Completed. After a couple of minor problems the bike is up and running really well.
The first problem was the carb
It just wasn't running right. So, after a chat to a couple of motorcycle mechanics, some friends & the people at AMAL, I decided to go for a new one. I got the standard 376/80 but with the hard anodised slide and a stay-up float.The dealer that I got the first carb from got it all wrong - the 389 carb for an iron head does not work at all. Now the bike ticks over & runs really well.
The second problem was a bent pushrod
I took it out for a run around the block and it handled well, so I did another 25 miles just to make sure everything was OK. I took out the spark plugs and they were a nice brown colour, so no more sooty plugs. On the Sunday I took it up to Sudbury, Suffolk, to a bike show. I checked the plugs again when I got there and they were the same nice brown colour. I spent a very nice day there... unfortunately... 5 miles from home the bike started to run very rough, with a loud popping noise on the left hand side exhaust. So the very nice man from the AA took me home. Next day, I took the rocker box and head off and found a very bent pushrod and a sticky valve. I went back to the engineer who did the head job for me, and he said it was not enough clearance between the valve and guide. So I ordered new valve and guides and pushrods and he redid the job for me. And today, Friday, I finished putting it back together. After a 50 mile ride everything was running right - except for one more thing, the amp meter was showing no charge.
The Amp meter
There is a little story to this. I bought the bike back in early May 2009. The man that I got it from told me that the battery wasn’t charging, so he had put a new regulator on; but it didn’t solve the problem. So, I assumed it was the amp meter, and put on a new one on, but still no joy. So, was it a duff regulator that the previous guy had? So, I bought a new regulator from MTML which is called DVR2 - again no charge, but as I don't use the bike at night it never really bothered me too much. So, I just charged the battery if I was going out at night. But now I have finished the bike and the battery is still not charging, it is now a bit of a pain. So, when a friend came round for some clutch parts that I had in my spares box, I came across the original regulator that was on the bike when I first bought it. This also is switchable for 6 or 12 volt as well. So I thought I had nothing to lose and that I would try it on the bike now that everything has now been replaced. Guess what? The amp meter works & the battery is now charging. Now, I’ve got to wondering - could it just have originally been a wiring problem or dynamo not working? Because, after doing the rebuild, all the wiring works on the original regulator. So, is the new regulator the DVR2 that I purchased from the dealer, faulty?
Some pictures of the finished bike
Video I am the one filming (no sound)
