FH - 30 miles in an Hour

Norfolk is a vast county, and North Norfolk offers a wide range of things to do, places to go and lovely winding roads with hardly a dual carriageway amongst them. There are no motorways here and most of these roads are just as they were laid out when our favourite bikes were new. It's a wonderful place to ride if you've got nowhere particular to go and no schedule to hurry you back home.

Today's trip started out as a plan for a magazine article where you ride 30 miles in an hour taking in some local scenery, and so it worked out. We planned the route using Google maps and totted up the miles between a few local sites. Here's the map:

It made more sense to start and finish in Weybourne than at home to reduce the amount of time going out and back on the same road, and our chosen starting point was All Saints Church.

Weybourne All Saints is on the site of a small Augustinian priory founded in 1280 and dissolved in 1536. The land and the buildings were granted to John Gresham, an English merchant courtier and financier who worked for Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolseley and Thomas Cromwell it's no surprise then that the school he founded nearby in Holt is now a wealthy organisation with a number of famous old boys, from the spy Donald McLean through the composer Benjamin Britten to the inventor James Dyson and actor Olivia Coleman.

From Weybourne, we head out in a westerly direction heading past Muckleburgh hill, home of Weybourne Camp whose anti-aircraft defences look out over the deep water port at Weybourne. Once over the hill we reach the little village of Kelling with its charming post office and tea room before branching up onto Kelling Heath towards our next stop. This is a beautiful area of yellow gorse bushes, trees and winding lanes perfect in the bright sunshine. We turn to the north and head down to our next stop which is the RAF Bard Hill radar station. Contrary to popular belief Norfolk - whilst not particularly high, is not flat at all - we are at about 60 m above sea level here. 

We drove from there in the direction of Salthouse, before taking a wrong turn I ended up on Salthouse Heath overlooking the sea and a cable lay vessel which wasn't there when Edward Seago painted a picture from here some 100 years ago.

Having taken the wrong turn, we rode down into Salthouse and took the steep road up to RAF Bard Hill. We turn off to visit the remains of the RAF radar station. Bard Hill was established in 1941 as a ship tracking and Chain Home Low radar station and stands on a bluff above the village. There's not a great deal left here now other than a blast wall, concrete base and the foundations of the huge antenna tower. There's a memorial in Salthouse Church to a Lancaster crew who had the misfortune of flying into one of the antennae in the middle of the night and later crashed at Langham airfield.

Back down the hill, which the Ariel's full width hubs handled pretty well, we stop for a minor carburettor adjustment at a regular watering hole, The Dun Cow. The pub garden looks out over the salt marshes towards the sea and is a lovely place to spend the afternoon on a fine day. If it's windy, go and huddle indoors - this can be a wild & rough place, much like the Huntmaster's idle. We spend the first half of the trip moving the idle air screw up and down trying to get the engine to keep running.

We ride along the edge of the salt marshes and the beginning of Norfolk's famous bird reserves. we pass through the village of Cley, to buy some cake for later, with its windmill which used to look out over a huge harbour from Tudor times, long since silted up. Twisting through the village we come out the other side and head up the hill towards Blakeney. 

Blakeney has a lovely harbour, pictured elsewhere on the blog but we're not going down there today. Whipping through the village on the main road, we travel along the coast through Morston to the village of Stiffkey. We stop by St. John & St. Mary's church, known for its slightly wayward vicar who's life inspired Michael Palin in the film 'The Missionary', and who met his fate after his ecclesiastical career finished as a rather unsuccessful lion tamer. 

Next we're off to find the iron age hillfort known as Warham camp, which we know to be on the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway, just inland from Wells-next-the-Sea. We find the village of Warham but we've completely forgotten how to get to the earthwork from the village and instead take the next road to Binham to take a picture of a beautiful priory in the morning sun:

Binham was a Benedictine priory founded in 1091 and completed in the mid 13th century and destroyed, like many others in the area, during Henry VIII 'dissolution of the monasteries' in 1539.

We're on the way home now and running short of time. This trip is supposed to be 1 hour, but of course stopping and taking pictures (and adjusting the carburettor, which is now idling perfectly by the way - I have raised the idle speed a tiny bit and put the air screw back to where it was) all takes some time, and I'm supposed to be home by 12:30. There is time however to revisit a remarkable structure near the village of Langham, at RAF Cockthorp, known as Langham Dome. This is the anti-aircraft gun crew trainer which we visited before on the W/NG, with my friend John on his MT350. Since we've been here it's got a full size Spitfire gate guardian and it's open as a museum.

Home from Langham through the pretty little town of Holt leaves us perilously close to the most westerly station on our favourite railway - the North Norfolk Railway - but the station is closed today. We've got our keys and we could ride up to the station building and take a better photo but we really don't have time...

Another station to end the trip - Weybourne station, which is about 2.5 miles from Holt and another 2.5 miles to Sheringham - seen here with the marvellous English Electric Class 37 locomotive D6732 on a sunny day last year. The loco was built at Newton le Willows in 1960, so it's a bit younger than the Huntmaster.

So that's it, until next time. We're pleased to find that the FH is all in order when we get home, nothing broken or falling off and it doesn't seem to have used any oil. It's done nearly 400 miles now and is no longer smoking from #2 cylinder. Those rings must have bedded in a bit.

FH - test ride

 I took the Huntmaster out on a nice little test ride today, 25 miles around North Norfolk to buy samosas from a nice family run department store in Holt.

It went beautifully - no problems other than the usual sweating from the base gasket! I think we also have to admit that the number two exhaust guide is probably leaking - probably too much clearance. There's wet oil at the silencer.

It's idling very nicely - I stopped to reduce the speed at one point, and to take a few pictures, and the idle is certainly more reliable than it was.

VMCC Castle Acre Run

 Sunday dawns and I'm up early to get to the start of the Norwich & District VMCC Castle Acre Run but first, it's a trip on the W/NG to deliver the TS125 tank:

With the tank back on the MZ, son Tom starts the freshly oiled & fuelled SQ4 that he will ride today. I'm on the modern Interceptor, just for a change. 

First stop is at the start of the run, for tea, a chat and to sign on. Lovely barn conversion and outbuildings:

At 11:00, we depart for the 37 mile trip to Castle Acre, following the Tulip route sheets. I make the mistake of relaxing at the back of a line of two bikes who miss a turn and I have to double back, messing up my calculations. We arrive eventually, and I'm not last, though I expect to find Tom and the SQ4 there already. He's not, and it turns out he's stopped to wait for me, witnessed by the missed calls on my phone. He turns up a few minutes later and we have lunch.

Two portions of loaded fries and a chat later we wander out to look at the bikes, and do some more chatting...

The rest of the section will take another 37 mile run back to the start, but since that would be in totally the wrong direction for us we say our goodbyes and head back to North Norfolk.

Totals for the day - 130 miles for me aboard two different bikes; about 100 of those on the Interceptor. The SQ4 is going really well and uses negligible oil, and consumes fuel at 50 mpg!

Have to take it a bit easier next time.

VMCC Blakeney Run

 Sunday brings the first VMCC run of the year, the first of many I hope. The W/NG is at son Tom's house with a dead speedo, so the first trip of the day is to go down there, meet up and replace the speedo cable.

That done, it's off to the start point at Spooner Row just outside Wymondham via a petrol stop.

We arrive on time (for the first time!) and sign on, grab a cup of coffee and are welcomed by the crowd falling easily into chatting about our bikes and where we have come from. One or two remember us from Letheringsett 2022 and from a Blue Sky run I did on my own a few years back. At 11, we set off for Blakeney, a 40 mile trip through the Norfolk countryside. Tom leads, as both bikes have route rollers now:

Tom leads that is until his speedo cable snaps again at 7 miles into the run, 27 miles into the day. Tulip sheet navigation is tough with no speedo! I take over, and we arrive safe and sound at Blakeney Quay, for coffee and a burger from Birdys Bakehouse, and very nice it was too.

Tom shares my enthusiasm for Scott motorcycles:

We are joined by one of their owners, who gives us a guided tour of their eccentricities:

There are some more pictures here, on the Norwich Section VMCC website.

Tom and I part on the way home - he's riding the SQ4, as there is a lot of oil coming from the rear of the top end of the W/NG and the speedo needs fixing again. That's 85 miles - hardly fault free but neither of us stopped unexpectedly.

Bring on the next one!

VMCC Letheringsett Run

With not much railway stuff going on and the events calendar rapidly diminishing, son Thomas and I took the opportunity to attend the Norwich & District section VMCC run to Letheringsett. We'd wanted to do another trip out together this year, and I'd wanted to do a VMCC run, so it was the perfect opportunity as it's the last run (but one) for the 2022 season.

The start was at Spooner Row, so I needed to get to Tom's and then to Spooner Row in time for a 10:30 start. 

This would have been fine, had I not done 60 miles on a partially full tank the day before, getting my hair cut.

I ran out of fuel.

We stopped just outside Wymondham, and despite pulling the reserve tap on I couldn't get the W/NG restarted. I checked the carburetter drain plug and there appeared to be fuel, so out came the tools. The points were opening, and judging by Tom's yelp there was a spark at the plug, so what could it be?

Well, turns out, having removed the float bowl top to find no fuel, the reserve tap doesn't pass liquids. Sloshing some over from the timing side had us going again, back to the nearest petrol station and onto the run.

I'd not used Tulip sheets much, and the route roller was on the SQ4, but we made it to the end with only two or three mistakes - not all of them while I was in the lead. One time, I was convinced I was lost on a lonely road; I stopped to confess to Tom that I was lost, only to find 4-5 old bikes behind him...

Still, we made it in the end, stopping at the water mill which was grinding flour and selling tea and cake.

When we were all there, there was probably 25 bikes including this 1952 SQ4 Mk1 we had followed, and been followed by, on the run:

We stopped for more food in Holt, on the way home.

More pictures from the VMCC Norwich & District Section website here.

July Run Out

 Son Thomas and I had planned to do the VMCC Round Norfolk Run back in June this year, only to be discouraged by torrential rain - the run went ahead, but the ride down to the start point at Seething would have seen both of us soaked to the skin before we had even started. - So, we decided on a run to sunny Hunstanton instead!

We took the W/NG and the SQ4 on a 100 mile run around Norfolk - by the end of the day both bikes had done 145 miles from different starting points.

The SQ4 performed perfectly on it's new tyres, with scarcely a drop of oil lost and returned 50 mpg. The W/NG on the other hand was a bit tricky to hot start a few times (I've forgotten the technique), shed a lot of oil over the back tyre (over full chain case) and the horn fell off, which was easily fixed with some spare bolts from the panniers. We filled it up, to find it was doing about 100 mpg!

We had a great time, and we will do it again soon.

Out & about on the CX

I'm happy to say that the 1978 Honda CX500 is out and about again after I sorted out the front brake and replaced the fork oil. It's been off the road for a while after some tyres, refurbishment, camshaft / rev counter investigation and the repair of the broken caliper bleed nipples.

It rides really nicely on its new Avon Roadrider tyres and it positively flies compared to my SQ4 - but it is also very tall and the riding position feels cramped due to the way it makes you bend your ankles.

Cley, North Norfolk

It's got a couple of problems - the tail lights don't work though I have brake lights and indicators, and the starter circuit has a wiring fault. The system demands the clutch is disengaged, even if the bike is in neutral.

Both faults are a feature of this mess:

I've stripped the tape off the harness here - looks like a previous owner let it chafe through and then bodged it together...

More when I fix it.

North Norfolk Jaunt

A few miles in the cold around Norfolk today - Weybourne, Cley and Salthouse on the W/NG:

Moody W/NG Picture

Old machines at Weybourne Beach

Cake Run

Overcast and chilly but dry, and recovering from a couple of days with the grandchildren, today came another opportunity to give the SQ4 another test run after the summer oil leaks and HT problems which were eventually traced to be the cause of a persistent and long term misfire. Although the cold weather might be masking a hot weather running problem, the bike is running better than it ever has.

Preparing for the trip, I noticed the oil level was lower than expected, though a few minutes idling had it a little closer to normal. I topped it up, and resolved to look at it again when I got back.

A 27 mile around North Norfolk had me grinning from ear to ear as usual, though I thought the handling was a little uncertain; the brakes appear to be bedding in, the chain needs adjusting and the lower chain guard is clanking as usual.

Back in the workshop (after collecting the pear & ginger cake from the excellent Picnic Fayre in Cley), I set about adjusting the chain and rear brake. Since I was adjusting the chain, I removed the wheel to take off the chainguard - more on that in another post. I moved the chain back half a turn and lubricated it; I adjusted the brake up 3/8 of a turn and put an 1/8 of a turn on the front as well. The primary chain looked OK, and the oil level was good. I checked and nipped up all the spokes on the rear wheel.

Turning my attention to the engine, I had a good look around underneath. There was quite a leak coming from somewhere judging by the clean oil 'trails', possibly:

• the engine breather, which had a drip on the outlet pipe
• the sump plate or plug
• the front offside main bearing
• the oil filter
• the oil feed to the engine or to the top end
• a combination of several things

Essentially, there were too many possibilities to narrow it down. I tightened the oil feeds, the sump plate and plug, the crankshaft bearing cover and the timing cover but essentially none of them needed attention.

The front main bearing cover has a peculiar copper/asbestos gasket which looks more like an exhaust ring gasket and I suspect is wrongly installed. It's not the gasket I would have chosen for that application.

More later.

Out & About on the W/NG

Near Aldborough, Norfolk.

Haven't you done enough shaking down?

So another day, another road test. After the weekend, where I checked out the B5HS plugs (pale grey centres, all the same - as expected) and fixed a very dodgy crimp in the distributor circuit and filling the tank, I took an early evening bimble along the lovely A149 North Norfolk coast road, into the setting sun. As usual, the SQ4 was fine for the first few miles, though I thought a little more reluctant to rev from a closed throttle than normal. We stopped for a break and a picture at Blakeney:





There's a narrow lane down to the beach here, maybe 300 yards down a hill which you do at 20 mph or less - idling, essentially. At the T junction at the bottom, there was a reluctance to rev and I coaxed the bike to a parking place where I enriched the idle mixture half a turn thinking that it had been reluctant to come off the idle jet since leaving the house.

A few more miles, and once out on the open road again she was flying. A little stumble now and then but generally great, until I got to a little village called West Runton, which has a mile or so of descent down a narrow lane into the village centre - again, 20 mph max, throttle closed, followed by a short hop over a railway bridge. By the time I was at the bottom, opening the throttle would kill the engine and there was no way I was getting over that bridge until the engine had cleared its throat. Once on the open road - more or less OK again. I'm convinced it gets very rich on the overrun, or descending hills on closed throttle.

So, back in the shop I am thinking that I have the idle mixture screw set way too rich - but it's only two turns out. My second thought is that there is an internal leak - possible in the bi-starter, or possibly the bi-starter is not closing fully.

We'll have to pull the carburetter off again. I found a useful site here, which takes a while to load but has some great pictures of a 26 AHD strip, refurbish and rebuild.

When the boat comes in

Lovely evening for a run out. 50 miles at 50-60 mph - running well.

Here she is, at Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads:

More Cake

Another cake run today, this time out on the SQ4. The chain guard is not sorted and is going to need to come off again for some serious adjustment!

The weather was great though and the trip to Cley and back was uneventful, save to remind me what a lovely part of the world we live in. Here's the SQ4 enjoying a break at Glandford:

After a 24 mile round trip with no misfire, but rather slow (there is a lot of traffic around here in the summer) we have these results, taken with the engine running in the yard and measured immediately upon arrival:

• 210°C on the fins near No.2 spark plug
• 151°C on the inlet manifold flange - near the offside carburetter stud
• 109°C on the carburetter flange, 1/2" from the 151°C measuring point but on the other side of the phenolic spacer. That's a 42°C differential across the spacer.
• 87°C on the float bowl. This is much higher than usual and I think reflects the fact that the day was not windy and I was travelling rather slowly. There's more convected energy than I thought and I've decided that a heat shield may be in order

Whilst there was no misfire,  I think I could detect that the engine was not running as happily as before.

Ambient was around 23°C for most of the trip. I measured the other cylinder head temperatures as well and added them to my chart with some previous tests:

When I returned, I noticed a small leak from the oil tank cap. I'd given it an extra twist before I left in an attempt to seal it, so I'm sure the seal is not thick enough.

Shakin' Strumpshaw Steam Rally

This years Strumpshaw Steam Rally provided the perfect opportunity for a decent ride, a lovely day out and the chance to shake out some more SQ4 problems.

Strumpshaw is a village in my home county of Norfolk located on the northern bank of the River Yare around 6 miles south-east of Norwich within the Broads National Park. The village lies a little distance from the river, on the slopes of Strumpshaw Hill, the highest area of land in the Norfolk Broads.

Strumpshaw Hall lies closer to the river, next to the Yarmouth & Norwich railway line from Norwich Thorpe to Yarmouth Vauxhall, first opened in 1844. It is the home of the Strumpshaw Hall Steam Museum, with a collection of traction engines, steam rollers, 100-ton working Beam Engines, a Narrow Gauge Railway, a 1930s Fairground, Mechanical Organs and much Memorabilia collected over many years by the Key family.

The Strumsphaw Steam Engine Rally is held each Spring Bank Holiday Weekend in the beautiful parkland grounds of Strumpshaw Hall. The rally hosts over 50 traction engines in steam and some 350 other exhibits including vintage tractors and heavy horses, stationery engines, fair organs, working demonstrations of steam and tractors, classic cars, trucks, fire engines and motorcycles.

It's the perfect spot for a ride out to meet the grandchildren, especially if the weather promises to be sunny.

The ride down quickly revealed that the steering problem had been fixed by proper adjustment of the wheel alignment, but that the chainguard was still a problem.

This KTM was the only bike to join me in the car park... It looks like all the other bikers registered their bikes as exhibits and got in for free:

The best part of the shakedown was the results from the carburetter temperature testing. After a 69 mile round trip with no misfire, and a 22 mile trip back at 55-60 mph we have these results, taken with the engine running in the yard and measured immediately upon arrival:

• 208°C on the fins near No.2 spark plug
• 131°C on the inlet manifold flange - near the offside carburetter stud
• 80°C on the carburetter flange, 1/2" from the 131°C measuring point but on the other side of the phenolic spacer. That's a 51°C differential across the spacer.
• 47°C on the float bowl.

Ambient was around 20°C for most of the trip. I measured the other cylinder head temperatures as well and added them to my chart with some previous tests:

Looking at these results, there is an issue around the focus of the thermometer. Normally I point the targeting laser on the plug body from about 15" away, which probably means we are measuring a 2" circle around the plug body; for Test 5 I aimed the laser at a fin and probably ended up measuring the plug insulator, explaining why the temperature is much higher. Consistency is the name of the game as any test engineer will tell you.

It appears that I haven't fixed the oil tank cap leak - maybe the gasket is not thick enough. I think it is better as the oil wasn't in the toolbox this time, but we have not solved that one yet!

And as the day drew to a close, I was left wondering how many of the Strumpshaw Ten Commandments might apply to riders of Square Fours...