I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless
with the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder.
Would that be possible?

Idea is to form some loops in the ends of the wire, then instead of
proper crimping to fit some copper roughly crimped, then soldered.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless with
the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder. Would
that be possible?

It is possible to solder stainless steel, but I would be surprised if
plumbers flux worked very well. I used to use a mix of 25% hydrochloric
acid and 75% Bakers Fluid No 1 when soft soldering stainless.

Colin Bignell

"insertmysurnamehere pretended :
It is possible to solder stainless steel, but I would be surprised if
plumbers flux worked very well. I used to use a mix of 25% hydrochloric acid
and 75% Bakers Fluid No 1 when soft soldering stainless.

Thanks.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Nightjar "cpb"@ insertmysurnamehere wrote:
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless with
the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder. Would
that be possible?

It is possible to solder stainless steel, but I would be surprised if
plumbers flux worked very well. I used to use a mix of 25% hydrochloric
acid and 75% Bakers Fluid No 1 when soft soldering stainless.

What concentration of HCL do you need? Would brick acid do it?

It's the chlorine that is important and if it really is possible to solder
stainless, zinc chloride solution is the usual 'heavy duty' flux.

However: I would have thought there is no point in buying 750kg breaking
strain cable and then sticking it together with something about as strong as
cheddar. Certainly when I used to try and fashion new nipples on the end of
bowden cables to bodge my old bike brakes, they never stayed on v long!

S

Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless with
the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder. Would
that be possible?

Idea is to form some loops in the ends of the wire, then instead of
proper crimping to fit some copper roughly crimped, then soldered.


Take it to a yacht chandlers.

http://www.boatandmarinesafety.co.uk...eye-1099-p.asp

"Our price: £1.61" (that's just the first hit - I've never heard of
them before). Hardly worth playing about. Any half-decent chandler will
have the gadget in shop.

Andy

"Harry Bloomfield" wrote in message
. uk...
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless with
the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder. Would
that be possible?

Idea is to form some loops in the ends of the wire, then instead of proper
crimping to fit some copper roughly crimped, then soldered.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk


Here's the nitty gritty:
http://www.jm-metaljoining.com/pdfs-...ss%20Steel.pdf

S

John Rumm wrote:
Nightjar "cpb"@ insertmysurnamehere wrote:
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless
with the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead
solder. Would that be possible?

It is possible to solder stainless steel, but I would be surprised if
plumbers flux worked very well. I used to use a mix of 25%
hydrochloric acid and 75% Bakers Fluid No 1 when soft soldering
stainless.

What concentration of HCL do you need? Would brick acid do it?


Sorry, I should have said it was concentrated HCL I used, bought from a
local chemical supplier. It is, of course, a dangerous chemical and you
add the acid slowly to the Baker's fluid, if anyone is not aware of that.

Colin Bignell

spamlet wrote:

However: I would have thought there is no point in buying 750kg breaking
strain cable and then sticking it together with something about as strong as
cheddar. Certainly when I used to try and fashion new nipples on the end of
bowden cables to bodge my old bike brakes, they never stayed on v long!

That takes me back - bad memories of multiple resolderings of nipples on brake
/clutch cables of 50s-60s era Matchless and Norton motorbikes.

In article ,
Gib Bogle wrote:
spamlet wrote:

However: I would have thought there is no point in buying 750kg
breaking strain cable and then sticking it together with something
about as strong as cheddar. Certainly when I used to try and fashion
new nipples on the end of bowden cables to bodge my old bike brakes,
they never stayed on v long!

That takes me back - bad memories of multiple resolderings of nipples on
brake /clutch cables of 50s-60s era Matchless and Norton motorbikes.

You normally splay out the ends of the strands into a hole at the back of
the nipple rather larger than that for the cable. So the solder joint
isn't just in shear.

--
*A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Gib Bogle" wrote in message
...
spamlet wrote:

However: I would have thought there is no point in buying 750kg breaking
strain cable and then sticking it together with something about as strong
as cheddar. Certainly when I used to try and fashion new nipples on the
end of bowden cables to bodge my old bike brakes, they never stayed on v
long!

That takes me back - bad memories of multiple resolderings of nipples on
brake /clutch cables of 50s-60s era Matchless and Norton motorbikes.

Yup, didn't ya just dread that sudden pop and wheelie while you were waiting
for the lights and could see the cable going but do nothing about it!

S

On 27/04/2010 23:09, Nightjar "cpb"@ insertmysurnamehere wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
Nightjar "cpb"@ insertmysurnamehere wrote:
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless
with the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead
solder. Would that be possible?

It is possible to solder stainless steel, but I would be surprised
if plumbers flux worked very well. I used to use a mix of 25%
hydrochloric acid and 75% Bakers Fluid No 1 when soft soldering
stainless.

What concentration of HCL do you need? Would brick acid do it?


Sorry, I should have said it was concentrated HCL I used, bought from
a local chemical supplier. It is, of course, a dangerous chemical and
you add the acid slowly to the Baker's fluid, if anyone is not aware
of that.

Colin Bignell
Isn't Bakers Fluid, Zinc dissolved in Hcl making Zinc Cloride ? so you
add more acid ?
Don

On 27/04/2010 20:56, spamlet wrote:
"Harry wrote in message
. uk...

I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless with
the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder. Would
that be possible?

Idea is to form some loops in the ends of the wire, then instead of proper
crimping to fit some copper roughly crimped, then soldered.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk


Here's the nitty gritty:
http://www.jm-metaljoining.com/pdfs-...ss%20Steel.pdf

S



Thanks for that useful info. Saved in my workshop file.
Cheers
Don

Donwill wrote:
On 27/04/2010 23:09, Nightjar "cpb"@ insertmysurnamehere wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
Nightjar "cpb"@ insertmysurnamehere wrote:
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless
with the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead
solder. Would that be possible?

It is possible to solder stainless steel, but I would be surprised
if plumbers flux worked very well. I used to use a mix of 25%
hydrochloric acid and 75% Bakers Fluid No 1 when soft soldering
stainless.

What concentration of HCL do you need? Would brick acid do it?


Sorry, I should have said it was concentrated HCL I used, bought from
a local chemical supplier. It is, of course, a dangerous chemical and
you add the acid slowly to the Baker's fluid, if anyone is not aware
of that.

Colin Bignell
Isn't Bakers Fluid, Zinc dissolved in Hcl making Zinc Cloride ? so you
add more acid ?

The formulation is a little more complex than that - there are three
different Bakers Fluids - but essentially yes. Bakers Fluid No 1 by
itself is not aggressive enough for stainless.

The surface of stainless steel is protected by a layer of chromium
dioxide and hot HCL is a very effective way to strip chromium plate. So
I think that the combination of heat and the extra acid cuts though the
surface layer, allowing the solder to bond to the steel underneath,
fluxed by the Baker's Fluid.

Colin Bignell

On 27 Apr, 17:18, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless
with the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder.

No, not a hope. To soft solder stainless (and esp. 316) you have to
use a flux so powerfully evil you'll never get the traces out of a
wire rope.

Easiest way is to use silver solder instead. Costs a little more,
needs a gas torch and a pinch of a fluoride based flux like Easyflo
(try eBay or the model engineering shops for small quantities). 316
loves this and will slurp it up by capillary action, giving a good
strong joint.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

However: I would have thought there is no point in buying 750kg breaking
strain cable and then sticking it together with something about as strong as
cheddar. Certainly when I used to try and fashion new nipples on the end of
bowden cables to bodge my old bike brakes, they never stayed on v long!

You're supposed to fray out the end inside the ferrule and the solder
fills it all up, preventing the cable being pulled through.

Still, if you were unaware of this, it's not surprising they failed.

In article ,
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

However: I would have thought there is no point in buying 750kg
breaking strain cable and then sticking it together with something
about as strong as cheddar. Certainly when I used to try and fashion
new nipples on the end of bowden cables to bodge my old bike brakes,
they never stayed on v long!

You're supposed to fray out the end inside the ferrule and the solder
fills it all up, preventing the cable being pulled through.

Still, if you were unaware of this, it's not surprising they failed.

Indeed. I've made lots of cables using that method without a failure. The
solder is then under compression rather than shear.

--
*Plagiarism saves time *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 28 Apr, 10:34, Andy Dingley wrote:
On 27 Apr, 17:18, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless
with the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder.

No, not a hope. To soft solder stainless (and esp. 316) you have to
use a flux so powerfully evil you'll never get the traces out of a
wire rope.

A simpler flux which works very well in conjunction with tin/lead
solder is pure phosphoric acid. (It may also work with lead-free
solder, but I haven't tried this.) Phosphoric acid, being only a
little more viscous than water, can easily be washed out afterwards
leaving no corrosive residue. It does of course need to be handled
with reasonable care, especially because it can spatter during the
soldering.

John

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

However: I would have thought there is no point in buying 750kg
breaking strain cable and then sticking it together with something
about as strong as cheddar. Certainly when I used to try and fashion
new nipples on the end of bowden cables to bodge my old bike brakes,
they never stayed on v long!

You're supposed to fray out the end inside the ferrule and the solder
fills it all up, preventing the cable being pulled through.

Still, if you were unaware of this, it's not surprising they failed.

Indeed. I've made lots of cables using that method without a failure. The
solder is then under compression rather than shear.

--

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs! Do you
really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have thought of
splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to dream of being
able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA 'Thunderbolt' clutch had
springs so strong the lever would gradually force my hand open if I tried to
hold it in for long (And even then the b...... plates slipped most of the
time!). The only way I could bodge nipples for this that worked, was to run
the cable through an internally threaded steel tube and bolt them in place
(Rather like beefed up wirings in a plug. Actually, come to think of it,
you could buy them as emergency nipples and always keep a couple in with
your puncture kit and chain splitter...) Did eventually get round to
buying a special clutch, but by that time I'd also got a Honda in pieces...

S

"Donwill" wrote in message
...
On 27/04/2010 20:56, spamlet wrote:
"Harry wrote in message
. uk...

I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless with
the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder. Would
that be possible?

Idea is to form some loops in the ends of the wire, then instead of
proper
crimping to fit some copper roughly crimped, then soldered.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk


Here's the nitty gritty:
http://www.jm-metaljoining.com/pdfs-...ss%20Steel.pdf

S



Thanks for that useful info. Saved in my workshop file.
Cheers
Don

Glad somebody noticed at last. I found it v interesting too. I've always
folded and screwed/riveted, stainless up till now: but I do have some
(allegedly) stainless welding rods - It's just that I'm rubbish at arc
welding anyway!

S

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On 27 Apr, 17:18, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:
I seem to remember once having succeeded in soldering 316 stainless
with the yellow plastic potted plumbers flux and ordinary lead solder.

No, not a hope. To soft solder stainless (and esp. 316) you have to
use a flux so powerfully evil you'll never get the traces out of a
wire rope.

Easiest way is to use silver solder instead. Costs a little more,
needs a gas torch and a pinch of a fluoride based flux like Easyflo
(try eBay or the model engineering shops for small quantities). 316
loves this and will slurp it up by capillary action, giving a good
strong joint.

Presumably, wearing gas mask...

S

In article ,
spamlet wrote:
Indeed. I've made lots of cables using that method without a failure.
The solder is then under compression rather than shear.

--

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs! Do
you really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have thought
of splaying out cable ends before soldering them!?

I didn't 'think' of it. Just standard practice for making cables once.

--
*Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Gib Bogle wrote:
spamlet wrote:

However: I would have thought there is no point in buying 750kg
breaking strain cable and then sticking it together with something
about as strong as cheddar. Certainly when I used to try and fashion
new nipples on the end of bowden cables to bodge my old bike brakes,
they never stayed on v long!

That takes me back - bad memories of multiple resolderings of nipples on
brake /clutch cables of 50s-60s era Matchless and Norton motorbikes.

You normally splay out the ends of the strands into a hole at the back of
the nipple rather larger than that for the cable. So the solder joint
isn't just in shear.


Yeah, I remember trying various measures. The condition of the cable (usually
bad) played a part. The clutch cable on my Kawasaki 250 is massive by
comparison, and of course the hydraulic brake system is virtually maintenance free.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs! Do you
really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have thought of
splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to dream of being
able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA 'Thunderbolt' clutch had
springs so strong the lever would gradually force my hand open if I tried to
hold it in for long (And even then the b...... plates slipped most of the
time!).

Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a
bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.

On 28 Apr, 17:37, "spamlet" wrote:

Presumably, wearing gas mask...

Interesting point, but apparently not unless you over heat.

My fiend The Cursing Chemist is no stranger to the oily workshop, but
has an absolute horror of Easyflo flux. Second only to my dislike of
glass etching. Spurred to investigate further, it seems that the
hazard really isn't a problem for silver soldering, but can be if you
substitute it as a welding flux.

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs! Do you
really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have thought of
splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to dream of being
able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA 'Thunderbolt' clutch had
springs so strong the lever would gradually force my hand open if I tried to
hold it in for long (And even then the b...... plates slipped most of the
time!).

Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a
bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.

Old bikes are like that. a LOT of clutch pressure needed.

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On 28 Apr, 17:37, "spamlet" wrote:

Presumably, wearing gas mask...

Interesting point, but apparently not unless you over heat.

My fiend The Cursing Chemist is no stranger to the oily workshop, but
has an absolute horror of Easyflo flux. Second only to my dislike of
glass etching. Spurred to investigate further, it seems that the
hazard really isn't a problem for silver soldering, but can be if you
substitute it as a welding flux.

In the lab I used to work, everything to do with fluoride came with skull
and crossed bones on. Even the, relatively mild, fluorosilicic acid came in
plastic dropper bottles, kept in fume cupboards, handled with thick rubber
gloves, and carefully washed after each use. Your friend is dead right.
Better to bead blast or use a vibrating etcher than use HF for glass
etching.

S

On 29 Apr, 15:27, "spamlet" wrote:

In the lab I used to work, everything to do with fluoride came with skull
and crossed bones on. *

We printed up some special labels, where the crossed bones were wobbly
and had holes in them...

In article ,
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs!
Do you really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have
thought of splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to
dream of being able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA
'Thunderbolt' clutch had springs so strong the lever would gradually
force my hand open if I tried to hold it in for long (And even then
the b...... plates slipped most of the time!).

Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a
bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.

I've driven plenty bikes in my time and never one with a clutch as heavy
as described. Even a Vincent Rapide.

Oh - Mr Spamlet needs to learn when a clutch is in or out...

--
*Vegetarians taste great*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs!
Do you really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have
thought of splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to
dream of being able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA
'Thunderbolt' clutch had springs so strong the lever would gradually
force my hand open if I tried to hold it in for long (And even then
the b...... plates slipped most of the time!).

Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a
bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.

I've driven plenty bikes in my time and never one with a clutch as heavy
as described. Even a Vincent Rapide.

Oh - Mr Spamlet needs to learn when a clutch is in or out...

--
Oh, that's easy: on my 900SS it's in (always assuming you mean the clutch
rather than the lever) when the cable just broke again - and if I'm lucky,
the engine stalled at the same time!


Sounds like your Vinnie was, uncharacteristically, a bit low on torque, or
maybe you removed the sidecar?

The queue (usually huge) for spares at Pride and Sharks and most other
spares places we all had a love/hate relationship with, was generally packed
with people looking for upgrades, or yet more plates, for their clutches and
springs. Hey I even found an old MC News under the carpet, that's probably
still got all the ads for the upgrades in them: if you really were into
bikes you must have read hundreds of them, and spent many an evening
discussing their various merits with you fellow bikers down the local.
(Plus the ability to buy piston rings individually and grind them to fit:
blissful days: all those little specialist shops and workshops: all gone: v
sad). Fraid it was only when Honda got in on the game that the era of the
clutch that would outlive the bike began: my CD175 went twice round the
clock before I reluctantly sold it on, and the clutch was the one thing I
never had to touch - it rarely ever seemed to need any oil either (Still
broke plenty of cables though! Even the throttle ones!)

S

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs! Do you
really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have thought of
splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to dream of being
able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA 'Thunderbolt' clutch had
springs so strong the lever would gradually force my hand open if I tried to
hold it in for long (And even then the b...... plates slipped most of the
time!).

Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a
bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.

Now that you mention it, there could have been some design issues with those old
British bikes ...

"Gib Bogle" wrote in message
...
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs! Do
you really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have thought
of splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to dream of
being able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA 'Thunderbolt'
clutch had springs so strong the lever would gradually force my hand
open if I tried to hold it in for long (And even then the b...... plates
slipped most of the time!).

Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a
bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.

Now that you mention it, there could have been some design issues with
those old British bikes ...

Yes: they were designed to be maintained by the average bloke, by the side
of the road, using, a simple tool kit under the seat, and any handy brick
for a hammer. They also cost about £1 per cc and were next to nothing to
insure. They were cheap transport for anyone, but now they are rich kids
toys which they throw away once they've fallen off; because they cost as
much or more to repair than they did to buy.

All very sad if you ask me.

S

on 30/04/2010, spamlet supposed :
They were cheap transport for anyone, but now they are rich kids toys which
they throw away once they've fallen off; because they cost as much or more to
repair than they did to buy.

All very sad if you ask me.

Perhaps, but the modern ones don't pee oil from every seam and you set
off with every expectation of getting there without stopping for
repairs.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

On Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:49:49 +0100, Harry Bloomfield wrote:

Perhaps, but the modern ones don't pee oil from every seam and you set
off with every expectation of getting there without stopping for
repairs.

Where's the fun in that? May as well get on the bus. B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Harry Bloomfield" wrote in message
. uk...
on 30/04/2010, spamlet supposed :
They were cheap transport for anyone, but now they are rich kids toys
which they throw away once they've fallen off; because they cost as much
or more to repair than they did to buy.

All very sad if you ask me.

Perhaps, but the modern ones don't pee oil from every seam and you set off
with every expectation of getting there without stopping for repairs.



And you can't leave them anywhere without them getting nicked. They have
rapidly changed from a convenience to a libility. And the old ones don't
leak with modern gasket materials. Actually, a lot of the oil used to come
out of the crank case breather tube, but nowadays these are generally routed
back through the air filter.

S

spamlet wrote:
"Gib Bogle" wrote in message
...
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs! Do
you really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have thought
of splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to dream of
being able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA 'Thunderbolt'
clutch had springs so strong the lever would gradually force my hand
open if I tried to hold it in for long (And even then the b...... plates
slipped most of the time!).
Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a
bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.
Now that you mention it, there could have been some design issues with
those old British bikes ...

Yes: they were designed to be maintained by the average bloke, by the side
of the road,

They were designed to need to be maintained by the average bloke, by the
side of the road. Just kidding! I understand what you're saying.
There's a lot to be said for simplicity. The modern machines are
amazingly - scarily - powerful. I'm actually quite content with my 1986
Kawasaki 250, on which I've done a few repairs myself. This bike is
amply fast enough for my reflexes.

"Gib Bogle" wrote in message
...
spamlet wrote:
"Gib Bogle" wrote in message
...
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet"
saying something like:

You lot must have been using some pretty light weight clutch springs!
Do you really think you are the only ones 'clever' enough to have
thought of splaying out cable ends before soldering them!? ( I used to
dream of being able to afford a welding/brazing kit...) My BSA
'Thunderbolt' clutch had springs so strong the lever would gradually
force my hand open if I tried to hold it in for long (And even then
the b...... plates slipped most of the time!).
Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a
bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.
Now that you mention it, there could have been some design issues with
those old British bikes ...

Yes: they were designed to be maintained by the average bloke, by the
side of the road,

They were designed to need to be maintained by the average bloke, by the
side of the road. Just kidding! I understand what you're saying. There's
a lot to be said for simplicity. The modern machines are amazingly -
scarily - powerful. I'm actually quite content with my 1986 Kawasaki 250,
on which I've done a few repairs myself. This bike is amply fast enough
for my reflexes.

There are still parts of the world where the old utility element is still
paramount. Elsewhere your Kawa might be seen with a whole family of four on
the seat plus a baby on the handlebars - however, even the good old Royal
Enfield is starting to acquire fripperies like electric starters and fuel
injection: still looks like a proper bike though:
http://www.indiaon2wheels.com/royal-...assic-500-efi/

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