Thinking about a 1952 Black Shadow
- Thread starter Ducdude
- Start date
Ah yes I remember it well.
The joy of collecting my first Vin.
The bemusement at the misfire on the way home.
The embarrassment not being able to start it at the National Rally.
The exhaustion after pushing it with a dead mag.
The excitement of riding in the dark with no lights when the dynamo gave up.
The frustration of the ESA coming loose while running 2nd at the VOC HST
The worry travelling back from Spain with the cam followers rapidly wearing through the hard surface.
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Why do we keep these awful machines?????
Wait till you ride it !!!!!!!!!!!
H
The joy of collecting my first Vin.
The bemusement at the misfire on the way home.
The embarrassment not being able to start it at the National Rally.
The exhaustion after pushing it with a dead mag.
The excitement of riding in the dark with no lights when the dynamo gave up.
The frustration of the ESA coming loose while running 2nd at the VOC HST
The worry travelling back from Spain with the cam followers rapidly wearing through the hard surface.
>
>
>
>
>
Why do we keep these awful machines?????
Wait till you ride it !!!!!!!!!!!
H
Thanks Howard, indeed I can’t wait till I hear her run but there is a lot to do before that happens....
Its funny, I remember those days well riding the same bike as you, but mine was made in a different year by a different maker in a different country... All Vintage bikes break the hearts of there owners if ridden, they did when they were new and they still do, its part of their charm
I know my heart will fall and swearing will be heard form the garage and there will be panicked calls for help to the list and the local section members but my god gents we are very few the very lucky motorcyclists who are blessed with a Vincent among our possessions. This is going to be fun…One day//Cheers,
Duc
Dude, be of good cheer, there are many recorded tales of high mileage, trouble free endeavour, (sorry to remind everyone again..), John McDougall and I rode to Pittsburgh and back, a round trip of 5,600 miles, and the only bother we both had were malfunctioning speedometers. Return journey - 2,800 miles in 5 days. Not bad for 50+ year old bikes. Robert Watson, Dan Smith and Guy Stanford of the Vancouver Section can tell of similar high mileage trips.
All the best
Tony C.
All the best
Tony C.
Howdy Eric,
You go DUDE, congratulations! As a short term realist but long term optimist, I was root'n for you all the way but with necessary reservation as machines at this level of desirability when tossed into that gladiator pit of on offer/for sale in this age of instant communication have less predictable outcomes now than ever.....and seem to rarely end up in the right hands from an enthusiast's point of view.
Required transaction hyperventilation over, so here we go. I’ve gotten my titles over the last 20 years through Joe Holmes at ITS.So painless, I even get them for bikes for which titles were provided as I’d rather spend $100 and hold onto an original title issued 60 years ago.
Anywho, you mentioned getting it up and running first over any leanings toward full blown resto/trailer queen, so I’d humbly suggest a few things. It’s been down so I’d put in on the lift and ensure it is completely straight. As a working bloke, whenever embarking on a project at this rarified monetary altitude, in the words of the bank robber in Dirty Harry, I gots to know - I’d do up a laundry list of the obvious missing/wrong parts and pieces even if you have no need/inclination of correcting them (carbs) now, so you’ll “know” what you got and can chart a path commensurate with your (in my case, invariably depleted post purchase) financial situation. It’s a cinch to get into mid 4 digits in parts on one even as complete as yours. Dave’s excellent .xls spreadsheet/factory spares list gotten here is a superb platform to work from to which I added my task lists, notes, etc., and in a nod to Geeks, carried it around on jump drive in my pocket for quick consultation/modification/commiseration during my rebuilds. Our VOC Spares schemewill give you a pricing reference points and much can be conveniently sourced here from John Healey at Coventry Spares.
As for mechanical wear items, that missing kicker assembly , inherent motor/trans ills not withstanding and common sense tire/cable stuff, I’d reline the brake shoes with modern materials (bonded), plan on some clutch issues, steering head bearings, rebuilding/replacing your generator/regulator, certainly rebuilding that mag (or replacing with a BTH) and – your bravery a determinant here – disassemble your fork assembly for very close inspection/replacement of bushings/spindles where required for piece of mind and at a minimum disassemble your shocks and perform Richardson mod. John H makes a superb wiring harness which even if yours is seemingly a perfectly preserved original, I’d shelve it and use one of his. As that RFM has been changed, you may have some unresolved bearing setup issues, I’d disconnect both spring boxes/shock from it, check for free movement, but most importantly, excessive end play (with revitalized forks - tank slapper insurance). Same goes with the wheel bearings. If anyone’s removed a brake plate from the assembly and managed have a bearing fall off, invariably in a snit getting it all back together they may get their shims stacked incorrectly.
From the standpoint of a quick semi good indication of general motor health beyond the usual determinants, removing the timing cover can be most revealing. With a small mirror you can view the usual culprits, cams/lifters, verify your idler gear (aluminum, likely original and possibly suspect), check for crank end play and with pistons restrained by stops in either spark plug hole check for any obvious lash in your rod bearings as you can view flywheel movement through a port at the bottom of the case. Removing the four inspection caps facing you will enable you to check your rocker condition with the adjusters slackened off, the least preferred discovery being the rocker bearings loose in the heads. If your motor proves healthy, for added insurance, I’d remove the clutch/primary cover to very closely inspect your chain tensioner for any cracks at the two mounting ears and the usual primary chain check as one thrown or dropping the tensioner blade can ruin your case.
You go DUDE, congratulations! As a short term realist but long term optimist, I was root'n for you all the way but with necessary reservation as machines at this level of desirability when tossed into that gladiator pit of on offer/for sale in this age of instant communication have less predictable outcomes now than ever.....and seem to rarely end up in the right hands from an enthusiast's point of view.
Required transaction hyperventilation over, so here we go. I’ve gotten my titles over the last 20 years through Joe Holmes at ITS.So painless, I even get them for bikes for which titles were provided as I’d rather spend $100 and hold onto an original title issued 60 years ago.
Anywho, you mentioned getting it up and running first over any leanings toward full blown resto/trailer queen, so I’d humbly suggest a few things. It’s been down so I’d put in on the lift and ensure it is completely straight. As a working bloke, whenever embarking on a project at this rarified monetary altitude, in the words of the bank robber in Dirty Harry, I gots to know - I’d do up a laundry list of the obvious missing/wrong parts and pieces even if you have no need/inclination of correcting them (carbs) now, so you’ll “know” what you got and can chart a path commensurate with your (in my case, invariably depleted post purchase) financial situation. It’s a cinch to get into mid 4 digits in parts on one even as complete as yours. Dave’s excellent .xls spreadsheet/factory spares list gotten here is a superb platform to work from to which I added my task lists, notes, etc., and in a nod to Geeks, carried it around on jump drive in my pocket for quick consultation/modification/commiseration during my rebuilds. Our VOC Spares schemewill give you a pricing reference points and much can be conveniently sourced here from John Healey at Coventry Spares.
As for mechanical wear items, that missing kicker assembly , inherent motor/trans ills not withstanding and common sense tire/cable stuff, I’d reline the brake shoes with modern materials (bonded), plan on some clutch issues, steering head bearings, rebuilding/replacing your generator/regulator, certainly rebuilding that mag (or replacing with a BTH) and – your bravery a determinant here – disassemble your fork assembly for very close inspection/replacement of bushings/spindles where required for piece of mind and at a minimum disassemble your shocks and perform Richardson mod. John H makes a superb wiring harness which even if yours is seemingly a perfectly preserved original, I’d shelve it and use one of his. As that RFM has been changed, you may have some unresolved bearing setup issues, I’d disconnect both spring boxes/shock from it, check for free movement, but most importantly, excessive end play (with revitalized forks - tank slapper insurance). Same goes with the wheel bearings. If anyone’s removed a brake plate from the assembly and managed have a bearing fall off, invariably in a snit getting it all back together they may get their shims stacked incorrectly.
From the standpoint of a quick semi good indication of general motor health beyond the usual determinants, removing the timing cover can be most revealing. With a small mirror you can view the usual culprits, cams/lifters, verify your idler gear (aluminum, likely original and possibly suspect), check for crank end play and with pistons restrained by stops in either spark plug hole check for any obvious lash in your rod bearings as you can view flywheel movement through a port at the bottom of the case. Removing the four inspection caps facing you will enable you to check your rocker condition with the adjusters slackened off, the least preferred discovery being the rocker bearings loose in the heads. If your motor proves healthy, for added insurance, I’d remove the clutch/primary cover to very closely inspect your chain tensioner for any cracks at the two mounting ears and the usual primary chain check as one thrown or dropping the tensioner blade can ruin your case.
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Tony
My comments were slightly tongue in cheek. All the complaints above happened in the 70s when good parts were hard to find - poor mag and dynamo rebuilds, stellited cams and followers, and JG units in their infancy were mainly to blame, not to mention a newcomer to Vins who bought a badly rebuilt twin and had to learn to fix it himself when the kids arrived and money was tight.
H
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Thanks Tony,
Where these high mileage trips done on Vincents that were mostly stock as far as charging/ lighting and ignition systems or had they been modified with 12Vdc systems and BTH etc..etc
Thanks,
Duc
please tell me where all the drain plugs are so I can prevent yet another oil spill..
See plug in hole in left hand front motor plate, that is the crankcase drain. On right side, unscrew the banjo bolt on the lower side of the motor that is almost vertical, that is the oil tank. The gearbox drain is a horizontal plug. The primary is drained by unscrewing all the screws and pulling the cover away from the motor. I and others have ground away the boss of the low point cover screw on the inside to use the cover screw as a drain, with an o-ring under the head, but that will have to wait.
the Tires/tubes seem to be original from the 50's and kinda still hold air. The bike only has 7k miles indicated on her so is there any reason to hold onto the old rubber after replacement? i.e. for collector value?[
I vote no.
About Tires if I am interested in riding the bike EVENTUALLY is there any consensus as to the best tire for handling and performance that will fit the original wheels. I really do not care if it looks period or if they ware out quickly I want a tire I can have faith in when I lean the bike over..[
Try Avons. What size rims do you have?
What is the best way to check for frame straightness??
The string method
If I want to rebuild my generator/regulator what is the recommended shop for the work or can this been done in by me?[If I want to rebuild my mag what is the recommended shop for the work?
Google Doug Wood magneto. He lives in Boyertown.
If replacing with a BTH what are the long term benefits / detriments? Are there any other options out there other then BTH for replacement?[
Give your Lucas mag a try
See plug in hole in left hand front motor plate, that is the crankcase drain. On right side, unscrew the banjo bolt on the lower side of the motor that is almost vertical, that is the oil tank. The gearbox drain is a horizontal plug. The primary is drained by unscrewing all the screws and pulling the cover away from the motor. I and others have ground away the boss of the low point cover screw on the inside to use the cover screw as a drain, with an o-ring under the head, but that will have to wait.
the Tires/tubes seem to be original from the 50's and kinda still hold air. The bike only has 7k miles indicated on her so is there any reason to hold onto the old rubber after replacement? i.e. for collector value?[
I vote no.
About Tires if I am interested in riding the bike EVENTUALLY is there any consensus as to the best tire for handling and performance that will fit the original wheels. I really do not care if it looks period or if they ware out quickly I want a tire I can have faith in when I lean the bike over..[
Try Avons. What size rims do you have?
What is the best way to check for frame straightness??
The string method
If I want to rebuild my generator/regulator what is the recommended shop for the work or can this been done in by me?[If I want to rebuild my mag what is the recommended shop for the work?
Google Doug Wood magneto. He lives in Boyertown.
If replacing with a BTH what are the long term benefits / detriments? Are there any other options out there other then BTH for replacement?[
Give your Lucas mag a try
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Well done Dude! Exciting days are ahead; these will be tempered by bitter disappointment, frustration, confusion and utter disbelief. Fortunately you can share most of those altered states with
like minded people all over the globe. You went about this whole business in a very correct & organised manner so you have a head start on many of us who blindly rushed in.
Thanks Al,
I know the head banging will soon be here, it always such when I get into learning a new bike. Thank you also for the words on approval on my process. I have to tell you that since I lost the last Vin I went after 10 years ago or so I had sworn not to lose the next one ....That and I got VERY lucky..
It never hurts to have a bit of luck..Cheers,
Duc