new 58 flash

[a10sausage]

new toy..matching numbers and original reg...this will now join the mongrel a10 in the garage....it just passed its mot today...im not going to go into what it took to get the back light working for the mot.....when will this cold weather end in the uk, its snowing again outside...bye for now !

[a10 gf]

Very nice looking machine, congratulations!

[trevinoz]

That's an interesting centre stand with the lever on the RHS.
I would hazard a guess and say the P O fitted a stand from a GA7 frame which has the return spring anchor on the opposite side to a FA7.
He even moved the lifting handle.
A good mod as the original fabricated stand on this series was complete cheap and nasty garbage.
A very nice bike.
Trev.

[a10sausage]

hi a10gf and trevinoz
so thats the mystery solved over the stand...its harder to lift this bike on its centre stand but it seems a lot more sturdy,maybe its just me not used to having the stand on this side,ps.. thanks for the kind comments on the new bike !

[Brian]

Maybe its for the American market, left hand drive !!!!!!

Seriously though, a very nice bike. Well done.

[muskrat]

 Very nice, well done. Not long now for warmer weather for you and hopefully cooler for us in Oz.
I didn't know that those rear hubs carried on till '58, but knowing BSA if they had enough of them they would have used them till '72. LOL.
Cheers

[a10sausage]

hi brian and muskrat...it must be a rare model then being left hand drive  i bet i am the only person to have one  ....it never gets to hot or to dry in the uk,we have just had two of the wettest summers in a very long while and one of the coldest winters....roal on summer!

[chaterlea25]

Hi Sausage,
Well wear with the "new" A10,
Left or right hand drive doesnt matter much
I think the "leg" has been added by some previous owner,
on those stands there is a boss in the footof the stand, one side is tapped for a short "kickdown" leg.
These stands are symmetrical and have spring hooks on each side!
I dont know the reason for this or even is there a reason ???? ????
I have one of these on my SR and another NOS one for my RGS,
I know it may be strictly wrong for the RGS but in my opinion its a nicer and lighter stand than the "Gold Star" type
Likewise I bought a propstand with the "square" foot as I intenesly dislike the long "crowbar" type!!
Regards
John O R

[trevinoz]

John,
            The RGS uses the same stand as the Super Rocket and Flash.
If siamese pipes are fitted there is no kick lever, which was standard for home market but the US market had twin pipes and the stand with the lever.
You would have a fair bit of trouble fitting a Gold Star stand to an RGS as the mounts are differentTrev.

[a10sausage]

wow its amazing what people even know about stands...the amount of combined knowledge on this forum must be amazing..oh bye the way this new flash has the old 6 spring clutch and it drags really bad..should i spend 250 gbp on a new 4 springer or is there a way of making the old 6 springer perform ok....views appreciated

[muskrat]

G'day a10sausage,
                         Yep a wealth of knowledge here, I wish I'd found it years ago. Most have a fair knowledge of their own model and all models are owned by someone or another.
Whilst the 4 spring clutch is superior the 6 spring works quite well when set up correctly. Dragging can be caused by binding plates (stuck together) or the pressure plate not lifting squarely. First clean and inspect the plates. Then once reassembled set up a dial gauge (or some sort of pointer) on to the outer edge of the pressure plate. Have a friend pull in the clutch lever and spin the clutch with the kick start. Adjust the springs so the plate runs true. This should clear up any dragging.
Try using the search at the top of page and just type in clutch.
Cheers

[bsa-bill]

Oh Oh maybe shouldn't have asked that one a10sausage ( it kinda ranks along with what oil to use ) stand by for lots of replies  
Could be worse though BSA might have used three clutches

Only joking - lots will go for the four spring and mine is a four spring plus the SRM pressure plate, it makes for a nice light clutch, those with the skill to set up a six spring will tell you there's nothing wrong with them and that's probably quite true but the four spring is possibly going to win the popularity vote.

All the best - Bill

[MG]

Hi a10sausage!

Congratulations to your nice bike. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with it!

You might also want to check the grooves in the clutch basket and the dogs on the plates. Wear here doesn't help either. Wear on the plates can easily be fixed by filing, if they aren't too bad.

But to be honest, after having fitted a 3spring clutch to the A10 and a 4spring to the A7, I would not want to use that 6spring contraption again. Like muskrat said, it works when set up properly, but it is such a dog to get right. The 4spring clutch makes life so much easier.

But on the other hand, a certain amount of masochism is rather helpful when working on these old bikes sometimes...  

Cheers and best wishes, Markus

[a10sausage]

thanks for the answers to my clutch question....i have just looked at some old reciepts and its had a new clutch centre and sureflex plates in the 2000 miles....this sounds like it might be an adjustment issue on the clutch as you all describe, my other a10 has a 3 spring clutch and thats fantastic.. i might try and adjust it first as muskrat suggests and if that fails i may have to invest in a 4 spring triumph affair...!

[brackenfel]

This prompts me to ask another question...
My clutch basket (4 Spring type) is chewed a bit in the slots. Plates are ok ,plains fine, new frictions. A good and knowledgeable friend says leave it, I'm tempted to get the file out.. Don't really want to replace it with a "new" one of unknown quality - any tips ?

Ta,

Adrian