Recommended restorers?

[greg brillus]

The main thing with the electric starter is to make sure the engine is in a good state of tune and use the valve lifter when starting up, especially on larger higher output engines. The kit is great but it is not a factory designed fitting so it is a compromise.

 

[eglijim]

The main thing with the electric starter is to make sure the engine is in a good state of tune and use the valve lifter when starting up, especially on larger higher output engines. The kit is great but it is not a factory designed fitting so it is a compromise.

Have neither kickstart or valve lifter on the road bike , less bits to fly apart in the timing case so the bike is set up as E/S only. Glad that electric starting rollers are now cheap and commonplace as spent too many years shoving race bikes to start them in cold mornings.

 

[doctired]

Hi,
Just a suggestion, you could contact Ferrets Electrickery. This guy has featured in classic bike magazines and rewires the bike at your home. If you fit an electric start, someone on here should be able to give you a schematic. His website is currently being revised but there is a contact number if you google the above. I haven't used him and I think it's quite expensive but it would at least solve one issue.
Mac

Thank you. I have heard of him but am always loth to use anyone who is not recommended. I shall look into him further.

 

[doctired]

Don't be sorry, apologies, if you think any comments were inappropriate but you did get a lot of hopefully constructive information before you clarified the situation with your machine. One point that may be of use is that if you go ahead with the electric starter I believe two things are necessary for their longevity and performance. One , an ignition system which will prevent kickback at low rpm and two the biggest high output battery you can possibly fit along with suitably sized cables. My road Egli (1150cc and in a state of tune about as high as practicable for road use) was marginal with a good quality 12 AH battery , the bike has NO kickstart facility as I cannot risk further injury to my knees. The bike has a Bob Dunn system driving directly to the mainshaft and works perfectly now I run a 17 AH sealed Red Top high output battery. It is possible that newer Lithium batteries will work successfully but are likely to be very expensive to get the level of reserve power I enjoy. Assume you intend to use some form of high output 12 generator ?.

Thank you for your kind reply.
The dynamo was fully rebuilt by ftw and the ignition is series D on a '49 B wth the distributer done by Maughans. I was not planning at the time to go electric start but that was pre arthritis. I think an alternator would be best for the high output battery.

 

[eglijim]

Thank you for your kind reply.
The dynamo was fully rebuilt by ftw and the ignition is series D on a '49 B wth the distributer done by Maughans. I was not planning at the time to go electric start but that was pre arthritis. I think an alternator would be best for the high output battery.

May not be an issue depending on how you use the machine but gave up on dynamo's converted to 12v myself as they were totally unreliable on a machine ridden frequently at higher RPMs ( peak power on the 1150 is 6300.)

 

[BigEd]

Thank you for your kind reply.
The dynamo was fully rebuilt by ftw and the ignition is series D on a '49 B wth the distributer done by Maughans. I was not planning at the time to go electric start but that was pre arthritis. I think an alternator would be best for the high output battery.

A lifetime of kick starting bikes, throwing myself down the road and working in sometimes challenging environment all conspired to make my right knee say take it easy. I fitted a Grosset electric start to my Rapide. A few observations that may reinforce what posts above have said above:

1. Firstly, the electric start is not cheap but if it means you can still start and ride your Vincent I think it is well worth the money.
2. If you are OK to do a bit of spanner work and have drill, hacksaw and file you can do most of the work yourself. There is a small amount of machining to a couple of components. I got a friend to do it for me. Now that I have bought a reasonably good lathe I would do the machining myself.
3. After a year of use I was satisfied that the system was reliable so I removed all the kickstart mechanism and turned up an aluminium bung to plug the hole in the kickstart cover. (An added bonus if you remove the kickstart mechanism, there is then room to do a small mod to the G61 for a little improvement in the gearchange.)
4. A good 12 volt charging system and battery is a must. (Especially if you have removed the kickstart .) I fitted the Walkernator kit that provides abundant power for good lights and accessories such as heated clothing. Very useful if like me you ride all year round. If you are concerned with trying to preserve the original looks of the bike (I'm not ) then an Alton looks very much like a Lucas dynamo. (If yours is a "B" with the larger diameter dynamo you may need some packing.) Another option might be to get your dynamo rewound to give more output.
5. A battery with enough cranking amps needs to be fitted. This needs a bit of modifying to make room for the larger battery. If you are prepared to pay for a Lithium battery it can fit inside a dummy battery case. (I have done this and it works fine.)

I can't really help with your original request for recommended restorers as I try to do as much as I can myself.
If you haven't visited your local section the details for what may be your closest section (South West?) may be found in MPH and on the VOC website.

Getting to a meeting and talking face to face with people might be productive about who can do what and where. Also have a look in Classic type magazines where you will find people listed who supply or repair various items. You may find some in your area. There are also a few people listed in the back of MPH.
Finally (if you have not got bored by now ) you can do a search for things on this forum for specifics. Keep asking questions on the forum, there is a wealth of knowledge out there and you might get a good answer if the right person sees your post.

 

[greg brillus]

It seems that folk who not only expect an aftermarket starter kit to start an engine of far more capacity and output than standard as well as no valve/decompressor for the cylinders invite all the trouble with starting their beasts as what they deserve.

 

[stumpy lord]

Thank you. I have heard of him but am always loth to use anyone who is not recommended. I shall look into him further.

hi,
we have used ferret four times now, three times on twins, and once on a comet. we have found his work to be good, and will do as you ask. I would highly recommend him.
stumpy lord

 

[Peter Holmes]

Ferret is a good chap, excellent work, did a really good job of fitting indicators to my Honda CB77, when I purchased my one owner from new Comet, all the cabling, front to back was perished, there was only one person to call, Ferret, but sadly things did not go so smoothly the second time round.
Previously when Ferret worked on my Honda it was all done in my garage which was great, when he turned up to work on my Comet he immediately said he would have to take the bike away as it could not be done in my garage as I did not have a work bench, I did offer various alternatives like 2 x Black and Decker Workmates and a board, but that was rejected, it was put to me that the bike gets taken away for a period of time and then returned or not done at all, I did not know enough about his security arrangements or insurance to allow this. I trusted Ferret completely, but I do not trust everybody completely, Vincents do get stolen as we know, so Ferret and I did not see eye to eye and things were a little frosty when he drove off, he felt I had wasted his valuable time, which to a degree I did understand. This experience does not in anyway detract from the quality of his work, he knows what he is doing, just establish with him first whether he is doing the work at your property, or taking the bike away, then you need to make your choices.

 

[vibrac]

And the Comet electric start project seems to have stalled again any news ?