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Messages - GBonduel

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Singles / Re: Amal 289 Pre monobloc carburettor
« on: 05 May, 2018, 07:56:44 »
If it's flooding from the base of the jet block the problem isn't with the float but rather the union between the float chamber and the carb. I used wet sandpaper on a flat surface to make both the bottom of the carb and the sealing surfaces of the float chamber as smooth as possible. I was also getting leaks from between the nut where the float chamber is mounted and the carb, some sealant and a new gasket fixed that.

My experience with the pre monobloc was that it always wants to leak but with enough persistence it can be cured.

2
Singles / Re: B31 clutch
« on: 05 May, 2018, 07:36:23 »
You seem to be doing OK, I'm guessing you're using this diagram:

Don't have the exact measurements but I do remember it looks too short but once everything is assembled it works.

3
The Star and Garter / Re: Refinishing/restoring wheels
« on: 21 September, 2017, 21:47:41 »
I've done it, it's quite a job.

The way I did it was to first make a wooden base to hold the hub and wheel in their original positions for reassembly, then I removed all spokes, sent the wheels to be rechromed and sandblasted spokes and hubs. (Sandblasting spokes took a LOT if time, getting new ones might be a better idea).

Did the reassembly using the wooden base but I still needed to do many adjustments after to get the wheel to turn true and get the offset just right.

Here are a few pictures, if you need any more details just let me know.

4
Singles / Re: 1953 b31 plunger gearbox
« on: 30 August, 2017, 22:53:44 »
PM sent, I also have a B31 Plunger but haven't had any problems with the gearbox yet.

5
Singles / Re: Torque wrench
« on: 24 August, 2017, 21:50:23 »
Torque settings are always given dry, unless specified.

As a B31 owner they are indeed relatively easy to work on (except for the carb if pre-monobloc) and most parts are easy to find.

Don't know if it's the same in other BSA's but I ended up not using my torque wrench on the head studs but instead hooked a small scale to the spanner to approximate the torque.

6
Singles / Re: Torque wrench
« on: 23 August, 2017, 23:56:24 »
Definitely invest in good Whitworth sets and spanners first.

When torqueing down a bolt, either with a torque wrench or by feel, if the thread is lubricated by any means (such as anti-seize) the force needed will be much less than for a dry thread.

Reasoning behind this is that the friction in a dry thread will resist movement and so for the same "pulling" force on the bolt a much higher force is needed. If you use the dry number on a lubricated thread you run the risk of snapping the bolt or damaging components.

7
Singles / Re: Torque wrench
« on: 23 August, 2017, 22:02:10 »
There are few more satisfying things than feeling a torque wrench click; that said unless you completely disassemble your engine there few fasteners that will actually require it.
$25-30 will get you a decent enough torque wrench, there´s no hurry so you can wait around for deals.

8
Which BSA do you ride? / Re: Recently restored B31
« on: 05 August, 2017, 00:29:46 »
After the engine and gearbox were done I finally took a look at the bike.

Fortunately, almost all the parts were there so what I actually needed to find was very little. Most of the parts I had to order from the UK but fortunately they weren't many and shipping was surprisingly not too expensive (although one order did get lost in the mail). It's amazing how modern technology has helped to make finding parts for these old machines so easy, in fact I think maybe even easier than for my modern car!

I had access to sandblasting, so pretty much everything including the wheel spokes got that done (that was NOT fun); and chroming here is very inexpensive so all of the original parts were rechromed.

The fuel tank was by a long shot the hardest thing to do, and if I were to do it again I'd definitely buy a new one instead, if anyone has any experience with the Indian ones on EBay please let me know if they're good. A rat had been living inside of it so it had lots of corrosion and holes which were a pain to fix. The result looks OK but the metal is probably very thin on several places (has a good thick plastic coating inside, don't remember the name of it at the moment) and under the rubber caps the chrome looks very bad but for the moment that'll do.

On the electrical side, the original loom was burnt so I was fearing the worst. Ordered a new loom from the US which had different color coding from the diagram I had on hand but surprisingly once connected everything worked, even the original regulator and brake light switch (which had spiders living inside).

Next step is paperwork, since it hasn't been on the road since probably the late 70's there are a lot of hoops to jump through.


9
Which BSA do you ride? / Re: Recently restored B31
« on: 05 August, 2017, 00:02:00 »
A bit more backstory.

The story began when I found in a cabinet in my dad's shop some engine parts and asked him about it. He said they were from a project he'd started about 20 years ago and hadn't worked on since.
There was a gasket set and a new piston with the parts, two carburetors and everything was already nice and clean so I decided since I like assembling engines to give it a go without even having taken a look at the motorcycle at that time.

The gearbox came next and it was in pretty good shape too so that part progressed quickly.

The magneto was restored by a specialist in the US which was BY FAR the most expensive part of the restoration. He also sent me new cables and some assorted small parts.

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Which BSA do you ride? / Recently restored B31
« on: 04 August, 2017, 22:57:45 »
Hello everyone, and greetings from Guatemala, this is my first post.

Decided to share some pictures of the 1955 B31 I just finished restoring. My father bought this motorcycle back in the 80's and had it lying around in a shed until a couple of years ago when I decided to bring it back to life.


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