I puttered around today..and after ****ing with the Honda XL 350 for a
bit...decided to see if I could get the 1961 Indian Chief/Royal Enfield
700 Super Meteor/Constellation up and running.

After doing a bit of this and that, I got spark on both plugs. I
screwed them in, put a pint of gas in the tank, a new gas line and
double filters ...hey..its been 37 yrs....and turned on the gas. I
ticked the primer on the Amal Monoblock until it leaked gas, and turning
on the ignition toggle switch..found top dead center with the kick
starter and romped on it. Several times. About a dozen actually...and
then....Brawwummph...

I sprayed some WD 40 into the carby...tickled the primer again..and
finding top dead center...stomped on it....

Brawummmmmph..cough..choke...Brawmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmm....

I ran it for a few minutes, until the engine started to warm up, then
shut it off. pulled the plugs, sprayed some Kroil down each plug hole,
and kicked it over a few times. I came back to the bike an hour later,
kicked it over a few more times, then reinstalled the plugs, turned on
the gas, and forgetting to find top dead center, blew out the arch of my
right foot kicking it and getting a kickback. Limping back a few
minutes later, now properly clad in thick soled boots, I fired the old
girl up and let her run for a while, while I gently loosened up the
various banjo bolts lubing the head bits, and finding each putting out a
sufficient amount of oil (black as night)..tightened them back up.

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at least
15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

It doesnt help that the plug is behind the starboard exhaust down
tube.... cant get a socket on it....not until I pull that exhaust
pipe...rusty hardware.....not going to be fun......

I found out that parts are mostly available from Hitchcocks Motorcycle
parts in the UK. So when some of my clients start paying me again...net
45 sucks...will be placing an order for bits including that plug,
distributor cap, a level check plug on the transmission (somone rounded
that off a bit.....points etc.

But damn...while the carby needs a tear down and cleaning...idles too
high...it sure as hell sounds NICE. semi megaphone pipes and sounds
totally different than a Harley...but a deep throated rumble...almost
Triumph sounding.

It went into gear Hard..but it went into gear...I really need to drain
that transmission and refill...and IRRC..most of the brit bikes Ive
owned many years ago, needed to be kicked into gear..no syncros...and
the idle was a bit high..shrug

37 yrs..and I finally started it for the first time in all the years Ive
owned it....damn...felt good....a milestone. Now that I know the old
girl hummmm are Brit bikes boys or girls??? The old chap...?
anyways....now that I know it runs and there isnt much wrong with it...I
pushed it into shelter, tarped it over and it will be waiting for me tis
winter when Im ready to dig in and fix her up properly,..and by then Ill
have found a headlamp and fgured out how to mount it on the forks,
switches for the handlebars etc etc.

Im looking forewards to that project.

Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

On Nov 25, 5:25 pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
I puttered around today..and after ****ing with the Honda XL 350 for a
bit...decided to see if I could get the 1961 Indian Chief/Royal Enfield
700 Super Meteor/Constellation up and running.

After doing a bit of this and that, I got spark on both plugs. I
screwed them in, put a pint of gas in the tank, a new gas line and
double filters ...hey..its been 37 yrs....and turned on the gas. I
ticked the primer on the Amal Monoblock until it leaked gas, and turning
on the ignition toggle switch..found top dead center with the kick
starter and romped on it. Several times. About a dozen actually...and
then....Brawwummph...

I sprayed some WD 40 into the carby...tickled the primer again..and
finding top dead center...stomped on it....

Brawummmmmph..cough..choke...Brawmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmm....

I ran it for a few minutes, until the engine started to warm up, then
shut it off. pulled the plugs, sprayed some Kroil down each plug hole,
and kicked it over a few times. I came back to the bike an hour later,
kicked it over a few more times, then reinstalled the plugs, turned on
the gas, and forgetting to find top dead center, blew out the arch of my
right foot kicking it and getting a kickback. Limping back a few
minutes later, now properly clad in thick soled boots, I fired the old
girl up and let her run for a while, while I gently loosened up the
various banjo bolts lubing the head bits, and finding each putting out a
sufficient amount of oil (black as night)..tightened them back up.

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at least
15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

It doesnt help that the plug is behind the starboard exhaust down
tube.... cant get a socket on it....not until I pull that exhaust
pipe...rusty hardware.....not going to be fun......

I found out that parts are mostly available from Hitchcocks Motorcycle
parts in the UK. So when some of my clients start paying me again...net
45 sucks...will be placing an order for bits including that plug,
distributor cap, a level check plug on the transmission (somone rounded
that off a bit.....points etc.

But damn...while the carby needs a tear down and cleaning...idles too
high...it sure as hell sounds NICE. semi megaphone pipes and sounds
totally different than a Harley...but a deep throated rumble...almost
Triumph sounding.

It went into gear Hard..but it went into gear...I really need to drain
that transmission and refill...and IRRC..most of the brit bikes Ive
owned many years ago, needed to be kicked into gear..no syncros...and
the idle was a bit high..shrug

37 yrs..and I finally started it for the first time in all the years Ive
owned it....damn...felt good....a milestone. Now that I know the old
girl hummmm are Brit bikes boys or girls??? The old chap...?
anyways....now that I know it runs and there isnt much wrong with it...I
pushed it into shelter, tarped it over and it will be waiting for me tis
winter when Im ready to dig in and fix her up properly,..and by then Ill
have found a headlamp and fgured out how to mount it on the forks,
switches for the handlebars etc etc.

Im looking forewards to that project.

Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Good one Gunner - sounds like you got some good projects going!.
BTW - you've discovered one of the salient features of British bikes -
15 previous owners, only tool they had was a 10 inch shifter...at
least you havent found any cross threaded/wrong thread/stripped thread/
replaced with a self tapper items....yet...

Andrew VK3BFA.

Gunner Asch wrote:
I puttered around today..and after ****ing with the Honda XL 350 for a
bit...decided to see if I could get the 1961 Indian Chief/Royal Enfield
700 Super Meteor/Constellation up and running.

After doing a bit of this and that, I got spark on both plugs. I
screwed them in, put a pint of gas in the tank, a new gas line and
double filters ...hey..its been 37 yrs....and turned on the gas. I
ticked the primer on the Amal Monoblock until it leaked gas, and turning
on the ignition toggle switch..found top dead center with the kick
starter and romped on it. Several times. About a dozen actually...and
then....Brawwummph...

I sprayed some WD 40 into the carby...tickled the primer again..and
finding top dead center...stomped on it....

Brawummmmmph..cough..choke...Brawmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmm....

I ran it for a few minutes, until the engine started to warm up, then
shut it off. pulled the plugs, sprayed some Kroil down each plug hole,
and kicked it over a few times. I came back to the bike an hour later,
kicked it over a few more times, then reinstalled the plugs, turned on
the gas, and forgetting to find top dead center, blew out the arch of my
right foot kicking it and getting a kickback. Limping back a few
minutes later, now properly clad in thick soled boots, I fired the old
girl up and let her run for a while, while I gently loosened up the
various banjo bolts lubing the head bits, and finding each putting out a
sufficient amount of oil (black as night)..tightened them back up.

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at least
15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

It doesnt help that the plug is behind the starboard exhaust down
tube.... cant get a socket on it....not until I pull that exhaust
pipe...rusty hardware.....not going to be fun......

I found out that parts are mostly available from Hitchcocks Motorcycle
parts in the UK. So when some of my clients start paying me again...net
45 sucks...will be placing an order for bits including that plug,
distributor cap, a level check plug on the transmission (somone rounded
that off a bit.....points etc.

But damn...while the carby needs a tear down and cleaning...idles too
high...it sure as hell sounds NICE. semi megaphone pipes and sounds
totally different than a Harley...but a deep throated rumble...almost
Triumph sounding.

It went into gear Hard..but it went into gear...I really need to drain
that transmission and refill...and IRRC..most of the brit bikes Ive
owned many years ago, needed to be kicked into gear..no syncros...and
the idle was a bit high..shrug

37 yrs..and I finally started it for the first time in all the years Ive
owned it....damn...felt good....a milestone. Now that I know the old
girl hummmm are Brit bikes boys or girls??? The old chap...?
anyways....now that I know it runs and there isnt much wrong with it...I
pushed it into shelter, tarped it over and it will be waiting for me tis
winter when Im ready to dig in and fix her up properly,..and by then Ill
have found a headlamp and fgured out how to mount it on the forks,
switches for the handlebars etc etc.

Im looking forewards to that project.

Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Sounds like a project you'll enjoy. The people who bought the
manufacturing rights for Amal carbs and industrial products are Burlen
Fuel Systems a bit down the road from me. They have an Amal specific
site here http://www.amalcarb.co.uk/ .

Gunner Asch wrote:
I puttered around today..and after ****ing with the Honda XL 350 for a
bit...decided to see if I could get the 1961 Indian Chief/Royal
Enfield 700 Super Meteor/Constellation up and running.

After doing a bit of this and that, I got spark on both plugs. I
screwed them in, put a pint of gas in the tank, a new gas line and
double filters ...hey..its been 37 yrs....and turned on the gas. I
ticked the primer on the Amal Monoblock until it leaked gas, and
turning
on the ignition toggle switch..found top dead center with the kick
starter and romped on it. Several times. About a dozen
actually...and then....Brawwummph...

I sprayed some WD 40 into the carby...tickled the primer again..and
finding top dead center...stomped on it....

Brawummmmmph..cough..choke...Brawmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmm....

I ran it for a few minutes, until the engine started to warm up, then
shut it off. pulled the plugs, sprayed some Kroil down each plug
hole,
and kicked it over a few times. I came back to the bike an hour
later,
kicked it over a few more times, then reinstalled the plugs, turned on
the gas, and forgetting to find top dead center, blew out the arch of
my
right foot kicking it and getting a kickback. Limping back a few
minutes later, now properly clad in thick soled boots, I fired the old
girl up and let her run for a while, while I gently loosened up the
various banjo bolts lubing the head bits, and finding each putting
out a sufficient amount of oil (black as night)..tightened them back
up.

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at
least 15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located
the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt
work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

It doesnt help that the plug is behind the starboard exhaust down
tube.... cant get a socket on it....not until I pull that exhaust
pipe...rusty hardware.....not going to be fun......

I found out that parts are mostly available from Hitchcocks Motorcycle
parts in the UK. So when some of my clients start paying me
again...net 45 sucks...will be placing an order for bits including
that plug,
distributor cap, a level check plug on the transmission (somone
rounded
that off a bit.....points etc.

But damn...while the carby needs a tear down and cleaning...idles too
high...it sure as hell sounds NICE. semi megaphone pipes and sounds
totally different than a Harley...but a deep throated rumble...almost
Triumph sounding.

It went into gear Hard..but it went into gear...I really need to drain
that transmission and refill...and IRRC..most of the brit bikes Ive
owned many years ago, needed to be kicked into gear..no syncros...and
the idle was a bit high..shrug

37 yrs..and I finally started it for the first time in all the years
Ive
owned it....damn...felt good....a milestone. Now that I know the old
girl hummmm are Brit bikes boys or girls??? The old chap...?
anyways....now that I know it runs and there isnt much wrong with
it...I
pushed it into shelter, tarped it over and it will be waiting for me
tis
winter when Im ready to dig in and fix her up properly,..and by then
Ill
have found a headlamp and fgured out how to mount it on the forks,
switches for the handlebars etc etc.

Im looking forewards to that project.

Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch
that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new
fuel lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar
switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it
will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of
Spotsylvania

It's addictive ... I can't wait for the day I firsr kick over the '39 H-D
I inherited when Dad passed . Hasn't run in nearly 60 years now , and is in
small pieces . I oughta get busy while I got time to work on it .
--
Snag
Hooked at the age of three ...

In article ,
Gunner Asch wrote:

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at least
15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

There are 'channel pliers' made for hex nuts, even better are locking
pliers made for hex nuts. Try a farm store.

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

nice!
There aren't many parts to an Amal, but a lot of stuff to be done to dial
one in for a different engine. If it works like it does, just clean out the
sediment bowl and the tank screens, and run some Seafoam thru it. Seafoam is
one of the very few snakeoil products I will buy, it was designed to bring 2
stroke outboards back into service and cleans pretty good.

Gunner Asch wrote:
I puttered around today..and after ****ing with the Honda XL 350 for a
bit...decided to see if I could get the 1961 Indian Chief/Royal Enfield
700 Super Meteor/Constellation up and running.

After doing a bit of this and that, I got spark on both plugs. I
screwed them in, put a pint of gas in the tank, a new gas line and
double filters ...hey..its been 37 yrs....and turned on the gas. I
ticked the primer on the Amal Monoblock until it leaked gas, and turning
on the ignition toggle switch..found top dead center with the kick
starter and romped on it. Several times. About a dozen actually...and
then....Brawwummph...

I sprayed some WD 40 into the carby...tickled the primer again..and
finding top dead center...stomped on it....

Brawummmmmph..cough..choke...Brawmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmm....

I ran it for a few minutes, until the engine started to warm up, then
shut it off. pulled the plugs, sprayed some Kroil down each plug hole,
and kicked it over a few times. I came back to the bike an hour later,
kicked it over a few more times, then reinstalled the plugs, turned on
the gas, and forgetting to find top dead center, blew out the arch of my
right foot kicking it and getting a kickback. Limping back a few
minutes later, now properly clad in thick soled boots, I fired the old
girl up and let her run for a while, while I gently loosened up the
various banjo bolts lubing the head bits, and finding each putting out a
sufficient amount of oil (black as night)..tightened them back up.

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at least
15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

It doesnt help that the plug is behind the starboard exhaust down
tube.... cant get a socket on it....not until I pull that exhaust
pipe...rusty hardware.....not going to be fun......

I found out that parts are mostly available from Hitchcocks Motorcycle
parts in the UK. So when some of my clients start paying me again...net
45 sucks...will be placing an order for bits including that plug,
distributor cap, a level check plug on the transmission (somone rounded
that off a bit.....points etc.

But damn...while the carby needs a tear down and cleaning...idles too
high...it sure as hell sounds NICE. semi megaphone pipes and sounds
totally different than a Harley...but a deep throated rumble...almost
Triumph sounding.

It went into gear Hard..but it went into gear...I really need to drain
that transmission and refill...and IRRC..most of the brit bikes Ive
owned many years ago, needed to be kicked into gear..no syncros...and
the idle was a bit high..shrug

37 yrs..and I finally started it for the first time in all the years Ive
owned it....damn...felt good....a milestone. Now that I know the old
girl hummmm are Brit bikes boys or girls??? The old chap...?
anyways....now that I know it runs and there isnt much wrong with it...I
pushed it into shelter, tarped it over and it will be waiting for me tis
winter when Im ready to dig in and fix her up properly,..and by then Ill
have found a headlamp and fgured out how to mount it on the forks,
switches for the handlebars etc etc.

Im looking forewards to that project.

Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Fun, fun, fun... I got two winter projects a husky 500 from the 70's
that someone gave to me after they got tired looking at it in their yard
for the past 30 years and a 1969 T100 Tiger triumph motor that is going
into a norton frame. The T100 is in perfect shape.

cheers
T.Alan

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:35:59 -0800, "T.Alan Kraus"
wrote:


Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Fun, fun, fun... I got two winter projects a husky 500 from the 70's
that someone gave to me after they got tired looking at it in their yard
for the past 30 years and a 1969 T100 Tiger triumph motor that is going
into a norton frame. The T100 is in perfect shape.

cheers
T.Alan


OOOH...a Tiger! Thats gonna be nice!

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:36:59 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:35:59 -0800, "T.Alan Kraus"
wrote:


Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Fun, fun, fun... I got two winter projects a husky 500 from the 70's
that someone gave to me after they got tired looking at it in their yard
for the past 30 years and a 1969 T100 Tiger triumph motor that is going
into a norton frame. The T100 is in perfect shape.

cheers
T.Alan


OOOH...a Tiger! Thats gonna be nice!

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania


If anyone wants another project bike to rebuild, I have an '80 Honda
CB750 that I'll let go cheap. There is no tank or front fender and a
few other pieces are missing. Just make me an offer. I'd hate to
see it get cut up and go to the recycler.

Jim

"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
...
I puttered around today..and after ****ing with the Honda XL 350 for a
bit...decided to see if I could get the 1961 Indian Chief/Royal Enfield
700 Super Meteor/Constellation up and running.

After doing a bit of this and that, I got spark on both plugs. I
screwed them in, put a pint of gas in the tank, a new gas line and
double filters ...hey..its been 37 yrs....and turned on the gas. I
ticked the primer on the Amal Monoblock until it leaked gas, and turning
on the ignition toggle switch..found top dead center with the kick
starter and romped on it. Several times. About a dozen actually...and
then....Brawwummph...

I sprayed some WD 40 into the carby...tickled the primer again..and
finding top dead center...stomped on it....

Brawummmmmph..cough..choke...Brawmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmm....

I ran it for a few minutes, until the engine started to warm up, then
shut it off. pulled the plugs, sprayed some Kroil down each plug hole,
and kicked it over a few times. I came back to the bike an hour later,
kicked it over a few more times, then reinstalled the plugs, turned on
the gas, and forgetting to find top dead center, blew out the arch of my
right foot kicking it and getting a kickback. Limping back a few
minutes later, now properly clad in thick soled boots, I fired the old
girl up and let her run for a while, while I gently loosened up the
various banjo bolts lubing the head bits, and finding each putting out a
sufficient amount of oil (black as night)..tightened them back up.

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at least
15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

It doesnt help that the plug is behind the starboard exhaust down
tube.... cant get a socket on it....not until I pull that exhaust
pipe...rusty hardware.....not going to be fun......

I found out that parts are mostly available from Hitchcocks Motorcycle
parts in the UK. So when some of my clients start paying me again...net
45 sucks...will be placing an order for bits including that plug,
distributor cap, a level check plug on the transmission (somone rounded
that off a bit.....points etc.

But damn...while the carby needs a tear down and cleaning...idles too
high...it sure as hell sounds NICE. semi megaphone pipes and sounds
totally different than a Harley...but a deep throated rumble...almost
Triumph sounding.

It went into gear Hard..but it went into gear...I really need to drain
that transmission and refill...and IRRC..most of the brit bikes Ive
owned many years ago, needed to be kicked into gear..no syncros...and
the idle was a bit high..shrug

37 yrs..and I finally started it for the first time in all the years Ive
owned it....damn...felt good....a milestone. Now that I know the old
girl hummmm are Brit bikes boys or girls??? The old chap...?
anyways....now that I know it runs and there isnt much wrong with it...I
pushed it into shelter, tarped it over and it will be waiting for me tis
winter when Im ready to dig in and fix her up properly,..and by then Ill
have found a headlamp and fgured out how to mount it on the forks,
switches for the handlebars etc etc.

Im looking forewards to that project.

Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of
Spotsylvania

I wish I had a transfusion of your blood! You have so much more ambition
than I!

Jim Chandler wrote:
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:36:59 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:35:59 -0800, "T.Alan Kraus"

wrote:


Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition
switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and
if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy
runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs
new fuel lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the
handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it
will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags.
Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle
of Spotsylvania

Fun, fun, fun... I got two winter projects a husky 500 from the 70's
that someone gave to me after they got tired looking at it in their
yard for the past 30 years and a 1969 T100 Tiger triumph motor that
is going into a norton frame. The T100 is in perfect shape.

cheers
T.Alan


OOOH...a Tiger! Thats gonna be nice!

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle
of Spotsylvania


If anyone wants another project bike to rebuild, I have an '80 Honda
CB750 that I'll let go cheap. There is no tank or front fender and a
few other pieces are missing. Just make me an offer. I'd hate to
see it get cut up and go to the recycler.

Jim

That would be one of the DOHC motors ? I got a couple of SOHC bikes in my
yard ... mid-70's vintage . One is just millimeters from being a runner ,
just needs some clean-up . The rest are parts bikes .
--
Snag
sometimes ya gotta
shovel manure
to pay the bills

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:08:13 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Jim Chandler wrote:
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:36:59 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:35:59 -0800, "T.Alan Kraus"

wrote:


Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition
switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and
if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy
runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs
new fuel lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the
handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it
will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags.
Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle
of Spotsylvania

Fun, fun, fun... I got two winter projects a husky 500 from the 70's
that someone gave to me after they got tired looking at it in their
yard for the past 30 years and a 1969 T100 Tiger triumph motor that
is going into a norton frame. The T100 is in perfect shape.

cheers
T.Alan


OOOH...a Tiger! Thats gonna be nice!

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle
of Spotsylvania


If anyone wants another project bike to rebuild, I have an '80 Honda
CB750 that I'll let go cheap. There is no tank or front fender and a
few other pieces are missing. Just make me an offer. I'd hate to
see it get cut up and go to the recycler.

Jim

That would be one of the DOHC motors ? I got a couple of SOHC bikes in my
yard ... mid-70's vintage . One is just millimeters from being a runner ,
just needs some clean-up . The rest are parts bikes .


That is correct, it is DOHC.

Jim

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:53:05 GMT, Jim Chandler wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:36:59 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:35:59 -0800, "T.Alan Kraus"
wrote:


Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Fun, fun, fun... I got two winter projects a husky 500 from the 70's
that someone gave to me after they got tired looking at it in their yard
for the past 30 years and a 1969 T100 Tiger triumph motor that is going
into a norton frame. The T100 is in perfect shape.

cheers
T.Alan


OOOH...a Tiger! Thats gonna be nice!

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania


If anyone wants another project bike to rebuild, I have an '80 Honda
CB750 that I'll let go cheap. There is no tank or front fender and a
few other pieces are missing. Just make me an offer. I'd hate to
see it get cut up and go to the recycler.

Jim


How cheap..and what condition is the engine in?

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:56:19 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:53:05 GMT, Jim Chandler wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:36:59 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:35:59 -0800, "T.Alan Kraus"
wrote:


Yesterday I figred out the wiring for the BMW R90/6 ignition switch that
had been cannibalized and stuck on anothe bike by a tweaker...and if I
dont get called in to So. Cal tommorow..will try to get Trudy runnng.
master cylinder for the front disk brakes is leaking, she needs new fuel
lines/filters etc etc but she should fire up. All the handlebar switches
need removal and cleaning lubing etc....once I get her running, it will
be time to mask off the engine, rattle can paint the frame, put new
rubber on her and repair the Luftmeister fairing and saddle bags. Its
the usual Bmw blue with white pinstripes, but have been considering
repainting it Afrika Corps colors with the AC palm tree logo on the
sides of the gas tank.....g


Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Fun, fun, fun... I got two winter projects a husky 500 from the 70's
that someone gave to me after they got tired looking at it in their yard
for the past 30 years and a 1969 T100 Tiger triumph motor that is going
into a norton frame. The T100 is in perfect shape.

cheers
T.Alan


OOOH...a Tiger! Thats gonna be nice!

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania


If anyone wants another project bike to rebuild, I have an '80 Honda
CB750 that I'll let go cheap. There is no tank or front fender and a
few other pieces are missing. Just make me an offer. I'd hate to
see it get cut up and go to the recycler.

Jim


How cheap..and what condition is the engine in?

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania


Make me an offer... and I don't know. I was told it was last known
running. The carbs are off and in my shop out of the weather and the
intakes have been blocked off with rags. I would imagine that it will
require some work on the engine but I don't know how much.

Jim

"nick hull" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Gunner Asch wrote:

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at least
15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

There are 'channel pliers' made for hex nuts, even better are locking
pliers made for hex nuts. Try a farm store.

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/


Gunner,

You could do like one of my pals did in 1960, he bought a Triumph
Thunderbird, and when he found Whitworth nuts and no tool kit with the bike,
he just took the next nearest American size wrench and a ball-pein hammer
and rapped the box wrenches down over and - - instant American sized,
though butchered-looking nuts. ( Did I mention, this lad was not at all
fastidious or pure of heart in anything he did?)

Six months later, he sold it for a Norton, and the guy who bought it cursed
him for a year - loudly, roundly and soundly.

Flash

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:35:20 -0500, "Flash"
wrote:


"nick hull" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Gunner Asch wrote:

now that the engine was warm and had circulated the oil a bit...at least
15 yrs or more..old...it was time to change the oil. I located the oil
drain on the starboard side of the engine..and attempted to remove it.
It is Whitworth.... the closest match was a 15/16 wrench..which
promptly started to round the head of the plug off. A good crescent
didnt work, a 23 mm didn work....Knippex 'channel locks" didnt work...so
i quite while there were still flats on the plug......this is gonna be
interesting to get out.

There are 'channel pliers' made for hex nuts, even better are locking
pliers made for hex nuts. Try a farm store.

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/


Gunner,

You could do like one of my pals did in 1960, he bought a Triumph
Thunderbird, and when he found Whitworth nuts and no tool kit with the bike,
he just took the next nearest American size wrench and a ball-pein hammer
and rapped the box wrenches down over and - - instant American sized,
though butchered-looking nuts. ( Did I mention, this lad was not at all
fastidious or pure of heart in anything he did?)

Six months later, he sold it for a Norton, and the guy who bought it cursed
him for a year - loudly, roundly and soundly.

Flash

A reputation Im trying hard to avoid.

Im a machine tool mechanic. Every day I work on, repair, service etc etc
very accurate, very expensive machine tools, both manual and CNC.

They generally havent set for 37 odd years in an unheated garage in
northern michigan.....and usually have enough oil on the inside AND the
outside to prevent stuff from freezing solid.
Usually..mostly...often.....sigh

I think Im going to have to hunt around and scrounge up a set of box and
open end whitworth wrenches. The big problem so far..is apparently the
damned engineers didnt believe in "back clearence" of fasterners.
While I may have room to get an open end on something..most of the box
ends require serious thinning down on the backside to go over many
fasteners...the fasterners are up close besides a fitting, flange, bulge
etc etc.

Ive already seperated out the cheaper wrenches so I can mangle them to
fit the bike..those that seem to fit whitworth fasteners.

and the fasteners themselfs...not a lot of hardened nuts and bolts in
this bike...they are dead soft for the most part...easy to chew up.

I think this bike is going to leak a bit of oil..as Ill be afraid to
tighten anything up too much, that has to be removed periodicaly.


Anybody got Whitworth tools they want to trade for Stuff?


Gunner



"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:44:13 -0800, the infamous Gunner Asch
scrawled the following:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:35:20 -0500, "Flash"
wrote:

Gunner,

You could do like one of my pals did in 1960, he bought a Triumph
Thunderbird, and when he found Whitworth nuts and no tool kit with the bike,
he just took the next nearest American size wrench and a ball-pein hammer
and rapped the box wrenches down over and - - instant American sized,
though butchered-looking nuts. ( Did I mention, this lad was not at all
fastidious or pure of heart in anything he did?)

Six months later, he sold it for a Norton, and the guy who bought it cursed
him for a year - loudly, roundly and soundly.

Flash

A reputation Im trying hard to avoid.

You can buy a Whitworth tool set for less than that bad rep would get
ya, mon.


Im a machine tool mechanic. Every day I work on, repair, service etc etc
very accurate, very expensive machine tools, both manual and CNC.

They generally havent set for 37 odd years in an unheated garage in
northern michigan.....and usually have enough oil on the inside AND the
outside to prevent stuff from freezing solid.
Usually..mostly...often.....sigh

Hey, now that it's thawed in the sunny CA weather...


I think Im going to have to hunt around and scrounge up a set of box and
open end whitworth wrenches. The big problem so far..is apparently the
damned engineers didnt believe in "back clearence" of fasterners.
While I may have room to get an open end on something..most of the box
ends require serious thinning down on the backside to go over many
fasteners...the fasterners are up close besides a fitting, flange, bulge
etc etc.

http://stores.ebay.com/SteadfastCycles


Ive already seperated out the cheaper wrenches so I can mangle them to
fit the bike..those that seem to fit whitworth fasteners.

and the fasteners themselfs...not a lot of hardened nuts and bolts in
this bike...they are dead soft for the most part...easy to chew up.

I think this bike is going to leak a bit of oil..as Ill be afraid to
tighten anything up too much, that has to be removed periodicaly.

Pull all the bolts and use anti-seize on them right now, while you're
thinking about it. It'll save you the angst later.


Anybody got Whitworth tools they want to trade for Stuff?

G'luck with that one. g

Maybe Ig...

---
Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight
very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands.
It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.
--John Wayne (1907 - 1979)

"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
...

Im a machine tool mechanic. Every day I work on, repair, service etc etc
very accurate, very expensive machine tools, both manual and CNC.

They generally havent set for 37 odd years in an unheated garage in
northern michigan.....and usually have enough oil on the inside AND the
outside to prevent stuff from freezing solid.
Usually..mostly...often.....sigh

I think Im going to have to hunt around and scrounge up a set of box and
open end whitworth wrenches. The big problem so far..is apparently the
damned engineers didnt believe in "back clearence" of fasterners.
While I may have room to get an open end on something..most of the box
ends require serious thinning down on the backside to go over many
fasteners...the fasterners are up close besides a fitting, flange, bulge
etc etc.

Ive already seperated out the cheaper wrenches so I can mangle them to
fit the bike..those that seem to fit whitworth fasteners.

and the fasteners themselfs...not a lot of hardened nuts and bolts in
this bike...they are dead soft for the most part...easy to chew up.

I think this bike is going to leak a bit of oil..as Ill be afraid to
tighten anything up too much, that has to be removed periodicaly.


Here is a chart of whitworth dimensions:
http://www.samstagsales.com/whitworth_table.htm

You may be able to find a spare undersize socket or wrench and machine it to
fit, or if that is too much of a pain you can just measure your bolt heads
and buy the sizes you need.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

"Roger Shoaf" wrote in message
...

"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
...

Im a machine tool mechanic. Every day I work on, repair, service etc etc
very accurate, very expensive machine tools, both manual and CNC.

They generally havent set for 37 odd years in an unheated garage in
northern michigan.....and usually have enough oil on the inside AND the
outside to prevent stuff from freezing solid.
Usually..mostly...often.....sigh

I think Im going to have to hunt around and scrounge up a set of box and
open end whitworth wrenches. The big problem so far..is apparently the
damned engineers didnt believe in "back clearence" of fasterners.
While I may have room to get an open end on something..most of the box
ends require serious thinning down on the backside to go over many
fasteners...the fasterners are up close besides a fitting, flange, bulge
etc etc.

Ive already seperated out the cheaper wrenches so I can mangle them to
fit the bike..those that seem to fit whitworth fasteners.

and the fasteners themselfs...not a lot of hardened nuts and bolts in
this bike...they are dead soft for the most part...easy to chew up.

I think this bike is going to leak a bit of oil..as Ill be afraid to
tighten anything up too much, that has to be removed periodicaly.


Here is a chart of whitworth dimensions:
http://www.samstagsales.com/whitworth_table.htm

You may be able to find a spare undersize socket or wrench and machine it
to
fit, or if that is too much of a pain you can just measure your bolt heads
and buy the sizes you need.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube,
then
they come up with this striped stuff.


There are a few things you can do to make wrenches and sockets fit. The
easiest is to grind out open end wrenches. You can use shim stock inside
sockets and box wrenches, either all the way or only part way around,
driving them over the fastener. You can also re-forge sockets and box
wrenches larger by heating red hot and driving over the fastener. You can
forge sockets smaller by heating red hot and hammering around the outside.
(You can also re-forge Phillips drivers by heating and driving into a
suitable screw recess). None of this is likely to produce a quality tool but
it is likely to get the job done when needed

Don Young