Pre-Series A Burman question

Magnetoman

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VOC Member
Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but can someone give me the contact information for Steve Hamel in the Minneapolis area? This is (very loosely) related to pre-War Vincents in that someone suggested that he might have a sprocket for the Burman on my 1928 Ariel even though the Burmans for Vincent came later when the output shaft had a different spline. For that matter, contact information for anyone else who might have a new or used sprocket for a 1928 'Q' Burman would be greatly appreciated. The sprocket teeth can be totally worn because I only need its splines as a donor for attaching a larger sprocket to lower the speed of the engine.
 

Magnetoman

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VOC Member
Cancel the previous post. If I had been thinking clearly I would have checked Draganfly's web site to see if they have such a sprocket, which they do. So, on order from them is a rather pricey (£65.63) stock 19T sprocket that I'll butcher to turn into a 21T or 22T. Overall, I think it will be marginally faster to do it this way than to drill and broach the necessary splines in a blank sprocket, although doing it that way can be Plan B.
 

vibrac

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VOC Member
You could also get a worn one retoothed I have just sent off a KSS engine sprocket a very tricky retoothed with a recess just under the tooth form £58
 

Magnetoman

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VOC Member
You could also get a worn one retoothed... £58
Faster and cheaper than that, I just welded two extra teeth on my 19T sprocket. With my patent-applied-for technique I could go as high at 38T with this sprocket. Although something doesn't look quite right, I'm sure it will be fine once I attach the chain...
 

vibrac

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VOC Member
You could also get a worn one retoothed I have just sent off a KSS engine sprocket a very tricky retoothed with a recess just under the tooth form £58
Evidently he turns off the teeth and a portion of the sprocket shrinks on a blank welds it in place and cuts a new set of teeth and a recess. He is an old school engineer accessible by phone only. It pays to have contacts like that when you run old bikes without the luxury of a comprehensive spares supply like post war Vincent owners have.
 

Magnetoman

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Evidently he turns off the teeth and a portion of the sprocket... It pays to have contacts like that when you run old bikes without the luxury of a comprehensive spares supply like post war Vincent owners have.
My approach has been to try to become as self-sufficient as possible. I did this with my BSA Spitfire Scrambler whose rear sprocket is integral with the brake drum, although using a ring of teeth I extracted from a stand-alone sprocket rather than cut 46 new teeth in a blank.
 

Chris Launders

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VOC Member
I've done it to a worn Norton clutch sprocket to convert it to 5/8 x 3/8 for use in place of a Sturmey Archer clutch, as well as doing engine and gearbox sprockets previously. I have one to do for an early 3 speed Albion when work out the size I want and get round to it.
 

vibrac

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VOC Member
The decision to DIY or sub a job out is an important decision we should realise that not everyone is lucky enough to have the skills or the money to enable a choice. I decided last year that I would try and ride more and spend less summer days in the workshop that means that time consuming jobs get subbed out and to pay for that a few of my toys have been sold so far no regrets
 

Magnetoman

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
The decision to DIY or sub a job out is an important decision we should realise that not everyone is lucky enough to have the skills or the money to enable a choice. I decided last year that I would try and ride more and spend less summer days in the workshop that means that time consuming jobs get subbed out
Yes, money is a significant factor. However, leaving that out of the equation, I very much enjoy the process of repairing and fabricating so it, unlike routine maintenance, is relaxation. Beyond that, paying someone to do work puts you at the the mercy of their schedule and their quality of work. Unfortunately, I've seen the output from way too many "professionals" whose quality of work is worse than my own. So, DIY also is self-defense against the work of some of these "craftsmen."

I also decided a year or so ago to try to ride more and work on my bikes more. Toward that goal, I recently completed a 1200-mile ride around Texas with a nice bunch of people including a few members of the Texas VOC. That's also why I'll be competing in next year's Cannonball, exercising both parts of my riding and wrenching resolution.
 
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