TAPS AND DIES

We only carry as regular stock top quality taps and dies in HSS (high speed steel).  These are more expensive than regular quality but are designed for the professional.  We recently had someone make some special 3/8 grade 5 BSF bolts for us and they were able to produce over 100 using one of our dies.

We have for years carried CEI (26tpi), BA and BSF taps (taper and bottoming) and dies as individual items and in boxes sets.  We also carry BSP taps for gas tank threads.

In response to demand we have now introduced the following boxes sets (again all HSS).

BSA Set  0 -5 BA (20 pieces) Part No 99-22 $175.55 Canadian.

UNF Set 1/4 – 1/2″ (17 pieces) Part No 99-863 $255.00 Canadian.

 

Ignition Timing

Customer with late coil ignition model Matchless G15CS – very similar to N15CS, Atlas & P11 – even early Commando – wanted to know if I could give him a measurement so he could stick a rod into his plug hole to set his timing.  Here’s my reply…

That would not be accurate enough because a piston doesn’t go down the bore at distance exactly in synch with the rotation of the crank and also the plug threads are not exactly 90 degrees to the piston top.  Also piston crowns vary a bit in height which would mean a differing starting point.

Add to this, the optimum timing varies according to the gas you regularly use.   These bikes were originally designed to run on 98 octane fuel – much higher than that presently available.   I would suggest you set the timing according to the specifications and then

take it for a ride.  If on roll on acceleration from say 40-50 mph you hear and sound of detonation (pinging) then rotate your pick up plate say 1/16″ in the direction of rotation of the magnetic rotor and try again.  This will effectively retard the ignition slightly.  Keep doing this until

you get rid of the detonation.

We do carry and contact breaker mounted timing disc (98-0818CEI $27.55 Canadian) which you would find useful for this purpose.

 

Fuses

A customer asked if there is a difference between UK and North American fuses. Here’s my reply:

Absolutely!  British fuses are rated by blow rate and North American by flow rate.

A 32 amp British fuse is designed to carry a current of 16 amps and will blow at 32.  An American 32 amp fuse is designed to carry a current of 32 amps and won;t blow until it is substantially higher than that.

Fit a 32 amp American fuse to your British bike and if you get a short (quite common on BSA’s from my personal experience) you will be at best buying a new harness and at worst putting out a fire.

 

NORTON GEAR OIL

I hear the forums are buzzing with “expert” advice on Commando gear oil.  The rumour is that GL5spec 80/90 or 90wt  extreme pressure gear oil will damage the bushes in Norton gear boxes.  We have been selling BelRay 80/90 GL5 for years to Norton owners and are not aware of any problem so I referred the matter to the most experienced Norton mechanic I know of in the UK.

Here’s his reply:

“It’s a load of rubbish.  I have stripped and rebuilt many hundreds of Sturmey
Archer dolls head, upright, laydown, AMC and both types of lightweight twin
gearboxes and always use 90 or 80/90 oil without ANY problems.”

NORTON FORK DAMPING

Norton Roadholder forks are fitted to Domi’s, Singles, Commando’s and also to several 1964 onwards AJS & Matchless models.

This is a very good design and when in good condition give excellent performance. One of the biggest complaints is that they lose damping performance, as evidenced by the “clunk” at full extension.

There are several internal devices on the market to improve the performance of these forks however the damping problem is usually caused by wear in the alloy damper caps (Part No 06-1347). The damper rod passes through this cap and the rod to cap clearance should be .002″ approx.  These caps do wear and clearance of .020 – .030″ is common, providing very little restriction to the flow of oil, which controls the dampening.

More about oils

I have discussed several times the unsuitability of modern oils in classic cars and bikes with their big flat tappets and larger running clearances etc.  The problem is mainly due to the lack of zinc in the oil, which for our purposes needs to be at least 1200ppm.

We have now started carrying this engine treatment additive from Hipertech (Part No H100350 for a 350ml bottle).  Adding just 35ml to each liter (that’s about 100ml for the average oil change) will bring the zinc level in your regular oil up to at least 1500ppm.

The product’s primary benefit is to reduce friction thereby reducing wear and ensuring long and reliable engine life.   It also helps by protecting against viscosity and thermal breakdown, enhances rust protection (important in vehicles which go for long periods without starting) , improving power and compression and lowering oil consumption.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BRITURO CO UK

We have dealt with Brituro, who make mufflers for us,  for close to 30 years and there is a rumour going around the internet discussion groups that they have closed down.  Joe Dallow assures me that this is not the case.  They delivered an order of BSA/Triumph “Ray Guns” and other mufflers to us a couple of weeks ago.