Hey guys-
I've had my '72 Combat for a couple months now, and have had it running and riding for just a couple weeks. I bought it as a rust bucket with a blown head gasket, and it had sat against a fence under a tarp (in portland, OR) for 9 years.
Anyway, I've done lots to the bike at this point, but the pre-unit construction is still new to me. I've had unit BSAs and triumphs with primary tensioners, as well as lots of "modern" (70's) hondas. When i got it running, I heard primary noise, and upon pulling the primary cover I discovered not only a loose rotor nut, but a very loose primary chain. In this condition, the clutch has LOTS of wobble. With the primary chain tightened, this went away. Is this normal? It felt as if the basket was loose on the shaft, or that the bearings were worn. Also, now that is and the drive chain are adjusted, I can feel the tension and free-play in the clutch lever change depending on whether I am accelerating or not, which tells me that the clutch basket is still loose. under acceleration, the free-play in the clutch lever essentially goes away. I get no clutch slippage or problems finding neutral or gears though.
Still, this is a problem, correct?
I've had my '72 Combat for a couple months now, and have had it running and riding for just a couple weeks. I bought it as a rust bucket with a blown head gasket, and it had sat against a fence under a tarp (in portland, OR) for 9 years.
Anyway, I've done lots to the bike at this point, but the pre-unit construction is still new to me. I've had unit BSAs and triumphs with primary tensioners, as well as lots of "modern" (70's) hondas. When i got it running, I heard primary noise, and upon pulling the primary cover I discovered not only a loose rotor nut, but a very loose primary chain. In this condition, the clutch has LOTS of wobble. With the primary chain tightened, this went away. Is this normal? It felt as if the basket was loose on the shaft, or that the bearings were worn. Also, now that is and the drive chain are adjusted, I can feel the tension and free-play in the clutch lever change depending on whether I am accelerating or not, which tells me that the clutch basket is still loose. under acceleration, the free-play in the clutch lever essentially goes away. I get no clutch slippage or problems finding neutral or gears though.
Still, this is a problem, correct?