Author Topic: workshop manuals  (Read 660 times)

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Mike Farmer

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workshop manuals
« on: 24 October, 2019, 16:00:38 »
 :) :) :)

Hi.
Following the discussions over a period of time I looked into buying the Roy Bacon (or Frank) manual on restoring BSA twins. I bought one on Ebay for £15 in very good condition. Unmarked, no oily fingerprints etc.

My first impression is that it is an excellent book with lots of goodies and buckets full of sound info and advice. For instance it has the best instruction for making cables that I have ever seen in clarity and detail. (Never had much success so will give that a go)

However I don't think that it is the book to use in the shed and it lacks a step by step guide.

That said I am pleased with it.

Mike 8) 8) 8)

Phil C

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Re: workshop manuals
« Reply #1 on: 24 October, 2019, 17:28:52 »
As I said before, I think a step-by-step (with photos/pic's) detailed, idiot-proof guide to making cables would be a good subject for a series of "how to..." guides in The Star.   I think such a series would be very popular with beginners like me. There must be lots of jobs that could be covered.         Phil.

Phil C

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Re: workshop manuals
« Reply #2 on: 24 October, 2019, 18:23:25 »
I wonder if a reason we don't see things like that is because of culpability/liability if something went wrong. Hmmm. Maybe some kind of disclaimer would be sufficient?  Don't know.  Maybe the editor knows.

chaz

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Re: workshop manuals
« Reply #3 on: 24 October, 2019, 19:45:18 »
from experience, I hesitate to say Haynes manuals are probably the best for stripping down bikes. where they lack is the general quote "reassembly is the opposite of dismantling". you sometimes have to flick back and forward to  complete the build.
Clymer (American) manuals are well written but lack fluidity. its section by section but not necessarily in the correct order.
Harley OEM manuals are the same style as Clymer, same fault.
Rupert Ratio's singles book is the best descriptive and comprehensive which includes modifications , both BSA and owner revisions.
Roy Bacons books are general well informed histories but not necessarily "how to" guides.
BSA (and other marques) official manuals are the original "how to" but are like Harley ones , hard to follow and not in sequence.
BSA parts books are invaluable for part numbers and general exploded views.

there used  to be a series "Autobooks" mainly cars similar to Haynes but not many and no bike ones.
internet sites like Carl Salter and PDF moto manual have factory and Haynes manuals, parts books and sales literature mainly modern but some classic manuals.
other web sites cater for exploded diagrams for marque specialists.. Trevor Pope KTM, Fowlers Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki etc, Lings have modern Triumph, CSMNL look after Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha.

I tend to follow OEM as they built the bike originally but mainly the in depth sections, Haynes used as strip down and rebuild.
the problem with forum "how to's" is that we have all found our own different ways coping with problems . I doubt there are many owners with as large a tool box as I have, many spanners have been adapted for use and a lot of specialist pullers and tools covering all makes which are multi bike useable.
 members posting a "how to" will no doubt end up with other contributors, adding you want to do this instead of that, thus making it confusing for others. it happens here and other forums eg look at the recent oil seepage thread. the official way or the bodge way, which one will last? as I found, the Royal Enfield way ends up peeling off after a while and back to square one.

Mike Farmer

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Re: workshop manuals
« Reply #4 on: 24 October, 2019, 20:04:26 »
 :) :)

That was a seriously full and well informed post. I have Haynes and agree that it doesn't come much better for step by step. I have the Beesa manuals and find them ok but no real "how to" guide. This one is more marque descriptive but again lacks "how to" in some respects. (still well worth the purchase)

My previous toys were International Farmall Tractors. Again the manuals were good but with the same lack. However International did a series of 'blue sheets' available for the engineers which generally went into great detail of specific jobs. Listing all the measurements right where you want them, not on a separate page.

I'm very open minded about an "How to" page in the magazine. It would come with mostly, I think, good points but some very grey areas. Sauce for the goose aint necessarily etc etc.

Enuf guff from me.

Mike 8) 8) 8) 8)

ChrisG

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Re: workshop manuals
« Reply #5 on: 25 October, 2019, 11:53:56 »
We always publish ideas and 'how to' items in The Star in the Tech Tips or Tech article sections. Perhaps the problem is, they are sporadic, i.e. they appear as and when members send them in and not everyone keeps their copies of the mag. Even if they did, it would take an age to find the specific tip by trawling through the back copies. 
Maybe an idea would be to look through all the back copies and bundle them together, maybe on the website. I have the original raw copy (i.e. text and photographs) going back to 2012 when I started as editor so the info is safe but I don't have the time to collate them.
Any volunteers?
Chris

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Re: workshop manuals
« Reply #6 on: 25 October, 2019, 14:00:53 »
Hi Chris
Are the copies you hold paper or digital?
Old Biker

ChrisG

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Re: workshop manuals
« Reply #7 on: 26 October, 2019, 15:51:39 »
I have pdf copies of all the magazines going back to 2007
Individual article files I have are, text in MS Word and Photos in Jpeg. The appearance in The Star is designed and laid out by the Designer at the printers.
To pick the articles out of pdf copies of the magazine and copy them would require an upgrade of Adobe Acrobat reader which is quite expensive and I don't have this at present.
However, I'm sure someone a bit more knowledgeable about such things would be able to find a suitable piece of software that could do it.
Hope that helps
Chris