Magneto cowling: singles vs. twins

[Magnetoman]

Mr Magnetoman, I`m sure that I have had a little more machining time than you. .

Anyone who has been a professional machinist certainly has had more machining time than me. That said, machining has been an avocation since being introduced to a Bridgeport 45 years ago, and I've never been without ready access to a mill or lathe since then. I machined a fair amount of the precision devices for my lab over the years because I enjoy doing so.

Same part number for the propstand leg, they`re all the same, twins and singles, apart from the B`s with it`s foot .

My Comet legs are the same length as the Shadow's and are identical in every other way except they are kinked inwards by ~12-deg. about halfway along them (more precisely, at ~4-1/2" from the pivot bolt) whereas the Shadow's is kinked by at most 5-deg.

Even though they have the same part number, are they really identical (i.e. does this mean my Shadow's leg needs to be kinked inward by another 7-deg.?).

 

[davidd]

David

 

[Magnetoman]

David, thanks for posting that page from MPH. It turns out I have pretty complete collection of them dating back to nearly the foundation of the VOC in 1066.

I reserve the right to deny I ever even contemplated it should there be something obvious that makes it impossible, but after 15 sec. of inspection it looks like I can add a section to the middle of my Comet's bracket to lengthen it into an FT118 while also making the modification to tilt its legs inward.

I made quite bit of headway on my Vincent today (or got myself deeper into the tar baby, depending on how it eventually turns out). I'm nearly ready to separate the engine from the rear frame (or vice versa). The front end has been apart, refurbished, and patiently waiting for me to reassemble it for 20 years.

 

[TouringGodet]

the Comet cowl has a bulge at the top to get around the mag.

Back in the '80s, at a bike show and swap, a twin owner came up to me and said "check out this cool mag cowl I just bought, with a scoop on the side". I had to point out to him it was for a single, and would be too narrow to fit on his twin.

 

[Magnetoman]

This is an experiment to see if I can post links to Photobucket photos. If this works, below will be a before and after composite of the FT118 bracket on the Black Shadow I've (finally) started restoring. I bead blasted the bracket, ground the porous casting down to "bedrock," machined the missing piece from 1-1/4" dia. 4130 chrome moly steel, TIG welded it using 70S-2 filler rod, and machined it to match the shape of the other lug. More than ten hours of work to save $180. At this rate the full restoration shouldn't take too long…

 

[nkt267]

At this rate the full restoration shouldn't take too long

Just hope to finish it while you can still enjoy riding it..
When I was restoring my 1932 Sunbeam,which I bought when I was 19 sold it part restored.I got it back in exactly the same condition in 2006 when I was 55. I finally put it back on the road still not completely restored but in a lovely riding condition 3 years ago.Purists love to point out the blemishes,but I had to make a date to get it running or it would still be on the bench..Get it going and enjoy it..John

 

[Magnetoman]

.Get it going and enjoy it..

I also get enjoyment out of the process of restoration. As can be seen from my restoration of the sidestand bracket, I put a lot more time into it than was necessary to simply make it functional. In the end it will be hidden under the magneto cowl so I will be the only person who knows it looks like it did when it left the factory. But, having it look that way is important to me.

A balance has to be struck in any rebuild between throwing a bike together so it works, and a concours restoration that is fully functional. I'm afraid what will give me satisfaction in this particular restoration will have it toward the latter end of the spectrum.

 

[nkt267]

If your aim is for a concours bike then I agree you need to take your time with it.
I love to look at this level of restoration and really admire people who manage it,it really does take some dedication.
As for the amount of work needed to complete some tasks I fully understand where you're coming from. A lot of good, and time consuming work goes undercover.
I look forward to you posting some photo's when it's completed..john

 

[Magnetoman]

If your aim is for a concours bike then I agree you need to take your time with it.

Around the time in the early '90s that I got my Black Shadow I also picked up the frame and engine of what turned out to be the world's first BSA Spitfire Scrambler, a low-production, model introduced in 1957 that is basically a tuned A10 engine mated with Gold Star cycle parts. However, for the same reason my Vincent sat unrestored for so long -- too many things to do; too little time -- my Spitfire also sat neglected, other than me identifying and collecting all -- I hope -- of the missing parts needed for an eventual restoration.

A year ago I finally resolved to somehow create out of thin air the time that is necessary to work on these two machines. So far this magic trick of time creation has been working, at least to some extent. In the case of my Spitfire I've been documenting its restoration in some detail on BritBike Forum. However, because it is Serial No. 1, the approach I'm taking with it different than a typical rebuild or restoration, as explained at:

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=507557#Post507557

Although I don't plan to apply quite the same "100% as original" standard to my Black Shadow, it still will be more towards being a concours restoration than a daily rider.

Now, I've been around motorcyclists long enough to know that Vincent riders tend to be, ahem, different, and that daily riders with "sensible modifications" are expected as the norm. After all, to assemble a Vincent without making what have been collectively agreed upon as the proper modifications just wouldn't be sensible, now would it?... For example, the modification to the sidestand bracket suggested earlier in this thread sounds like a very sensible one for a daily rider.

You may or may not have noticed that I thanked people for the suggestion, but glossed over whether or not I was going to implement it. Well, I might as well come clean and confess I'm probably going to implement very few "sensible modifications" in my restoration of this Vincent. To paraphrase from my last paragraph in the above link, "If this were my only motorcycle, or if there were a worldwide shortage of Vincents, restoring one in the way I am doing it that won't be ridden much might be an issue. Neither is the case, so it's not."

 

[vibrac]

I dont think I have ever restored a motorcycle to 'standard' the nearest was my numbers correct 1952 TR5 I use in MCC events and built from a pile of junk http://www.triumphtrophy.oldracer.co.uk/index.html but even then I could not resist adapting some minor items to the same spec as the ISDT mounts for that year thats just enough to create interest on the parc firme.
When it comes to say my Scott I have no qualms in modification the poor factory seemed to use whatever it had to hand making 'standard' a movable feast,and anyway I was starting with a 29 engine and a 27 frame. So when I saw that the front wheel was unobtanium and would delay me a season I had no qualms fitting two bantam brakes back to back and stringing it into a 20" rim and very vintage it looks too.
My big Vincent is the alphabet twin C frame B forks D engine so very much not standard but I belive the best of all components. My Grey Flash looks the most standard but if you read the Diary it was a rescue mission for many the parts thrown away by people 'going back to Standard'
I agree if a bike was the last of a kind then standard perhaps, but enjoyment and a realisation we dont live forever must play a part.