Classic Triumph Bonneville

[A_morti]

Just bite the bullet, man.

The BMW has taught me that it really doesn't take much corrosion to cause a bad enough contact to make a circuit stop working, and considering the type of connector you're working with, it's very likely that various stuff is not making a perfect connection.

Also, the first CB-1 I had taught me that wires can break inside their insulation. You will get continuity on the meter, but it can't pass current. You may have a case of that here. If you need to test a circuit, test it with a test lamp or other substitute load as close to the rating of the circuit as you can/dare.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Maybe not such good advice on the HT side

It's what led me to consider new coils too, they're notorious for passing resistance checks but failing or being generally half arsed when you try and put 20,000V through them.

[JackyJoll]

The only useful ignition coil test I know is try another coil.

[KungFooBob]

Are they standard coils?

The Boyer kit I had on my 2-Smoke racer needed special Boyer mini-coils.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Yeah OE fitment 6V Lucas coils, might even be the original ones, not sure. They're at least 25 years old and could be up to 54.

[JackyJoll]

Are they standard coils?

The Boyer kit I had on my 2-Smoke racer needed special Boyer mini-coils.

That would be Boyer Micro Power, which uses CDI coils.

[mangocrazy]

Yeah but you're not considering the fact I fucking hate wires

I based my reply on the fact that it would be you doing it, not me...

Although at some point in the future I may need to make up a replacement loom for my 1980 Lancia Beta. Now that is a scary thought...

Lancia Beta, oh dear, I hope you know a good welder

You may or may not believe this, but it has never had any welding done to it. The first owner had it Ziebarted to within an inch of its life.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I based my reply on the fact that it would be you doing it, not me...

Although at some point in the future I may need to make up a replacement loom for my 1980 Lancia Beta. Now that is a scary thought...

Lancia Beta, oh dear, I hope you know a good welder

You may or may not believe this, but it has never had any welding done to it. The first owner had it Ziebarted to within an inch of its life.

That's good, my one rotted up the inside of the door pillars, from the outside the car looked alright, but the only thing holding the front to the back was the roof. Brilliant car apart from the rot.

[mangocrazy]

I've seen plenty of photo nasties of Beta rot - the suspension turrets are another favourite, as is the floor where the sound proofing has become waterlogged and rotted the floor out. But these days the survivors are either in reasonable shape, having been looked after, or have been lovingly (and expensively) restored. In terms of road holding and driving enjoyment they were well ahead of their time.

Rather than clutter up Mr. D's thread I may start one about my Beta in a more suitable place, if anyone is sufficiently interested.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Ba, rusty old bits of crap is what this thread is about.

[mangocrazy]

Ba, rusty old bits of crap is what this thread is about.

Once it's working again you'll feel better about it, I'm sure.

[A_morti]

Ba, rusty old bits of crap is what this thread is about.

Once it's working again you'll feel better about it, I'm sure.

Now it's working well, I don't want to throw the BMW in the sea anymore. In fact I quite like riding it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Ba, rusty old bits of crap is what this thread is about.

Once it's working again you'll feel better about it, I'm sure.

I don't feel especially bad about it My wife has half heartedly said she wants to sell it a few times (it's hers after all) and she doesn't even know to ride a bike. I'm the one who changes her mind.

Sometimes I quite like working on it, alot of the time I'm ambivalent. If I actually needed it as transport I'd have called KFB ages ago.

I'm actually more annoyed by how badly thought out it is half the time. They deserved to go out of a business

[mangocrazy]

There were times when I felt like that about the LC (i.e. getting rid), but old stuff with all its quirks, foibles and exasperation actually makes you realise what it is that really makes you connect with motorcycles.

What that is, I have no idea...

[JackyJoll]

] I'm actually more annoyed by how badly thought out it is half the time. They deserved to go out of a business

Their product wasn’t great, but your example is badly modified and badly home-assembled. A Triumph 650 doesn’t have to be as bad as that.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Cylinder head came off nay problem.





This is maybe 700 miles since it was last off and shiny clean. I always feel like reading pistons and cylinders (and indeed spark plugs!) is a bit like reading tea leaves.

This black stuff in harder than finger nail hard, but soft enough a bit of wooden dowel can shift it. Slightly concerned by the amount of black on the gasket faces on the cylinder head at about 3 o'clock, but see above comment.

The bores look lovely though, still got the honing pattern and the pistons move up and down with a really satisfying tsssskkk sound.

Rocker boxes and push rods are all shiny and slick moving, as well they should be after only 700 miles!

I tried to work out if the coils are OE Lucas but couldn't. They do proudly display the fact they were made in West Germany though, so that dates em a bit!

[mangocrazy]

Are the block faces supposed to have that quite noticeable cross hatch pattern? The bores, yes, as the micro grooves retain oil, but Shirley the cylinder head/block sealing surface should be as smooth as possible? Those micro-grooves are simply providing a potential path for cylinder gases to escape, aren't they?

Please shoot me down in flames if I've got this all wrong, but that's how I would see it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

The bores are meant to have the cross hatch for oil retention...shoulda done a pic with the pistons 'down' really!

The sealing faces are meant to be smooth yeah. They pretty much are TBF, those lines are (I think) the original Triumph milling marks, you can see em but you can't really feel em. It's a result of machining the parts with something like this...

[mangocrazy]

Hmmm, OK. But that would get my spidey senses tingling...

[A_morti]

Those marks at 3 o'clock aren't right, are they?
Not going to cost you spark, but some of your compression.