First time it's seen the road since 1976!

[JSF]

Hi all
Following on from my introductory newbie post I can happily report I had my first ever ride on the Golden flash today.
I've owned it for nearly two years now and have been working on it with my 'old man' to learn the ropes.  Glad to report it seemed to pull well - although the front suspension was albeit non existent! (Replaced the seals so am guessing too much oil in?) and I think the chain is catching the guard somewhere as sounds a little odd but othwise really pleased.  A few mre days fettling and hopefully I can venture a little further afield and get more practice with a rh side gear change!
Thanks again for all the info on here - it's been (and will undoubtedly remain!) a hugely useful source of info and morivation.
John
39 and a bit with working (ish) A10!

[Angus]

Enjoy it John.
Having got my A7 back after 35+ years (see newbie post) I just love the feel of it. All the japanese bikes in between (Suz GT250, Honda 500/4, Kwaka 1000 etc) have all just been transport. This is like being part of the bike and going for a ride is just fun.
  

[KiwiGF]

Just a thought ref the forks problem, when I fitted the front wheel spindle the left hand bottom leg got pulled over towards the wheel which meant the forks were not free to move up and down due to side pressure on the fork bushes, this issue might only occur with Ariel hubbed models not your 58, but I thought it worth mentioning as I also had my first test ride recently and the forks were pretty much jammed solid and "clanged" over bumps (the underlying issue is that the split clamp on the left leg was too tight a fit on the spindle, and needed opening up).

But you just might have the wrong springs, I bought some new ones ex Uk and they are surprisingly cheap - even with shipping added on.

[a10 gf]

I can happily report I had my first ever ride on the Golden flash today

Always good to read good news. Congrats, and thanks for posting about the forum being useful.

[JSF]

Hi again

A further quick update and a question to the more experienced (so pretty much anyone....).

I've got the front forks working a little better now (too much oil!) but the (newly fitted) clutch is making a 'catching' noise (which goes away when you pull in the lever).  it's working OK.  I'll get back in there and see if it's anything obvious (it will have to be obvious for me to spot it! :)) but any ideas welcomed - I'm a little concerned we may not have torqued the nut up high enough as found it difficult to lock the new basket.
Replies to clutch topic > http://a7a10.net/forum/index.php/topic,6527.0.html

Thanks again

John

[JSF]

Thanks for the help (again) on the clutch topic - thought I'd post an update on progress.

Latest update is that clutch is all OK and the bike's moving again under it's own steam (quite appropriate given I don't think the engine's seen any Gunk in the last 20 years and needs a darn good clean!).  As the bike stood in my Dad's shed all winter it was a pig to start (condensation) but I've not learnt the value of a pre warmed plug and covering the mag when stored!

The odd noise remains but a few folk accustomed to these venerable beasts have independently suggested it sounds like the gearbox! (Bearing at the back of the clutch?).  Given that the kickstart also sticks  I'm now planning getting this looked at as the ferry is booked for a boys trip with the other 'Old Man' to the Manx GP so I've got to get some miles in and iron out the (major) issues before I let the A10 loose of Mona's Isle!  (Current cumulative BSA mileage = 16 miles)  ready yourselves for a future post on 'what spares to take with me'

John

[bsa-bill]

Hi John
Sounds like a good trip in the offing - the pre warmed plug is interesting, did it make a difference.
Don't beat yourself up over the kickstart sticking now and then, it seems to be a feature, although if you find what the cause is please share it with me as both mine do it very occasionaly

[metalflake11]

Mine jams too on the rare occasion and has done for 34 years! Sometimes allowing a problem to develop can take a long, long time.
Bill, warming the plugs does work, the hotter the better so wear your gloves mate. Not 100% sure but I think it allows you to get plenty of juice in the chambers without flooding the plug.

[chicago]

Hi John
Don't beat yourself up over the kickstart sticking now and then, it seems to be a feature, although if you find what the cause is please share it with me as both mine do it very occasionaly

Hi bill/metalflake/jsf, My kickstart occasionally sticks and I think it's because the first tooth on the kickstart quadrant has broken off, I think muskrat had the same problem and he filled down the broken tooth so it didn't jam. I've put up with it for now and just pull the clutch in to free it when it jams. All the best fella's, Chicago

[bsa-bill]

I think it's because the first tooth on the kickstart quadrant has broken off

Not sure which first tooth you refer to, the first tooth is half height from new - like half a tooth.
or do you mean the first full tooth

[chicago]

Hi bill, so mines not broken then , I thought the first tooth had snapped, didn't realise they came out of the factory like that. Makes sense now though, it's like that to let the other teeth mesh ?. Good in one way because now I can take the kickstart quadrant off my list of things I need , but bad in another way because now I've got to find out why it sticks  . All the best chicago

[Ethelred]

Hi bill, so mines not broken then , I thought the first tooth had snapped, didn't realise they came out of the factory like that. Makes sense now though, it's like that to let the other teeth mesh ?. Good in one way because now I can take the kickstart quadrant off my list of things I need , but bad in another way because now I've got to find out why it sticks  . All the best chicago

I was looking at my mate's A7 that he's rebuilding and he showed me the workings of the kick-start mechanism and they do indeed have only half a tooth on the first one, designed as you rightly surmise, to aid meshing. However it is also apparent that it doesn't work perfectly, whether that's this design or due to wear elsewhere I dunno, but it's a common issue. Many a mechanism has been knackered by folk just trying kicking harder when it jams whereas the approved method is to rock it in gear to un-jam it. So it's a classic, "They all do that sir" 

[muskrat]

 I took a tiny bit more off the half tooth and a tad off the second. It improved a a bit and a bit more with a new pinion bush. But alas it still does it on occasion. Does anyone know if they did it new or took a few thousand miles to develop? Lots of things to wear and give just a bit of misalighnment.
Cheers

[bsa-bill]

this might be a reason or might not but if you replace the ratchet bush take care that when you tighten up the nut on the end that the ratchet still spins freely, sometimes the bush can be squeezed (longitudinally) and bind on the shaft and/or ratchet, this I assume could cause the mechanism to mismesh (new word  ).
at best just a possibility I think, this sticking problem would be an ideal occasion to use that endoscope to see what's going on Chicago  (bet yours doesn't do it)

[morris]

When I rebuild my gearbox last month, I wanted to take the cheap route, and only replaced the ratchet pinion, because the kickstart quadrant still looked good.
When I first kicked it, the pedal stayed down, and I had to pull it up again by hand . After checking (which I should have done in the first place) I found the teeth of the pinion and kick were not exactly the same shape, so I had to fork out for a new quadrant . Since then, everything's fine .
No more jamming, which it did a lot before. Mind you, before the rebuild there was a lot of play on the mainshaft bearing, kickstart side, so this could also be the cause of the jamming, as the shaft moved forward when I kicked.