Nothing more satisfying than finding a solution for a niggle that seems to confound at first. Even better if all the theory turns into a result ,well done. Good to see you looking well, Regards Stuart from NE England.
A wonderful bike. It wouldn't be a BSA if it didn't leak oil from somewhere. My A65 did. Regarding the bronze bushing, they are made from sintered bronze and are impregnated with oil. @lsdt01 explained this a couple of weeks ago. The Loctite will do them no good. Keep getting well! Cheers, Peter.
Peter thank you for that. The new bush fitted very firmly without Loctite. I had used Loctite on the old bush to keep it in place. It's so sad the BSAs leak so much because they are nice bikes. Mine is really quite sweet to drive. Take care
Hugh nice to see you'll be riding your C15 again. My Norton is in bits at the moment waiting for the correct/special parts. With regards to fitting Oilite bushes; Usually they are supplied dry require soaking in the oil they are going to used with for at the very least 24hrs, but some do come preloaded with oil. Don't use loctite etc as it'll block up the pores. Don't degrease them and don't use emery as the abrasive git gets into the pores. With a bit of luck your new bush will be just fine. If it does fail you'll know why and how to put it right. Keep up the good work and ride safe.
Dave that is really helpful. I never knew any of that. Just about broke all the rules. I went out for a wee run today and had a disaster. There was a huge bang from the exhaust and then would not run. No spark. I have fried my LED bulbs and my Boyer ignition. Must have been some over-voltage. I pushed the wretched bike to a neighbour a mile up the road. He will bring it down in his van tomorrow. I feel like giving up!!! I am going to take time to think. Do I go back to reliable Japanese bikes?
@@hughferrier5837 The big back fire from the exhaust might be the Boyer failing or the change in voltage/current upsetting the advance and spark. It's probably a short, or the rectifier has blew, or wire come adrift. I would be surprised if the C15 electrical system could generate a high enough voltage to blow the Boyer and LED lights without blowing the fuse or melting the wiring. Japanese bikes are indeed reliable but like the old saying goes, "when they're good they're very good, and when they're bad they're bloody awful." Spares are expensive and often unobtainable. At least with the C15 you are learning and improving all the time, and the bits are easy to come by. Its part of the fun?? It's usually the modern upgrades that let the bike down. Every time my Norton wasn't able to get me home was due to EI failures the old points system would have kept going. Hopefully the problem isn't serious and something daft.
@@lsdt01 Thank you for your experienced advice Dave. I think it was the Boyer failing and an unburned charge getting into the hot exhaust. My headlight LED bulb and my taillight are definitely fried. I would say the Boyer is too. There is just 0.3 ohms between the red positive earth and the white points wire. That is basically a short. The fuse did not blow. It is Royal Enfield Indian alternator stator and a Chinese Honda copy regulator rectifier. My cheap bodge is the most probable cause. I'm possibly going to try and get a distributor and go back to points. It's given me a bit of a shock. It could have happened on one of my big runs. Kind wishes, Hugh
Your C15 is looking great and I'm happy to see you back in the saddle. I hope this cures the oil problem. I think I've just had the kickstart return spring give up the ghost on my AJS and I've begun experimenting with a cheap camera on the handlebars (mainly as an equivalent of my car's dashcam, for safety purposes).
Thanks William, you will be making films yet. These old bikes are just a list of things that break and you are constantly repairing. Hope you sort out your kickstart return spring soon. Hugh
I not a Boyer fan as the basic model doesn't have an advance limit, however I wouldn't blame the Boyer just yet. It's usually something to do with the last job you've done, perhaps it's a nipped wire on assembly. The rectifier wiring wants a good looking at too. If the battery charge circuitry failed there'd no buffer and the current would run out of control.
Thanks for your advice. I've certainly wiped out all the electrics. I've bought a used distributor and am going back to old simple electrics for the time being. I had fitted a cheap Chinese Honda copy 6V regulator rectifier. I am blaming it for all the damage. I think the Royal Enfield stator has too high an output.
Hugh, if you haven't found the cause of the electrical failure I've an idea what might have caused it. I believe your C15 will have the old basic 6volt alternator charging system without any voltage control other than a 4 position ignition switch. 1 Off . 2 Ignition only. 3 ignition and lights. 4 Emergency start. If so, as you've recently fitted a modern alternator stator and LED lights. One may give more power and the other uses less. When running your C15 in position 2 only half on the alternator will be in circuit to run the ignition only. Position 3 brings in the other half on the alternator to provide the extra voltage to run the lights. Position 4 emergency start brings in the full alternator to ensure full power to provide a good spark if the battery is flat. To balance the power excess power is absorbed by the battery and the battery can only take so much before it starts to boil and eventually fail. I recon the circuit would become unbalanced and could give a power spike you've experienced. To prevent this reoccurring you might need to fit a modern voltage control unit or a Zenner Diode to dump any excess power as heat. I'm not a motor electrician but have learned through too many years of making mistakes. Some one may highlight any errors.
Hello and thank you for that. It is shocking that I have just noticed your comment from a month ago! I am sorry I have not replied. You are so right. I have used a Royal Enfield India stator. At first I just used the low out put winding and left the other disconnected as I had LED lights which draw a lot less current. This year I fitted a Chinese copy of a HONDA 6V regulator/rectifier and used the full output from the stator. This was obviously too much for the Chinese regulator/rectifier and trashed the whole system. Kind of expensive and my own fault. Take care.
glad your back in action ,...Rupert is god :). your bike looks amazing!!! I can make these bushes tighter if needed ...you need come down to glasgow and see our tea machine... think we run castor 40 in the gear box as well as engine to stop worrying about cross contamination.... any time u fit a bush into alloy ...heat the alloy till it boils spit or water...the brass bushes will fall in and compress correctly
I wouldn't say that but he is incredibly knowledgeable, extremely helpful and a great source for spares. His books are invaluable. I'd be struggling without them.
John thank you for all that info. I chicken out and didn't hear the case enough. I use a 20/50 in the primary drive case, the gearbox and the engine. Your dad sounds a handy useful man. Thank you for your kind offer. Take care . Hugh
@@hughferrier5837 I remember as a lad using ep90 gear oil in the primary case to try to stop it leaking. My now long dead mother was always complaining about oil in the yard behind the house. Glad to see you up and about again. Well done.
@@Tonyv1951 I can understand that. A mixture of EP90 and grease would do the job! I use the same oil in all compartments incase there is a leak from one to the other like I think the gearbox oil has been leaking into the engine . How I wish it was proper unit construction like the Japanese bikes. Thanks for commenting. Hugh
Claire how considerate of you. My PSA levels are being monitored. I've come down from 0.5 to 0.2. It should be 0 without a prostate but my surgeon just wants to keep an eye on it. I have another test the end of the month. As for the wee BSA it's a disaster. I took it for a run a week ago and there was a huge bang and then would not run. I am getting no spark. I think the Royal Enfield alternator I fitted was too much for the bike. I've fried all the LED bulbs the previous owner fitted as well as the electronic ignition. The bike is in a worse state than me!! I really want to get a run on it and make another film. Thanks for asking. It takes a woman to be so thoughtful. Best wishes. Hugh
@@hughferrier5837 Hi Hugh. Good to hear your PSA levels have dropped significantly, also reassuring that you are being monitored closely. Sorry to hear about your BSA, I shall expect several interesting videos of the repairs. Best regards, Clare.
Hello Claire thank you for asking. Both me and the C15 are in good tune. I had a PSA test on Monday so await the result. My C15 I think I told you had fried it's electronic ignition and LED bulbs. I've fitted a distributor from a Tiger Cub and had to alter the advance from 6 to 15 degrees. It is running again and also changed back to old incandescent bulbs! I've just been out a 10 mile run. I hope to have 2 films up soon. One a scooter trip which not many are interested in. The other the change back to old points ignition. I will have to do a C15 trip. It's been a poor summer here in the North of Scotland. Hope you are well. Hugh
@@hughferrier5837 Thanks Hugh, I am very well. From what I understand the C15 engine was a development of the Tiger Cub engine. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I will hope and pray for a good test result. Best regards. Clare.
Hi Hugh, Both my KawasakiGPZ550 leak a little bit of oil, but so what I can live with it. The main thing is I can still ride them, but like you that’s what matters. You keep going pal.😊 0:35
