MrWolf Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 Someone else's vanity plate that's worth nothing to you might as well be moved on, hopefully to make some money to spend on the bike. We've had a few comments about the "value" of the plate on the Triumph, but it's the original and non transferable anyway. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted July 13, 2022 Share Posted July 13, 2022 On 12/07/2022 at 09:59, MrWolf said: Someone else's vanity plate that's worth nothing to you might as well be moved on, hopefully to make some money to spend on the bike. We've had a few comments about the "value" of the plate on the Triumph, but it's the original and non transferable anyway. Harleys do tend to turn into money pits, for a variety of reasons; that orange Sportster is a much better bike for the various changes I've made to it but I don't recall any part of the process being free of charge. It wasn't my intention for the 'Glide to become one ... but I'm well aware of the usual effects of swimming against tides. For whatever reason, it doesn't have pannier guard rails, which are handy to have (the panniers are fibreglass and expensive to refinish) and the temptation of a police saddle and long fishtails are already whispering from the sidelines.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted July 13, 2022 Share Posted July 13, 2022 I could probably come up with a shopping list for our bikes too. Off the top of my head, a resleeved carburettor for the B33 as the slide is very worn, a new petrol tank for the A7, or a full restoration of the original. As for the Triton, I don't even want to think about that! At least the Speed Twin is behaving now that I have sorted out the electrics. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted July 19, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 19, 2022 Here's an interesting, but slightly off-topic (sorry) bike, brought out yesterday on one of our 'Old Farts Breakfast Club' runs. Apparently a few years ago, new, odd, Jawas were available, on a kind of 'here's the box, now get on with it' basis. One of our guys had bought one, but hadn't used it much due to an attack of old-fart-itis resulting in a new heart valve being inserted - into him, that is. Anyway, it's a four stroke 250 (233 actually) twin, with an engine that looks suspiciously like a Honda Benly/CD250/Nighthawk 250, in a chassis that likely owes a lot to the old stroker 250's. Not a bad looking little thing, sounded nice, Commando style silencers, went....slow. Even slower then the Meteor! Lots of interest in it from bike-keen passers by, of which there were a lot. This is the island after all! 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted July 19, 2022 Share Posted July 19, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said: Anyway, it's a four stroke 250 (233 actually) twin, with ... ... what looks to me like a deliberate bend in the rear brake rod. Can it really be so? ETA - and what's that cable for, the inner of which seems to be connected to the same pedal? It surely doesn't go to the brake light switch does it ... ? Edited July 19, 2022 by spikey afterthought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted July 19, 2022 Share Posted July 19, 2022 Hiya A bike returns I had this FZR600 for quite a few years. It was my cheapy commuter bike. I do have a bit of a soft spot for it, but I tried to rationalise a few years ago. Decided if I sold it then I would get peanuts for it, and someone would just break it for spares and I didn't want that to happen. So I gave it to a friend on condition it was to be restored. ~6 years later they have decided they won't get around to it so I have it back! Intention now is to strip it, powder coat or paint the frame (undecided) and getting it OK mechanically. Cosmetics will barely be touched (might try the tool to melt "staples" into the plastc to repair a few cracks). I had forgotten how many spares were with it. One of the spare wheels is an earlier rear which is a 3.5" rim rather than a 4" rim. The 4" rim used to be favoured, but rear tyres for the 4" rim are now hard to get. The blue spare levers are some cheapy spares I picked up when I was about to do a track day. There are 2~3 spare new clutch cables in the box - they tended to last about a year before getting very heavy. Oh well. All the best Katy 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted July 20, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 20, 2022 23 hours ago, spikey said: ... what looks to me like a deliberate bend in the rear brake rod. Can it really be so? ETA - and what's that cable for, the inner of which seems to be connected to the same pedal? It surely doesn't go to the brake light switch does it ... ? Yup, looks that way - for both! The bend in the rod will ease the grabby-ness of the rear brake, if it is grabby that is.....hmmm....as for the rear brake light switch, zooming in shows it to loop around to the switch that is apparently mounted to an engine mounting bolt, with a bodged cable end stay on the rear mudguard! It's not my bike, and Job seldom rides out with us, but if it appears again I will have a closer look at some of its 'ingenious solutions'. Ahem. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 Cheers mister. Well, there's always been more than one way to skin a cat ... Nice looking little bike, though 🙂 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted July 20, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 20, 2022 6 hours ago, spikey said: Cheers mister. Well, there's always been more than one way to skin a cat ... Nice looking little bike, though 🙂 It ticks the 'different' box for sure. Job is Jawa crazy, he has fleets of them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 I like the look of it, it's definitely got that 1960s European style to it. The only Jawa I have had anything to do with was a 350 twin that I got from a car breakers years ago and stuck on the autojumble. It was gone before lunchtime at a price that was agreeable to both parties, I'd like to think that it's still on the road. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted July 21, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 21, 2022 9 hours ago, New Haven Neil said: It ticks the 'different' box for sure. Job is Jawa crazy, he has fleets of them. Maybe he'd like this one? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334502012952?hash=item4de1dfa818:g:SqkAAOSwC7hijMc3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 I've sometimes thought about converting a speedway bike into something road going, just because... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted July 21, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 21, 2022 1 hour ago, MrWolf said: I've sometimes thought about converting a speedway bike into something road going, just because... ...and run it on Methanol..... 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 56 minutes ago, polybear said: ...and run it on Methanol..... You read my mind. Late 1920s Brooklands style race bike, with just a number plate and tiny reflector for legality. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 (edited) Nothing wrong with Jawas! Edited July 21, 2022 by rockershovel 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 A propos cranked rear brake rods, who remembers those awful forward footrests on British choppers? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted July 21, 2022 Share Posted July 21, 2022 (edited) 10 hours ago, polybear said: ...and run it on Methanol..... I will mention that my speedway Jawa runs a #630 main jet and does about 5 mpg.... Edited July 21, 2022 by rockershovel 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 12 hours ago, rockershovel said: I will mention that my speedway Jawa runs a #630 main jet and does about 5 mpg.... Its still has a main jet? All the best Katy 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 10 hours ago, Kickstart said: Its still has a main jet? All the best Katy Oh, yes... but it's not the same. The old Amal Racing Carburettor had twin float chsmbers and no needle, just a jet. I've set up Concentrics without needles on occasion, it's a sort-of fix for older engines converted to Methanol where the ports aren't big enough for the carburettor required. Methanol is a much weaker fuel than petrol (lower calorific value) and runs on an air/fuel ratio of about 5:1, compared to 15:1 for petrol. They can be seriously over-jetted and still run, but rapidly overheat if the fuel supply is blocked or obstructed - one reason speedway bikes have two fuel taps.... 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted July 22, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 22, 2022 8 minutes ago, rockershovel said: Methanol is a much weaker fuel than petrol (lower calorific value) and runs on an air/fuel ratio of about 5:1, compared to 15:1 for petrol. Doesn't that mean that petrol would give more power? If so, why use Methanol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 8 hours ago, polybear said: Doesn't that mean that petrol would give more power? If so, why use Methanol? https://www.motortrend.com/news/power-in-methanol-racing-alternative-fuel/ Nope! Not sure I fully understand it either..... 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted July 23, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 23, 2022 (edited) post deleted - in the wrong place. Oops. Edited July 23, 2022 by polybear 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) On 22/07/2022 at 21:23, polybear said: Doesn't that mean that petrol would give more power? If so, why use Methanol? Petrol has a higher fuel density than Methanol, so a given quantity of petrol contains more calories BUT because Methanol requires a higher fuel/air ratio, the incoming fuel/air mixture contains more calories per unit volume than a petrol/air mixture. There are other advantages to Methanol. It effectively has an unlimited octane value (or more correctly, is outside the octane scale) and as a result, will accept any compression ratio the engine is capable of sustaining. My Jawa is about 13:1 and even 2v Jawas are capable of up to 14.5 or so. Modern speedway engines will sustain ratios up to 17:1 . Another advantage of Methanol is that the additional fuel in the charge, provides significant cooling effect so it has significant reliability benefits. If you REALLY want to get silly, Methanol is a very effective solvent for things like nitro-methane. Nitro basically acts as "chemical supercharging" releasing oxygen in the combustion chamber. The main disadvantages to Methanol are the very high fuel consumption relative to petrol (I once had a BSA B33 for sand racing at Mablethorpe. I used to test the engine in a road bike and the consumption was around three times the equivalent on petrol). Another issue is cost, and available supply. Edited July 24, 2022 by rockershovel 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) On 21/07/2022 at 09:54, MrWolf said: I've sometimes thought about converting a speedway bike into something road going, just because... They do appear occasionally, but it's a LOT of work.. this is about the best example around, but notice that it won't tick over... Edited July 24, 2022 by rockershovel 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 2 minutes ago, rockershovel said: They do appear occasionally, but it's a LOT of work.. Definitely. It's one of those things where you would basically be starting with a frame, engine and a rear wheel. In which case you may as well use a road machine frame. I'm definitely not the sort of person who would take a complete vintage bike and strip it to build a special, I saw a complete, untouched oily rag 1955 A7SS, get broken up only last year to build yet another stainless steel bedecked Rocket Goldie lookalike trailer queen, when all it needed was a clean and a mechanical overhaul. Even the chrome was in good shape. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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