The Audio-Talk Motorcycling thread.

[shane]

Thanks! Nothing specific, although I’d alway wondered what the drive roller looked like. It’s just such a wonderful bit of lateral thinking. Could only have come from the land that produced the Citroen 2CV.

I wonder how long front tyres last for?

[Dave the bass]

Thanks! Nothing specific, although I’d alway wondered what the drive roller looked like. It’s just such a wonderful bit of lateral thinking. Could only have come from the land that produced the Citroen 2CV.

I wonder how long front tyres last for?

It'll come as no surprise I happily owned a 2CV for a few years too

I'll let you know about the front tyre wear once I've got it up and running.

[Mike H]

Does remind me of an article in Used Bike Guide back in the 1990's or so - wish I'd still kept some of those copies because some of the articles were very entertaining. Entirely written by owner/riders, Frank Westworth the editor just tided up the spelling etc. and wanged them into the mag. One such was about a French bicycle with one of those wee engines on with the roller drive. He said in the rain, it would rev like crazy until it made a dry spot on the tyre, then it could turn the wheel a bit, then had to do it all over again, so one proceeded in a series of jerks. He also made humorous comparison to riding one in the south of France ("it makes sense in France - it works in France ... picture the chap riding home on a summer afternoon with a loaf of French bread under one arm, a Gauloise dans la bouche"), versus cold wet England.

[pre65]

Does remind me of an article in Used Bike Guide back in the 1990's or so - wish I'd still kept some of those copies because some of the articles were very entertaining.

I've got a few tucked away somewhere, kept for reference, but probably not relevant now.

[Baggy Trousers]

Great pics, Dave.

My 1957 Power Pak had an alloy ribbed drum which usually provided drive in the dry but slipped hopelessly in the wet - most of the clip-ons did. But it did have a very necessary aerodynamically-shaped fuel tank! The Solex device looks as if it might be more efficient but likely to consume more tyres than petrol!

Of course, the one I really wanted was the Ducati forebear Cucciolo from the early 'fifties. I was still at school then and would have killed to own one of these little jewel-like 4-stroke, pull-rod, chain drive 2-speed machines.

Life is a catalogue of unfulfilled wishes . . . .

[Mike H]

I've got a few tucked away somewhere, kept for reference, but probably not relevant now.

Which I don't think matters, if the entertainment value is still there.

[andrew Ivimey]

I caught up for coffee with an old chum thinking we'd talk about Fender guitars but he went on and on about Royal Enfield Classic 350s ... Dunno what he was talking about but it was with great enthusiasm!!

[Dave the bass]

It's a fairly recent bike that RE have released. A 350 four stroke single cylinder with very retro styling... https://www.royalenfield.com/uk/en/moto ... assic-350/

And very nice they are too (IMO), also, cheap for a brand new 'modern' bike. A couple of fellas in our local RE club branch have got them and they're very impressed with them.

[steve s]

I've a few of those classic bike guide mags tucked away in the bottom of the wardrobe, I couldn't throw them away as they where so entertaining..

From them I learnt motorists sat in their 'cages'..

And there's a 50s power pak tucked away in the garage, small world !

[Baggy Trousers]

And there's a 50s power pak tucked away in the garage, small world !

Probably best place for it!

Mine was stuck on the back of a full-frame Hercules with 28" wheels fitted with a Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub and integral drum brake. Being of challenged stature, I had wooden blocks fitted to the pedals and these were lethal - in league with the cross-bar gear lever, they nearly severed my branch of the family tree. It was never possible to get this heavy monstrosity into top gear, although it could occasionally be used to assist the Power Pak to velocities notionally in excess of 20mph.

I was very relieved when I was able trade it in against a James Autocycle with a whopping 49cc increase in displacement. We were easily pleased in those days.

[Paul Barker]

It’s just such a wonderful bit of lateral thinking. Could only have come from the land that produced the Citroen 2CV.

My first car was a Citroen Amis Van. Same power train as deux cevau. I thought at the time the French deliberately calculate how to never do anything English. But looking back, French inovative engineering made more sense than English same old same old. A Vauxhaul was like a Ford was like a Humber et al. A cireoen was not like Renault etc. The French were thinking more widely than just starting from the same premis as their competitors. Citroen suspension was bought buy Rolls Royce after all. What an invension the D type was?

By the end of that era Id had a Deux Cevaux when I was trying to make it as a professional photographer. Rode in the Citreun to pick up a processor that we rolled roof back and dropped it down from above, just fitted. Had to rope right round the car.

Stopped by traffic . Soon as they realised it was a mad arty type collecting some photographic processor they relaxed and waved me on!

[Ray P]

Another one for you biker boys.

Peugeot Bima.jpg (177.33 KiB) Viewed 9365 times

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 775678826/

[Mike H]

I have flitted like a butterfly onto Bantam stuff, if possibly briefly...

Decided it would be easier to start working on the engine in the conservatory, the shed is too cramped, too dark, too cold in winter and too hot in summer (mind you the two latter are also true of the conservatory, but it wins with plenty of light).

Couldn't do it before as the conservatory was cluttered with other stuff but now have elbow room.

I've had the generator out for a bit of an inspection and an overhaul, or rather a clean up...

Before photo -

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I had a bit of bother getting the stator off - the breaker cam wouldn't come off. This nonplussed me for a bit because the old D3's one (I used to have years ago) came off easily with long nosed pliers.

However, BSA’s own instructions say, if the cam is tight, lever it off the spindle using the stator plate, so, two big flat blade screwdrivers underneath on opposite sides, a bit of applied persuasion (aka brute force), and ta-da!

The ‘washer’ in the middle of the cam was missing; the retaining screw was completely the wrong size and thread, and wrong shape head, and not trying to engage with the threaded hole in the end of the crank at all, was just held in by friction and prayer.

I found a suitable nearly right size washer and managed to reduce it’s OD slightly to fit inside the cam snugly, and I have a brand new correct screw (4BA cheesehead). This screw is longer which is good because the thread near the end of the spindle is not good, but is OK deeper in, so screw can get a bite on it and all is hunky dory.

The woodruff key for the cam was present, but appears to have been filed down to make it flush with the shaft. Or else it sheared off, but I don't know how you could even do that by result of an engine fault. No broken second half for it has come to light yet.

I sorted out the stator coil connections, and removed the horrible red crimp connector. (Which, underneath the squashed plastic sleeve, was a loose connection.) It had been bodged up to work like the 2-wire AC version. But because the No. 2 earthing post terminal is missing (screw terminal at top left - This is the 3-wire battery lighting version, so doesn't need the earthing post that is No. 3), a forked crimp terminal had been put onto one of the wires (and not the white common wire, the green wire) to ground it at the condenser clamp hole at the bottom of the stator plate.


Next photo, now rewired properly... anticlockwise, at top right, post #1, red wire, headlight or 'boost' winding (is switched into circuit by the lighting switch).
Top left, post #2, ground terminal (connects directly to crankcase), but is missing (because is for 2-wire AC lighting version only, this is 3-wire battery lighting).
Bottom left, post #3, white wire, common connection for all 3 coils. Bottom right, post #4, green wire, 'charging winding', i.e. is always connected (with white) to rectifier and battery. All coils are in parallel, 2 for green output and 1 for red output only (white is common).
Oh and the grub screws are also new, and possibly stainless...
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Next photo -
I was thinking of putting on new coils that I've got, but it looked like the originals would have to be cut off and thus destroyed, and TBH the originals seem perfectly OK and they did work. So would be a shame to destroy them if nothing's wrong, so will leave as is for the time being.
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Wipac generator.jpg (166.09 KiB) Viewed 753 times

[Mike H]

The stator pole ends are pretty beat up, and the inside of the rotor has score marks. Going by my previous experience with my old D3, this indicates that the left crank main bearing had 'collapsed', allowing the crank end to 'whip', which in turn allowed the rotor and stator to come into contact. But as I said, nevertheless it was working... I cleaned up the burred edges of the poles best I could with a flat needle file.  

But can't detect any actual play in the main bearing - yet. Could mean it's been renewed, or, not.....

Another thing - the generator cover was very warped, saw another one on eBay and snapped it up, also warped, but only somewhat. Still better.

Looks great, however...
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Isn't there always a 'however' - it won't fit into the housing (stator 'plate') flush. Neither did the original, which probably accounted for the warping, caused by welly-ing up the screws tight to force it to fit. Below, almost fits but leaves a small gap, here at the bottom...
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Wipac IG1454-4.jpg (89.79 KiB) Viewed 747 times

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^ Not too waterproof. I am wondering if I can dress back the edge so that it will fit in't 'ole all around.

Just one more example of the several 'unexpected anomalies' I've had with this bike.

Onwards.....   

[pre65]

Nice to see some action Mike, and on your birthday.