Grumpy A10.

[metalflake11]

I've had a strange week or two!......... It started when I decided to do something I had never seen or heard of before to my control cables. It involved the odd nipple being removed but it looked good to me, so worth the time and effort. Left with just the throttle and choke cables to do I removed the (concentric) carb. As I pulled the slide out the needle fell out of the circlip and into the carb. No problem, it was in the middle groove (of three) thinks I!............ All back together and looking resplendant, I set off to a favourite watering hole of mine at the earliest opportunity. All seems well, but maybe a little tweak of the mixture screw might not be amiss when I get home and things have settled.
 I park right outside the door of the aforementioned den of iniquity, and untill we were told by the landlord....... 'it's late, and you don't have to go home......... But you can't stay here!'  I supped my ale with great relish!.......... Out into the frosty night, and I mutter 'Good lad' as he fires into life before a full and lusty swing on the kickstart is even completed, and away we go into the misty gloom, an English man on an English bike in England's once green and pleasant land. (But no more ). Never mind, all is well with us two, and in an hour or so we'll be home............. BUT THEN!..........a slight hesitation,....... a full on splutter....... and finally the old one pot I'm a 325cc trick! Over to the hard shoulder and out with the plugs. Black as the night, and sooty as a chimney sweeps least favourite apprentice!
Two spare plugs gets me running again, but strangely the night is colder now. The engine that was almost silent in its operation now rattles and clanks belligerantly and I feel a long way from home.
Next day I drop the needle and all seems well, that's  untill  the same happens, only this time the plugs are whiter than the first Klan meeting after laundry day. I put the needle back in the middle and now they are text book browny grey!
No schoolboy howlers were commited in this episode, and the mixture screw was never far from 1and1/4 turns out, which normally has it ticking over like a Cleckheaton Panther in a slow tickover competition.............Wierd!

[bsa-bill]

Next day I drop the needle

Hi metalflake11  - does "dropping" the needle not make the mixture weaker, I don't have any concentric s but assume to drop the needle does the same on a Monoblock

And an altogether different subject do you really call your bike "LAD" is that allowed, mostly they have female  names of varying quality

methinks you may be frequenting that ale house a tad to often

[fido]

Next day I drop the needle

Hi metalflake11  - does "dropping" the needle not make the mixture weaker, I don't have any concentric s but assume to drop the needle does the same on a Monoblock

Yes, in the days of yore, sooty plugs meant your mixture was too rich so you would try ways to weaken it such as lowering the needle. It is not so simple now because the oil companies keep changing the recipe for petrol. They don't care if the new stuff burns differently as "everyone" is running vehicles with computerised fuel injection that adjusts itself automatically.

[metalflake11]

Yes Bill, that was the point of my ramble. The needle in the middle position (only three in a concentric not five like in monobloc) was way too rich, dropping it made it far too lean. Then putting it back in the middle made the mixture perfect. .......Bizzare!
As for gender, the last time I addressed him in female terms 34 years ago, he tried to shove a conrod out of the crank casings.
.

[bsa-bill]

tried to shove a conrod out of the crank casings..

sounds like most of the females I ever new