I got everything installed with minimal fuss. The alternator was a bear to get off, which was surprising, but with a bit of persuasion from a 3 jaw puller and a little bit of heat it came off. While I was in there, I noticed the timing plate had been broken, bashed, and abused before being reinstalled. I have a new one showing up from OldBrits today which, once installed, should make timing quite a bit more precise.
From there, I removed the old parts and installed the new Podtronics rectifier. Wow - that really cleaned things up. Unfortunately, and I swear I test fitted, I somehow managed to mount it in a way that it's fouling the side cover. No biggie - I'll move that this winter.
The TriSpark ignition and big coil went on with absolutely no fuss ... once I sorted out the clockwise vs counter-clockwise issue.
I'm quite impressed with the whole setup and really appreciate the test functionality built in. As I mentioned above, I'm really not too sure about the timing not only because of the timing plate, but also I'm not sold on the degree job being done well. To sort that, I've built a hard stop so that I can find true TDC. I'll get that dialed in 100% and then will re-time the ignition both statically and with a light gun.
Overall, the bike runs enormously better. It starts much more easily, makes a ton of power, and has a beautiful idle once warmed up. I'm still learning the right procedure for using the "choke" on the Mikuni and getting the system up to temperature. I'm either clicking it off too soon, or running it too long and that leads to stalling, which can lead to it being more difficult to restart. No biggie - just learning how she works.
I've been riding it all over Seattle before the rain set in for the winter (it's here now) and have found a few more things to fix. On my first longer ride, I noted that the tach was working properly, which is a rare thing for anyone who's owned Smith's gauges. Unfortunately, due to the laws of British motoring, once I noted the proper functionality ... it immediately died. Oddly, the speedo, which was previously mostly in-op came back to life a few miles later. I'll start with new cables (which it clearly needs) to see if that fixes things. I also noted during my one stretch of riding in the rain that they aren't water tight, so that will need sorting too.
The ergonomics leave something to be desired for a guy my size as well, so I'll need to work that out. I'm thinking some rearsets will help quite a bit along with a rebuilt (slightly taller and less worn out) saddle. I also think the rear springs are too soft for my weight, so I'll look into replacing them as well. I don't have a good opinion on the front forks just yet because I think the geometry is messed up by the sagging rear end. I'll be changing the fork oil this winter as part of the maintenance routine, and will reevaluate it with some more riding.
One other oddity I've noticed: If I'm riding down a steep hill (very common here) with a less than full gas tank it'll starve the carbs and will stall the motor. I suppose I'll just have to keep the tank topped up at all times, which isn't then end of the world, but I prefer to run the level down before winter. Meh - a little fuel stabilizer and I should be good to go.
From there, I removed the old parts and installed the new Podtronics rectifier. Wow - that really cleaned things up. Unfortunately, and I swear I test fitted, I somehow managed to mount it in a way that it's fouling the side cover. No biggie - I'll move that this winter.
The TriSpark ignition and big coil went on with absolutely no fuss ... once I sorted out the clockwise vs counter-clockwise issue.
I'm quite impressed with the whole setup and really appreciate the test functionality built in. As I mentioned above, I'm really not too sure about the timing not only because of the timing plate, but also I'm not sold on the degree job being done well. To sort that, I've built a hard stop so that I can find true TDC. I'll get that dialed in 100% and then will re-time the ignition both statically and with a light gun.Overall, the bike runs enormously better. It starts much more easily, makes a ton of power, and has a beautiful idle once warmed up. I'm still learning the right procedure for using the "choke" on the Mikuni and getting the system up to temperature. I'm either clicking it off too soon, or running it too long and that leads to stalling, which can lead to it being more difficult to restart. No biggie - just learning how she works.
I've been riding it all over Seattle before the rain set in for the winter (it's here now) and have found a few more things to fix. On my first longer ride, I noted that the tach was working properly, which is a rare thing for anyone who's owned Smith's gauges. Unfortunately, due to the laws of British motoring, once I noted the proper functionality ... it immediately died. Oddly, the speedo, which was previously mostly in-op came back to life a few miles later. I'll start with new cables (which it clearly needs) to see if that fixes things. I also noted during my one stretch of riding in the rain that they aren't water tight, so that will need sorting too.
The ergonomics leave something to be desired for a guy my size as well, so I'll need to work that out. I'm thinking some rearsets will help quite a bit along with a rebuilt (slightly taller and less worn out) saddle. I also think the rear springs are too soft for my weight, so I'll look into replacing them as well. I don't have a good opinion on the front forks just yet because I think the geometry is messed up by the sagging rear end. I'll be changing the fork oil this winter as part of the maintenance routine, and will reevaluate it with some more riding.
One other oddity I've noticed: If I'm riding down a steep hill (very common here) with a less than full gas tank it'll starve the carbs and will stall the motor. I suppose I'll just have to keep the tank topped up at all times, which isn't then end of the world, but I prefer to run the level down before winter. Meh - a little fuel stabilizer and I should be good to go.
