What have you done with your bike/s today?

[Greybeard]

Keith Berger, you are an absolute gem mate! You've earned your place in BSA heaven 😇

[berger]

if my old man was still on the planet he would repair that crank like he used to sleeve armatures out of old vacuum cleaners when bearings had seized on the shafts and worn the shafts, i always  remember him doing them with the carrier to drive them between centres . then they made armatures without centres and it involved a lot more work so they weren't worth doing for 7 and 6 sixpence

[Worty]

take the flywheel off, counter weight the crank,  stick it in the lathe,  turn the shaft down,  shrink a sleeve on, screw cut a new thread, mill the slot back in for the lock washer, but first find man with amazing skills to take the job on

You are that guy Bergs, but is that crank worth salvaging.  I was told it was on its last regrind and the bores were +40 so would need sleeving in future??  Under the impression from 'He Who Should Not Be Named' that the engine would 'see me out', and given the paucity of beer tokens, I went with it - certainly was hoping the engine wouldn't be the mash-up it is.

Incidentally, and depending on the state of play, what is the limit of wear on the journals and main (if I've got that right).  If the crank is scrap, I may be able to source another, affordable one, but don't want to buy more scrap.  Can I confirm that mine is a large journal crank with thick flange barrels as well.

[berger]

hello worty all will be revealed by sunday night i hope , it is barley pop shop today for me ps i am not that man my brother is that man but he tells me since he retired he has several big howard rotorvators on the go and some have serious machining to be done because of other peoples neglect and bodges , a bit like your engine

[Worty]

Thanks again Bergs, enjoy your day in the barley pop shop.  Hats off to you and your brother, you both have skills and knowledge I wish I had and/or acquired earlier.   I do reckon, in another life, I'd have made a career in engineering - just didn't pan out that way for me.

[dave55]

Took the mag off my plunger a10 , dead as a dodo and sent it off for repair. 

[Worty]

Took the Kwaka out for an 80m spin today.  Lovely bike, but fouled up the rear brake and gears a few times after getting used to the A10.  First japanese bike I've been out on the road on for ca. 37 years.  Pulls really nicely, glides round corners, like the extra power and effortless cruising speed - very, very nice.

HOWEVER, it's going to have to go back to the shop to repair the 'as bad as a BSA' engine oil leak.  When it arrived, It had only sat for around 10 minutes and there was oil on my garage floor.  Thought it was just a bit of chain lube as it looked blackish, but was a bit concerned for the caking of oil and crap around the sump and centre stand.  The oil is a JASO Motul bike oil, and was red, so when I saw fresh red oil dripping onto the street when I parked up, it was straight on the phone.  Explained to the fella that having lube spraying all over my rear tyre was not what I was after, especially as it is pretty hairy if it gets too bad (looked just like the A10 rear tyre).  I've also asked them to sort out a sheared 10mm bolt that holds the oil filter cover in place (item was missing so on order).  The only other thing I need to do is replace or bush the clutch lever pivot hole as it's sloppy, and give it a good polish.  Even made it back home with no twinges in my back or bum.  Will give the A10 a run for its money, that is, of course, it goes back on the road anytime soon!!

[Colsbeeza]

I have been assembling the SRM Electric Starter for some weeks now. Yesterday I completed the starter wiring and pressed the button - motor whirred OK and in the right direction. As John Chaterlea suggested, it also has an isolator in the push-button circuit to avoid unwanted starts. It has a 12V dynamo conversion, and DVR2 Electronic Voltage regulator to replace the old Lucas MCR2.
Today, I changed all the all-LED lights to 12 V, so that completes the electricals. Also assembled the starter gearing and the clutch and cush drive set-up ready to test that the motor turns over the engine (hopefully smartly).
Tomorrow the live test and then setting up the timing with modified ATD.
At this point I am aiming for Club Rego day on 13th November.
Worty I feel for your engine failure and hope you can resolve it. What a bugger!!
Col
P.S. I have been sidelined a bit lately. I went down to Victoria near Traralgon for a couple of weeks to visit my older brother Tony who has been in hospital since April with Guillain-Barre disease - bloody horrible disease - immune system attacks all the nervous system overnight, leaving him 90% paralysed and in severe pain for the first few weeks. I serviced and started his Suzuki DR650, sharpened his mower blades, pruned his trees etc. Under his instruction, I didn't touch his BMW. He is coming home tomorrow in a wheelchair for a 1-month trial. He has been a dedicated motorcyclist and damned good rider since childhood, so understandably frustrated at becoming disabled. Improvement is very slow.

[Worty]

Y'see Col, your brother, that's what's most important - hope he improves quickly!!!  I know what it's like to be sidelined with illness, and I bet it's driving him mad.

Cheers about the engine, I know it's in good hands with Bergs.  If you get chance, follow the thread on the Forum with comments, pictures, letters, etc.  Here's hoping Bergs and I can get it fixed within my budget .

[dave55]

Plenty of polishing , cleaning , tightening , adjusting, removed a few Go Faster stickers, oiling and lubing , just waiting for a dry day now .

[Worty]

Jealous of anyone with a good engine!

[muskrat]

G'day Fellas.
Foot pegs arrived this morning so I started to adjust the Cafe to my body
I had to "adjust" the right peg with heat and a FBH (good old Indian parts). Got'em on and adjusted to a good height. 3" lower and 8" forward.
Sitting on the bike I adjusted the bars and levers. A lot better but I might get the seat reupholstered with an inch or two extra padding to get the hip angle right. Now I just need to find a brake pedal.
Cheers

[Worty]

It's Bergs, not me, that's been doing the work on the A10 engine - hats off to Bergs!!

For me, got the Kwaka back and no more oil leak.  I started trying to extract a sheared bolt from the sump pan (used to attach a cover for the oil filter).  Didn't go well, seems the bolt is welded to the ally and would not shift.  Got a drill right through the bolt and tried a bigger drill to see if it would loosen - no chance.  I guess my only real options are 1) new pan (but this one is serviceable), 2) Helicoil or threaded insert or 3) Self tapping bolt.  To make things slightly worse, I have broken a small drill in the hole!  Actually, I could just leave it and not worry.

The other job was faffy, but went reasonably well.  I replaced the speedo dial with mph instead of kmh.  Instructions were great, but when I went to replace the very thin speedo needle stop, it broke.  Found a piece of black electrical wire and jammed it in the hole - works absolutely fine.

[berger]

worty i have only just read this post, my advice is--------go to the PUB i am today

[Worty]

The pub is a very good idea Bergs, the right place to be on a day like this - nicer weather tomorrow, so I'm told.  Trouble is, I've got a flu and Covid jab in the morning, so may be out of it for a couple of days.  Would like to take the Kwaka for a rip tomorrow though, before the vaccines start to pull on me a bit.

Just to add to my woes, an 18 ton truck drove over my front lawn about a week ago, and I'm trying to sort their insurance out with quotes for repairs.  Also in the process of having a new fireplace, carpet and three piece suite, so trying to co-ordinate that as well.  This is in addition to coping with the missus - jeez - pub it is