lever) or JA (single lever) (7/8") or a model K or KA (1").
AMAC would be a model 30M (7/8") or a model 25M (1"). In 1928, all AMACs have the remote air slide on the side of the mixing chamber, so many people will think they are "TT" carbies. Not a problem, except that the price goes up!
Not sure about Villiers, but anything with a brass body and a slide diameter of 7/8" or so would probably work OK.

Cheers

Leon

[cardan]

Hi David,

Here's a mixing chamber for a 30MDY AMAC, which is a standard 1928 AMAC with a 7/8" slide.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252445600075

You need to check to see if the clip fitting is the correct size for your inlet manifold. If you get the mixing chamber, you should be able to find a suitable float chamber.

I'm pretty sure 7/8 would be big enough for a 500 sv twin, but check if you can.

Cheers

Leon

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,
The seller on Ebay has several other carbs on at the moment including a nice looking B&B

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brown-and-Barlow-Carburettor-Ref-20/252445572692?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D35923%26meid%3D26c19bff9de94dc780499bb401149cbd%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D252445600075

Theres also a more complete 30 MDX on 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Amac-30-MDX-1928-1-Carburettor-used-Vintage-Motorcycle/252435301174?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D35923%26meid%3Df1103df17feb45df8bc7c4410922a91d%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D252445577325

Good luck
John

[cardan]

Hi John,

The nice B&B is a bit too early for 1928. From 1924-1928 the standard B&B used a pilot jet controlled by two screws, one on either side of the mixing chamber body.

Another interesting carb is this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361623643131 which is labelled "Binks AMAL" and so likely 1929-ish. I'm not sure whether the throttle size would be large enough for the James...

It looks much like a Mills/Villiers, and the listing claims AMAL ceased making this design for patent infringement reasons. Maybe so.

Cheers

Leon

[cardan]

By the way, 30MDX and 30MDY Amacs are identical except that the MDX has a top-feed float, while the MDY has bottom feed.

X = top feed
Y = bottom feed.

Leon

[chaterlea25]

Hi Leon,
I had seen the Binks Amal, but thought being AMAL it was later?? the choke size also looked very small
Anyway we still dont know the inlet manifold stub size 

Regards
John