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eebtr7

If the tailpipe curves over to the side, it's from a 1972 model. If the tailpipe is straight, it's from a 1971 model. On my Sept 1972 B50SS, the tailpipe is somewhat smaller than the header pipe. Would this be an effort to quiet the bark? I recall in a road test for the Tri & BSA 650's the 1972 mode...

eebtr7

Whoa! This just went WAY beyond my mental capacity. Just a thought...wouldn't it be a bit easier to re-engineer the frame to add rubber engine mounts, like Plymouth did back in 1928? Or, Norton in 1967? Even a perfectly balanced lower end will still vibrate in the solid mounts, won't it?

eebtr7

No, my friend, Cocker Cox. The ring gaps were set in a line by the boys on the engine line at BSA during the initial assembly. Had I taken it back to the dealer prior to the 6000 mile and/or 6 month period, repairs would have been for free under warranty. Or, so I like to fantasize.

eebtr7

Once apon a time, in a land far away and over the hill, this innocent young soul went out with cash in hand and brought home a brand new, bright & shiny, 1971 BSA 25SS from the local dealer. Being it was a four stroke engine, it was expected the spark plug would burn clean. No, instead it burned oil...

eebtr7

Also, let us not forget when the engine has set for several months, the wet sumping fills the 'plenum' allowing the engine oil to drip out thru the shift shaft onto your concrete floor. Apon draining the sump in June, (after it setting for about 7 months), an honest 1 1/3 quarts of fresh engine oil ...

eebtr7

Can we get a BIG AMEN from the congregation? Here's mine...AAAAAAAAMEN!

eebtr7

YES! What Jeff just said! And...if you do decide to tinker with the spring tension on the advance unit, do not get them too tight, or else the advance won't advance leaving you with a top speed of about 48 mph. I did that back in 1979. Then after a whole bunch of readjusting the tension prongs back ...

eebtr7

UMMMM...Anything that makes life more complicated is something I don't want. As for BSA wiring looms, the boffins in Birmingham did a pretty good job with the exception of the corrosion prone, and the easy to pull the bullet off the wires, connectors that have been on the machine since Christ was a ...

eebtr7

Would some good soul please explain to this antiquated, more or less demented brain why BSA and Triumph used different part numbers on the B25 and TR25 when the same machines were built in the same building, on the same assembly line track, with 98% of the same parts? In the above illustration, the ...

eebtr7

Well, Winsur44, as you are the owner of several B50's, you well know all about the starting idiosyncrasies of these machines. After 49 years, I do, too. May I politely and respectfully suggest you return the B44 to the stock point ignition to get a baseline for subsequent modifications. This shouldn...

eebtr7

About your Lightning, I recall a story of where the BSA factory shipped a load of A65's aboard a ship. A storm was encountered and the cargo was salt water soaked. They then shipped the bikes back to the factory for renovations. That was the last of the story I heard. Your info puts an end to it.

eebtr7

Why not polish the hub to a high gloss, like the factory did in 1973?

eebtr7

Hokey smoke, Bullwinkle's! Now if we're talking about the folding lever on the kick starter arm, the approved method back in the 'good-ol'-days' was to remove the lever from the arm, then grind away on the corner to allow the lever to fold farther inward. Thus the lever does not touch the inside of ...

eebtr7

I, wholeheartedly, agree with Koncretekid! For nearly the past half century my B50 frame has been a pillar of strength and stability keeping me upright over all kinds of paved and unpaved terrain. That swingarm design is brilliant in keeping the rear wheel aligned and the chain quickly adjusted. If ...

eebtr7

Okay...Big John. Here I am with freshly cleaned bifocals on Page 6 of the BSA Replacement parts list - 1973 Victor, Model B50MX. Publication No. 00-5736. Carburetter, ( That's how it's spelled.) Main Jet - 250. Throttle Slide - 3 1/2. Needle Jet - 106. Needle Position - 1. Amal No. R932/28. These se...

eebtr7

WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! I just read the synchronizing the carbs section and must suggest a far more accurate method of making both carbs function together. Get your self a length of rubber hose. Start the engine, stick one end of the hose in your ear with the other end in the mouth of the carburetor. List...

eebtr7

Well, John.... First thing is you might ought to appreciate what you have there. #1 - You have the finest factory frame ever built for a motorcycle. There is no need to reinvent the wheel by welding up a new frame. #2 - Why not get the engine started before tearing it apart? The may well be no need ...

eebtr7

In the 1973 Clint Eastwood movie, 'Magnum Force', the main character, Dirty Harry, reminds us, "A man has to know his limitations". Any kind of kick start BSA will ring forth a reminder of how limitations change with the advancing years. And, BSA unit singles are powerful reminders. As a B50 owner s...

eebtr7

Actually...there is...that is, when you fabricate one from a piece of aluminium 90 degree angle stock. It took me about 25 minutes back in 1977 to make both of them. Plus another 4 minutes to mount them. Granted I was using a rusty ragged hack saw and a dull drill bit. But, when one is 25 years old,...

eebtr7

In the 1973 movie, 'Sudden Impact', Clint Eastwoods character, Dirty Harry, reminds us," A man has to know his limitations". Apparently, you have much greater limitations than me. I have a junk 1968 441VS engine in my garage gathering dust and taking up space. If you weren't half way across the cont...

eebtr7

The only way it would be a good idea is if you drill about 3-4 large holes into the primary side crankcase to let the pressure out and THEN out your new breather pipe.

eebtr7

Sooooo...This means we take the old gummed up Renolds chain from the bottom of the parts box in the back of the garage, clean off the exterior crud, soak it in gasoline for a few days, wash off the excreted crud, then marinate it a few days in automatic transmission fluid with all its detergents. Fi...

eebtr7

Kommando, my friend, I hate to tell you this, but... In the Bold World of BSA, my 1970 BSA Starfire came equipped from the factory with a high pipe on the left side of the machine, a skid plate, and a center stand. I suspect the boys in Birmingham were doing all they could to get their moneys worth ...

eebtr7

Have you been reading your,'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' again?

eebtr7

I would not reduce the oil tank capacity...ever. The two quarts plus a little extra is just on the verge of being too little. If you wish to reduce the weight of the machine, try going on diet to lose about 25 pounds of blubber. Yes, I hear you...I'm trying to lose about 100 pounds, myself.

eebtr7

Oil too old??? I have on the shelf two full quart cans of Castrol 50wt racing oil from 1973. For that matter, I just ate a pack of Twinkies with a best used by date of January 5, 2001. And, it's had no effect on me yet. (Twitch! Twitch! Blink-Blink-Blink!)

eebtr7

Uhhhh, I don't think having a double head gasket is a good idea. If you want to lower the compression ratio, hog out the inside of the copper head gasket to fit the cylinder spigot thus turning it into a decompression plate. I did this back in 1973 and it worked very well without the need for the la...

eebtr7

Here I go again, relying on the printed words in foreign publications from decades ago. In this case, the owners manual from BSA, publication 00-4139, for Models B44 and Models B25. Also, from the BSA Workshop Manual for the Models 1966, 1967 and 1968, revised edition. I can already hear the boulder...

eebtr7

Back when Christ was a PFC and ol' Hector was a pup, the given advice at Pierce Bros BSA Shop in San Antonio was to open the mixture screw on the Amal Concentric 1 1/2 turns from the seated position. I religiously adhered to this sacred mantra for many years with the engine stalling at traffic light...

eebtr7

By freeing up the stuck clutch plates prior to starting the engine, this kind of expensive situation can be avoided. Also to be saved is the mainshaft Woodruff key in the clutch.

eebtr7

Okay, my fellow Iron Men of BSA! Here are the temperatures as recorded a few minutes ago, 11:50 AM. I lit the fires and chugged up and down the local hilly streets to reach full operating temperatures. The ambient air temperature is 88 degrees with a dew point point of 71 degrees. Here are the readi...

eebtr7

If I may politely suggest, a plastic after market 3 gallon enduro style gas tank might be found occasionally on Ebay. I found one a few years ago. It uses a universal center mount kit which allows mounting anywhere on the frame by use of the mount and two hose clamps. The tunnel width fits our large...

eebtr7

Yes, this was the accepted method on the 1971 B25 & B50 models way back when. The other trick was to get rid of about 12 lbs of muffler and use an aftermarket muffler with a 45 degree angle at the inlet along with a piece of chain link fencing tensioner bar to support the 4 lb muffler. On my current...

eebtr7

Ah-ha! That is why my last sentence is a 'Get-out-of-jail-free' card. This illustrates why newcomers to our BSA past time will find these books and seek to rely on them for accurate information out here in the hinterlands, halfway around the world. Just like I did now. Mind you, I have been on OIF s...

eebtr7

Clutch sprocket, yes. Engine sprocket, no. The B50 engine sprocket is 'dished' to allow room for the third main bearing which the B44 lacks.

eebtr7

Oh! Kind and Gentle Men, ye Iron Men of BSA, I will now directly quote from the the tome of one, Roy Bacon in his prosaic effort, 'BSA Gold Star and Other Singles', 1986 printing of the 1982 copyright. Page 185; "1969 onwards. A new coding system was adopted for all models comprising a date code, mo...

eebtr7

May I politely suggest you get a temperature gun to determine the actual temperature of the gearbox. Compare it to other machines when possible. The next time I go out, I'll check mine and report back.

eebtr7

It is also of interest to know the numbers of your machine represent the vehicle as it rolled off the assembly line regardless of which model it is. For example, my 1972 B50SS is coded, 'B50SSKG01627. The B50SS is the specific model, the KG means it was assembled in September 1971, and the sequence ...

eebtr7

Greetings, my fellow Iron Men of BSA! For the past 9 years my 1972 Gold Star, (KG01627) has been laid up in long term storage, but that came to an end starting about 3 months ago. Here is a list of the reconditioning items completed so the Celtic Thunder roars again. 1. A thorough cleaning of dust &...

eebtr7

Hi, Guys!, On this topic I am pondering the possibility of adding a fitting to the bottom of the intake flange in order to use the engine suction to vent the rocker box and crankcase. This is the same method used on all automotive engines since 1962 here in the U.S. as the Positive Crankcase Ventila...

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