Last nights road test was successful, over 40 miles in the dark.
Headlight LED bulb not really fit for purpose.
Taillight LED not bright enough and brake light not much brighter, but I can upgrade that.
As I was warned, gear changing is a new experience and takes a little learning to avoid horrible noises.
Fast changes can make the selector spindle rotate too much.
Remembering to change slowly with the clutch fully in and feeling the pedal move that little extra as in drops into gear helps.
Occasionally the sensation of a chain being too tight, again an easy fix.
Stupidly I got it up to fifty, only being able to see the speedo when the road was illuminated.
Most of the time praying I wouldn't run out of cats eyes.
A bit unresponsive around half throttle, so I'll lift the needle.
I think some more advance might help too.
The ride was a lot smother than I imagined, but it doesn't like sharp edged holes.
Crank balance was so much better than I expected. No vibration at the revs I used.
It may be a few weeks before I can play with it again due to work and building priorities.
So far very Happy.
Mark
email (option): pes.sales@btconnect.com
My WM20 was the first bike of that era I rode & I remember the most surprising thing was that bloody headlight bobbing up & down.
You grow into all the little foibles they have. Mine now has a halogen bulb which gives reasonable illumination. Remember, the vast majority of other road users haven't a clue about the characteristics of these bikes.
I've frequently advised people to prepare themself for a culture shock the first time they ride an M20, particularly after more modern bikes...Their 'charms' are an acquired taste that grows on you over time...
Everyone to their own regarding indicators but IMO they completely ruin the look of any old bike and are unnecessary....I've ridden for 54 years with old bikes as my main form of transport (no car) and have never fitted them....I personally feel people have been brainwashed by constantly being told they are in imminent danger if they don't go out without dayglo, body armour etc. etc..and have become disproportionately risk averse....
I ride with extreme care but not fear...Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
Very nice bike, Mark.
I bought my first motorcycle in 1974, an m20.
Still got it and I learned to love it, even more and more over the years.
They are a different animal
I keep my foot on the gear pedal untill the clutch is fully released & I feel the bike changing speeds . sooooo easy to miss a gear
Rigids are very sensative to tyre pressure so experiment a bit to find what suits you.
No 2 riders seem to like the same tyre pressures even when using the same tyres
Also be careful with the steering & fork dampers, again very easy to over tighten them. I found that out the way that hurts .
The fork gamper is really only there to stop rebounds and once I learned that the front wheel going up & down like trousers in a brothel was the right way to have them M20 & I have been getting along much better
LED's are pathetic in the large DU 42 reflector , no matter how much time you spend with the reflector out trying to fcus the beams you just will never get a good light and in my case that is with a freshly silver plated reflector .
If you have gone up to 12 V then the new double dipper with 4 x 3V CREE LEDS looks like it might work as it uses 2/3 of the reflector on low & all of it on high.
I popped an acorn style led ( 24 elements ) in the pilot light & it gives a better beam than my £ 40 original 6 V double dipper ,
And remember that whenever the forks move the wheel base gets longer and applying the rear brake lift the front & makes the wheel base shorter, the exact opposite of a swing armed teleforked bike so if you are used to tapping the rear to stand the bike up as you exit a corner the opposite happens on your M20
As for daytime visibility, the bobbing effect of the light source with a girder forked bike tends to make them quite visible on the road. But I don't always run the headlight during the day & you should NEVER rely on being seen because of it.
I keep my forks & damper nipped up fairly tight. Mine has a steering damper but I don't use it. It depends on the road surface too, of course.
Hi Mark
Your bike is looking good. I can't wait to get mine on the road. It will be my first time with a BSA of the era, I am more familiar with the later BSA Unit Singles and Twins (late 60's / early 70's). It's useful to me to understand your experiences, thanks for sharing.
Hi Bob
Regarding the headlight on the girder forks, as the headlight is fixed to the fork blades which are fixed to the front wheel, won't the bobbing of the headlight be experienced by the rider and not the oncoming traffic?
email (option): steve@bsa-inc.com
That is exactly the case Steve. I remember one guy asking if the speedo cable he was about to order should be long enough to allow the movement between wheel and speedo. Of course the two points are fixed and never move apart. Ron
email (option): ronpier@talk21.com
Hi Steve
As the entire girder & wheel assembly bounces up & down over road irregularities the quickly moving light source tends to grab one's attention. If the headlight was mounted on the mudguard of a telescopic forked bike the effect would be the same, I suppose.
The roadholding on mine is fine as long as the front tyre pressure's around 17psi. The clutch is excellent, the gear change positive and it's not at all cumbersome. It's really sweet with a whiff of throttle at 45 using a 19 tooth engine sprocket, and tops out over 60mph, but then mine's a 16H.....
Another test ride last night, I didn't get a chance to address all the issues I found on the last ride.
The bike is stored at home now, no room so I don't gat a chance to look at it.
What I did manage to do is fit a 60/55W halogen bulb.
Current drain is awful, but I could see.
I also tightened a few fasteners I forgot!
I'm getting better at the gear changes, but I still forget and change to fast or at the wrong time.
Still a work in progress.
Mark
email (option): pes.sales@btconnect.com
Mark, presumably you've fitted the longer post war 60W dynamo with an MCR2 regulator? Even so with that bulb and the tail lamp and the occasional use of a 21W stop light. It will struggle to keep up.
LED's are the way to go, if indeed they can give a correct pool of light for night riding.....Which I avoid like the plague.
https://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/led-bulbs-especially-for-motorcycles-shop.php
Ron
email (option): ronpier@talk21.com
Due to peer pressure I have become a reluctant anorak Ron. (please excuse the pun)
So I decided to use the short dynamo with the MCR2.
I was happy with the rebuilt magneto, so I sent most of a short dynamo to Armoto to be fully rebuild as 12volts.
I'm running the lighting on a 12volt lithium battery with no charging.
I've ran for over an hour now, and still a bright headlight.
If I can find a new original lens and reflector I might try an LED again.
The Wassell (cree) was very bright, but light everywhere other than my direction.
Still the compact rear LED is not bright enough either.
I'll have a good look at the link you posted Ron, as it's not clear to me as to what I require.
Mark
email (option): pes.sales@btconnect.com
I've ordered wrong bulbs from his confusing array of bulbs before. But he's more than happy to talk you through what you need.
Click on the Ariel Sq 4 link for our classic bikes. Ron
email (option): ronpier@talk21.com
Last night I tried the snow run at night test.
The snow was a disappointment, slush was more interesting around corners.
Deep unexpected flooding no problem, I managed to get the throttle shut as the wave went over me.
It coughed a bit, but soon recovered.
Going slower at night exceeded my lighting range, so I had to phone home for recovery.
Conclusion, it was happier in the cold and wet than me!
Mark
email (option): pes.sales@btconnect.com
Now using a rebuilt 40W Dynamo by Armoto.
What is a surprise is that the 40W Dynamo is this charging with a 55W halogen headlight bulb.
So I'm very happy with that.
I managed to find a little time to advance the ignition timing.
Still not happy as the timing light is so sensitive that the slightest pressure changes the light.
It's a bit more responsive, but I'm not happy.
Any more that half throttle make no difference.
I think the answer is to put a TDC mark on the crank sprocket and use a digital strobe to check it.
Big shock was how much water was in the engine.
I had no idea it could get in so easily.
I noticed this morning that a drip I think was from the gearbox was also gray.
Better drain the gearbox and chaincase.
Lets hope the water resistant grease I used is doing it's job.
So a warning, the M20 is not amphibious!
Mark
email (option): pes.sales@btconnect.com
I just use a marked pencil to get the timing right and then adjust by feel if needed, but then this is my third M21 [and came with the timing out]. Having knackered four batteries using a far east regulator, due to a reverse bleed; I now use an English made DVR and one of Goff's excellent 6v LEDS. I got a 12v LED from him for my Enfield 535 and that was a vast improvement too.
email (option): jeremy@clogmaker.co.uk