Help Please, with my Magneto

[RogerSB]

I am surprised that Brightsparks don't sell the paper gaskets they sell the other parts so the gaskets are the minor problem, and you are getting a quality item with the pickups.

I did email them to ask and I was surprised that they didn't sell the gaskets.
I agree gaskets are minor and opting for the Lucas pick ups, it seems in retrospect, was not the best of decisions, but I suppose easy enough to correct if needed. My run tonight didn't highlight any problems with the Lucas pick ups but I did have the sense to substitute the terrible carbon brushes for decent ones beforehand.

[BSA Biker]

  Roger,  Trouble is we all think of the old Joseph Lucas and trust that the modern stuff will be up to that standard, unfortunately it is not the case as usual.
One day people will wake unto the fact that stuff made in the far east is quite often rubbish, and businesses in the UK just want to make a quick shilling at our expense.

Don't know who in modern times called Joe "The Prince of Darkness",  in their day they were as good as any other lights, how I went at 80+mph in the dark then I will never know now. Just young and stupid I suppose.

I intend to find my old original pick ups and see if they will clean up to use again. Wish that I'd done that in the first place. Hope they are not in my UK garage, problems, always something.

[groily]

Red Shoot was good, yup. One of the sorts of things we miss in France and Spain - but there are other compensations I reckon.
(Brightspark didn't do gaskets because we couldn't be sure of a decent regular supply for all the different ones; but we probably should have tried harder . . . oh well!)
Cheers, Bill

[JulianS]

This is what I got for my £27.90 plus £4.10 post.

[RogerSB]

Update: I couldn't stand the thought of having magneto pick ups that may cause problems so invested in the ones from Brightspark Magnetos and fitted them this afternoon.

[BSA Biker]

Great idea RogerSB,   still waiting for my "spare" magneto to be returned from Brightsparks, not their fault really lost in the French postal service, with the holiday season coming up, it could be a problem.

At least the other one is going okay now that the slipring is clean.

On a completely different note, has anyone seen the advert for the "new" Wassell copy of the Amal concentric carburettor, loads cheaper than the new Amal company's model so will that be an end of them because they are unable to compete on price?. Beware of forgeries comes to mind.

[JulianS]

i would rather not have a carb with wassell on it.

[RogerSB]

And now I've learned my lesson with anything Lucas on it .

Just returned from an hours ride on Dartmoor tonight to test my GF with the Brightspark's pick ups, lovely evening - and was not too hot in our Motor cycle gear. Photo was taken in a WW2 dispersal bay at RAF Harrowbeer WW2 airdrome.

[BSA Biker]

  JulianS   I agree whole heartedly. 

As usual made in China no doubt down to a budget, but unfortunately they will most likely be sold on Ebay later even cheaper.

Then the chap who owns the Amal name will not be able to compete.

  RogerSB,  Glad that you enjoyed your evening trip on Dartmoor, oh to be in England now that summer's here.

[morris]

On a completely different note, has anyone seen the advert for the "new" Wassell copy of the Amal concentric carburettor, loads cheaper than the new Amal company's model so will that be an end of them because they are unable to compete on price?. Beware of forgeries comes to mind.

Things like that make me think of the €1 (or £ or $) t-shirt. Easy to forget that the poor man/woman who made it earns about a dollar a day if they’re lucky...
Just have a look at a carb and try to figure out how many hours it would need to make all the parts, cast and finish the body and assemble it. Then draw your conclusion...

[lawnmowerman]

And now I've learned my lesson with anything Lucas on it .

Just returned from an hours ride on Dartmoor tonight to test my GF with the Brightspark's pick ups, lovely evening and was not too hot in our Motor cycle gear. Photo was taken in a WW2 dispersal bay at RAF Harrowbeer WW2 airdrome.

Hi Roger

Based on your recommendation I have just ordered a pair of Brightsparks pick ups, brushes and acorns. My Super Rocket has been suffering from the dreaded "firing on one" syndrome and I pulled the brushes and they failed the "drawing on paper" test.
The pickups were the six sided universal cranked type so I do not trust them either. Probably made in China via ebay.
Cleaned up the slipring as best I could with switch cleaner on a rag through the pick up hole while slowly turning the engine - plenty of carbon came off on the rag. Felt a tingle through my finger so the mag must be working  .
Just waiting for the bits to arrive next week and hopefully my problems will be solved.

Jim

[RogerSB]

Hi Jim, I hope the new pick ups will sort your problem out, there's nothing more annoying than something being wrong but difficult to pinpoint.

I made and used my own pick up gaskets in the end from some spare 0.8 mm thick Flexoid gasket paper. I used the Brightspark's brushes and springs even though the brushes marked the paper more than my old ones that I used last week to replace the Lucas ones.

Don't be too alarmed if the brushes from Brightsparks mark paper more than you may expect. As far as I understand it the outer surface is likely to have a covering of soft dust particles from the manufacturing process, which soon gets rubbed off. I'm trusting Brightspark's stuff to be 100% right for the job in hand  .

From what I have learned, the material carbon brushes are made from is critical for reliability and performance for the particular job they need to do and the same goes for springs. Everything must work together in perfect harmony. Brushes must not be too soft or too hard and the springs must be the correct length and strength for the brushes. We know the problem we get with brushes that are made of the wrong material but the same goes for the springs. If they are too strong, or too long or even if the brushes are too hard then there's the added danger of the slip ring's insulating plastic being scored over time. In a twin it's the plastic insulator that wears easier than the brass segment and then the brushes will have a little jump everytime from worn insulator to brass segment. Singles, having a continuous brass ring around the slip ring, do not have this problem.

My test after checking the continuity from center elctrode on spark plugs to carbon brushes with a multi meter and then fitting was a non stop 50 mph ride over Dartmoor (for 30 mins). A 30 min stop (engine was cut). A restart (fired first kick ) and the ride back over Dartmoor to return home. After a few minutes of arriving home and cutting the engine I started it again as a further restart test - and all seems well .

[lawnmowerman]

The Brightsparks parts arrived today and I have fitted them. The bike started first kick and was probably the best tickover I have ever had.

The old pick ups were the universal six sided cranked type with metric acorns which have now gone in the bin.

I used the red fibre gaskets from the old pick ups.

For reference for others with the same problem, the parts I ordered from Brightsparks were:
Pick-up LPU 458367
Pick-up LPU 458866
2 x LAN Lucas acorn nut (the old metric type do not fit)
2 x Brush 5 (5mm brush)

Cranked pick ups are not required - I used a 90 degree pick up in the top which just fits alongside the advance retard housing and a 45 degree in the bottom.

Thanks to all who contributed to this topic and also to Brightsparks for selling quality parts which actually work, unlike most of the cheap ebay stuff which is a waste of money.

Jim

[RogerSB]

That's excellent news to hear.
My wife and I went for a 21 mile circular ride on the narrow twist roads of Dartmoor again tonight. GF performed faultlessly again, so all good and a pleasant ride except for some very poor road surfaces.

[RogerSB]

Hi all, just a quick update on my messages to Wassell and the seller of the Lucas pick ups (reply no 24). Two weeks on and, as expected, no replies received from either, so draw your own conclusions as to how they think about us.