Motorcycle General Discussion

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

If any speed enthusiast is following Bloodhounds testing here is Andy Green comments on his 628mph terminal speed run.

Hopefully next year will be the record attempt with the additional rocket assist attached.

.**LINK**

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Thanks for posting the link, very interesting read.

Emgee

[Graham TitmanParticipant @grahamtitman81812]

Thanks very much Windy .

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Has been very interesting following Bloodhound testing some of the issues found was a vibration sensor set too fine when going over a track on the desert that shut the engine down,

Braking parachute , air brakes and normal brakes being checked and sometimes modified.

A hot wire sensor system shutting the turbine down when engine and chassis got too hot.

Part of the rear wheel outrigger streamlining coming adrift.

Also finding various stability things at speed.

Being tested in a very hot climate raised issues with control systems which they did not get in the cooler UK.

It seems they were very minor problems which the team overcome.

Just waiting for the official record attempts with the rocket assist engaged a fantastic bit of engineering.

Edited By Windy on 18/11/2019 22:47:03

Edited By Windy on 18/11/2019 22:47:34

Edited By Windy on 18/11/2019 22:48:47

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Smithsonian : **LINK**

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/cycle-zen-art-and-motorcycle-maintenance-comes-smithsonian-180973836/

MichaelG.

[Gerard O’TooleParticipant @gerardotoole60348]

Thanks Michael,

for the link, very Interesting

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Tuesday 17th March 2020 is the first Top Speed meeting at Elvington.

Apart from other machines trying for PB Graham will be testing his steam rocket machine.

This should be on a full tank last month he had a private shakedown run test at Elvington.

**LINK**

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Something to show how to covert a four stroke to a two stroke a bit long but it worked.

No fancy workshop perfectionists might grimace.

**LINK**

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Hey it worked. Why you would I do not know. Probably because he could.

Steve.

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Turning a silk purse into a sows ear?

John

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

Motorycling – Easter 2020 style

Nice sunny Good Friday, so out with the bike !

Remove security & dust cover – move bike to drive.

Wash down to remove storage dust that the cover didn't totally keep off.

Chamy dry.

Apply AutoGlym Enhanced Gloss Protection to all painted sufaces – wait as instructed, then buff off.

Polish all chrome & polished alloy bits with Meguires NXT metal polish.

Clean all black plastic bits with AutoGlym Black Trim cleaner.

After 7 hours of hard cleaning & polishing, admire bike before returning to garage, replace security & dust cover.

Go back in to house & sulk !

[David NobleParticipant @davidnoble71990]

Posted by mgnbuk on 11/04/2020 11:09:02:

Motorycling – Easter 2020 style

Nice sunny Good Friday, so out with the bike !

Remove security & dust cover – move bike to drive.

Wash down to remove storage dust that the cover didn't totally keep off.

Chamy dry.

Apply AutoGlym Enhanced Gloss Protection to all painted sufaces – wait as instructed, then buff off.

Polish all chrome & polished alloy bits with Meguires NXT metal polish.

Clean all black plastic bits with AutoGlym Black Trim cleaner.

After 7 hours of hard cleaning & polishing, admire bike before returning to garage, replace security & dust cover.

Go back in to house & sulk !

My sympathies.

David

[Gerard O’TooleParticipant @gerardotoole60348]

Just wondering if anyone has knowledge of the Lucas advance retard units fitted to coil ignition motorcycles in the 60's?

My unit, on a 1064 AJS needs a lot of repair. I cannot see a replacement for the AJS but I see units advertised as for BSA/Triumph etc. I wonder if the unit was a generic Lucas unit fitted to many bikes or of they are all slightly different?. Photos do show unit similar to mine but no dimensions are given

thanks

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

Is that one of the Royal Enfield twins? I had heard rumors but never a picture. One thing you forgot to do was check the battery voltage.

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Posted by Gerard O'Toole on 11/04/2020 12:45:53:

Just wondering if anyone has knowledge of the Lucas advance retard units fitted to coil ignition motorcycles in the 60's?

My unit, on a 1064 AJS needs a lot of repair. I cannot see a replacement for the AJS but I see units advertised as for BSA/Triumph etc. I wonder if the unit was a generic Lucas unit fitted to many bikes or of they are all slightly different?. Photos do show unit similar to mine but no dimensions are given

thanks

Try and upgrade to the later 6CA type, much much more reliable, otherwise convert to a generic electronic ignition.

If you insist on repairing the early points/AA ignitions, be aware some twins ran anti clock and others clockwise.

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Posted by mgnbuk on 11/04/2020 11:09:02:

Motorycling – Easter 2020 style

Nice sunny Good Friday, so out with the bike !

Remove security & dust cover – move bike to drive.

Wash down to remove storage dust that the cover didn't totally keep off.

Chamy dry.

Apply AutoGlym Enhanced Gloss Protection to all painted sufaces – wait as instructed, then buff off.

Polish all chrome & polished alloy bits with Meguires NXT metal polish.

Clean all black plastic bits with AutoGlym Black Trim cleaner.

After 7 hours of hard cleaning & polishing, admire bike before returning to garage, replace security & dust cover.

Go back in to house & sulk !

Much as i sorta dig the new Enfield twins, i have never understood why the engineers designed this motor 180 degrees out.

It would have been easy, and so much easier on the eye to reverse the motor details on the bottom end.

So to have the "timing" and "primary" covers on the right and historically correct side.

IMO it just looks so wrong.

Anybody not familiar with what i'm on about just has to look at any Brit parallel twin, but especially the original Royal Enfield Meteors, Constellations and Interceptors. Marvelous engines visually.

Thanx, i rest my case.

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

Is that one of the Royal Enfield twins?

Certainly is.

One of the second batch that came in last year – the first batch were pre-orders & the dealer demo bikes. I test rode one early February as soon as my local dealer got his demonstrator on the road & ordered it the same day, but it was still early April before I took delivery.

I really like it – more so than the Honda NC750S that it replaced. Nothing really wrong with the Honda, but it felt like turning a barge compared to the RE. I'm averaging around 80mpg, it uses & leaks no oil & the only "issue" in the first 12 months & 3200 miles has been a stitch coming undone on the sadde nose – cured with a warranty exchanged seat.

So to have the "timing" and "primary" covers on the right and historically correct side.

Know what you mean there TG, but I suspect that was done to differentiate the "new" twin from the "old" twins while still giving a nod in their direction. As it has a 270 degree crank (and balance shaft – very smooth unit) it doesn't sound or feel like a traditional 360 degree unit either. A very modern bike in the traditional style. Best fuel injection setup of any injected bike I have owned or ridden before – just like really well set up carbs, with no sudden or abrupt response off idle. Really well sorted in all respects – great throttle response, light clutch, short, slick gearshift, light agile handling, compliant suspension, good brakes & good build quality and all at a bargain price.

Some may want more power (it is 48hp), but Ihave found it more than adequate in all the situations I have experienced up to now.

Just want to be able to ride it now !

Nigel B

ps. Battery charged up regularly over the winter – no problems there.

Edited By mgnbuk on 11/04/2020 16:56:40

[steveteeParticipant @stevetee]

Just wondering if anyone has knowledge of the Lucas advance retard units fitted to coil ignition motorcycles in the 60's?

My unit, on a 1064 AJS needs a lot of repair. I cannot see a replacement for the AJS but I see units advertised as for BSA/Triumph etc. I wonder if the unit was a generic Lucas unit fitted to many bikes or of they are all slightly different?. Photos do show unit similar to mine but no dimensions are given

thanks

As far as I am aware all the advance units are basically similar, with a different range of advance/ rotational direction. Some are keyed some not. One problem with them is that they wear/ get sloppy  giving a larger range of advance than when made. You can end up with a bike thats fine on idle, knocks like mad at speed, OR a bike that runs Ok but won't pick up from idle or start well. A few bolbs of weld in the window that the limit pin fits in resolved that one. The 6CA set up is better as both sets of points can be timed separately , the old 4CA 's once the timing is OK on #1 to get #2 correct means altering the points gap. The clockwise /anti issue needs to be resolved . Triumph and BSA twins clockwise I'm pretty sure . AJS?

Edited By stevetee on 11/04/2020 18:08:46

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

That RE looks ok to me, even if I could afford one, I couldn't manage a clutch lever. I still have a 400 Suzuki Bergman in the garage waiting for my second knee replacement. Now I have two new knees, a bike on SORN with no MOT is not likely to go very far in this lockdown. I have been a biker for 53 years and have had a RE model G, a Connie and an Intercepter, amongst dozens of other bikes.

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Posted by old mart on 11/04/2020 20:00:39:

That RE looks ok to me, even if I could afford one, I couldn't manage a clutch lever. I still have a 400 Suzuki Bergman in the garage waiting for my second knee replacement. Now I have two new knees, a bike on SORN with no MOT is not likely to go very far in this lockdown. I have been a biker for 53 years and have had a RE model G, a Connie and an Intercepter, amongst dozens of other bikes.

Ey up old mart. If the Burgman is stood for too long without running just check the oil level. Unless your model is ok. Some of the 250 & 400 Bergmans had a leaky fuel tap. When stood for long periods of time fuel can weep down into the engine. Seen by a rising oil level. Not a massive problem apart from Suzuki made the oil pump seals from a plastic that is not petrol resistant & If ran for any length of time the oil pump begins to fail.

Causing a lower oil pressure & bob's your big end. I am not sure what model years did it, as they cured the problem on the later models. Regards

Steve.

[Gerard O’TooleParticipant @gerardotoole60348]

Thanks Thaiguzzu, Steviegtr,re. the advance retard unit

My model AJS, 1964 single, rotates anticlockwise. I think earlier models rotated clockwise A little fettling and new springs, which somehow I had, has restored normal function but I will try and get a new one in the future.

[LathejackParticipant @lathejack]

I think those new RE 650 twins are great bikes, if I still did a lot of mileage on bikes I would certainly order a new one. The seat looks a bit flat and shapeless, not that it matters when your sat on it while riding if it's comfy. The 48 BHP is just right, and is about what a British 650 from the late sixties produced.

As for the primary and timing being on opposite sides to tradition, I don't think it is done simply to differentiate the new bike from the old. I think it's done for sound engineering reasons, and I wish my old BSA,s were done that way. Most Japanese bikes have been built that way for donkeys years. With the primary drive and clutch on the right, and the generator and final drive chain and sprockets on the left.

So on old Jap bikes and the new 'RE twin it takes just minutes to get to the final drive sprocket should it need replacing. Compare that to the traditional Brit bike with both the primary and final drive on the left. To get to the gearbox sprocket first drain the primary oil then off with the cover, then the clutch pressure plate and plates followed by the clutch centre. Then remove the alternator stator then the rotor, then pull off the primary drive sprocket together with the clutch drum and primary chain. Then extract the clutch hub from the gearbox mainshaft. Next remove the circular plate from the crankcase to finally gain access to the gearbox sprocket….hurah! Now put the whole lot back again, good grief!

By the time you've completed the job on the lovely old Brit bike the chap on the Jap bike or this new 'RE twin will have long since finished doing the same job, been out for a glorious ride in the sunshine, met folk and made new friends, then returned home and sat down with a drink with their feet up to ponder on a pleasant days activities.

Having said that, I do like my old British bikes and wouldn't have anything else at the moment.

Edited By Lathejack on 12/04/2020 12:23:14

Edited By Lathejack on 12/04/2020 12:32:36

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

I was rather disappointed by the new RE Interceptor. My local RE dealer was most insistent that I ride their demo bike knowing my connection with the Indian RE company. My impression was exactly the same as it was and is for the (Hinckley) Triumph Bonneville, a very average motorcycle. The one thing that stood out is the weight, much too heavy for what it is. I really hope that future development of the Interceptor involves some significant weight reduction, it has been mentioned….

John

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

Compare that to the traditional Brit bike with both the primary and final drive on the left.

But the typical traditional British gearbox was a 3 speed reduction + direct drive top gear to give 4 speeds overall. They had concentric input & output shafts so that when in top gear, the gearbox input shaft was locked to the output shaft directly & had to rotate in the same direction as the input. Road tests of the time often mention how the transmissions quietened when engaging direct drive & not using the reduction ratios.

Modern gearboxes (of the "Japanese" type) are "all indirect" in that the input & output shafts are seperate, with drive in to one shaft & out from the other, so input & output are on opposite sides of the engine. No ratio gives a direct connection between the input & output shafts, hence "all indirect". The current RE layout is just what you get from a forward rotating engine with an indirect gearbox & the gear primary drive off the RHS of the crank- on the original twins the layout was what you got from a forward rotating engine with a chain primary drive from the LHS of the crank & a gearbox with concentric input & output shafts.

I have had couple of the Indian built 4 speed Bullet singles – a 350 and a 500 at different times. The direct drive "feel" from two properly adjusted chains in top gear was something of a revalation compared to the all indirect gearboxes I was used to – a completely backlash free transmission, it was like having a direct connection between the twistgrip & rear wheel. I was very suprised how "modern" the Bullet felt to ride – for a 1947/8 design to have effectively the suspension layout still used today & not feel very dated to ride in the 2000s says a lot about the design. I could fancy another Bullet, but it would be a 350 not a 500 (the 500 I had was very harsh compared to the 350). The 350 was a lovely, gentle thing to ride around B roads – which, pretty well, summed up the state of the roads in the UK at the time it was designed.

I find the Interceptor seat to be comfortable for 4 hours or so at a "sitting" – half an hour for a tea break & I'm good to go for another 4 hours or so.

As ThaiGuzzi wasn't too impressed with the RE, he may prefer Mrs B's current bike ?

A month older than the RE, a Moto Guzzi V7 Special MkIII

Nigel B.

Edited By mgnbuk on 12/04/2020 13:10:59

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

My Burgman, (must remember how to spell it), is the later type with fuel injection, and has a fuel cut valve, but no manual fuel tap. I will have a look at the oil level when I next go in the garage. Like the RE Intercepter, it is overweight at 425 pounds, but has a top speed of 95 mph @7000rpm, which is deceptively easy to maintain as a cruising speed, with its aerodynamics and wind protection. I have to think more of my licence.                                       My old Constellation weighed less than 400 pounds.

Edited By old mart on 12/04/2020 13:42:27

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