Hi Olympus,
I have had an Alton for two years and their support is great!
Here are some suggestions for your install.
1) Install a new Tri-Spark electronic ignition that has "below idle very low rpm retard"
Why? You don't want to have a kickback and shear the plastic dowels that protect the electric starter motor from kickbacks as it means you have to pull off the stator and rotor to access the shear dowels.
Here is an example of how you might shear the dowels. You stop the bike at a traffic light, put the bike in neutral and let out the clutch. But it turns out you were still in 1st gear and you stall the engine. When the engine slows to a stop with old points ignition or an older electronic ignition, the spark is always BTDC and you can get a kickback and shear the dowels. I know that sound when it happens .....
I researched electronic ignitions and chose a Tri-Spark. Steve Kelly there was really helpful and I looked at the advance curve on it. If you set the maximum advance spark at 28 degrees, the very low (below idle speed) rpm has spark ATDC. In addition, the Tri-spark has idle control spark. There was a bonus...I cannot really understand why it works, but when I put my new Tri-Spark on, set the timing and then assessed how the engine ran, (without adjusting the Mikuni carb), the bike started better, and would idle cold (ie not stall like it used to without holding throttle a bit open) when I took the choke off immediately after starting.
It's a great product and Steve Kelly is very responsive to all Emails
2) Do some "just in case" oil leak sealing on the rear of the new Alton inner primary chaincase cover.
I had a very slight leak, not sure exactly from where so I did some preventative work.
Where the stator wires exit, cover their exit with a sealant like Permatex The Right Stuff.
Also, put sealant around where the starter motor mates to the new inner primary. I don't mean for you to take the starter off,
just put sealant at the mating joint. There are a couple of allen bolts in the inner primary case that locate the starter motor and I covered them with sealant. There are also large allen bolts holding the start to the primary. I covered them too. Overkill. Yes, but that's what I do!
3) You will want to be sure the new inner primary cover is shimmed so it does not torque bend when you tighten the outer cover bolt.
This is quite easy to calculate. You dry fit (no sealant at the back) the inner cover in place with the three bolts tightened. You then check, with a micrometer, the length of the threaded rod that comes out of the inner chaincase (that the Outer cover bolt attaches to). Check it to the nearest thou. Then take the three bolts off (as they can impede rocking movement you will do.) Then you rock the cover by pressing it in where the threaded bolt is. This takes up the free play you will shim.
When cover is pressed in, taking up the free play, you again check the depth of the threaded rod. My inner cover moved (rocked) in 12 thou when I did this so I put a 12 thou shim behind the inner primary. I cut a 12 though feeler gauge to a U shape and put a little sealant on it then dropped it vertically onto the threaded rod before final assembly. I rechecked the measurement many times before deciding it was 12 thou
3) Where the threaded rod comes through the new inner primary is a possible source of oil leak. ie oil can work its way along the threads and out the back.
I got some foam rubber and pushed it alongside the rod into the inner primary hole with a dental pick. Then I put a little sealant over the opening.
4) Check the clearance of your old primary outer cover to the new Alton inner primary.
On the bench, lay the old cover on the new primary and check what size feeler gauge you can get into the crack where they meet at all places. I had 6 thou clearance all along the bottom. I got a large piece of very thick glass from a glass shop and checked my cover's flatness on both sides of the glass and then did some material removal. In terms of dealing with primary leaks, I am now using a red silicone o-ring and have covered my outer cover facing with a red silicone gasket that sticks on.
My theory is that there is a lot give in the silicone so gaps will be filled so leaks minimized.
I have 30 kms on the bike since doing that and no leaks or wetness. Of course, because I have posted this, a leak will likely start during my next ride and I will have to report back the solution has failed. Details can be a separate post if you want
5) Decide what type of primary oil you will use and how much.
The Alton sprague clutch comes with grease in it but (and this is my theory, not Alton's) ... I think over time the grease will exit and lubrication will come from splash working its way in. Also, there are some Alton bushings that get lubed by splash.
So I decided not to use ATF and to fill to Norton recommended level with engine oil.
6) Starting the first time with the Alton.
The first time you start the engine with Alton installed, if you do not have an electronic ignition with retard installed and already timed, kick start it, warm it up, and then set the ignition timing. The last thing you want is to have sheared the dowels first go
7) A gauge to know what's going on and that all is working
I have installed a very small digital voltmeter between the handlebars. It was about $10 and taps into power going to the coils. Came from Amazon.
8) Bolting on, and adjusting the Stator to rotor clearance.
It takes very little time. When you bolt the stator on, there are plastic shims that temporarily space it from the rotor. You remove these after tightening up the three allen bolts that secure the stator. I use the shims, tighten the three bolts (without blue loctite), then I pull out the shims and check that there is a 16 thou gap all around. If there is, I put the shims back in, then loosen the three allens one at a time, put blue loctite on them, and tighten them up.
9) Loctite
I use just a lttle blue loctite on the two taper allen bolts that secure the steady plate to the inner case. Buy a good set of metric well hardened allen sockets and when you need to remove these two, twist hard and fast and they break loose. If you have cheap allen wrenches, you can open up the female part of the allen screws. I don't use loctite on the big allen post that holds the steady plate to the inner primary. I also use blue loctite on the crankshaft nut. But first I tighten the nut dry to 50 ft lbs, wait a day for all to settle, then unscrew, use blue loctite and go to 70 ft lbs. I wait a day after loctiting the crankshaft bolt before I start engine
10) The Alton gear clearance (The two piece gear that has shear dowels inside it)
Check that when you dry fit (with shear dowels) the Alton gear that drives the chain, that you have at least 10 thou of axial clearance. If you don't, check dry fit without the dowels. If it is correct without dowels, (at least 10 thou), you will need to sand a little material off the dowels as they may be a little too long. Also, my opinion (not Alton's) is that the dowels should be a little loose when installed so that you can easily slide the two part assembly open and closed. If not, you may wish to lightly sand any dowel making the action stiff.
11) Alton Stator wire location
You will plug the stator wires into the Alton wires that exit the inner housing. Be sure to position them so that they will not get rubbed by the chain, nor touch any other metal.
12) The three Alton Stator hold down Allen bolts.
There are two very thin washers per for each side of the stator. They are easily pulled away by the magnetic rotor when you are trying to dry fit and then stick to the rotor. When you think you are ready to loctite the bolts, check that they are all in place as they slip away easily onto the rotor
13) When you are at the point that you are dry torquing the crankshaft nut to 50 ft lbs, torque it to 50 and then test the Alton starter with no spark plugs in, gearbox in neutral, etc.
14) Locking the crankshaft in order to tighten or loosen the crank nut.
Alton includes a plastic wedge shim to lock the primary chain. Don't use it. Chain has to be really tight or wedge with travel around the gear. I have a clutch locking tool that locks the clutch outer housing to the inner gear and has a handle on it.I take off the nut that locks the isoelastic into place and the handle is then stopped from rotation by the isoelastic rod bolt.
15) Caution: Never tighten or loosen the crankshaft nut without the steady plate in place.
If you are tightening or loosening the crank nut, and you do not have the steady plate in place, and if the crank moves because your crank locking method fails, the crank gear will turn the Alton starter gear, but because the steady plate is not in, it will pull the gear forward and damage the inner gear bushing that is in the Alton primary case
16) After a hundred miles, drain the chaincase oil to check that you have no metal particles.
If primary chain is too loose, it will rub somewhere and you see particles in the oil
Well, that's all I can think of for now
Dennis
Vancouver
