Britbike forum Forums British Motorcycle specific Brands Bsa bulletin board Starting my B50 today

quinten....it's a repro and I think it's Norton, but I'm not 100% sure. I put a H4 conversion with a pilot (all Lucas) and boy howdy does it light up the road. :bigt

Opie

Alex and Don....I'm not that lucky. The Main was the third thing I checked.

First I checked the battery voltage...can a black box Boyer get TOO much voltage?

Then I swapped out the plug...I restocked the shelves a few weeks back.

Then the main.

It ran like a top yesterday and all I did today was tighten a couple of the cylinder bolts...not much and checked the valves.

Ran good for 4-5 miles....then one cough...went on reserve and pulled into the station with in 200 yards. There couldn't have been much fuel in the tank...I put a gallon in and took off...it started acting up with in a quarter mile. I could ring it's neck and it'd cough and spit but keep going and build up speed....but that's as far as I got today. I'll drain the gas out tomorrow (I won't be that lucky) and start checking connections.

I've put a couple hundred miles on this thing and it's run okay until today...yesterday it was amazing...I never got it WFO....I ran out of road too fast.

Opie

Don....my B44 tug project has been delayed...this time it's not me. So I moved the other B44 back into the shop...moved a couple of other projects out of the way and I'm mounting the chair on that B44 for the time being. Figure I can learn on it. That bike's engine is still in good shape, it's the one I rode to the OVBSAOC spring event (almost 1000 miles) then turned around and rode it to the OSMR and back ( a little over 1500 miles).



I'm just going to stay local until I feel better about it...and then I want to ride it to BIBR this summer.




Got the sub frame mounted and had flashbacks about all the work I put into it....hope it works okay.



Shouldn't take long to get it set up but I do want to replace all the bikes wheel bearings and brake shoes....so that'll take a bit.

Hard to believe heh?......Opie

Sounds like progress to me, maybe you'll get some snow to slide around on. That should be a solid rig, good build.

I've gathered up the original factory four mount frame set for the Zundapp, just need to fabricate and modify a Danish sidecar to fit.

Don in Nipomo

Is it rpm or throttle ppsition related?

Alex...man I hate to seem so dumb...but I'm not sure how to answer that question. I could cruse along at 30 and it would be fine....if I tried to speed up in a hurry it would cough and spit.

Sorry....Opie

Gordon?
.....
You said it started miss firing right out of the station?

I'd certainly drain the 'new' fuel, and look for water contamination, or other debris....

When you took the bowl off, was there any evidence of water in the bowl? ...Or, is this carb one that all the fuel exits when you loosen or remove the "retaining" bolt[s]? Before you can even see what's IN the bowl?

I think you answered the question. Cruise along at 30 and it's fine. Then open the throttle and it starts spitting. Right? That would indicate fuel/carburetion.

Remember that plastic 441 tank chad got from you a few years back?

So yea, check for bird nests. :bigt

Hi Gordon
Did you find the problem?
I didn't chime in because I was going to say the same thing as Alex
but if it isn't the jet block/main jet, then how is the float? do you have the 'stay up' type
or the (new) white plastic kind? (these are crap)
all of my newer-ish amals have been refitted with old yellowed floats, because the new ones leaked
Hard to say about the higher voltage, did the coil get hot? this would be a sign of a problem
but it does sound like a carb problem, maybe an intermittent clog?
if it is the same with both taps open, then maybe it's the filter at the carb bowl.
Springtime is just around the corner, and I can't wait!
good luck with it
Cheers
Dennis B
P.S. The bike looks great!

Sorry for the slow reply. I've been busy and sorta got "side hacked". I got the B50 in the garage and all I've done to it was to drain the fluids and checked all the electrical connections. I'll get a chance this week to try some new/different gas and I'll report back. BTW....the tank is/was clean. I've done almost 200 miles with it but only 50 with the new carb.

I have been motorcycle busy.



Yea.....you can't work on any of my machines and NOT get dirty . Must be the city slicker in me.

I have been working on this....and got to try it for the first time today.





I still have a lot of work to do on it but at least I can get some practice in...I swear it's like learning to walk all over again. I'm not loving it yet....but there's a LOT of like going on right now.

Spring's just around the corner.....hope to see some of you soon....Opie

Have you figured out how to make the sidecar fly yet?
My wife wants me to get one so I can take the dog for a ride. Sheesh!

My friend Mike.....fly? I have some photos and a yarn to add to my sidecar build thread (many years old now) but I'll confess this....I wrecked in the first 130' of my side car's first ride. Yep....in the front yard.

I had driven a sidecar just one other time....about 2-3 mins in a big parking lot and just did a big circle...now I don't remember what kind it was...one of the euro things??? that are set up as sidecar rigs so it wasn't all that bad...on a FLAT and LEVEL BIG parking lot and I never got out of first. If you've seen my yard....there's not a lot of flat and level and the ride from the shop to the driveway can be a bit tricky.

BUT.....I'm getting better. If you've never tried one I'm here to tell you it's NOTHING like riding a motorcycle and if you try to ride it like that...you end up in the hedge.

Like I said..I'm not in love with it yet and at this point I would probably die of a heart attack if that wheel leaves the ground

Opie

I'm going to have a sidehack someday, not long from now.

1) To ride the dog in. There are not many things that every single human on the planet would agree with, but one of those things would be that a dog in a sidecar is fun.

2) To ride me in once I can't ride any more. Once I start getting to where the old legs or eyes or balance or something is too weak for me to ride any more, I'm going to train up my son on side-hacking, and get him to ride me up on the Parkway and on the roads I grew up on, when I need to be out in the breeze!

Lannis

I have the B50 in the shop and on "ignore" for the time being.

It snowed here Friday (okay Mr John...you're gona make me come up there ) and it was bad enough that I din't get any real bike time (the power was off most of the day).

BUTT...... today it was nice and I loaded up my passenger and headed out in the rig.



I'm lucky enough to be close to a school with a BIG parking lot that I had all to myself.



I ran almost a gallon of gas through the bike today and by the time I was on reserve I was on the hwy at hwy speeds and feeling pretty good about it all.

I have a feeling this is going to be fun.

Opie

seems to me URAL has a "how to ride" page on their site.
take a look....may help.
looking forward to riding with ya again

Hey mac....hope you're doing well? That was a great idea and I'm taking you up on it. Thanks for the tip.

Hope to see you again at the OSMR this year.

Opie...aka Gordon in NC

So you're getting the hang of it?
Glad to hear it's working out so far.
If you get more snow be sure to take it out for a sliding session

Don in Nipomo

Yea Don I had fun with it yesterday. I probably shouldn't have taken it on the Hwy just yet but I felt sorry for the B44 so I let it breath some.

I was doing the figure 8's like you suggested and the chair wheel came off the ground a couple of times....hard to believe it'll do it that easy with 80lbs in the chair.

Today I'm going to work on braking and try to figure out how to attach the chair's brake to the B44's rear. (got any suggestions?) I haven't started on the new subframe yet because I wanted to wait and see if there's anything else I want to change. I still have the fender off because I'm waiting for a new shock...the one that's on it just isn't up to the task.

All in all....after only two real days of riding/driving I'm feeling a LOT better than I did when I had to pull it out of the hedge.

Opie

I don't have the chair brake set up on mine, but I was thinking of using another BSA brake pedal mounted to the sidecar frame. Try some hard stops today and see if you can compensate for the chair "coming around" by countersteering a bit with the bars. Are you using the rear brake primarily? I know it's more effective on a rig than on a two wheeler.


Don in Nipomo

Don....yes I'd have to say at this time I'm using the rear brake more than I would if I was on two wheels.

That's what I want to work on today and get where I can panic stop without hurting myself in the process.

I'm not sure I have room for a brake pedal on the right side....that darn kickstarter takes up a lot of room. I'd like to hook it up to the bike existing pedal but that doesn't look like an easy do. Oh well it gives me something to think about.

My goal it to take the rig camping for the BIBR rally....no more cooler bags . That should give me plenty of time to work out the bugs in the rig and me.

Yesterday with the bike on the highway it had no trouble keeping 50-55mph and that's just perfect for my riding style.

Opie

Gordon--I have been riding outfits since about 1969. Just forget everything you ever learnt about riding a solo bike or driving a car. Riding an outfit is truly "the third way".
You will find that you develop muscles in your shoulders that you didn't know you had.
Try to think of the chair as a dead weight brake. So if you are turning right the chair is braking you so you increase the throttle a little--that will take you easily around the right hander.
If you are turning left then you need to bring the chair dead weight around you so you need to ease off the throttle and/or brake and use your shoulders to help heave the outfit around.
The best fun is on slippery surfaces where on a solo you have to be very careful--on an outfit you can do three wheel drifts and really have fun.
I started off on outfits in UK on an A10 Golden Flash and had several outfits over the years--all A10 powered. Now I am living in US I have a Ural--interesting bike and in its own way a bit of a classic.
Best of luck--persevere and I am sure that you will love it. I do!

Tridentman....thank you for your words of support. I got off work early and it's beautiful here in NC today. I had planned on working on the B50 but decided to take the outfit out instead. Man oh man it's getting better everytime I go. I'm now at least 98% sure the wheel isn't going to fly off the thing and I'm getting a LOT better at cornering. I think this weekend I'm going to head to the hills and get a little further from home with it. Got the fender on and the chair is looking better too.



I still have a lot of work to do on the chair ....but I'm not in a hurry....hahahahhhahah It's only taken me four years to get this far!

I'll have to admit at first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it....it was SO different from anything I'd done before. But the last couple of times I've been out on it...I was actually relaxed enough to enjoy it.

Take care and I hope one day our paths will cross. I'd like to meet you face to face and shake your hand.

Gordon in NC

That's nice, Gordon.

So you've obviously given up on the B50. Please send it to my address and bill me for the shipping.

Greetings from your friend in the land of fruits & nuts.

Hi Gordon--sounds as if you are really taking to it.
I should warn you--it is addictive!
Yes-I would like to meet up with you one day too.
If you are ever in the north east just PM me--I will PM you if I am ever in your neck of the woods.
Safe three wheel riding!
Richard (Beard) aka Tridentman

Alex, you know I told you the bike just didn't suit me....even though I built it, that's why it sat there all those years not finished.

BUT

I was having such a fine motorcycle day yesterday I figured I'd work on the Bfiddy to see if I could sort it out. I drained the fuel out of it a couple weeks back to let it dry out....then wheeled it to the shop (my basement) and there it sat until this morning. Before I drained the fuel and took it to the shop I had checked the main jet, switched out the plug and lead, and checked the battery voltage....all with no joy...still missing. While it had been sitting in the shop I did get a chance to look over all the connections...still didn't see anything that would cause it to cut out/skip like it did. SO I decided that before I put fresh fuel in it and tried it ( I really didn't think I was lucky enough for it to have been the fuel) I would pull the carb and give it a cleaning. Keep in mind this is a brand spanking new AMAL premier carb...that I had less than 50 miles on. Easy enough to do and it was last on my list of things to do before I tore into the engine looking for a problem.

Well..................hey!!!!!!!! you know those two tiny holes in the bottom of the bore just before the carb flange???? The one closest to the engine had a tiny, and I mean... tiny .....bit of swarf stuck in it. Hmmmmmmmmmm so far that's the ONLY thing I've seen that wasn't right, so I cleaned that little sucker out...cleaned the rest of the carb...replaced it and added some fresh fuel. Well I'll never be 100% sure which one it was...that swarf or the fuel but IT'S FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!! It finally stopped raining and I gave it a try.....running like a top again and I'm as happy as a little girl.

Some days your the windshield...some days your the bug. Today was one of my windshield days. (yesterday too with my sidecar's shock upgrade...but that's another story)

Hope you had a wonderful weekend too......opie