- Joined
- Dec 14, 2013
- Messages
- 397
Hi
Fired the 1955 Manx up for the first time since 1994, after replacing worn cams and broken exhaust pusher and pusher bushes, also replaced the fuel bowl with the correct bowl I had purchased at a swap meet some many years previous, had to machine a new needle for it though as I couldn't stop it from flooding.
After re-timing the valves and lapping them in I thought it might be a good idea to see if the magneto still worked, to my dismay there was no spark at all,
I made a quick phone call to Peter Scott in Sydney who had rebuilt the magneto for me back in 1988, and he said it will be OK just need to polish the points with wet dry because of oxidization, did this and the result was a beautiful fat blue spark again.
Re timed the ignition, set up the roller starter with plug out and earthed, run until pressure showing on cam lube line, refitted plug, turn fuel on and hit roller starter switch and let clutch out roll throttle on and the Manx is running again.
Had to adjust the oil feed pressure to the cams as it was way to high.
Next the trip to Broadford Vic for the annual Easter Bike Bonanza around 10 hours.
Easter Saturday, bike and myself pass OK, start up and warm up for the first run in Pre 1963 racing bike class, fit colder plug all good, out onto the track and bike feels good, get onto the straight run up to 7,000 rev/min in third gear all feeling good testing brakes, all still good , slow down as there is a traffic jam at the right hander which is good as I need to make sure tyres, brakes etc are all OK, engine is pulling strong, no carbuation or igniting problems, down through the left and rights onto the short straight, Alan Cathcart roars past on a big Vee Twin (Vincent I think), OK still good, into the next right hander and front wheel when out from under me, land heavily on right shoulder, the one I broke in two places one other time I rode the Manx at Amaroo Park, result another break between the first two.
The drive home 13 hours was not so good pain wise , but I have done it before so I knew what I was up for.
Damage to the Manx was not so bad, fuel tank dents both sides, right hand foot rest ground down, exhaust pipe and mega bent and squashed, right hand handle bar destroyed.
In the very short run I had I was able to reconfirm to myself that the Manx is a lovely bike to ride .
The moral of the story and another lesson for me is too make sure the tyres are not too old and are safe to ride on .
Regards
Burgs
Fired the 1955 Manx up for the first time since 1994, after replacing worn cams and broken exhaust pusher and pusher bushes, also replaced the fuel bowl with the correct bowl I had purchased at a swap meet some many years previous, had to machine a new needle for it though as I couldn't stop it from flooding.
After re-timing the valves and lapping them in I thought it might be a good idea to see if the magneto still worked, to my dismay there was no spark at all,
I made a quick phone call to Peter Scott in Sydney who had rebuilt the magneto for me back in 1988, and he said it will be OK just need to polish the points with wet dry because of oxidization, did this and the result was a beautiful fat blue spark again.
Re timed the ignition, set up the roller starter with plug out and earthed, run until pressure showing on cam lube line, refitted plug, turn fuel on and hit roller starter switch and let clutch out roll throttle on and the Manx is running again.
Had to adjust the oil feed pressure to the cams as it was way to high.
Next the trip to Broadford Vic for the annual Easter Bike Bonanza around 10 hours.
Easter Saturday, bike and myself pass OK, start up and warm up for the first run in Pre 1963 racing bike class, fit colder plug all good, out onto the track and bike feels good, get onto the straight run up to 7,000 rev/min in third gear all feeling good testing brakes, all still good , slow down as there is a traffic jam at the right hander which is good as I need to make sure tyres, brakes etc are all OK, engine is pulling strong, no carbuation or igniting problems, down through the left and rights onto the short straight, Alan Cathcart roars past on a big Vee Twin (Vincent I think), OK still good, into the next right hander and front wheel when out from under me, land heavily on right shoulder, the one I broke in two places one other time I rode the Manx at Amaroo Park, result another break between the first two.
The drive home 13 hours was not so good pain wise , but I have done it before so I knew what I was up for.
Damage to the Manx was not so bad, fuel tank dents both sides, right hand foot rest ground down, exhaust pipe and mega bent and squashed, right hand handle bar destroyed.
In the very short run I had I was able to reconfirm to myself that the Manx is a lovely bike to ride .
The moral of the story and another lesson for me is too make sure the tyres are not too old and are safe to ride on .
Regards
Burgs