Britbike forum Forums General discussion The Rod and Tappet Yarns from the Fettling shed

Just lately every time I took the FORTY INCHER out for a ride, everyone and his dog said..... "that's chucking smoke out on the over run" so as it's now 'Fettling Season' I thought it best to get the fettling irons out and have me a look see....

First it was OFF WITH HER HEAD, then down to me local Plumber who has the measuring irons to see if it was the valve guides, which is what I thought it probably was. But what do I know, NO says he, everything is within tolerance nothing to see here....

So as the Lovely Janette was attending the Christmas day cremation out in her kitchen, I sneaked out into the fettling shed, took the barrels off.....



Put one of the rings down the bore....




Only to find I didn't have enough Feelers in me feeler gauge to fill the gap....





So that'll be the reason the bike is burning oil up then, bugger. Didn't seem all that long ago I put them in brand new as well, oh well guess that's what happens when you use a bike....


Meanwhile, Cochise news....

All Y'all will recall I've been having starting issues on that little sucker, back in the end of August it nearly gave me my first heart attack, after riding it around the lanes of Kent, then failing to start after a light refreshment. And y'all will recall me saying it was defiantly the Carb, yes indeed it IS a simple thing, BUT ifn y'all don't know what y'all are looking at, how do you know what's wrong....?

At the Indian Riders Rally, the event I was at, I asked a lad if he could take a look for me. That lad being a fine fellow indeed said, don't take it off the bike, I'll come up and take the WHOLE thing and sort it....

Now young Pete, for that's his name, is the husband of the club's secretary, and as he looked at the whole machine. After finding my diagnosis was 100% correct, also found loads of other little things wrong, all of which would make starting difficult. He's wife said, whatever you do don't give that bike back till it's fixed....

So I'm waiting on parts for that, but when it's done I SHOULD have the bike I wanted, just hope I can ride it to places as the plague continues, I have photographic evidence of the work done on the bike, all sent to me via whatsapp, but I'm buggered if I know how to get it from the phone into me photos then on to here. And I don't have a 5yr kid to show me, but one of the things he found was the kickstart was missing a few teeth, and it's shaft that's bolted to the back of the engine was broken, after a dodgy repair by the previous owner....

Anyway lads, that's all y'all up to date, just gotta say......HAPPY NEW YEAR.... to all y'all, let's hope this year sees the World get back to *Normal*....

That's a cavernous ring gap there, matey.

Get on with the waiting, then the return to wholeness.

"Just seems like it was yesterday that I was last in here fooling with this...", let me tell you bonnie lad, it's only going to get worse as Time flies in her course.

I remember the last time, you used a welder powered from the overhead lamp socket, and used Comet cleanser in the new cylinder to scrub in the new rings, and it worked fine except some folks gave you gyp for it....!

I've been fettling away, new brakes and fixed an oil leak on the Guzzi, new horn and headlight switches and connectors on the A10, lots more to tackle, I better do some pictures....

Lannis

'Tis the season for fettling! Better the ring gap is too wide as opposed to too narrow. Burning oil is always preferred to seizing.

Here's my lump (T140ES) FINALLY back together after strip down to sludge tube in late October. All new bearings, measure twice, cut once and all that.

Still need to hone cylinders and clean/inspect head, but it's progress!

Spring will be here before I know it....

Steve

Confession time - I've done feck all

Lannis lad, I was thinking of plugging in the welder to the light socket, then putting a blob of weld onto the end of each ring, then it's just a simple case of using a file to get the gaps right. That would save me not only money but the wait for the postman....

Bryan lad, if ANYONE is excused Boots, then it's you lad, just pour another glass of Vino Rosso out, chuck another log on the fire, settle down and read all this shyte in the warmth....Buon Anno....