BSA B44 441 cc Shooting Star discussed with two test rides in reverse order [see description]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2020
- This machine had been laid up for 10 years or so, due mainly to some burnt out wiring. It now appears to be running pretty well, but with some clutch slip and a few other things still needing attention, as well as a good clean, to be at its best once more. A nice lively 'back lanes' machine, if ever there was!
I just love how they would use the same parts for different bikes. Part interchangeable is a great asset.
I always wanted a B44 - ever since my father refused to allow me. I got one eventually. It vibrated like a jackhammer unlike the C15, C25 and B50 bike’s I owned previously. Once when out on a 100+ mile ride, the clutch started to slip. I just managed to get home, and on removing the primary chain cover found two clutch springs and cups completely off, one spring about to come off and the fourth one in place properly. The handbook states the clutch screws must be lock-wired - a fact that escaped the previous owner. I did fix it, but have a large roll of unused lock wire hanging up in the garage. B44SS is long gone but not forgotten.
Those wheels are the treat! Wish I had time to lace some.
This bike needs a rebore to get that piston slap noise under control. I'd also run the valves 2 thou tighter than stock. I would also run the sprockets with the highest ratio possible. Fill the handlebars with lead to help the rpm's stay low in cruise. I have a 67 shooting star myself. vibarated the tail light right off it once. They do look good from certain angles.Thanks for the vid.
Thanks Paul. I might note to the owner, when delivery comes, the first half minute or so of the video quite shows the need for a balance weight or two on the front wheel.
I was delighted, as an amateur geographer, to hear, in the second half, your pronunciation of Llansadwrn. As an Alaskan, I would never have been able to get it right by reading it.
Thanks Phillip. That wheel is not too badly out of balance - check out how long it keeps moving, after just rolling the bike onto the centre stand! I have never seen a wheel spin so freely - I think you could blow on it to get it moving!
Lovely bike for the country roads. Light lively and a cracking engine note.
Couldn't agree more!
My first ride on a Shooting Star. Thanks for putting up withe cold.
Thanks for coming along, Herman!
Hi Paul great back lane bike sounds punchy
Those who rode behind me on my 1970 BSA 250 Starfire told me the could feel the exhaust note percussion on their chest. It seemed more power went out the exhaust than out the crank !
Like mini-grenades being tossed at you. Luckily only that !: th-cam.com/video/JiHn5kqBkVg/w-d-xo.html
Had one of those too, all my mates had the Honda 250 , a much better bike
A cracking big single...
I prefer my 250 BSA C-15 's as they're much easier to get started. 60 MPH with plenty of throttle to go. Comfy 2 up as well.
Wondered how cold it was Paul, puddles were not frozen. Thanks for the ride great to see the countryside in December.
Thanks Roy - some of the puddles were frozen and melting two days later, for my most recent clip [Royal Pantherfield] !
Sounds game enough, and after a decade of gathering cobwebs I'd wager she'll soon run better still with a few miles added regularly to the clock. I wouldn't say that clutch slip is certain to sort itself out with some road time, but if those fiber pads are just a bit "glazed" and sopped up with oil from just sitting, a little heat and work might just shake off those "spinnies" with a light adjustment. And if not, well that 441 engine has just about the friendliest clutch to work on of any bike I've ever owned. I had one of the 441's scrambler models, also a 1970, being a Victor 441 Special, back in the '90s to scoot around Austin, Texas. It was great for tear-assing around town, but its lower-than-low gearing, possibly a mod by a previous owner for off-roading, made it about as useless as a soup tureen full of fetid frog spleens for even light touring outside of town. Anything over 50 would commence rattling out your tooth fillings. That geared up Shooting Star 441 seems a MUCH more tractable, flexible and above all happy "green laner" than my Victor ever was. So, well done getting her back on her feet! That's a lovely ride that'll clean up well.
Thanks for sharing that, Bill!
Nice looking motorcycle. However, if I were the owner, I would leave the machine for a season in Performance Classics, completely checking the clutch, placing a high compression piston, checking valves and the time for the new rate, tuning the carburetor, completely checking the electrical system, from there then make use of that air intake in the front hub for very angry machines. It seemed very maneuverable in low and medium speed curves.
I think I would leave the compression alone. I raised mine and it kept breaking kick start pawls.always had two or three in my pocket.nice bike as is and don't chase rd 250c with it. If you want to keep the valves in the cylinder head. Brought back a lot of memories thanks
Nice bike, engine peppy clutch a little worrisome... I always listen to cluch slip for some reason... :)
Would that 'the bright stuff' on all your bikes, gleam as does the recently-installed (?) home-heater pipe: ttps://i.imgur.com/yYIj7Fh.png
Only once did I pilote a 441...a Victor. I remember it vibrating more than I was used to. But then, at that time, my daily ride was the Suzuki 250 2-stroke: S-M-O-O-O-O-T-H ! [Like the difference betwix a nut-laced ice cream cone, and a straight French-vanilla one...like me !]
BTW, the machines which are inoperative when you receive them, well, are the owners obligated to bring such on/in a lorry...or do you venture out in your van to secure same? A pick-up & delivery service.
Perhaps a repair/restoration video from the moment of its' arrival...showing the owners, as well, would be of interest to one all? An eclectic bunch of owners, I'll wager !
I have had 4 B50s that went well but nothing I've ridden vibrated like the B44 I wonder if it was a poorly set up crank
Assuming the timing etc were all set up correctly, maybe it was something out of balance.
Only thing I hated about the b44 I had was the vibration!
Looks like the front wheel is out of balance on your customers one
There is a slight imbalance on the front wheel, but look how freely it turns!
@@paulhenshaw4514 it is turning very freely , those twin leaders are a bloody good brake
I assume the lever comes all the way back to the grip? But work's better than people think