- Thu Aug 08, 2019 6:17 pm
#84641
My bike is a 1998, iron barreI, 4 speed, kick start model.
I've been using the old girl as a daily commuter @12 miles each way. as the miles mount up she seems to run a bit better and starts first time just about every time.
However, this morning, she failed completely. The ammeter did not move when ignition was turned on and engine turned over, but did when lights were turned on.
I removed the plastic points cover, and was surprised by the quantity of water that came out, so I dried it out, to no avail, still no movement on ammeter. I set the cam to the lowest point, and cleaned the points with a bit of card, and noticed they weren't gripping the card as I pulled it in and out, I wiggled the points a bit and found the tufnol pivot was gripping the pin and not snapping shut, The water must have swelled the tufnol.
I removed the moving half of the points, it was quite tight to pull off, I found a drill that just pushed into the hole, I gently moved it round by hand to ease the hole a bit, added a light smear of grease to the pin, reassembled everything, and BINGO she started first time.
My question is, Where did the water come from? I do not go out in the rain (not that there has been much), I do not use a pressure washer, I hang a rag over the points cover and air filter when I hose her off.
I have drilled a 6mm hole in the bottom of points cover, hopefully preventing it to happen again.
I've been using the old girl as a daily commuter @12 miles each way. as the miles mount up she seems to run a bit better and starts first time just about every time.
However, this morning, she failed completely. The ammeter did not move when ignition was turned on and engine turned over, but did when lights were turned on.
I removed the plastic points cover, and was surprised by the quantity of water that came out, so I dried it out, to no avail, still no movement on ammeter. I set the cam to the lowest point, and cleaned the points with a bit of card, and noticed they weren't gripping the card as I pulled it in and out, I wiggled the points a bit and found the tufnol pivot was gripping the pin and not snapping shut, The water must have swelled the tufnol.
I removed the moving half of the points, it was quite tight to pull off, I found a drill that just pushed into the hole, I gently moved it round by hand to ease the hole a bit, added a light smear of grease to the pin, reassembled everything, and BINGO she started first time.
My question is, Where did the water come from? I do not go out in the rain (not that there has been much), I do not use a pressure washer, I hang a rag over the points cover and air filter when I hose her off.
I have drilled a 6mm hole in the bottom of points cover, hopefully preventing it to happen again.