# Another Ebay Win...



## Silver Hawk

...no, not a watch, but a motorcycle. :thumbsup:

I love 1930 Ariels and this one was listed on eBay three weeks ago. While the auction was running, I contacted the seller and went up to Potters Bar to view it, tried to do a deal there-and-then but failed, went back home and placed a bid. Much to my surprise, I won and at 50% of my top bid so either I over-valued it (  ) or I got a bargain.... consensus in the Ariel Owners Club is I got a bargain B) . Ariels are very popular in Germany, Czech Republic, the Netherlands etc and I had expected to be well and truly outbid by my European cousins.

It's a rare one being only made for one year : 1931. Affectionately known as an Ariel Sloper for obvious reasons, its a 2-value 500cc OHV with an official model name of SF31. They also made a 4-valve version which is much sought after but was produced for 2 years: 1931 and '32.

It may look a wreck, but this is a pretty straight forward restoration since all the rare bits (tank, engine etc) are on the bike. I picked it up two weeks ago and the work is already well under way. New mudguards already arrived, rear silencers and headlamp parts from Czech Republic, new-old-stock fork blades (amazing!) from Draganfly, etc etc. I'll be riding it next year...cant wait!


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## Bri

Nice one and at half price. Will you post pics when restoration complete?


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## dombox40

Enjoy it Paul hope it does not turn out to be a money pit but with what you saved on the purchase price you can afford to plough a bit back into it. You should not have worried about the Germans outbidding you they are to busy paying off the Greek debt. :thumbsup:


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## Barreti

Bloomin lovely :thumbsup:


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## BondandBigM

Nice, it's far from a wreck. Is it running or do you need to attend to that as well ???


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## Silver Hawk

BondandBigM said:


> Nice, it's far from a wreck. Is it running or do you need to attend to that as well ???


Not running although compression is superb; dead magneto. Previous owner said he did a quick run down the road on it in the 1970s....he knocked up that dreadful exhaust pipe to do this.


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## JoT

Well done Paul, even as a non-motorcyclist I can appreciate that one. Can't wait to see it when you have finished!


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## SharkBike

How cool is THAT?! unk:

Well done, Paul. Looking forward to a helmet-cam video. :wink1:


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## dobra

Lovely machine Paul,well done! Give us a low by blow restoration blog if you can....?

Mike

Former 1930's Raleigh owner


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## stefano34

beautiful machine, I wish it were mine....now you've started me off... always fancied something British and 1930's, I used to have a 125 twin daydream then a Yamaha RD125twin then a 400/4 Honda and a 550/4 and a 750/4 but never a classic Brit! better stick a tenner on tomorrow night!


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## Philz

WOWSER fantastic Paul. Your taste in bikes is as cool as your watches. Nice find....


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## sparky the cat

I don't know much about bikes - but class always shines through no matter what the item - got a feeling this one is going to look sweet.

Only one mystery - where do you find the time to do all this plus the watches!


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## tixntox

I suggest that you buy a nice bike lift with the extra dosh. My BSA gave me a bad back from all the "fettling"! I agree with above. We need a blow by blow report on that one. It's a cracker. :notworthy:

Mike


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## mach 0.0013137

Very nice Paul :yes:

I wish I had the patience & mechanical ability to tackle something like that but even after owning loads of bikes over four decades I`m still more like Malcom then Ogri when it comes to fiddling with them :hammer: h34r:


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## Mutley

Silver Hawk said:


> consensus in the Ariel Owners Club is I got a bargain B)


 h34r: You sure have, the price of scrap metal is sky high at the moment.

I'll get my coat


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## bsa

Thats a nice score. You have set yourself a good goal, 1 year. Hope you can source the parts

If you need me to search any parts in OZ let me know.

Mark.


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## Silver Hawk

dobra said:


> Lovely machine Paul,well done! Give us a low by blow restoration blog if you can....?





tixntox said:


> We need a blow by blow report on that one.


I like to record progress photographically, so here is my first update on the restoration. I've been working quite hard on sourcing the cycle parts and fitting / fabricating parts on the back of the bike, since all the parts for this area had arrived:


Blank rear 6" D profile mudguard

Rear lifting handle and mudguard stay

Rear carrier

Rear toolboxes

Rear toolbox Y stays

Rear number plate


First thing was to clean out and assess the state of the frame threads...then make stainless steel studs etc as per Ariel originals. The stainless part are not polished at this stage.










Then the tricky part...making all these parts fit together. The secret is planning, planning and more planning...you don't want to start drilling holes in your nice mudguard and then find they're in the wrong place ; you don't want the mudguard touching the gearbox at the front; you want the mudguard in the centre of the frame and the rear wheel & chain need ample clearance etc etc etc. The other aspect is that these parts all came from different suppliers (UK, CZ, etc), and some were not intended for this model.

But after 2 days of planning and 2 days of drilling, filing, turning, brazing...its looking good:










The last step is to saw the mudguard in two







...since this model had a detachable rear mudguard section to aid removal of the wheel. Having cut it in two, parts are then brazed on to strengthen the guard in this region:










At the front, correct Lucas H52 headlamp fitted and brackets made plus new s/steel bold for the handlebar clamps:










And a brand new set of 1931 fork blades!:










[more]


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## Silver Hawk

Lots of other things are in progress.

From top to bottom, left to right: new saddle cover, new handlebars, correct 1931 Lucas magneto, new rubber knee pads, foot rest rubbers and kickstart rubbers, s/steel brake dust shields front and back, chains front and back, new saddle springs, new fork spindles, new sprockets front and back, re-corked clutch plates










Amal straight pull twist grips (v. rare and difficult to find. One new, one old. And new s/steel inverted levers:










Restored Lucas magneto. Correct 1931 body, new bearings and re-wound armature. Dynamo still needs to be done










Phew, its been a busy 14 days :yes:. The front mudguard should arrive in the next week or so but this is a lot easier to fit than the back one. And silencers on their way from Czech Republic.


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## dobra

Marvellous progress Paul, sourcing the parts was quick, and progress is smooth. Well done for an very interesting 14 days!

Mike


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## chris l

Lovely bike; I thought the Panther sloped, but this is extreme...

I had a number of Ariels in my yufe, including a '38 Red Hunter; there was an old chap near Bristol who'd apparently bought loads if not all of the factory spare, so I was able to use them on a daily basis.

1902 to 1970 is a long, proud history.

(I really must revitalise the 75/7 Beemer in the garage)


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## Silver Hawk

A small update...got to keep up with Paulus and his Reptile! 

All the missing cycle parts have now been made including:


rear mudguard

rear carrier

rear stays and lifting handle

rear number plate

rear chainguard

front mudguard

front stays

front fork spring

front number plate

saddle springs: seat and support

battery carrier


In addition, the forks have been total refurbished with new fork blades and all spindles re-bushed. And the metal toolboxes are off having their leather work done. So it may not look like much has been done (  ) but in fact it is very close to the point where I know everything fits and it can be stripped down for painting and chroming. While that is being done, the wheels will go off to the wheel rebuilder for new rims and spokes etc --- he has already quoted a turnaround time of 3 months :taz: ...and over the winter, I'll do the engine & gearbox. I've also been busy making lots of stainless steel fasteners, so those will need polishing over the winter as well.

The last cycle parts I'm waiting for are some old exhaust pipes to use as patterns. They connect the front silencer box (in the photo under the cylinder head) to the rear silencers (not in photo). A friend in Germany is lending me some and they are on their way back to the UK as I type.

Did get to sit on it yesterday after these photos and its a lovely riding position :heart:, so really looking forward to riding this next year :yes:.


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## Russ

Fantastic Paul. Enjoying this very much.


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## jasonm

I was lucky enough to see this ( and the others ! ) a few weeks ago and its a fascinating machine, thanks for the update Paul..


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## bowie

looking good already keep up the good work.

bowie


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## degsey

Great work there. Puts me to shame as I have been stop/start restoring a BSA A10 for the best part of 10 years. look forward to seeing your finished.


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## tixntox

I've been missing those oily rag and petrol smells but this thread is bringing them all back. Thanks for the Pics Paul. Lovin 'em! :man_in_love:

Mike


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## MerlinShepherd

That's a fabulous win! And I wish you a great time bringing it back to its former glory. I'm really looking forward to seeing more pics as the project developes!

I used to live three doors down from a bike freak. He had about three dozen vintage bikes in various stages of repair. I don't remember all the makes and vintages, but I do remember falling (almost) in love with a beautiful Royal Enfield that he'd restored to immaculate condition. I wish I'd bought it from him to this day. We're talking about 25 years ago!


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## chris l

How do you tension the primary chain?

Or don't you?


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## Silver Hawk

chris l said:


> How do you tension the primary chain?
> 
> Or don't you?


You move the gearbox back. And then re-tension the rear chain by moving the rear wheel back.


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## bsa

You are good at what you do my friend.


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## chris l

So the front gear is the crankend, and the rear is the clutch outer... does the rear clutch outer move to tension the chain? Is there a slot behind it to allow this? How is that sealed or is it a dry primary cover?


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## Silver Hawk

chris l said:


> So the front gear is the crankend, and the rear is the clutch outer... does the rear clutch outer move to tension the chain?


Yes it does. The gearbox bolts are loosened; the bottom bolt pivots but the top bolt runs in a slot in the gearbox mounting plates and there is a concentric adjuster (pic to follow) for tensioning the primary chain



chris l said:


> Is there a slot behind it to allow this?


Yes, behind the visible clutch outer, the aluminium inner primary chaincase has a slot to allow movement of the gearbox mainshaft.



chris l said:


> How is that sealed or is it a dry primary cover?


It runs in a small amount of oil; just enough for the bottom run of the chain to pick up oil but "Sealed" is not a word I understand. Wash your mouth out  .


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## Silver Hawk

Silver Hawk said:


> chris l said:
> 
> 
> 
> So the front gear is the crankend, and the rear is the clutch outer... does the rear clutch outer move to tension the chain?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes it does. The gearbox bolts are loosened; the bottom bolt pivots but the top bolt runs in a slot in the gearbox mounting plates and there is a concentric adjuster (pic to follow) for tensioning the primary chain
Click to expand...

A couple of photos to show the gearbox position adjuster to allow tensioning of the primary chain. The slotted head is turned which either pulls the gearbox forward or pushes it backwards. The new stainless nuts locks this adjuster in place once primary chain tension is correct.


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## chris l

Thanks for explaining that; it quite takes me back.

"When does a British motorcycle not leak oil?"

"When it's empty..."

Although I found that flatting large chaincase covers on plate glass with grinding paste, followed by lots and lots of Red Hermetite worked rather well... as I recall you have to be careful which oil is used in the primary case or the clutch slips....

The clutch operating rod comes through the gearbox hollow layshaft, yes? I remember that rod getting bent when the clutch got sticky, and then binding in the layshaft until beaten 'flat' with an hammer! Flat being that it didn't hop up and down (much) when rolled along the grinding glass plate...


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## Silver Hawk

Lots of progress since my last update  .

Made up a pattern for the tank binnacle and had a sheetmetal worker make me one in steel. Then lots and lots of filing for the various instruments etc. The brass instrument lamp + switch is made by a guy in Italy --- not cheap but exactly as the 1931 version.


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## Silver Hawk

But best of all, the exhaust system in finished:

Having spent hours aligning things, filing silencer brackets, filing holes in the front silencer box, measure distances, checking clearances...I was ready, I just hope I haven't forgotten anything :fear:

My tube bender / TIG welder visited me last Friday evening and spend a couple of hours welding up my exhaust system first in-situ on the bike and then on the bench. There were a couple of very tight areas between the side of the front silencer and the tubes where he could not get his TIG gun close enough, so these have been finished off with silver solder.

To say I'm pleased with the end results is a bit of an understatement --- I always thought the exhaust system with that front box would be troublesome, so I'm very glad this is now behind me. These are probably the last photos of the assembled un-restored bike; I think I'm now ready to dis-mantle everything and sort out painting and chroming over the winter months:














































[more]


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## Silver Hawk

And the gearbox is finished and back in the frame...which allowed me to finish off the gear change linkage and gear change lever:


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## ian1

Its looking good mate!!


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## Phillionaire

The exhaust come up a treat! Gotta be happy with that.


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## dombox40

Paul a question why did you put twin exhausts on a single cylinder engine is it for better engine performance?. By the way it,s looking good.


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## jasonm

Excellent stuff Paul :good:


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## mel

Having first hand knowledge of your watchmaking skills Paul, I'm torn between saying you need to give up on bikes to concentrate on watches, and you need to give up on watches to concentrate on bikes - - both are equally :notworthy: :yes:

Not a bike fan as you all knwo, but I can appreciate the engineering and re-furb work going on here, and in reality, probably to a far higher standard that was ever envisaged by the original maker!

Again :notworthy:

The Sequined Avenger

ldman: :weed:


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## Silver Hawk

The restoration must go on; Christmas Shopping is not going to get in the way :no:

Frame etc all back from the shot blaster and with a light coat of etch primer. I was worried about the state of the frame, there was some quite significant visible pitting through the old paint. But it is not nearly as bad as I had feared, so no work here thank goodness:



















And I got my toolboxes back yesterday from the leather man. Very nice! I supplied the two side ones and he provided leather and paint. For the cross-frame one, I supplied plastic / cardboard pattern and his tin man made one; leather man then did the rest.


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## MarkF

Good news about the frame and the tool boxes look fantastic. :thumbsup:


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## pauluspaolo

That's fantastic Paul - knocks the spots off The Reptile - I look forward to seeing it up & running :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## Silver Hawk

With the temperature in my garage at -1C, progress is slow but I did pay a visit to the platers today :yes: :


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## trackrat

Nice and shiny, makes me thin k back to the old days, but my bones do not like the cold any more.


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## Mr Whimpy

i love anything old and classic me ( within reason so dont get the wrong idea  ) and that bike is right up my street so great score i say :thumbup:


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## Silver Hawk

Late March 2012:

Not long now and I'll be riding it; just need to sort out the tank, dynamo, cables and electrics....oh, and the primary chaincases :sadwalk:


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## IAmATeaf

Just read through the thread, I've got to commend your patience with doing rebuilds, I personally just don't have any, the waiting would just kill me


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## Stinch

Silver Hawk it's lovely to see you doing this. Your bike reminds me of my childhood and riding a New Imperial motorbike. A friends dad owned a garage business and had a couple of old bikes one of which was a 1930s New imperial which had been set up for racing at some time but by then was just left left languishing at the back of his garage but it still ran well enough for us. Another friends dad owned a farm with fields next to the garage so when I was about 13 or so we learned to ride around the fields and tracks on the poor old New Imperial.

I think the New Imperial company was in fact sold to Ariel in the end.

Thanks for sharing, look forward to seeing completion!


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## minkle

It looks superb.. the leather work is amazing too.


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## Silver Hawk

May 2012:

It's finished! Yipee! :band: Text below is copied from another post I did on the Ariel forum...sorry if its a bit Ariel-centric.

Bike is insured (on frame number) :yes:

Bike has been officially dated (thank you Paul J) :yes:

V55/5 has been completed :yes:

MOT next week :yes:

Visit to Local DVLC next week :taz: (not looking forward to it....when I picked up the V55/5, there looked to be a 2 hour queue)

I've had the bike running a few times, ironed out a few problems like a flooding carb (tickler too long), faulty mag (poor points assembly), and a couple of disturbing "clunks" from the engine...latter turned out to be a cam follower catching slightly on the wrong cam; there seems to be a need for a fairly thick washer / shim on the cam follower shaft to ensure the followers are perfectly in line with the cams...the washer is not listed in the parts book but I know other Sloper owners who've had to do this. I had already used a washer, but had to increase the thickness from 48 thou to 90 thou. Cured the problem.

I really thought I'd done everything in the correct order on this restoration: repair, fabricate, assemble to check, strip down, paint, chrome and re-assemble....but as usual, there is always something you forget. On this one, I had a scary moment when I thought I may not be able to assemble the tank binnacle with speedo, speedo cable, clock and oil gauge. I had to make the binnacle and although I thought I'd checked everything, I had forgotten to do a full assembly with speedo cable....the angles are very tight but got there in the end without the need to modify anything or re-paint etc.

One thing I did end up doing was making a pair of stainless steel handlebar clamps. I knew it would happen ... and it did... the new chrome all flaked off the old clamps as soon as I tightened them...it always happens. The AOMCC club or Drags should make some stainless steel ones...I don't want to have to make another pair.

She (I'm sure it's female) starts very easily and sounds lovely...much smoother than my '29 Model F. The oil circulation and pressure seems great and I've adjusted the pressure to read 12 psi on the gauge.

As so to the photos:


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## Silver Hawk




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## Robin S

Just... stunning. One hell of a fine job.


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## bridgeman

excellent-but what make is the clock?

Accutron?


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## jasonm

Very well done Paul, I know how much this has taken out of you!

Its beautiful, will you show it? Is it 'correct' in every way to keep the beards happy? Is the red plug lead a vintage look repro one or a modern one?


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## Who. Me?

Nice work.

Well done, you must be cuffed.


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## jasonm

Who. Me? said:


> Nice work.
> 
> Well done, you must be cuffed.


Youve met him too?


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## martinzx

jasonm said:


> Who. Me? said:
> 
> 
> 
> Nice work.
> 
> Well done, you must be cuffed.
> 
> 
> 
> Youve met him too?
Click to expand...

 :lol: :lol: :lol:

Great work Paul, it is excellent!!


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## Silver Hawk

jasonm said:


> Its beautiful, will you show it? Is it 'correct' in every way to keep the beards happy? Is the red plug lead a vintage look repro one or a modern one?


No, not interested in showing bikes, only riding them. And, no, not correct in every way, and I don't care what the beards think. I like stainless steel; it last better than chromed steel. I like plastic cabling, it last better then cloth covered or rubber cabling.

The red HT lead is my idea. I've had a reel of it tucked away for a few years, so thought I'd add a bit of colour to the bike. It's modern HT lead.



Who. Me? said:


> Nice work.
> 
> Well done, you must be cuffed.


I would be chuffed...except I've just had to push it home....luckily only about 500 yrds. Oh the joys of vintage bikes. Not sure why its conked out and too knackered to look at it today.


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## Russ

What a lovely looking machine. Fantastic job Paul.


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## MarkF

Well done Paul, a beautiful bike, I hope it gives you many miles of pleasure and hope the "conk out" is not something important. I would not like to push that far, how much does it weigh? The leather work looks great.

I am not keen on the red lead tbh.


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## mel

Lovely work Paul - - I have a mental picture now of you in a leather suit ph34r and the rain lashing down , soaking the leather right through and that exposed spark plug shorting out up the leg to the nether regions :taz:

Be careful in the rain! :lol:


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## Who. Me?

Silver Hawk said:


> I would be chuffed...except I've just had to push it home....luckily only about 500 yrds. Oh the joys of vintage bikes. Not sure why its conked out and too knackered to look at it today.


Hope you rode it up hill on the way out. 

Good luck diagnosing it. At least it's garage weather this weekend.


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## Silver Hawk

Who. Me? said:


> Silver Hawk said:
> 
> 
> 
> I would be chuffed...except I've just had to push it home....luckily only about 500 yrds. Oh the joys of vintage bikes. Not sure why its conked out and too knackered to look at it today.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope you rode it up hill on the way out.
> 
> Good luck diagnosing it. At least it's garage weather this weekend.
Click to expand...

I did ride up the hil on the way out and coasted most of the way back home down the hill...thank goodness.

Looks to be a faulty magneto; the spark is very weak and sometimes intermittent ...so nothing serious.

And I have decided to replace the red HT lead.


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## shadowninja

Wow. That looks amazing! Nice work.


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## PSJ6372

Paul, you are a very clever man!

I love restoration projects, though for me it's generally old tools - This thread really made me smile.

Thank you for this!


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## Mr Blond

Nice little project


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## minkle

Well done Paul!

:notworthy:


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## dobra

Magnificent result Paul. Just visualize you in Biggles helmet and goggles and long leather coat! Don't forget your gauntlets.

What's next, I ask????

Mike


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## Who. Me?

Silver Hawk said:


> I did ride up the hil on the way out and coasted most of the way back home down the hill...thank goodness.
> 
> Looks to be a faulty magneto; the spark is very weak and sometimes intermittent ...so nothing serious.
> 
> And I have decided to replace the red HT lead.


Any joy finding the Gremlin?


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## Silver Hawk

Thanks for asking Andy. I think it was just traces of oil on the magneto points....took them off, cleaned them up, and we're riding again....sort off







. Had a problem with the clutch, so had to take the primary chaincase cover off to fix things; I'm re-assembling later this afternoon.

Going back to the magneto: these pre-war magnetos often suffer from loss of magnetism in their permanent magnets (post-war ones are much better). A German friend is looking at the possibility of replacing the old magnet with one (or several) of these Neodymium magnets...removing the old magnet is easy but I've yet to see a Neodymium magnet that is anything like the same shape or size. Anybody had any experience with these magnets (apart from destroying your hard disk with one!):

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...#ht_1201wt_1396


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## Who. Me?

Silver Hawk said:


> A German friend is looking at the possibility of replacing the old magnet with one (or several) of these Neodymium magnets...removing the old magnet is easy but I've yet to see a Neodymium magnet that is anything like the same shape or size. Anybody had any experience with these magnets (apart from destroying your hard disk with one!):
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.co.u...#ht_1201wt_1396


What shape do they need to be? Those kids magnetix toys use little pill-shaped ones (which sadly proved lethal when swallowed by a small child in the states).


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## JoT

Paul I am sure it's only a hiccup! Great work on the restoration, I really enjoyed watching the progress


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## Neillp

Just looked at the before and after shots, bloody amazing! You should be very prouds of the bike and your efforts.


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## Deco

Paul,

I've only just looked at this thread now. What a wonderful restoration job. I admire folk who can achieve so much off their own bat. Well done.

Dec


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## bsa

You are are Master.

Quick transformation as well, thanks for sharing


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