+back in 1963, I had a BSA B31 350, but my mate had one of these , exactly the same. The way we started them was to hold in the decompressor and straddle the bike , then kick it over fast 4 or 5 times then let go of the lever just as you started the last downstroke,. The fact that the engine was spinning like a flywheel meant no kickback. Always started easily, once you got the feel of it. Mine had a cracked carb that was always leaking a little fuel. occasionally burst into flames as I was riding. Just stopped , and blew it out then continued . Never thought much of it at the time... Good old days.
I rode one (the AJS Model 18cs) decked out as a trials bike for several years. What fun, pounding down a back road, feeling and hearing that long-stroke single down there between my legs. A legendary motorcycle that would be so cool to recapture with modern ignition and wiring.
Had a '53 Matchless G80 CS, nearly identical bike. Same Lucas mag (mine was acquired without the advance/retard cable, so I made one), same stamped steel chain case (leaked like a sieve). Same forks, but mine had a custom compression fracture in one leg...rode it all over the fire trails above Hollywood, California, no lights, no license, and no muffler. The fact that I was never pinched attests to my age, and how restrictive life has become since, wait for it...the '60s. Nowadays, I (and probably my parents) would be doing hard time for such antisocial behavior. Thanks for the video, brought back (mostly) good memories of one of my first bikes.
That's a PROPER Motorcycle - not one of the soulless, plasticky "bikes" that screech around. Yes it's hard to start, often leaks oil, is difficult to service and maintain and is probably not as reliable BUT there's more heart and soul in such a machine and the rewards for owning and riding such a beautiful motorcycle are INFINITE!
You should always shut the fuel off and run the engine dry with the modern ethanol contaminated petrol, otherwise expect carb float and jet problems. The magneto can be tested using the HOTTAS method (Hold On To This A Second). It will require a gullible assistant to unwittingly hold onto the hit lead whilst you kick the bike over. Interpreting the results are as follows: No response from assistant = dead magneto. "Ow!!", from the assistant = weak magneto. "*$^%%*^$!!!!", from the assistant with violent flinching = good magneto. Assistant jumps and falls on the ground = racing magneto. This testing method is quite safe for you as only the assistant suffers.
Great and most unusual to see an old British bike that's not tarted up like a fragile wedding cake decoration! Well done sir! THIS is what most of 'em actually looked like back then, more often than not with some black tape holding the split seat cover together that soaked your inside leg every time you sat on it after it rained, very dull matt alloy engine casings, footrest rubbers split or missing altogether, a dull, rusty or blue down pipe (NEVER ever good chrome!), in other words it looks exactly the machine one could and did use every single day to get about on, which after all, was exactly what they were built for. She looks fantastic, just like my 61 Tiger Cub, it gets serviced regularly, but I can't recall the last time I even wiped it over with some wire wool or an oily rag! Please don't restore or polish this lovely old thing, there's way too many gleaming 2 wheeled British mantle piece ornaments on our (summer!) roads now anyway, representing something that never existed more than a few weeks after they were acquired new. I don't claim what I say's for everyone (each to their own) it's simply my own personal taste.
Some people keep good machines. I am one of them. I used to buy old bikes, fix them up and ride around when I was young, which is great, but you know, some people like things to be really neat. Caring for your possessions is a totally British way of living. Pride? Time and effort? Reward for one's effort? Conversation starter? Sounds like you possibly want to justify your lack of extreme passion/interest, and/or laziness, really? Don't get me wrong, I also think bikes are for riding, but to each, their own. Would you prefer a tidy, smart bike, or a dirty, scruffy one? Basic question to ask, even a child would want the tidy one.
I wasn't in any way whatsoever criticizing you or your lovely old bike sir, why the attitude? (do you own a wedding cake decoration too perhaps? lol) I was in fact complimenting it for goodness sake! and whether caring for ones possessions or inflated pride in them is a totally British way of living or not, is quite debatable actually, although sadly, it can be a very British "Working Class" thing and no mistake, Lol! something I personally am quite proud to be myself! I don't now and have never felt the need to justify ANYTHING I do, to ANYONE, least of all on TH-cam and the amount of interest or extreme passion I hold (which contrary to your utterly wrong assumption, is quite substantial actually) for my bikes, etc is more often than not focused on the mechanical aspects and not so much on aesthetics, but that's just my way of working, I say again not right or wrong, just my way. As for starting conversations, well!.... that's about THE very last reason I own anything, I own and ride 'em firstly ''cause I personally and greatly enjoy doing so and secondly (and I know it sounds rather strange these days) to get from A to B, I couldn't give a single toss if anyone else is even interested, if they are, then great, I'll happily talk with 'em all day, if not, then that's great too! Laziness!...I'm sure you're not lazy sir, you seem to be a decent kinda fella judging by your interesting video, so why do you assume (rather insultingly actually) that I am? simply because I refuse to spend ridiculous amounts of cash on vastly over priced and often inferior modern shiny replacement parts that I and the bike can happily function 100% without and have done so for several decades. Regarding preferring a tidy or a scruffy bike.... well of course I'd have a tidy bike, who wouldn't? whether I'd keep it looking that way would be a different matter entirely, I simply don't wish to spend an inordinate amount of time and money keeping them in a garage all year covered over with a sheet, for a couple of weeks worth of local historic rally events during the summer, like so many do nowadays, perhaps not you sir, but a great many!....and I'm sure that's fine for them too! Have a nice day Mark and ride safe on that lovely old AJ.
Hi. There's no bad attitude. I am merely defending the position of restorers/polishers. I have met people who asked me question like "Why don't you just get it going, and ride around on it?" Where do you even begin to answer a question like that? I just find that type of approach utterly retarded.
Well my friend....I'm happy to be utterly retarded then, for I'd always put ridin' 'em all year round way above polishing 'em and worrying about stainless spokes, electronic ignition and plastic coating every time! that's not to say restorers don't take pride and have great ability in getting the mechanical aspects correct too, most do and probably way better than I. What I do find a bit sad (never retarded) are those who seem to constantly extol at every opportunity, their amazing detailed encyclopedic knowledge relating to their particular Marque, those seem to be the ones who are hardly ever seen with so much as a leg over their bikes, of course if that makes 'em happy, who am I to condemn them, I simply find it a bit sad and not at all for me! I'd sooner ride 'em than restore and talk about 'em! As far as answering those who ask.."Why don't you get it going and ride around on it?" which seems a fair point to me and not at all retarded, well the simple answer to that must surely be.."I prefer to have it looking as good and as near to catalogue as I possibly can beforehand" .....and for you, that's great? My original point being that the current trend of restoring old British bikes to concours condition is somewhat distorting how most actually looked when being used back then. which is most certainly the look I much prefer, not totally dilapidated of course, or unroadworthy, but in a regularly used state. You see I have never looked on them as an investment and there in lies the biggest problem!! PS. I've ridden outfits for many years (my favourite form of transport), so a long time ago I developed a skin like a rhino and completely gave up worrying about aesthetics!.... finger pointing and laughing go with the territory LOL! Ride and stay safe my friend.
I feel; everyone has their point of view on to restore or not. I chose not to as I wanted to keep the bike as it was essentially found. I did indeed replace items that were beyond repair such as the wiring loom seat cover and some other essential bits n pieces. When I sold the bike the chap who bought it was thrilled to have something that apart from some essential work was in original (used) condition. Whether or not he decides to turn it into a polished gem is up to him. The main thing is the bike will continue to be appreciated for years to come, which I feel is the main focus irrespective of opinion on restoring or not.
Excellent demo and tutorial. I grew up looking at and admiring these old bikes when they were in their prime , the 50s and 60s, though sadly never owned one. Still 60 years on it is still extremely interesting to learn facts pertaining to these bikes and understand the engineering behind their design
The very best british thumper ever made was built IN SPAIN! Yup, the ol' venerable Sanglas, from 295 to 500 cubic centimeter. What's a pain is the fast manner we Spaniards DID scraped/destroyed/pressed almost all of them. --I bought one blinding 400-F (the one with exclusive in-board fron disk) in the dealership in 1978, and still riding her today PROBLEMLESS! In the famous almost-brit overcrowded spanish rally of Colombres, two young english bikers riding Sanglas assured me the Sanglas was as brit as warm beer!! Cheers, Mr. Jiggermast: You're absofucklutely RIGHT...!!
If it starts that easy there's nothing wrong with your spark. As far as the comments about valve/bigend noises you obviously haven't been around old bikes. The valves may need a small adjust but on these vintage bikes they always have a lot of mechanical noises... it's part of the charm.
I have a 'worked' Yam SR500 single, it is very much like this one to start. It has a 92mm crank, and a heavy flywheel, get it wrong, and it throws you in the air. Touch the throttle, and it wont start, I almost sold it until I saw a Video on how to start old British singles. It's such fun to ride, and I've owned 43 bikes over the years . Clive, NZ
Even my 2 stroke AJ had right shift ...1 up 3 down as I recall ...solid satisfying CLUNK with each shift ...looks like the same gearbox! Even on the two stroke it was a separate gear box, and separate primary/clutch encasement of the same lineage... nice thing about that is you dont compromise on lubricants ...gear oil for gears and motor oil for separate engine crank case...clutch and primary chain? Dry ...clutch spring? One big one! (not coil spring) A little heavier modular design but it actually makes good sense...just homely and hard to keep clean! Lots of points for leakage too
Hi Dougie, I have a 1953 AJS 16MS which has the same pre-unit gearbox. The AJS owners club suggest using Halfords Classic 20W 50 oil for both the engine and gearbox. Can you suggest anything better? Thanks in advance
@@pastie3131 that should be the Burman box. It's not a slippery shift, but its smooth enough if you just go a bit easy. If any issues with changing, check the selector forks. Not unknown for a person unused to these boxes to actually bend them. For either that box or the later AMC one, hypoid 90 only. The volume is tiny, change it every 6000. The engine has roller bigends and mains so straight forty. Silkolene used to make good stuff. If you're going to use multigrade, use synthetic. 3000 mile oilchanges. These engines are very forgiving but that one is elderly. (NB synthetic oil will find any leaks quicker, if you can get straight 40 its better.) All pushrod engines tend to high valvetrain wear so keep an eye on it.
@@RodFleming-World Thanks Rod, that is exactly the advice I was looking for. The box is reasonably slick for its age, and I will certainly go easy on it. Thanks again. Pastie
@Honest John hypoid for the gearbox ONLY, straight 40 for the engine and primary case. Hypoid is way too heavy for the motor. These engines are not unit construction. Separate oils. The engine is dry sump with separate oil tank iirc it is about 5 pints. You can see the chrome oil filler cap under the front of the seat on rh side. BTW don't overfill the primary case. Check the specs but iirc it's about 200 ml but don't quote me. It's 45 years since I had one of those.
Happy days - you could pick these up for next to nothing in the mid 60s and I had a few. My favourite big single was my trusty old BSA M21 600 single - that could be a pig to start in cold weather. Not exactly a speedy ride but, if you could get the tyres to stick it would have driven straight up a brick wall
another method of getting the piston in the sweet spot is decompressor or clutch in , watch the amp meter , kick slowly till the amp meter needle goes all the way over to the right , release the deco / clutch lever and return kick lever to the top , the piston is now in its sweet spot, give it a kick
Well presented Mark. Thanks, I picked up some good tips, although my 64 model, which I have just bought, has an up-rated alternator stater/rotor, electronic ignition and voltage regulator and a 12v negative earth electrical system. The engine was rebuilt by the previous owner and I can really feel the compression when I attempt to start it, which is not easy. The previous owner got a letter of authenticity from your country via the AJS and Matchless owners club and it says the compression ratio is 7.6 to 1. I've read elsewhere that it is 8.6 to 1. I presume the certificate is correct, even though it doesn't feel like it. I owned a 56 Matchless 50 years ago which seemed much easier to kick over. Then again, I was 50 years younger.
She sounds great, and having those valves closed in there like you described when you shut her down, is advice one only hears when they know their stuff about these classic British motorcycles.
Bike and sidecar (not attached at the time of this video) haved moved to a new home. I wasn't using it enoughy and heopfully this change of ownership will see more people getting the chance to appreciate this classic bike. For all those who have posted positive comments, I thank you for your interest. For those trying to compare British classic with modern Japanese, I please ask you to make a list of all the electrical sensors on you bike, wait 60 years, then visit your dealership to seek replacements.... Solid state may be old, somewhat noisy, oily and pedantic in operation, but with a tank of gas, some compression and spark most likely it'll run, irrespective of the decade you try it. That I feel is part of the charm which some modernists don't understand. My new project is a small and humble 1978 Yamaha v90 (Copycat to the Honda C90) which I will soon be posting TH-cam clips about. This video will remain online however for anyone who may be able to glean some useful information from it.
Great video. Thanks for uploading this! There’s one up for auction in my town-1951 model 18S. Not sure when it last ran, but I’m thinking of bidding low and trying to resurrect it.
Lovely bike. I love the condition it's in. My experience with a BSA B31 52 years ago taught me to kick with the left foot which is safer if the bike backfires. I think the carburettor is the problem, just needs a touch up.
I use to kick start my b31 with no throtal no kick back i had a lot in the 60 s get one for a fiver a realy goodone8to 10 pounds thinking back probley brock a lot useing new oil 20 /50 insted of a mono grade just saying 76 year old biker
Sometimes weak spark isn't the problem but carbon deposits causing trace grounding. I'd try different spark plugs and a faster (advanced) timing so the engine revs are about 1750-1800. The biggest difficulty with old big singles is, too many controls however the secret to a fatter spark is a bigger capacitor on the points. Love the bike and am drooling over it, enjoy.
Excellent: the engine sounds smooth, you need to adjust the tappets as it is rattling. This is done by removing the 3 brass round nuts on the off side of the cylinder head. once removed, put bike on main stand & select 4th gear by rocking the rear wheel. [Do not use clutch]. Once you have 4th gear, look inside the cover & turn the wheel until one of the valves is fully depressed. Now, adjust the other valve by loosening the locknut on the pushrod. As these pushrods have a ball & cup fitting, you need to adjust the rod until it spins freely with out any side to side movement. When this is done, lock the locknut & check that it has not got tighter! If it is OK, do the same thing on the other valve. Depress it fully, then adjust the other in the same way. Remember to rock the wheel back & forth until you find first gear, the press down into neutral. Pop the cover back on, Yes its nice & quite now, Happy riding.
Thanks for your message Chris. However I no longer own this bike. Sold it to another enthusiast in Norfolk, but I am sure others here will read your comment with interest. Reminds me a bit of the rule of nine when trying to adjust the tappet clearance on my old car :-)
2:03 the tickler (primer) is a spring loaded valve made to fill the float chamber, it needs no pumping and will actually take a second or two if the machine is on the center stand, or between your knees level.
Had a model 18 which I made rearsets and modified a Goldie exhaust to fit. Also made a folding kickstart which kept breaking - I would have bump start it. Getting 'kickback' when bumpstarting was dangerous as ones 'family jewels' would make hard contact with fuel tank.....
nice vid - you can use either of the tank taps as reserve, the tunnel creates a reserve once the petrol drops below that point - just don't start riding with a full tank with both taps open or you will run empty with no reserve option. Also after starting ALWAYS take the cap off the oil tank and check the oil is circulating ;-)
All good advice and a;l pretty much what my old pops said. Quite correct that one of the taps has a longer tunnel than the other which in this instance is the right hand side. The left tap being able to draw right down to the bottom of the tank. When I first started it pops said to take the oil cap off to check there was flow. SO once again all good tips and advice for newbies to the British bike scene. :-)
It is not the taps that have "tunnels" on them- I was referring to the tunnel in the tank for the top tube of the frame. That creates two halves which are separate in the tank when the fuel level goes down to that level. The half with the tap "on" will drain empty leaving the other half in reserve. Not sure if I have explained that clearly but hope you get the gist of it.
Ahh I see what you mean. The tank on this model is pretty small 1.5 to 2 galls from what I can ascertain (being a competition model). I know from having had removed both taps one has a higher level pick up level than the other. The right hand one would be running dry before the left one which can pick up right down to the bottom of the tank. Either way, you wouldn't want to have both on unless you like pushing bikes. :-)
I once say my dad being hoisted over the handlebars of one of these when trying to start it with the ignition on full advance. How we laughed! until he had to get treatment for a fractured bone in his foot.
1970 I had a 1949 500 Single AJS the timing was out a bit and it kicked back like a mule on start up, I was pissed one night and kicked it over and forgot to keep my knee bent, it kicked back and with my leg straight I went straight up, I held onto the handlebars and went up and over the bars and landed with a leg each side of the front wheel and the bike then fell on its side, I got back up and gave up on kick start and clutch started it, traded it in on a brand new 1973 Kawasaki Z1 900, should have kept it I got peanuts for it as a trade in.
Magnetos have a relatively weak spark at low revs (idle). Using a resistor HT cap and resistor plug will limit the current flow resulting in a slightly longer duration spark, which is more likely to ignite the fuel. Resistive plugs and HT caps were invented for magnetos, not primarily to suppress radio interference. Glad to see you're not using undignified gymnastics on the kick start, if one is leaping up and own, one is doing it wrong. ;) I thought the Amal cold start cable pulled the slide up to open it for normal running, all the way up for running, lowered all or part-way to close the cutaway for cold starting (choke).
Hello Jeff, all the British bikes I’ve ever had, all had Amal carbs, and I’ve never seen one where the choke cable lifts the throttle slide. The choke cable lifts or shuts a separate slide inside the throttle slide.
It has alloy barrel dord it ? I had freind in 1970s and he had one it went like cut cat , do wondrful powertake off with weelspin for 40 m it eas impressive. You have dream bike there.
If the bike has been stood a while and there's no oil in the oil tank it often means it is all in the crankcases. If this is the case it's best to drain them before attempting a cold start because otherwise you're dragging those huge flywheels though a load of thick cold oil ! -
Nowt wrong with mag spark if she starts that sweetly, don't forget with manual advance there is sweet settings for start, running & higher speed performance. Once started a touch more advance would help, train your ear to understand what the engine is telling you. That & dialing out the tappet noise 😉😁🏴🏴🇮🇲🏴looks nice & original😉
You should not leave the choke on with the engine running. Pulling the leaver toward you lifts the little choke plunger inside the slide of the monoblock carb into the off position.. How it work: it half block the carb inlet thereby lowering the air pressure inside the carb as one pushed the kickstart, the slightly higher atmospheric pressure inside the float chamber pushes the fuel out of the metering tube and past the needle, this over rich fuel mix is the pull into the engine as the piston travels down the bore.. Only use the choke to start the engine when cold, do not leave the engine running with the choke on. I owned an AJS 16mc in the early sixties..
I remember my friends dad telling me the competition motors were through bolted from the head through the barrel into the crankcase I've never seen 1 before but that's what that looks like to me...... He said if you thrashed a base cylinder bolted motor too hard you could snap the cylinder off it's base plate and make a real mess
Was it only me that after seeing him placing his finger in the oil tank, then all that I could see was that same oily finger "Lubing" everything else that he touched on that bike?
Very good.. it should perhaps be noted that from 1970 to 2007 the bike was sat at the back of a garage covered in a layer of old sump oil and that included inside the fuel tank and probably one of the reasons it still pretty much in as found condition. Point taken though, a rag would have been a sensible item to have to hand.
Mark Harvey please note that it was no criticism. My self after playing with motorcycles and cars over the years have developed this weird self awareness of contaminating the surrounds of my oily source/s which is annoying for most of it. Well done to you for looking after that older Lady. Cheers.
Mark Harvey - I vaguely recall my motorbike driver's license was made (lessons and exam) on a 1952 BMW single cylinder...Damn the BMW was apparently a "space ship" with automatic ignition advance. Looked almost the same as this AJS with long seat and all. The vibrations after 60km/h could have ripped of the enamel from my teeth. LOL :-) Love these old ladies, I wish I could have one around. Keep it well lubed and have fun with that AJS. ;-)
A lot of us have a story like that. In 1972, I was a student in London and when I went home to Newcastle a pal of mine offered me a 1937 BSA M20, 500 cc sidevalve for £15. I bought it and hid it in my mother's shed without telling her while I went back to college. By the next time I came home, she'd found it and made me get rid of it. 'You're not keeping that filthy old thing in there,' she said, boxing my ears. It was a complete and perfect, Khaki, ex War Department 1930s dispatch bike..... I wish I had it now.
As stated in the comments, I no longer own this bike, so academic question. I would guess however that when it was new 80mph would be the point of destruction where everything would either drop off, fall apart or explode if this helps.
You know as well as me, that bike is sweet ,you should have warmed her up properly first,and then let her tick over. That bike needs minumum amount of fettling and is in lovely original condition ,no doubt you will keep her that way. Regards.
Mark Harvey Hi Mark ,thanks for the reply, would you be kind enough to tell me what price you obtained for her and how long ago.I hope I'm not being to impertinent to ask ,if so I understand. I am currently looking for something like this. Regards Gerald swain.
Was sold back in November. Can't really disclose the exact amount, but it was in line with guidelines on the Jampot club. I have seen a pristine one up for grabs at nearly £10k. All depends on the overall condition really and what you are looking for e.g. showroom or bitsa!
looks more complicated to operate than my boeing 747-300 in the backyard..it needs a 500cc single 2 stroke dirt bike engine swap from the 80s, instant 30hp gain and 100mph top speed!
Yep, not an easy leap on an kick into life... and yes I did buy a 2 stroke. However unlike most current Boeing products, it didn't fail due to design/production issues..
Off topic side note: I road and even raced a bit on two stroke AJS in early 70's ...the nickname at the time was "Another Junky Shitpile" ...I could not argue too much ....was a bad choice. Sure Maicos were called "Maiko Breako" Bultacos "BullshitOs" CZs "Seize Easies" Huskys "Huskashitvas" etc but the AJ in particular deserved it's slander. Of course the two stroke AJS was in reality a Greeves design...I think Villiers was involved too ....British consolidation I suppose as they got crowded on by all the other brands
As mentioned before, bike has gone to a new home. Even the best bikes can present their owners with starting issues th-cam.com/video/sB_8X3-q-bw/w-d-xo.html
0836 EEST Some years back, I was possessed with this crazy idea of getting one of these. Buying it from three French 'pot-heads' who seemed always high...on the 'giggle weed'. Got to their pad at 'bout 3 P.M. to inspect the machine & road-test it. Well, it did not look any worse than yours, but different from yours, it would NOT start. We fiddled with the beast mightily ! Nothing. We tried pulling it alive, behind a 2CV, again nothing. All the while they were smokin' the weed like crazy. Midnight arrived silently...as the mono-cylinder beast never uttered a sound. I mounted my ride & escaped the carnage, as they had begun, in the dark, to tear the motor apart. My Parisian ride, which I bought instead...it ALWAYS starts: i.imgur.com/9uzQpjN.jpg imgur.com/5gItcIU
I think a lot of it is getting everything in the right order. Get it wrong and you'll be there forever.. Took me quite a while to find the sweet spot. But having found that it's usually a good few prods once primed a couple of flutters and then it'll come to life. Once started it's usually easy to restart. My old Honda was a bit like that mind. If you hand't used it for a week that started button got an awful lot of buzzing till the fuel reached the cylinders. Glad you found something to suit your needs... sounds like you had a close shave with that one.
+back in 1963, I had a BSA B31 350, but my mate had one of these , exactly the same. The way we started them was to hold in the decompressor and straddle the bike , then kick it over fast 4 or 5 times then let go of the lever just as you started the last downstroke,. The fact that the engine was spinning like a flywheel meant no kickback. Always started easily, once you got the feel of it. Mine had a cracked carb that was always leaking a little fuel. occasionally burst into flames as I was riding. Just stopped , and blew it out then continued . Never thought much of it at the time... Good old days.
I rode one (the AJS Model 18cs) decked out as a trials bike for several years. What fun, pounding down a back road, feeling and hearing that long-stroke single down there between my legs. A legendary motorcycle that would be so cool to recapture with modern ignition and wiring.
Had a '53 Matchless G80 CS, nearly identical bike. Same Lucas mag (mine was acquired without the advance/retard cable, so I made one), same stamped steel chain case (leaked like a sieve). Same forks, but mine had a custom compression fracture in one leg...rode it all over the fire trails above Hollywood, California, no lights, no license, and no muffler. The fact that I was never pinched attests to my age, and how restrictive life has become since, wait for it...the '60s. Nowadays, I (and probably my parents) would be doing hard time for such antisocial behavior. Thanks for the video, brought back (mostly) good memories of one of my first bikes.
A.J. Stevens. .Shared ideas and parts with Matchless>> I Rode them in the Late 60's 70's and 80's !
That's a PROPER Motorcycle - not one of the soulless, plasticky "bikes" that screech around. Yes it's hard to start, often leaks oil, is difficult to service and maintain and is probably not as reliable BUT there's more heart and soul in such a machine and the rewards for owning and riding such a beautiful motorcycle are INFINITE!
You should always shut the fuel off and run the engine dry with the modern ethanol contaminated petrol, otherwise expect carb float and jet problems.
The magneto can be tested using the HOTTAS method (Hold On To This A Second). It will require a gullible assistant to unwittingly hold onto the hit lead whilst you kick the bike over.
Interpreting the results are as follows:
No response from assistant = dead magneto.
"Ow!!", from the assistant = weak magneto.
"*$^%%*^$!!!!", from the assistant with violent flinching = good magneto.
Assistant jumps and falls on the ground = racing magneto.
This testing method is quite safe for you as only the assistant suffers.
Brilliant
Great and most unusual to see an old British bike that's not tarted up like a fragile wedding cake decoration! Well done sir!
THIS is what most of 'em actually looked like back then, more often than not with some black tape holding the split seat cover together that soaked your inside leg every time you sat on it after it rained, very dull matt alloy engine casings, footrest rubbers split or missing altogether, a dull, rusty or blue down pipe (NEVER ever good chrome!), in other words it looks exactly the machine one could and did use every single day to get about on, which after all, was exactly what they were built for.
She looks fantastic, just like my 61 Tiger Cub, it gets serviced regularly, but I can't recall the last time I even wiped it over with some wire wool or an oily rag!
Please don't restore or polish this lovely old thing, there's way too many gleaming 2 wheeled British mantle piece ornaments on our (summer!) roads now anyway, representing something that never existed more than a few weeks after they were acquired new.
I don't claim what I say's for everyone (each to their own) it's simply my own personal taste.
Some people keep good machines. I am one of them. I used to buy old bikes, fix them up and ride around when I was young, which is great, but you know, some people like things to be really neat. Caring for your possessions is a totally British way of living. Pride? Time and effort? Reward for one's effort? Conversation starter? Sounds like you possibly want to justify your lack of extreme passion/interest, and/or laziness, really? Don't get me wrong, I also think bikes are for riding, but to each, their own. Would you prefer a tidy, smart bike, or a dirty, scruffy one? Basic question to ask, even a child would want the tidy one.
I wasn't in any way whatsoever criticizing you or your lovely old bike sir, why the attitude? (do you own a wedding cake decoration too perhaps? lol) I was in fact complimenting it for goodness sake! and whether caring for ones possessions or inflated pride in them is a totally British way of living or not, is quite debatable actually, although sadly, it can be a very British "Working Class" thing and no mistake, Lol! something I personally am quite proud to be myself!
I don't now and have never felt the need to justify ANYTHING I do, to ANYONE, least of all on TH-cam and the amount of interest or extreme passion I hold (which contrary to your utterly wrong assumption, is quite substantial actually) for my bikes, etc is more often than not focused on the mechanical aspects and not so much on aesthetics, but that's just my way of working, I say again not right or wrong, just my way.
As for starting conversations, well!.... that's about THE very last reason I own anything, I own and ride 'em firstly ''cause I personally and greatly enjoy doing so and secondly (and I know it sounds rather strange these days) to get from A to B, I couldn't give a single toss if anyone else is even interested, if they are, then great, I'll happily talk with 'em all day, if not, then that's great too!
Laziness!...I'm sure you're not lazy sir, you seem to be a decent kinda fella judging by your interesting video, so why do you assume (rather insultingly actually) that I am? simply because I refuse to spend ridiculous amounts of cash on vastly over priced and often inferior modern shiny replacement parts that I and the bike can happily function 100% without and have done so for several decades.
Regarding preferring a tidy or a scruffy bike.... well of course I'd have a tidy bike, who wouldn't? whether I'd keep it looking that way would be a different matter entirely, I simply don't wish to spend an inordinate amount of time and money keeping them in a garage all year covered over with a sheet, for a couple of weeks worth of local historic rally events during the summer, like so many do nowadays, perhaps not you sir, but a great many!....and I'm sure that's fine for them too!
Have a nice day Mark and ride safe on that lovely old AJ.
Hi. There's no bad attitude. I am merely defending the position of restorers/polishers. I have met people who asked me question like "Why don't you just get it going, and ride around on it?" Where do you even begin to answer a question like that? I just find that type of approach utterly retarded.
Well my friend....I'm happy to be utterly retarded then, for I'd always put ridin' 'em all year round way above polishing 'em and worrying about stainless spokes, electronic ignition and plastic coating every time! that's not to say restorers don't take pride and have great ability in getting the mechanical aspects correct too, most do and probably way better than I.
What I do find a bit sad (never retarded) are those who seem to constantly extol at every opportunity, their amazing detailed encyclopedic knowledge relating to their particular Marque, those seem to be the ones who are hardly ever seen with so much as a leg over their bikes, of course if that makes 'em happy, who am I to condemn them, I simply find it a bit sad and not at all for me! I'd sooner ride 'em than restore and talk about 'em!
As far as answering those who ask.."Why don't you get it going and ride around on it?" which seems a fair point to me and not at all retarded, well the simple answer to that must surely be.."I prefer to have it looking as good and as near to catalogue as I possibly can beforehand" .....and for you, that's great?
My original point being that the current trend of restoring old British bikes to concours condition is somewhat distorting how most actually looked when being used back then. which is most certainly the look I much prefer, not totally dilapidated of course, or unroadworthy, but in a regularly used state.
You see I have never looked on them as an investment and there in lies the biggest problem!!
PS. I've ridden outfits for many years (my favourite form of transport), so a long time ago I developed a skin like a rhino and completely gave up worrying about aesthetics!.... finger pointing and laughing go with the territory LOL!
Ride and stay safe my friend.
I feel; everyone has their point of view on to restore or not. I chose not to as I wanted to keep the bike as it was essentially found. I did indeed replace items that were beyond repair such as the wiring loom seat cover and some other essential bits n pieces. When I sold the bike the chap who bought it was thrilled to have something that apart from some essential work was in original (used) condition. Whether or not he decides to turn it into a polished gem is up to him. The main thing is the bike will continue to be appreciated for years to come, which I feel is the main focus irrespective of opinion on restoring or not.
First kick! Yep, it died but still first kick and it roared into life. The bike is a beauty. Those British knew how to design a gorgeous motorcycle.
"Amal weeping" Two words that just BELONG together!
Right on the money. Also any Lucas electronics. Shocked that old piece still worked. I had a 1957 BSA
Excellent demo and tutorial. I grew up looking at and admiring these old bikes when they were in their prime , the 50s and 60s, though sadly never owned one. Still 60 years on it is still extremely interesting to learn facts pertaining to these bikes and understand the engineering behind their design
A lot of fannying around to get these old bikes started. We have it easy now.
The very best british thumper ever made was built IN SPAIN! Yup, the ol' venerable Sanglas, from 295 to 500 cubic centimeter. What's a pain is the fast manner we Spaniards DID scraped/destroyed/pressed almost all of them.
--I bought one blinding 400-F (the one with exclusive in-board fron disk) in the dealership in 1978, and still riding her today PROBLEMLESS! In the famous almost-brit overcrowded spanish rally of Colombres, two young english bikers riding Sanglas assured me the Sanglas was as brit as warm beer!!
Cheers, Mr. Jiggermast: You're absofucklutely RIGHT...!!
Had a 350 AJS with butterfly valve springs and jam pots, and a 500 Matchless single.
Happy days..
If it starts that easy there's nothing wrong with your spark. As far as the comments about valve/bigend noises you obviously haven't been around old bikes. The valves may need a small adjust but on these vintage bikes they always have a lot of mechanical noises... it's part of the charm.
I think you are right Jeff. As mentioned elsewhere I prefer 2 strokes despite the blue haze :-) Will be putting it up for grabs next year.
Jeff Ball Yes Sir your 100% correct. He needs to just ride it. It seems to start and idol. Thes things sound like sewing machines new.👌
Have ridden it thanks and it pulls like a train. Not my cup of tea though as I have another project now. This one's now spoken for presently.
Mark Harvey My old 4 strokes have a blue haze just like the 2 strokes!
My 68 BSA sounds the way Sewing machine
I have a 'worked' Yam SR500 single, it is very much like this one to start. It has a 92mm crank, and a heavy flywheel, get it wrong, and it throws you in the air. Touch the throttle, and it wont start, I almost sold it until I saw a Video on how to start old British singles. It's such fun to ride, and I've owned 43 bikes over the years . Clive, NZ
Even my 2 stroke AJ had right shift ...1 up 3 down as I recall ...solid satisfying CLUNK with each shift ...looks like the same gearbox! Even on the two stroke it was a separate gear box, and separate primary/clutch encasement of the same lineage... nice thing about that is you dont compromise on lubricants ...gear oil for gears and motor oil for separate engine crank case...clutch and primary chain? Dry ...clutch spring? One big one! (not coil spring) A little heavier modular design but it actually makes good sense...just homely and hard to keep clean! Lots of points for leakage too
It was the same box. Made by Burman. Very simple and reliable and, yes, one up three down.
Hi Dougie, I have a 1953 AJS 16MS which has the same pre-unit gearbox. The AJS owners club suggest using Halfords Classic 20W 50 oil for both the engine and gearbox. Can you suggest anything better? Thanks in advance
@@pastie3131 that should be the Burman box. It's not a slippery shift, but its smooth enough if you just go a bit easy. If any issues with changing, check the selector forks. Not unknown for a person unused to these boxes to actually bend them. For either that box or the later AMC one, hypoid 90 only. The volume is tiny, change it every 6000. The engine has roller bigends and mains so straight forty. Silkolene used to make good stuff. If you're going to use multigrade, use synthetic. 3000 mile oilchanges. These engines are very forgiving but that one is elderly. (NB synthetic oil will find any leaks quicker, if you can get straight 40 its better.) All pushrod engines tend to high valvetrain wear so keep an eye on it.
@@RodFleming-World Thanks Rod, that is exactly the advice I was looking for. The box is reasonably slick for its age, and I will certainly go easy on it. Thanks again. Pastie
@Honest John hypoid for the gearbox ONLY, straight 40 for the engine and primary case. Hypoid is way too heavy for the motor. These engines are not unit construction. Separate oils. The engine is dry sump with separate oil tank iirc it is about 5 pints. You can see the chrome oil filler cap under the front of the seat on rh side. BTW don't overfill the primary case. Check the specs but iirc it's about 200 ml but don't quote me. It's 45 years since I had one of those.
Happy days - you could pick these up for next to nothing in the mid 60s and I had a few. My favourite big single was my trusty old BSA M21 600 single - that could be a pig to start in cold weather. Not exactly a speedy ride but, if you could get the tyres to stick it would have driven straight up a brick wall
Great video. I had a part ownership of a model 31. This was back in 1972, we paid £20 for it, and ran it until it broke!
another method of getting the piston in the sweet spot is decompressor or clutch in , watch the amp meter , kick slowly till the amp meter needle goes all the way over to the right , release the deco / clutch lever and return kick lever to the top , the piston is now in its sweet spot, give it a kick
Not with a mag!
Well presented Mark. Thanks, I picked up some good tips, although my 64 model, which I have just bought, has an up-rated alternator stater/rotor, electronic ignition and voltage regulator and a 12v negative earth electrical system. The engine was rebuilt by the previous owner and I can really feel the compression when I attempt to start it, which is not easy.
The previous owner got a letter of authenticity from your country via the AJS and Matchless owners club and it says the compression ratio is 7.6 to 1. I've read elsewhere that it is 8.6 to 1. I presume the certificate is correct, even though it doesn't feel like it. I owned a 56 Matchless 50 years ago which seemed much easier to kick over. Then again, I was 50 years younger.
She sounds great, and having those valves closed in there like you described when you shut her down, is advice one only hears when they know their stuff about these classic British motorcycles.
Bike and sidecar (not attached at the time of this video) haved moved to a new home. I wasn't using it enoughy and heopfully this change of ownership will see more people getting the chance to appreciate this classic bike.
For all those who have posted positive comments, I thank you for your interest. For those trying to compare British classic with modern Japanese, I please ask you to make a list of all the electrical sensors on you bike, wait 60 years, then visit your dealership to seek replacements.... Solid state may be old, somewhat noisy, oily and pedantic in operation, but with a tank of gas, some compression and spark most likely it'll run, irrespective of the decade you try it. That I feel is part of the charm which some modernists don't understand.
My new project is a small and humble 1978 Yamaha v90 (Copycat to the Honda C90) which I will soon be posting TH-cam clips about. This video will remain online however for anyone who may be able to glean some useful information from it.
That bike is almost as old as I am, and it starts a whole lot better. ;)
And me... Think it'll be around a long time after I've gone up in smoke too!
Great video. Thanks for uploading this! There’s one up for auction in my town-1951 model 18S. Not sure when it last ran, but I’m thinking of bidding low and trying to resurrect it.
naaah just avoid carbs and sugars and you'd turn into a Honda Electronic Ignition Spark module in a week!
a first new bike. AJS 250cc colour blue/black. Reg Number. TMR 895. past test on royal Enfield constellation. in Bath Somerset. Happy days.
I love those old British thumpers.
David Bennett i
Lovely bike. I love the condition it's in.
My experience with a BSA B31 52 years ago taught me to kick with the left foot which is safer if the bike backfires.
I think the carburettor is the problem, just needs a touch up.
I use to kick start my b31 with no throtal no kick back i had a lot in the 60 s get one for a fiver a realy goodone8to 10 pounds thinking back probley brock a lot useing new oil 20 /50 insted of a mono grade just saying 76 year old biker
Nice bike and an easy starter. Original "jampots" too. Nice!
A lovely old bike that’s worthy of a complete renovation and return to its former glory. Amazing it still wants to work.
Thanks Love the vintage bikes, had a Norton Atlas 750 cc and a 850 COMMANDO ....🇬🇧
Used to ride a TR -6 triumph, loved that ride.
The car?
Sometimes weak spark isn't the problem but carbon deposits causing trace grounding. I'd try different spark plugs and a faster (advanced) timing so the engine revs are about 1750-1800. The biggest difficulty with old big singles is, too many controls however the secret to a fatter spark is a bigger capacitor on the points. Love the bike and am drooling over it, enjoy.
Excellent: the engine sounds smooth, you need to adjust the tappets as it is rattling. This is done by removing the 3 brass
round nuts on the off side of the cylinder head. once removed, put bike on main stand & select 4th gear by rocking the rear wheel.
[Do not use clutch]. Once you have 4th gear, look inside the cover & turn the wheel until one of the valves is fully depressed.
Now, adjust the other valve by loosening the locknut on the pushrod. As these pushrods have a ball & cup fitting, you need to adjust the rod
until it spins freely with out any side to side movement. When this is done, lock the locknut & check that it has not got tighter!
If it is OK, do the same thing on the other valve. Depress it fully, then adjust the other in the same way.
Remember to rock the wheel back & forth until you find first gear, the press down into neutral. Pop the cover back on, Yes its nice & quite now,
Happy riding.
Thanks for your message Chris. However I no longer own this bike. Sold it to another enthusiast in Norfolk, but I am sure others here will read your comment with interest. Reminds me a bit of the rule of nine when trying to adjust the tappet clearance on my old car :-)
Blimey! That was a bit of a sticky wicket but alls well that ends well,,, jolly good!
She sounds lovely. Not like most people revving them up as soon as thy start just right nice tick over. Thanks for that.
nothing wrong with the spark. but one of the tappets needs adjusting...…….
Exhaust , if I had to bet.
Love these older bikes. Nice.
From your Mates in the States...Brilliant!!!!
Lubberly!!! Am I right in remembering that both AJS and Matchless singles had loud valve gear noise?
Probably not this loud though..
2:03 the tickler (primer) is a spring loaded valve made to fill the float chamber, it needs no pumping and will actually take a second or two if the machine is on the center stand, or between your knees level.
Makes me wish I still had my BSA 441 Victor.
Sorry, but why? Unit construction dog-doo: now if you'd said a B31/33......
Had a model 18 which I made rearsets and modified a Goldie exhaust to fit. Also made a folding kickstart which kept breaking - I would have bump start it. Getting 'kickback' when bumpstarting was dangerous as ones 'family jewels' would make hard contact with fuel tank.....
nice vid - you can use either of the tank taps as reserve, the tunnel creates a reserve once the petrol drops below that point - just don't start riding with a full tank with both taps open or you will run empty with no reserve option. Also after starting ALWAYS take the cap off the oil tank and check the oil is circulating ;-)
All good advice and a;l pretty much what my old pops said. Quite correct that one of the taps has a longer tunnel than the other which in this instance is the right hand side. The left tap being able to draw right down to the bottom of the tank. When I first started it pops said to take the oil cap off to check there was flow. SO once again all good tips and advice for newbies to the British bike scene. :-)
It is not the taps that have "tunnels" on them- I was referring to the tunnel in the tank for the top tube of the frame. That creates two halves which are separate in the tank when the fuel level goes down to that level. The half with the tap "on" will drain empty leaving the other half in reserve. Not sure if I have explained that clearly but hope you get the gist of it.
Ahh I see what you mean. The tank on this model is pretty small 1.5 to 2 galls from what I can ascertain (being a competition model). I know from having had removed both taps one has a higher level pick up level than the other. The right hand one would be running dry before the left one which can pick up right down to the bottom of the tank. Either way, you wouldn't want to have both on unless you like pushing bikes. :-)
I once say my dad being hoisted over the handlebars of one of these when trying to start it with the ignition on full advance. How we laughed! until he had to get treatment for a fractured bone in his foot.
This was a pleasure to see.
1970 I had a 1949 500 Single AJS the timing was out a bit and it kicked back like a mule on start up, I was pissed one night and kicked it over and forgot to keep my knee bent, it kicked back and with my leg straight I went straight up, I held onto the handlebars and went up and over the bars and landed with a leg each side of the front wheel and the bike then fell on its side, I got back up and gave up on kick start and clutch started it, traded it in on a brand new 1973 Kawasaki Z1 900, should have kept it I got peanuts for it as a trade in.
Magnetos have a relatively weak spark at low revs (idle). Using a resistor HT cap and resistor plug will limit the current flow resulting in a slightly longer duration spark, which is more likely to ignite the fuel. Resistive plugs and HT caps were invented for magnetos, not primarily to suppress radio interference.
Glad to see you're not using undignified gymnastics on the kick start, if one is leaping up and own, one is doing it wrong. ;)
I thought the Amal cold start cable pulled the slide up to open it for normal running, all the way up for running, lowered all or part-way to close the cutaway for cold starting (choke).
Hello Jeff, all the British bikes I’ve ever had, all had Amal carbs, and I’ve never seen one where the choke cable lifts the throttle slide. The choke cable lifts or shuts a separate slide inside the throttle slide.
Interesting all the advice I have been given for the last 43 years of AJS ownership is do NOT use a resistor cap with a magneto.
It has alloy barrel dord it ? I had freind in 1970s and he had one it went like cut cat , do wondrful powertake off with weelspin for 40 m it eas impressive. You have dream bike there.
anyone know a good sabblebag that you can put were the second seat would go. i still have the original seats and stuff
Great show, you made that look easy.
She a beauty ,starts just fine , can we see ya take her for a spin ? Thanks !
She's a beauty.
the choke lever pulled tight means its off and pushed forward its full on choke
If the bike has been stood a while and there's no oil in the oil tank it often means it is all in the crankcases. If this is the case it's best to drain them before attempting a cold start because otherwise you're dragging those huge flywheels though a load of thick cold oil ! -
Nowt wrong with mag spark if she starts that sweetly, don't forget with manual advance there is sweet settings for start, running & higher speed performance. Once started a touch more advance would help, train your ear to understand what the engine is telling you. That & dialing out the tappet noise 😉😁🏴🏴🇮🇲🏴looks nice & original😉
I have a H-D XLCH that I wish would start like this sweetie.
I have not seen one of those since 1965.
You should not leave the choke on with the engine running. Pulling the leaver toward you lifts the little choke plunger inside the slide of the monoblock carb into the off position.. How it work: it half block the carb inlet thereby lowering the air pressure inside the carb as one pushed the kickstart, the slightly higher atmospheric pressure inside the float chamber pushes the fuel out of the metering tube and past the needle, this over rich fuel mix is the pull into the engine as the piston travels down the bore.. Only use the choke to start the engine when cold, do not leave the engine running with the choke on. I owned an AJS 16mc in the early sixties..
I remember my friends dad telling me the competition motors were through bolted from the head through the barrel into the crankcase I've never seen 1 before but that's what that looks like to me...... He said if you thrashed a base cylinder bolted motor too hard you could snap the cylinder off it's base plate and make a real mess
Looks like an old sidecar attachment as well
a kik back from these big old singles is brutal im sure it fractured my ankle once ..never kicked again..yamaha xt 500 single
Yes this one has kicked me a couple of times and yes it *&% hurt!
When parked, I advanced the timing control as an anti-thieft device. ( 1955 BSA 500 single)
Had experience with one years ago. Vicious kickback, and seat too tall for my short legs, I gave it a pass.
hello from brasil!!
Was it only me that after seeing him placing his finger in the oil tank, then all that I could see was that same oily finger "Lubing" everything else that he touched on that bike?
Very good.. it should perhaps be noted that from 1970 to 2007 the bike was sat at the back of a garage covered in a layer of old sump oil and that included inside the fuel tank and probably one of the reasons it still pretty much in as found condition. Point taken though, a rag would have been a sensible item to have to hand.
Mark Harvey please note that it was no criticism. My self after playing with motorcycles and cars over the years have developed this weird self awareness of contaminating the surrounds of my oily source/s which is annoying for most of it. Well done to you for looking after that older Lady. Cheers.
Noticed that right off.
Mark Harvey - I vaguely recall my motorbike driver's license was made (lessons and exam) on a 1952 BMW single cylinder...Damn the BMW was apparently a "space ship" with automatic ignition advance. Looked almost the same as this AJS with long seat and all. The vibrations after 60km/h could have ripped of the enamel from my teeth. LOL :-)
Love these old ladies, I wish I could have one around. Keep it well lubed and have fun with that AJS. ;-)
Don't be so bloody picky.
Nice to see a used one instead of a pristine restoration sitting in a rich man's glass garage.
You can replace the carburetor with suzuki TS 125 1996,have same diameter...
No need. The Amal Monobloc is up to the task
Change with fishtail muffler, that makes you eargasm
Lovely example!
How many miles does the old girl have?
Keith Sage think it was around 18k recorded
In 1963 I had an identical bike,sold it when I went into the army. Wish I'd never sold that old thumper.
A lot of us have a story like that. In 1972, I was a student in London and when I went home to Newcastle a pal of mine offered me a 1937 BSA M20, 500 cc sidevalve for £15. I bought it and hid it in my mother's shed without telling her while I went back to college. By the next time I came home, she'd found it and made me get rid of it. 'You're not keeping that filthy old thing in there,' she said, boxing my ears. It was a complete and perfect, Khaki, ex War Department 1930s dispatch bike..... I wish I had it now.
I always thought that the "S" meant Spring frame.
Quite correct, that was my mistake...
How fast does she go mister?
As stated in the comments, I no longer own this bike, so academic question. I would guess however that when it was new 80mph would be the point of destruction where everything would either drop off, fall apart or explode if this helps.
Hi Mark would you be the son of Mike Harvey who lived in Brentwood, Essex ?
Nope, no links with Essex I'm afraid.
You know as well as me, that bike is sweet ,you should have warmed her up properly first,and then let her tick over. That bike needs minumum amount of fettling and is in lovely original condition ,no doubt you will keep her that way.
Regards.
Hi Gerald, bike has moved on to a new home. I wasn't using it enough but have left the video up as people seem to be interested in it.
Mark Harvey Hi Mark ,thanks for the reply, would you be kind enough to tell me what price you obtained for her and how long ago.I hope I'm not being to impertinent to ask ,if so I understand.
I am currently looking for something like this.
Regards Gerald swain.
Was sold back in November. Can't really disclose the exact amount, but it was in line with guidelines on the Jampot club. I have seen a pristine one up for grabs at nearly £10k. All depends on the overall condition really and what you are looking for e.g. showroom or bitsa!
Lovely! Im subscribing
One kick!!!
looks more complicated to operate than my boeing 747-300 in the backyard..it needs a 500cc single 2 stroke dirt bike engine swap from the 80s, instant 30hp gain and 100mph top speed!
Yep, not an easy leap on an kick into life... and yes I did buy a 2 stroke. However unlike most current Boeing products, it didn't fail due to design/production issues..
@@MarkHarveyArt 🤪🤪🤪👍🏾👍🏾
Nice!! We also have matchless on our channel
Magneto check fuel pump check ignition check flaps set oh wait
I always thought all AMC singles built after 1955 had auto advance magneto's, maybe the CS was different. AUS
Off topic side note: I road and even raced a bit on two stroke AJS in early 70's ...the nickname at the time was "Another Junky Shitpile" ...I could not argue too much ....was a bad choice. Sure Maicos were called "Maiko Breako" Bultacos "BullshitOs" CZs "Seize Easies" Huskys "Huskashitvas" etc but the AJ in particular deserved it's slander. Of course the two stroke AJS was in reality a Greeves design...I think Villiers was involved too ....British consolidation I suppose as they got crowded on by all the other brands
This bike is now sold.
wow
Adjust tappet clearance ( poping sound)
No longer own the bike so can't really make any changes
AJS Ah Jesus start.
That Plug Lead Is Going To Burn On The Cylinder ?
Sweet!!
I was shouting at him to open the bloody choke after start up it was obviously running too rich
😍👍🏽
441 BSA Victor..
i had a BSA goldstar when i was a kid , same lucas ignition .
biggest piece of shit i ever owned !
i think my dad has this type of bike i think, i know nothing about ajs bikes and wanna restore my dads haha
Anybody notice that this used to be a sidecar outfit?
If my kicking technique was that bad my singles wouldn't start either. You're not using any of your considerable weight to assist your leg.
As mentioned before, bike has gone to a new home. Even the best bikes can present their owners with starting issues th-cam.com/video/sB_8X3-q-bw/w-d-xo.html
Started fine, with an easy kick. What are you on about?
Bloody Hell!
Sounds like a BSA.
0836 EEST
Some years back, I was possessed with this crazy idea of getting one of these. Buying it from three French 'pot-heads' who seemed always high...on the 'giggle weed'.
Got to their pad at 'bout 3 P.M. to inspect the machine & road-test it. Well, it did not look any worse than yours, but different from yours, it would NOT start. We fiddled with the beast mightily ! Nothing. We tried pulling it alive, behind a 2CV, again nothing. All the while they were smokin' the weed like crazy. Midnight arrived silently...as the mono-cylinder beast never uttered a sound. I mounted my ride & escaped the carnage, as they had begun, in the dark, to tear the motor apart.
My Parisian ride, which I bought instead...it ALWAYS starts:
i.imgur.com/9uzQpjN.jpg
imgur.com/5gItcIU
I think a lot of it is getting everything in the right order. Get it wrong and you'll be there forever.. Took me quite a while to find the sweet spot. But having found that it's usually a good few prods once primed a couple of flutters and then it'll come to life. Once started it's usually easy to restart. My old Honda was a bit like that mind. If you hand't used it for a week that started button got an awful lot of buzzing till the fuel reached the cylinders. Glad you found something to suit your needs... sounds like you had a close shave with that one.
Sounds like you know nothing about bikes, as well as cannabis.
Mono-cylinder? Quel terme bête.....
It looks like Horex
It was running on full choke!
When men were men and motorcycles required muscles and brains to even start em much less ride em!
A case of knowing the knack to starting yer own bike. Seems each one has slightly different sweet spot.
Replace Mag
Not black as Ace of spades. Checking your oil