Forum

[bumpkin]

Sorry Mick you did say will look in the morning under the ignition switch

[sofiaspin]

I have an 08 Electra X and replaced the sprag twice, then binned it along with the gears. So it is now kick start only. It has an Amal Mk1 concentric carb, open exhaust system and airbox removed. That is it, and it starts easily, is much lighter and flies. It was feature in Real Classic mag as a 'poor mans goldstar.. Great bike, travelled to the top of Scotland and beyond with just the kickstart. Light, fast, easy to own, just no electric start. I have an 08 iron barrel four speed classic WITH electric start, which I rarely use, but it works perfectly. Adrian can probably explain the differences between the Electra electric start and the classic electric start systems. Point is - in my view, get rid of Electra electric start as many have done, and end up with a rapid light sporting single.

[Adrian]

OK, the electric start classic Bullet (and Sixty-5) have the same starter motor, gear train and sprag clutch on the primary. The key difference is the ignition, the Electra-X has TCI with electronic advance and retard, the classic and Sixty-5 (as supplied by the factory) have old-style points ignition with a mechanical auto-advance unit.



The Electra-X system, in its original black-box form, was prone to back-firing. This happens when the sudden heavy load on the electrical system caused by the starter motor starting to spin the engine up causes a momentary voltage drop. Some TCI units are susceptible to voltage drops and tend to go full-advance, greatly increasing the risk of a sprag-eating backfire.



The purpose of the green TCI was to help minimise back-firing by incorporating a spark delay unit, allowing the crankshaft to reach a higher cranking speed before the ignition kicks in when the starter button is pushed. By delaying the spark slightly until the crank is revving and the battery isn't having to provide so much juice to spin the engine over, more power will be available to run the TCI unit properly.



On the points ignition models the voltage drop caused by pressing the starter button will have no effect at all advance and retard as this is mechanically controlled, though a big healthy battery to spin the engine over quickly is a good idea for any electric start Bullet.



You should indeed be able to find the TCI box under the seat, I think by 2007 all new bikes leaving Watsonian-Squire's premises would have had the green TCI box fitted. There should be seven wires coming into it. Two will be for the side-stand cut-out switch on their own (they may already have been removed), two more will connect to the trigger unit fitted in the primary chaincase, the remaining three will, I think be for power, earth and coil connections respectively.



Alan R, if you have never struggled with the standard Electra-X decompressor, you will never know how much better/easier the arrangement on your Sixty-5 is...



Presto, thank you for the link, I have seen this, but for some reason both of my remaining Electra-oid bitsas are kick-start only!



A.

[Alan R]

Hi ADRIAN-----yes indeed how right you are !!..A couple of friends had a new one each and went through all the "Experiences" consistent with the X model.......But they were much faster than me when out on the open road, even though I had an 8:1 piston, 30mm carb. free-flowing exhaust and 18T sprocket....Incidentally my current Bullet No.4 has Boyer Mk4 ignition fitted some 7 years ago ( according to receipts that came with the bike )...and retains the 28mm Mikcarb jetted as per Mr.H's instructions...I can get it to start in the morning on the first or second attempt.....Come the Winter I may well remove the entire electric start / sprag clutch anyway as it's a lot of weight to be carting around for nothing....

[Lyle]

Hello folks,
I'm new to this forum. I own a 2003 Bullet with a trials kit on it.
I'm responding to this as I have to replace my sprag clutch too.
Yes, I can use the kicker and have been but with a torn labrum in my hip
and torn meniscus in my kick knee (from kick starting all sorts of MC throughout
a 40 year period) It'd be nice to get the E-Start in this working again. But here's my question:
Can a later supposedly improved sprag clutch be fitted into my 2003 bullet?
When I took my primary cover off there were gear teeth laying on the bottom of it so I probably have to replace the
gears too in addition to the sprag.

[sofiaspin]

Yes Lyle, our hosts do an upgrade but it does not include sprag asembly or ES motor,
It is an Alton kit - well known for helping Vincent and Velocette riders suffering ageing issues.

http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/ne ... pgrade_kit

[Alan R]

Hi guys------On page 46 of the 2016/17 catalogue part No. 90152 ( Electric start to kick start conversion )..reference is made to drilling and tapping 3 holes in the crankcase......Has anyone done this mod. and can tell me what those 3 holes are for ??
cheers

[Lyle]

Thanks sofiaspin,
But I am asking about the sprag clutch itself. The newer ones have a different part number and are supposedly more robust than the old ones.
So if I did buy the improvement kit, I was wondering which sprag clutch I should buy.

[Lyle]

OK,
I may have answered my own question. On my bullet, the sprag clutch is part no. 560011 (which I'm sure is shot) and the clutch driver gear is no. 560008 which has missing teeth on it.
Paging ahead in their online parts book for a 2010 bullet, they have a newer sprag clutch assembly No. 592593 which they say will retrofit to earlier models but only as the entire assembly including both the driver and driven gears. That may be my route including the new "improved" kit from Hitchcocks. I'm a little leery because some stuff I've bought from them before hasn't fit when their catalog said it would.

[Gwilly]

I thought you had an Electra X?

The part your looking at is for a EFI unit engine, you will be disappointed if you purchase..

Think you require this one Lyle...