Hi guys!
I bought a 1963 BSA c15 a few weeks ago and earlier today while attempting to kick her over the sponge (acting as the air filter) caught fire! This comes just after I backed out the air pilot screw as it was surging while idling at traffic lights. The wires aren't badly charred and I tipped the bike over before it set fire to the seat so thats fine but I would quite like for this not to happen again. My father suggests it might be set to run far too rich but would that cause the listed event to occur?!
Any advice would be amazing as it is my first time owning a classic bike and being 21 I haven't been around these machines nearly long enough to know them inside and out.
Many thanks!
Hi Charles,
Welcome to the Forum and BSA ownership. As well as a bit rich it could be the timing is a bit advanced. It is probably checking all the settings and making sure the carb is clean. Did kick back a bit when tying to start it?
Also, have you joined the BSAOC? The Club is a bit top heavy with us 'classic owners' and your young blood is really needed. There are local branches across the country so you should be able to find one too far away were the ageless members will give all the help you will need.
Dave.
Hi Dave,
Thankyou for the welcome and the reply, I have not joined the BSAOC just yet but definately plan to!
I shall look into getting a gasket set for the carb and a proper airfilter but in the mean time I will give the timing a once over.
I have the Haynes and BSA instruction manual but since I have a '63 model the contact breaker is behind the barrel, not in the primary drive case. This may sound like a silly question but would the contact breaker be identical in both as I am finding it difficult to find any diagrams or pictures of it in the position that it is found on my motorcycle.
Also, I do not recall it kicking back but would this be another indication of pre-ignition?
Thanks again,
Charles
Hi Charles,
I have not had a 'dizzy' (distributor) unit single for a while so I must leave it others to comment on the points. I would think that the timing will be the same.
Dave.
No worries, I'll keep digging for info. Thankyou kindly for the advice!
Hi,
Sorry, I did not comment on the kicking back. This can happen if the timing is too far advanced. If ignition occurs before the inlet valve is fully closed then the ignited mixture can blow back through the carb.
Obviously once you have checked the timing this will be eliminated.
Dave.
If you have not had the bike long it may be that the previous owner washed out the filter using petrol and did not dry it out properly. Might be worth taking it out and checking.
If you are going to keep the bike it is worth getting the Rupert Ratio Unit Singles books (2 of them). They are better than any other manuals and give you the "how to" as well as the basic info. Problem is I think they are out of print at the moment. I paid £26 for both books but some chancers on ebay are asking £700 for one - I suspect that is probably a scam anyway as it says they come from USA but the sellers address is in Gloucestershire.
Just keep an eye open for when they come back into print - they are well worth the (sensible) money.
Hi Pete,
I did check the sponge which felt dry prior to this incident bar a small circle of damp which I assumed was oil which I now guess was fuel. Unfortunately the sponge completely burnt during the fire (fortunately it was JUST the sponge) so no post mortem available! I am also going to have the seat off to beter inspect the wiring and check for a short that may have ignited the fuel soaked sponge. Thankyou for the advice of the book, I have just ordered volume 1 of the Rupert Ratio books as it popped up on amazon for £30 and since my specimen is one of the earlier ones I figured it'd be the best to get and to get it quickly since they do seem scarce. Since I'm a bit of a 'newbie' I had been going off the idea the Haynes manuals were the gospel which I now hear is not the case!
Thank you and Dave for the help and I shall update you when (or if) I find and fix the problem.
Charles