Dear all,
Thanks to many helpful people on and off the forum my basketcase Comet goes, and even stops nicely.
I wondered if I could call upon the collective wisdom of the forum to help me with a little question of tuning:-
Riding last Sunday though it was having problems. With my little experience I worry whether it was just bad luck or something more drastic. Here are the symptoms:
Riding two-up from Oxford to Henley (not particularly far nor hilly) the bike seemed unwilling to travel faster than 50 mph in fourth gear. If I opened the throttle further a noise like a small hammer striking metal at quite high frequency was emitted.
As the hills got longer I was forced to decrease speed and gears further until the bike would not go without the noise. At the top of Gangsdown Hill I cut the engine and let it cool for 20 minutes whereupon it was difficult to start (starts first kick when cold, always harder when warm).
Worried about missing an appointment I swapped plugs and proceeded the remainder of the journey under 40 mph, and returned alone.
Further observations:
- The day was the hottest this year, but this is still March in the UK so not above 20 degrees C
- I've noticed when accelerating (solo) from standstill if I open the throttle too far too fast I get a similar hammering noise. This stops if I open the throttle at a slower pace to match engine speed.
As this is my only motorised conveyance
1. Are all Comets this slow when two- up? (I'll think about buying a twin some time after I get my first proper job!)
2. If not a) is this something I should be worried about or to b) ignore and get on with it
If 2. a) as I am fearing, what would be a logical set of tests to find and cure the problem? There are so many variables I don't really know where to start.
thanks very much in anticipation,
gwild
1952ish C Comet with stock carb, magneto and dynamo, 12v electrics and camouflaged modern rectifier
Thanks to many helpful people on and off the forum my basketcase Comet goes, and even stops nicely.
I wondered if I could call upon the collective wisdom of the forum to help me with a little question of tuning:-
Riding last Sunday though it was having problems. With my little experience I worry whether it was just bad luck or something more drastic. Here are the symptoms:
Riding two-up from Oxford to Henley (not particularly far nor hilly) the bike seemed unwilling to travel faster than 50 mph in fourth gear. If I opened the throttle further a noise like a small hammer striking metal at quite high frequency was emitted.
As the hills got longer I was forced to decrease speed and gears further until the bike would not go without the noise. At the top of Gangsdown Hill I cut the engine and let it cool for 20 minutes whereupon it was difficult to start (starts first kick when cold, always harder when warm).
Worried about missing an appointment I swapped plugs and proceeded the remainder of the journey under 40 mph, and returned alone.
Further observations:
- The day was the hottest this year, but this is still March in the UK so not above 20 degrees C
- I've noticed when accelerating (solo) from standstill if I open the throttle too far too fast I get a similar hammering noise. This stops if I open the throttle at a slower pace to match engine speed.
As this is my only motorised conveyance
1. Are all Comets this slow when two- up? (I'll think about buying a twin some time after I get my first proper job!)
2. If not a) is this something I should be worried about or to b) ignore and get on with it
If 2. a) as I am fearing, what would be a logical set of tests to find and cure the problem? There are so many variables I don't really know where to start.
thanks very much in anticipation,
gwild
1952ish C Comet with stock carb, magneto and dynamo, 12v electrics and camouflaged modern rectifier