What have you done with your bike/s today?

[Topdad]

Well something positive from me on my A10, finally she started ,took 6 kicks but then clean ..Scared the pants of me as no oil return for a good few seconds . Took in total 3 goes for it to return lovely flow so now a very happy bunny ! Ride over the weekend so looking forward to that  especially  after the last 3 weeks ,attending another funeral tomorrow ,my Wife as lost 2 sisters in 3 weeks and had another sister in hospital at the same time with the same heart problem ,thank god shes well on the mend , this growing old is a real PITA .

[Roger (Doomtrainbarx)]

Got the older SR out the shed - gave it a clean - drained almost 2 pints out the sump and it fired up 2nd kick - not bad after standing 9 months - 20 mile run - no problems.   

[Black Sheep]

Took the Star Twin out on a VMCC section run, a nice gentle potter after a top end rebuild. 50 miles in, the head gasket blew. I won't experiment with a new-fangled carbon fibre one ever again.
That's my 45 year record of never having let me down just blown. At least the Van of Shame delivered us back to my doorstep.
The good news? The grass is now partly cut and I can get some runner beans planted out.   

[berger]

don't remind me of runner beans my dad had this great big trench he used to put newspaper in and it had a galvanised steel frame, my mate andy who i mentioned sold me betsy beezer over 40 years ago can still remember my dad saying he had to get that farting bean row done .

[muskrat]

G'day fellas.
Got the A7 bottom end back in the frame. Much lighter that way and the frame is the best "engine stand" especially if the bike is on a lifter.
Went looking for the +40 rings, bugga I thought I ordered them. Have to wait till Monday to ring around the locals.
Cheers

[Worty]

Nice picture Musky.   

Took the bike out a few days' ago for a 220m run around North Yorks Moors and Dales.   Bike ran brilliantly throughout but do have a bit of a question.  As I was getting near the end of the run with the bike very hot (don't really stop except for fuel), there seemed to be a bit of a knocky/clunky sound from the engine as I was blipping the throttle at low revs.   First thought was straight to catastrophe - is that a big end noise??  Bike has had oil changed every 1000m with 20/50, oil returns no problem, and bike is smooth as you like - pulling like a train.  Don't know if the 'noise' was anything to do with any transmission slack or something else due to the bike being very hot??  Apart from that and yet another L/H fork seal blowing (4th in 6 years  ), it was a joy to ride.

Sorry about the lack of posts of late - more personal circumstances to sort.

[muskrat]

G'day worty
1st thing to check would be primary chain slack. The hotter it gets the tighter it is
Cheers

[Worty]

Cheers Musky, will do!  By the way, what do knackered big ends sound like??  Never had the experience of them going on anything I've owned.

[RDfella]

Big end noise - somewhere between a sort of muffled, deep clunk and a rattle that's distinctly heavier than piston slap. Most obvious usually at tick-over. Sometimes can be made to almost disappear by gently accelerating then decelerating.
Once ('73) had to drive London / Birmingham / Poole in a V4 Transit. Hadn't left London when the big ends started knocking. Accelerating to 50, dropping to 30, accelerating to 50 kept the noise down so did that the whole journey. Thought if I at least kept the noise down, it might last. Never thought the van would make it, but it did (and with two x 1/3 ton engines in the back).

[Worty]

Thanks Swarfy.  Kicked the bike up from cold today.  At tickover/low revs, it feels a little bit like a clunky vibration through the footpegs, never really noticed it previously.  There's nothing above tickover and the bike behaves as it should.  It's not the primary as the adjustment is fine at cold.  Would be difficult to accept that it may be the big end as the engine is only 10k miles from its rebuild.  Oil is new and returns fine.  Don't know if it helps, but it came on fairly quickly and is still there only less so.  Tappets make a racket as I have them wide open for max power 10" exhaust and 16" inlet.

[Black Sheep]

Take a look at the shock absorber. It may have backed off. Can make a disconcerting big-end type noise if it does.

[Worty]

Take a look at the shock absorber. It may have backed off. Can make a disconcerting big-end type noise if it does.

Presumably whilst riding BS??

[Swarfcut]

 I think we're talking big cush nut, not the suspension shocks. Yes, suddenly increased crank float is a likely  source.

 Swarfy.

[Worty]

I think we're talking big cush nut, not the suspension shocks. Yes, suddenly increased crank float is a likely  source.

 Swarfy.

Ah, yes, sorry, just me getting confused.  If it is indeed increased crank float, what are my options??

[berger]

i went to the pub again when my betsy chewed up her shims and spat them out onto the sump plate she only made a metal to metal clunk on kicking her her her [ echo ] up. you need to very slowly labour your engine to listen or get that great big wooden handled screw driver out that your great great great great [echo ] grandad used to use and go go [ oops another echo ] around all the engine on tick over with the the , [ ooopsadaisy  echo ] big flat bit of steel blade stuck in your lug hole sorry deliberate mistake put the wood on your lug hole but do not try to force it in just one more thing , when said wood is in your tab ole give it a blip on that twist grip thing while moving that screw driver about, this may become awkward on your own so ask the nearest person to you. it doesn't matter if that person is male , female , trans or doesn't even know what it is , you never know you might get a THEY to help you,  thankyou for listening , OVER