Series C Rapide - starting after 8 year layoff

[BlackLightning998]

Danno,

I'm with Time Traveller - go get someone to sit alongside you whilst you are doing this, I'm 20 miles away and very happy to pop round, and as has already been said, there are loads of people closer in the Herts and Beds Section who will welcome you to the pub and help out.

Reference the electric starter, well, assuming you have a Francois Grosset starter fitted then I wouldn't recommend using it to try and run oil around a bike, and certainly not to start a bike that has sat as long as this one, and is an unknown quantity. If you read the small print in the set up instructions from Francois he recommends a whole range of stuff in relation to the running of a bike prior to using is starter - but again, as Time Traveller says - you risk doing some serious ( and very expensive) damage here.

Why not go along to the pub and meet some nice folks at Herts and Beds, and get one to pop round and help you - someone may even have a set of rollers you can borrow.

You can always use your right leg to circulate oil though.....

Contact me through the forum if you want to and I'll happily pop round.

EP90 - perfect in the gearbox over the last 10,000 miles which isn't really a test I know but read all the threads and then make your own mind up - it is your bike.

Don't break it, they are expensive..... (I know!!!!)

Regards

Thanks for the help.
If there's anyway I can do this without the need for rollers it would be easier.
Would turning it over on the starter motor without plugs circulate the oil enough?

 

[danno]

Thanks for the advice.
Would feel happier that way.
Not sure when Vin-parts are back hence no new oil filter.
The one on the bike hasn't done many miles. Can the filter be cleaned instead?

 

[timetraveller]

Yes the filter can be cleaned. Put it vertically in a 'jam' jar covered in petrol and let it soak for a day or so. Then give it a good shake with the lid on the 'jam' jar and see what falls out. Provided it is not too much then use it. To finish the cleaning process shake off the petrol, put the chuck of an electric drill inside the filter and, making sure that it cannot fall off, give it a good spin to centifruge the dirt from the outside face. Job done.

 

[danno]

Thanks
I'm going to but some 15W40 multigrade in the oil tank and a cupful as suggested in the rockers.
Would loosening one of the cylinder top oil pipe line nuts help to check cirulation?
Seem to remember dad mentioning oil seeping into and the primary chain case or somewhere,maybe the sump.Not quite sure.
Gear box oil is a little low so will replace it.
Main concern really is possible wear or damage caused through lack of oil circulation.
I'm happy to do it myself though with the help here.

 

[danno]

Have cleaned and spun the oil filter but still can see metallic specs.Best get new one.

 

[jellywrestler]

1, drain fuel tank, 2, check all oil levels, 3 go borrow a set of starting rollers, 4, remove spark plugs, run-up on said starting rollers until oil returns to u f m , 5 put fresh fuel in tank, 6, install correct grade spark plugs, 7 GO for it, wonce the oil gets round go for a Ride ,8-ENJOY! good luck-Roy.

4, Remove spark plugs
replace them into the plug caps and 'earth' them out somewhere on the bike while turning the motor over Magnetos dont like producing a whole heap of voltage (spark) without somewhere for it to go, ie the spark they produce if not discharged somewhere outside the mag, the earthed plugs in this case, will possibly find a way to earth inside the Magneto damaging it.
It's simple to do just wrap a bit of wire around the thread and maybe a pushrod tube etc.
if you're doing this with petrol leaking etc make sure it doesn't ignite is etc!

 

[roy the mechanic]

Jellywrestler, whilst i understand where you are coming from, I have been doing this s@it since the '60.s . the system has yet to fail!

 

[jellywrestler]

Jellywrestler, whilst i understand where you are coming from, I have been doing this s@it since the '60.s . the system has yet to fail!

Well if you're so damn good at it why then didn't you advise him to check tyre pressure and condition and also that the brakes haven't stuck and are OK etc before going for a ride and findint this out.
This is a open forum, that was my advice, simple and better to be safe than sorry.



Also I would recommend taking off the pushrod caps and squirting a bit of oil down there first, i hate replacing Cams.

 

[stumpy lord]

Hi, can you get your hands on a copy of know thy beast edition 3, for in there is an artical by Ron kemp on starting up a rebuilt engine, which gives lots of advice on priming an engine with oil.Well worth getting and reading .
How ever if you havent ,some of the things that I do is to remove the screw from the big end oil quile and pump oil into the big end. Remove the cylinder feed jet holder [op39] and introduce oil into the timing case oil gallerys. Soak the new oil filter in oil before fitting, and then with the machine leaning as far over to the left as possible remove the forward lower banjo bolt and pump as much oil as possible into the filter chamber. To ensure a good return of oil whilst waiting for the oil feed to work its way arround the system it pays to have a good supply of oil sitting in the sump for the return side of the pump to work on, so do not be shy about pouring oil down the push rod tubes.
Metal flakes in the oil filter can only get there from the oil tank and have probably been accumalating there for years, the only answer is that some time in the future to clean out the oil tank properly.

 

[John Cone]

I reckon a VOC rally weekend in Danno's back garden and we can all sort it out for him in a couple of hours.