Electric starter on a comet ?

phil_h

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Non-VOC Member
I would like my wife to have more choice in the bikes she can ride without me being there to start them - last year I adapted a Velo Venom electric starter to fit her rigid Velo MSS, and that has now become her favourite bike :)
So I would really like to know if anyone thinks an electric starter could be adapted to fit a Comet.
 

b'knighted

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VOC Member
There was an electric start Comet at the Riders Rally.

Can the Phil Pearson Engineering starter sold for BSAs can be adapted to suit a Comet. I expect that you'd need to adapt the Vin ESA to accept BSA parts.
 

timetraveller

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There is also a German Comet which comes to Dick Sherwin's barbecues which has a combined starter/generator where the magneto normally fits. It has been around for at least two years and seems reliable. My understanding is that it is a prototype which might be marketed if there is enough interest.
 

A_HRD

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And then there's the Bob Dunn pig-ugly electric starter which looks a bit like this one… work in progress…. (not mine).

Peter B
Bristol, UK.
P1030478.JPG
P1030482.JPG
 

vibrac

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Bananaman may give us the latest but I believe Grossett or another "french connection" is testing one at the moment but thats been the case for at least 3 years to my knowledge.
Till then may I suggest a good mag , lowish compression a dual plug head and a HD pop out decompressor
 

ClassicBiker

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I've posted these before when the subject of e/starts for Comets has come up. I haven't contacted the gent mentioned in the videos but have wondered if he might be able to come up with something. My thought being that a Matchless uses an AMC gearbox which is similar to the Norton box used by some Comet owners. I'm thinking that might be part of the answer.
Just a thought or two.
Steven

 

davidd

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I think I posted this along with Steven's post earlier when this subject arose, but I could not find it with a search.
This is an electric start much like the one above. Norton box and an a small tractor starter. It has worked perfectly for years on Bill Norton's Cooper. When you look at the photos you will notice that there are quite a few missing parts because it is a Cooper, but after studying it, most of what should be added back would be a great help.

Norton Car_PB_2.jpg

The G50 plate is missing, but a new plate could be cut out to go around the starter and the gear box. The F106 is missing, but the G50 would include some holes at the top to bolt a truncated F106, which could be fabricated from plate.

Norton Car_PB_3.jpg

There is no inner and outer primary cover, but the inner can be a flat plate as I have done on several racers and the outer primary can then be the stock item. The inner primary plate would go around the starter, supporting it and providing the holes for the short F106. It would be a privilege to be forced to use the Newby dry clutch. This clutch will work with the stock outer primary with some very minor modifications to the inside of the outer primary to clear the belt.

It is still a lot of work, but nowhere near the work of the other systems. The fabricating is fairly straight forward and you can keep your generating system.

David
 

clevtrev

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VOC Member
Bananaman may give us the latest but I believe Grossett or another "french connection" is testing one at the moment but thats been the case for at least 3 years to my knowledge.
Till then may I suggest a good mag , lowish compression a dual plug head and a HD pop out decompressor
That would be Hervé Hamon, not François Grossset.
 

b'knighted

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VOC Member
And then there's the Bob Dunn pig-ugly electric starter which looks a bit like this one… work in progress…. (not mine).

Peter B
Bristol, UK.
View attachment 13257View attachment 13258
Comet  Electric start.jpg

Pig Ugly! - How dare you. Oh, I just looked at the pictures again and you're right.
This one has now been modified with a longer four brush motor, probably Yamaha FZX750 and a modified Suzuki SV650 sprag. The longer starter motor entailed screwing the filter cover down the filter bore and the fitting of a remote filter on the battery carrier bolts.
My chain tensioner is different from the one in the above pictures, having a small duplex sprocket pressed under the chain. Can you tell me what material it is made from please Peter?
 
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