Loctite 577

Remember the weep at the end of the rocker shafts? I've applied Loctite 577 thread sealer here, which should fix that problem.

Once we fix that leak, we can look for others...

Classic Bike Hire Norfolk

So, opinions please! There doesn't seem to be a classic bike hire outfit here in Norfolk, so what if I start one? We have some great biking country around here, big open skies, small country lanes - no motorways in Norfolk!

I'd maybe offer a few bikes:

• Ariel Huntmaster
• BSA A10
• BSA Bantam
• BSA B31
• Royal Enfield Bullet

What else would you suggest? Charges would be something like 85-95 GBP per day, maybe 150-175 GBP for a weekend, including insurance.

So what do you think? Drop me a line on simon@pisl.co.uk and let me know what you think.

Retrieving broken studs & screws

I've been meaning to take a few hours to write up the removal of a couple of broken screws.

These two examples are both parts of my Huntmaster - One is a fork clamp bolt, in which the screw retaining the headlamp casquette has become seized in the past and broken by someone; the other is a engine mount spacer, which in these bikes is provided with a small 2 BA lug to retain a pressed metal cover, which enhances the appearance of the engine mount and prevents it getting full of road dirt. Of course, in this exposed position these little screws seize solid. I managed to get one out, aided by some prehistoric oil leak, but the other was dry as a bone and broke as I worked it.

So the process for fixing this kind of problem is this:

Put the part solidly in the vice, and file the broken bolt flat; then centre punch the broken fastener right in the centre.

File the broken screw flat

Using a small drill, make a pilot hole right through the broken fastener. As you start it, make sure it's still on-centre

Pilot hole in the old 2 BA engine mount screw

Using a larger drill, open the hole out until you are approaching the minor diameter of the thread

Small pilot drill hole in the old screw

Continue drilling out the old screw

Try an Easy-Out in the hole, selecting the largest one possible that will bite in the hole. Turn it gently with a tap wrench. Don't force it - if you break it in the hole you are in real trouble.

Small Easy-Out

If you don't have any success with an easy-out (and I can't remember when one worked for me), go to the next drill. You will be able to see if you are approaching the major diameter of the thread - if you have already cut into the thread, stop.

Using a small punch or a chisel, tap out as much of the old fastener as you can - you can often shift a lot of it from the top of the hole, tapping toward the centre. Removing a couple of threads from the top of the hole is sufficient to go to the next step:

Finished drilling - only the old thread remains

Peeling the top threads away

Using a taper tap of the appropriate size, start the tap in the hole and attempt to recut the thread. Give it a few turns, and then disassemble everything and knock all the debris out of the bottom of the hole.

Starting the thread with the taper tap

Clean it out will so there is room for the second and plug taps.

All that remains of a 5/16" BSC screw

Move on to the second or intermediate tap and then the bottoming or plug tap, and complete the recutting of the hole. There will be a lot more debris in the hole and you will have to clean it all out again.

5/16" BSC Plug tap

Ariel Huntmaster engine mount repaired

Test it with a new fastener and you are done.

Ariel fork bolt repaired

Sheringham Model T Ford Day

Sunday saw a visit from members of the Model T Ford Register of Great Britain who cam to Sheringham for the sun, sea, sand & ice cream of which we are justly proud! Many of those elements were provided with the notable exception of the one which keeps us warm & tans our skin.

Some more pictures of the cars are shown on the Model T Ford register facebook page here, and thanks are due to Graham Deans of our favourite pub, The Lobster, for organising the event.

Charlie's Shed - Engine Stand

I bought this engine stand from www.newvu.co.uk, via eBay. NewVu make parts for Harleys and other stainless bike parts, and they sell this through their eBay shop, trading as 'Uniwolves':

It's made of welded sheet and square hollow section, and features an L shaped frame with two wide feet, which can fit anywhere on the frame. The engine is held on two yokes which can be positioned anywhere on the frame. Yokes and feet are clamped in their chosen position with M10 hex head screws.

It's fully adjustable for different engine mount configuration, and goes to a maximum length of 350mm, maximum height of 230mm, and can accommodate a maximum lug width of 135mm .

Each yoke includes two machined screws which pass into the engine mounts, and are reduced and tapered to allow them to fit into smaller engine mount holes. You can screw them in independantly to suit offset mounts:

Here's the screw that fits into the engine mount.

Now, observant readers will have noticed that most of these pictures show a large crankcase from my Ariel Huntmaster.

Now, if you are building a smaller engine with no bottom mounts, such as this MZ125 engine or a Bantam engine, we have this nifty device which connects to the mounts at either end of the engine:

The jaws of this one are much less wide, but provide all the adjustment you will need:

Of course, there is nothing to stop you putting a gearbox in it, though the adjustment slot on the top of many Burman boxes means they are not held as rigidly as an engine:

Looks like a very nice piece of kit. I can't wait to start using it!

New project stirring?

Could these boxes contain Huntmaster parts, sorted out with a view to starting work?

I've taken a few photographs of the frame to get to know it...

Gearbox bottom bolt thread is very stiff...

Is this steering lock lug supposed to look like that?

You will have realized the frame is upside-down.

Commuting

When the opportunity arises, I like to use the Square Four for ordinary day to day trips, like commuting to the office. This is great fun, and usually results in some issue appearing.

I covered about 55 miles today in a trip to Norwich, to collect some new glasses. Nice B-road trip, early start, mid afternoon back. There was a bit of rain in the morning but the Ariel didn't miss abeat - well, not due to that anyway. The return trip was dry, sunny, and much warmer than the morning had been.

Regular readers will have observed that I have had the front brake and its cable off and on a few times, trying to cure it from grabbing. Since I happened to be in the vicinity of Bungay a few weeks ago I dropped in to see the chaps at Draganfly and to pick up some new brake shoe return springs. Pulling it all apart at the weekend showed that the springs were about 3 mm shorter than the old ones - all fitted, end of grabbing problem. I even adjusted the wedge up another notch on the way out today, and no hassle from the front brake all day.

Duff old brake shoe springs

Another thing that is a persistent problem is the tank knee pads. These come loose after a few tens of miles - so I need to find a way of fixing that.

Loose knee grip

Then there is the weep from the rocker boxes - or is it the cylinder head? After a run, there is always fresh oil on the back of the block, which is worse on the nearside; you can see a stain coming from the rocker boxes, and sometimes there is a drop of oil on the rocker shaft nuts.

Offside rocker nuts, complete with drip

Here's the nearside

It looks like it dribbles off the head and onto the barrel...

Now, these engines are reputed to over-oil the top end, and of course this is worse on Morgo-equipped bikes like mine

The oil tank is often wet  on the outside, with a stream emanating from the filler cap - I fancifully wonder if this comes from the offside rocker boxes, but this is so obviously worse around the cap that I can't see that... the thing is, I routed a pipe beyond the rear wheel to allow the tank to breath & nothing comes from that.

I guess the cap just leaks. I have a new tank with a good thread, so I will change that one day. 

Something that has been niggling at the back of my mind is a misfire that appears after a long run on a hot day and gets steadily worse. Excessive carburetter temperature leading to fuel vapourization? On arriving home on a warmish day (23°C - warm for Brits!) after getting a mild misfire, getting worse in town, I found that the carb around the throttle spindle was up at nearly 90°C, and the float chamber near the main jet was around 60°C. That's got to be enough to vapourize some element of the fuel - petrol boils at 95°C (203°F)...

Infra-red thermometer. This has been useful!

I plan to fix this with a tufnol thermal barrier between the carburetter and the head. I'll probably add the proper Bi-Starter knob and the air bell when I have the carb off, and maybe make the new throttle lever spring bracket.

And the other thing? the speedo has packed up again - over-lubricated I think, it just sits at zero. I guess the clutch is slipping...

At rest. Unfortunately it still looks like that in motion...

Here are some fish for tea...

Fresh Mackerel, straight from fishing rod to kitchen!