Hi - I'm currently restoring a 1961 C15.
The old headlamp rim chrome is in bad shape and the old inner rim has a crack where it looks like somebody has modified it and the headlamp doesn't stay in securely.
I've therefore bought new replacement parts for both.
They've just arrived and I cannot work out how they fit together? There is nothing in the Rupert Ratio book that I can see which mentions this issue.
There is a tab on the chrome rim which is preventing it sliding onto the black inner rim.
I've attached some photos to crudely show what I mean, two of the new parts and one of the existing parts that were on the bike.
Whoever installed the 'existing' headlamp rims clearly hit the same problem and modified both by cutting strips to make them fit.
What am I missing here? I feel I'm being rather dense and cannot believe modification is required on brand new parts?
I've had plenty of problems fitting pattern headlight rims which are not always made correctly. You will probably need to cut back the location tab to make it fit. The bigger problem I have had is that the rims are sometimes very difficult to push on to the headlight shell as the rim size is slightly out. Hopefully, in this case, it is just the tab that needs adjusting?
Thanks - yeah I think/hope it's just the tab that needs cutting.
I'm still shocked that I'm supposedly required to modify brand new parts which are specific to the bike. It's not like they are non-original/aftermarket. And was clearly the same 50 years ago.
I've never come across this before in any other area. Can't imagine people buying new VW original headlamps for their VW Golf and then needing to cut them to fit.
OSFA
one size fits all. in otherwords, whoever is making these has copied an existing one and as with Chinese Whispers copying a copy leads to increased dimensions as they are drawn around. probably, someone has made them not having ever fitted one so does not understand the method.
read old posts regarding M5 threads for 2BA or M6 for 1/4BSW, close but no cigar. may fit a current Indian or Chinese made bike that is close in size. Or even using worn dies and not getting resized. We had a couple of specialist mould and die makers locally that repaired or resized dies .
I remember when Chinese bikes first came in, the batteries were marked up with what they thought was the correct part eg YTX7L-BS , when infact they were different dimensions and different terminals, caused us more work finding a correct size.
Not sure about your setup.
Your first photo shows the black inner rim with a circular hole which takes the screw of the rim clip. This hole should be at the top in front of the speedo.
The tab on the rim goes at the bottom.
Quote from: JulianS on 03 Aug, 2022, 17:36
Not sure about your setup.
Your first photo shows the black inner rim with a circular hole which takes the screw of the rim clip. This hole should be at the top in front of the speedo.
The tab on the rim goes at the bottom.
Thank you very,very much - this has solved the puzzle.
Yes there are three holes on the black inner rim, one at midnight at the top. The others at 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions.
The chrome rim where the tab is has a Lucas stamp on it so it is
logical to assume the tab/Lucas stamp should be at the top (first post - cannot-slide-on.jpg). You know what they say about assume...
However taking your advice I was able to squeeze the chrome rim onto the inner rim by not aligning the tab to the cutouts (first post - tab-too-big.jpg), but instead putting the tab in one of the 2 rounded/formed sections. No idea why there are 2 of these sections, there is only one tab?
See photo (where-the-tab-goes.jpg) which shows where I was trying to get it and where it actually goes. The tab is now around the 7 o'clock position not directly at the bottom.
Anyways thanks again for helping solve this!! Hopefully my pics will help somebody else in the future. It was far from intuitive for me! :)
Still not sure about that - the tab should be right at the bottom in the cutout not to one side.
I think your inner ring may be from a Bantam not a C15?
C15 inner rim like this;
https://morriesplacecycle.com/product/54520104nos-inner-nacelle-headlight-ring-black-bsa-c15-19-0742/
Hmm - that's strange the cutouts on that are different to mine. The one nearest looks bigger!
Mine is the same as this one - both cutouts are identical in size, hence why the tab doesn't fit:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BSA-C15-B40-LUCAS-HEADLAMP-INNER-RIM-NEW-OLD-STOCK-54520104-/354180719841?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l44720.c10&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true
...which is the exact same part code as the one you posted?? And both mine/the one above say they are for a C15.
The listing does say 'genuine Lucas'.
Confused.
The Lucas item is marked "LUCAS 575 Made in England" or very similar and is designed for a rim with a tab.
The Wipac Bantam item, which I think is what you have, is similar but not the same and designed for a rim which does not have a tab. This ebay item shows a Wipac Bantam rim.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Wipac-6-034-inch-headlight-Rim-New-Old-Stock-/265703871443?hash=item3ddd2f53d3%3Ag%3A5zkAAOSw30Nibs3a&nma=true&si=b3aCJzLJ5zkD4yknfnjEJtv5FXY%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
I've just had a look at my C15 and B40. The B40 rim is as expected with the tab at the bottom but I vaguely remember having trouble with the new C15 rim because the tab was in the wrong place and so I simply removed it by drilling out the rivets. The tab is only there for making alignment of the headlight easier but you can still align it using the markings on the glass.
I take that back - the reason I removed the C15 headlight rim tab must have been because it was the wrong width. The tab on my B40 tab is 3/4" wide and I think the C15 tab was probably more like an inch. Rather than sending it back and trying to convince the Seller that it had been wrongly made, I had the choice of cutting its size down or removing it. I choose the latter since the rivet holes left would not be seen.