[MilVinMoto] BSA won't kick when hot.

[Cormac]

So I just got a 1965 BSA. Starts on the first kick when cold. Get
the engine hot, turn it off, and it won't restart. I have to wait 15
minutes until the engine is cold enough to put my hand on, then it
fires right up. What's going on and what can I do about it?

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[Matt Milanowski]

Whenever you stop, park at the top of a hill and wait for me to come
and bump start it.
-Matt

[RickL]

Cormac, what is your normal starting drill? Of the bikes I've gotten to know
that wear Amals, it is not unusual that the cold starting drill needs to be
modified for hot or even warm starts. Do you tickle (flood) the carbs and give
it the full choke lever when starting cold? Do you primer kick it before turning
the ignition on?

Next, when it is hot and not coming to life what are you doing to the
throttle/choke/ticklers? Does it spit back out of the carbs when hot and not
starting? Lacking any more info I'd suggest that you try giving it 3/4 or wide
open throttle when hot to see it that makes it fire.

Even with a somewhat worn carb and or weak ignition coils it should start when
hot/cold/inbetween after the right number of kicks provided your drill is proper.

Tell us more, let's figure this puppy out. Maybe it will earn you a parking spot
with the cool kids?

-RickL

[Gary...@aol.com]

I have had several Ducati singles and I would tickle the carbs until you seen gas dribbling out, no choke and kick it with moderate throttle. That would work 2 out of 8 times starting the old Ducs.

Gary

[BlackVelvetElvis]

Well glad I can finally post a thread that’s about old bikes, and not demo derbies or proper cape wearing…

>If it starts from cold with no choke,
>then the pilot air mixture is way too rich.
>Or do you 'flood' the float bowl(s) first?

There’s no choke on the BSA. Just a tickler. I tickle it cold, and it starts first kick. Hot I’ve been not using the tickler.

>You didn't mention what model the BSA is; single, twin?

1965 Rocket 650cc twin. I think. I’ve been looking up vin numbers on the internet, and it looks like “A508048” is a ’65 Rocket or Lightning.

>Do you tickle (flood) the carbs and give
>it the full choke lever when starting cold?
>Do you primer kick it before turning the ignition on?

Hmmm…I haven’t been primer kicking it. Or trying full throttle when hot. I’ll try all that tomorrow and get back to you.

Last year somebody mentioned to me that his BSA only starts if he shuts the gas off before he stops the bike. Like he pulls into his garage, shuts off the gas petcock, and lets the bike chug until it dies. Not sure if that is relevant.

Also, Ed at Morries’ Place said something that I didn’t catch, that I should always pull in the clutch and shift into gear, then shift back into neutral before kicking. I wasn’t sure what he meant. With my Suzuki I just leave it in neutral and kick away.

Thanks for all the help...

Cormac

[artisaneng]

Cormac,

That Vin would generally be the engine number, stamped on the left side
of the crankcases, just below the cylinder jugs. Check that out. The
A50xxxxx was a 500cc Royal Star (there were also other 500cc models, all
A50's) The frame number would be A50xxxxx for both the 500 and 650 in
that year.

However, the bottom end is common to the 650's (A65xxxxx) too, there's a
chance that the bike could have been fitted with 650 jugs and head, at
that age, who knows. You would have to pull the head to find out although
checking the carb's main jet against the manual might give you a clue as
to what it's capacity is. Of course the Royal Star jet would need to be
quite a bit smaller than the Thunderbolt, which is the single carb 650.

I'm currently away in China and do not have access to my manuals, or I
would tell you what the jetting should be.

As I said in my previous message, get your ignition squared away first,
eliminating that from the problem potential.

As for Ed's comment about engaging the gear, de clutching and kicking the
bike over before re-selecting neutral prior to starting, I would imagine
he is simply talking about 'freeing the clutch', if the bike has been
standing for any length of time, avoiding the nasty graunch when
selecting a gear with the engine running. It will not affect the staring
in any way.

RogerTutt

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[airhea...@aol.com]

OK - I give

 

What would happen the other 6 times?

 

We need to know...

[mr.m...@mac.com]

Duc's do lay eggs you know.

[MatTrat]

I agree about getting your ignition squared away first. I have had hot starting problems with 3 BSA's when i was back in Blighty, one was because of a warped carb body on a Bantam 2 stroke. This may not be a problem on your 4 stroke as they don't run as hot but i wouldn't rule it out. The second was on an A10 and that was due to a worn slide. The third was on a Goldie but that had a GP carb and didn't like starting at the best of times.

What Amal do you have on this bike? Im not to up on the later Beesa models but i thought ALL Amal carbs had a choke, be it worked from a cable up to your handlebar controls or a leaver on the carb? Have a look at hitchcocks motorcycles site, they are a big dealer for new Amal parts in the UK and have parts diagrams for all the Amal carbs. here is a link.

http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/

Ratty

[Moped Graham]

Also be sure to rule out a weak coil, this happens pretty often in the
mopeds due to bad coils or condensors.

[MatTrat]

Did you ever get the Beesa going???

What was the problem??

Ratty

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From: BlackVelvetElvis <blackvel...@yahoo.com>
To: MilVinMoto - Milwaukee Vintage Motorcyclists <milvi...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Fri, April 16, 2010 11:54:30 PM
Subject: RE: [MilVinMoto] BSA won't kick when hot.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

From: MatTrat <rata...@sbcglobal.net>


>Did you ever get the Beesa going???
>What was the problem??
>Ratty

Thanks for asking...

Well it runs good enough for Two Wheel Tuesdays, but not enough to ride out to Holy Hill or whatever.

Noticed that after I ride it a long way, the headlight goes completely dim and then the bike dies when I slow down for a stop sign or to put it in first gear for a u-turn. And kick starting it back up is nearly impossible when that happens. So I bought a fresh battery, and that solved it for a week, and it happened all over again. Now I put it on a trickle charger before I take it out, and it doesn't die.

So one of the BBC guys said I should put in a solid state regulator.

I'm going to bring it to Tim at The Shop for some quick fixes. Hopefully he can figure out what seems like an electrical issue.

I've also got a laundry list of urgent fixes, but think I can hold off until fall and then drop it with Ed at Morries for a complete fix. Needs a transmission rebuild (misses the gear you want when you shift), the petcock doesn't work (ran it across the Hoan Bridge with the gas "off" and the bike never shut off), needs suspension, etc.

[MatTrat]

Petcock rebuild kits you can get from MCC in south Milwaukee, there super easy to get sorted. Soooo it sounds like Lucas strikes again. Is this a 6v or 12v? Im no pro when it comes to electrickery and have done my share of fumbling in the dark to no avail but i would like to see this beasty and a wiring diagram. It can just as easily be a wire short as one of the major components. If you haven't already check the pointy ends of the bike first do that, they tend to vibrate a lot and snap wires. I have had to redo my back end lights twice. and all last year had to ride her with a power drain.

Ratty

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From: BlackVelvetElvis <blackvel...@yahoo.com>
To: MilVinMoto - Milwaukee Vintage Motorcyclists <milvi...@googlegroups.com>; MatTrat <rata...@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Sun, May 23, 2010 4:31:04 PM
Subject: Re: [MilVinMoto] BSA won't kick when hot.

[trevor sadler]

The bike is not charging, or (less likely), something is putting such a drain on the electrical system that it's not able to maintain charge, but I would bet more that it's simply not charging.

The electrical system on pretty much any bike is pretty simple, and more so on more vintage things.

Get yourself a $5 or $10 simple multi-meter at any auto parts store, first thing: is there more than 12v across the battery (assuming a 12v system) when the bike is running? If yes, it's charging, if no, it's not. Go through the wiring and connectors, look for any wires that are chaffed and could be shorted to the frame, or connectors that look suspect... try to clean all the connections. It's amazing how many electrical problems can be sorted by just going on simple fact-finding/cleaning missions such as these. Is the ground on the batter solidly connected to the frame?  Bad grounds can cause a lot of problems.

It's working on the trickle charger because you're juicing the battery up enough to run the headlight and ignition for the duration of the ride. When it was dying before, and was hard/impossible to start, that's simply because the battery got so drained that there was not enough juice left to fire the ignition.

Not sure what these bikes use for charging/regulation, but I'd take a close look at the wiring first.. and depending on how adventurous you are work backward towards the stator/charging unit.

t

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trevor sadler

mastering & exotic lawn ornament repair

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[Brad Bartkus]

Cormac,

Being the one who always loves a ride in costume, I can not believe you haven't suggested a ride up to Port Washington for the Pirate Festival. How about on Sunday?

http://www.portpiratefestival.com/

Brad

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