First Ride in Company

[BagONails]

We ventured out with the BSAOC of South Australia a week or so back. The run started from a pub car park just up the road so it would have been rude not to attend. 9:30am assemble for off at 10am. Plenty of time I thought as I wheeled her out of the shed. I reckoned without all the neighbours coming out and asking questions about the bike, then she got stage fright and refused to start...my fault, I still haven't worked out the correct routine. Seems to like the carb flooded regardless of whether hot or cold also seems to catch better if the throttle is held open, once started though she keeps going and soon settles into a nice even tickover so not a lot wrong there.  Eventually I got up the top and joined the others at about 9:50! Switched off on arrival sat her on the stand and went for a wander to say hi and introduce myself while I quietly wondered whether she'd get going again. Once we were under orders I went back and watched in some trepidation as various members struggled with the warm starting ritual. Right I thought give it a bit of a tickle then half throttle and...vroom caught first swing yay!

Unlike Perth in the west where its been horrendously hot breaking all the records, here in the south its been mostly coolish for the time of year and this day was a very temperate 26 and sunny.  The East coast has been getting all the rain too so we seem to be in a good spot currently... The turn out for the ride was excellent and I counted at least 23 bikes mostly old BSA singles and twins with a couple of modern retro jobs along too. We set of for what was to be a most enjoyable trip through the Adelaide Hills with a stop for Coffee in Birdwood and Lunchtime Barbeque in a public park due to Covid restrictions. I got to know a few of the other members and a very friendly chatty lot they turned out to be. The ride passed without incident and we had no trouble keeping up despite nursing a clutch which didn't want to transmit anything like a decent handful in third gear and a kill switch that stopped doing anything.  Ironic really first I can't start it then I can't stop it!

Looking forward to the next run out with the boys, meanwhile I better have a look at the clutch.. and the kill switch... oh and the brakes and it doesn't seem to be charging either...sigh!

Here's about half the fleet lined up outside the Birdwood Bakery (the others were on the other side out of shot) for morning coffee. Mine's the A10 with the red,white and blue helmet on the handlebar.
 

[CheeserBeezer]

I'm very envious! Cold, wet, drizzly here so A10 tucked up in garage!

[Greybeard]

You lucky so-and-so's, the weather there looks great for riding. The roads here are now salt&sanded so unless we have a good period of rain ☔ my sickle stays in the shed☕.

[BigJim]

Looks to be a fine turn out and weather to match. Kill switch, clutch adjustment, charging and brakes all part of the fun. Bet you still smiling. I went on my first ever owners club run last year, great fun and still smiling.

[muskrat]

G'day BON.
Looks like a good turnout. Send some of that sun this way.
Two A10's side by side 
Cheers

[Chris A10]

That was nice to reed , including the ups and downs, I guess that coms witht the bike.
Reminded me also on a tripp some 25 years ago to your lovely country.
We have some verry good memmories of Australië,  and the relaxt attitude of most Australians.
Now the wether is cold and wet here 8n Holland I envy you and wished  i was back there.

Kind regards  Chris

[Greybeard]

I went on my first ever owners club run last year, great fun and still smiling.

There should be more chances for those rides this year. 👍

[BagONails]

That was nice to reed , including the ups and downs, I guess that coms witht the bike.
Reminded me also on a tripp some 25 years ago to your lovely country.
We have some verry good memmories of Australië,  and the relaxt attitude of most Australians.
Now the wether is cold and wet here 8n Holland I envy you and wished  i was back there.

Kind regards  Chris

Thank you Chris, hope you get a chance to come back some day, I was surprised how many of the old bikes had belonged to their owners from new or had been in the family for 50 years or more.  We don't need to salt the roads here so that makes a big difference to how these old machines age.
Cheers Ian.

G'day BON.
Looks like a good turnout. Send some of that sun this way.
Two A10's side by side 
Cheers

G'day Musky, I think there was 4 or 5 A10's and an A7 most of the rest of the twins were A65's including a Spitfire and a Hornet. They all sounded glorious and the sun shining on all that chrome was blinding. The sun has left us temporarily now as we seem to be getting tropical humidity coming down from the north which will give me a break to do a few jobs before the next run out!

Looks to be a fine turn out and weather to match. Kill switch, clutch adjustment, charging and brakes all part of the fun. Bet you still smiling. I went on my first ever owners club run last year, great fun and still smiling.

The biggest smile Jim and it lasted all week! It really was great fun, something special to be sure.  It's nice to be noticed on a bike in a good way and the people out in the country seem to appreciate us coming along to visit even in these strange times.

You lucky so-and-so's, the weather there looks great for riding. The roads here are now salt&sanded so unless we have a good period of rain ☔ my sickle stays in the shed☕.

Believe it or not GB a lot of blokes prefer the winter here for ride outs as it can get too hot in the summer. I don't blame you for locking the bike away during the winter over there, I can remember commuting to tech in Barking on my CD175 in the snow, slush and black ice - not fun! It was about 20 miles each way and when I got there my mitts being frozen to the grips. It was agony every morning as my hands slowly came back to life.

[BagONails]

Another Goldilocks run this weekend gone with BSAOC of SA (Goldilocks =not too hot nor too cold but just right!).

We saw 31 BSA's out on a lovely 32 degs day for another run through the hills and into the Barossa this time with some nice A10's and at least two just as nice A7's in company.

We started with an early coffee stop to invigorate the non mechanical parts. This seemed to work because we all made it through from 10:30 to a 13:00 or thereabouts lunch stop at the bakery for a very good beef and mushroom pie in my case.  After lunch the ride continued back home toward Adelaide with people slowly peeling off the route as they got closer to home. I'd set off at 08:30 to get to the meeting point and got in at 15:00 so a very good day out in the not as comfortable as I thought it was saddle.  My speedo tells me we did more than 200 miles which I don't believe although it seems fairly accurate on road speed.

I topped the tank on my way back with about 11 litres of fuel used. What's that about 2.4 UK galls. so what about 140 miles maybe?  I'm finding the western bars are sitting me too upright and pushing me too far back as I have long arms. I might have to think about changing the bars. Perhaps a pair of clip-ons would stop the clutch slipping as much...

Despite further fettlement of the clutch its still letting go at anything like meaningful throttle openings in third and top gear despite which I did manage to hold about 65mph cruising in top on the main road for a while. Needless to say SRM's are now in possession of a new order from me...

Cured the blowing fuses (dodgy front brake light switch with exposed terminals shorting against the forks!)
Cured the engine kill switch (connection to Maggy vibrated loose left dangling, now tightened and glued in)
Still not charging so flashing the dynamo is the next thing to try. ( I think I keep hoping it'll magically come back to life but NO!)

Here's a few piccies of the pre unit A series bikes who came along for your interest