Plugs failure!

 August 23rd

In effort to address popping on low throttle, checked all settings and decided to return to as supplied by Allen's

Barrel P5 (no change)

Needle P17

Pilot 30 (no change)

Main 195

Based on the assumption that the P17 needle has a more aggressive taper providing more fuel at small opening.

Test run very problematic, spitting and popping horribly.  So switched back to H3 needle at +1 down from centre (rich).  Test ride worse, back to garage and it simply wouldn't run.  

Not a carb problem, suspect the new plugs have given up (as they did back on first running after rebuild in 2015).

September 3rd.

BP6ES (standard) plugs arrive. Fitted.  Start first time.  Warmed up.  Test Run.  Fine.  Some initial popping but once warm it ran fine.

Back in garage, checked air screw settings.  Once cylinder at a time.  2.5 turns RH.  2.25 turns LH.  Adjusted tick over (old style, separate cylinders firing 3-4 times on start up then dying)  

Think would help to get vacuum guages, will need holes in manifolds.

WHY are the plugs failing?

Busso's

 August 14th

The Busso's are back!

Way back in the day (around 81 time) the T3 sported a pair of Busso chrome silencers (Italian), they made a deep rumble not too noisy; you could see straight through them.  Pity they couldn't cope with the Middlesbrough winters - they went west to be replaced by the Armour's stainless items along with s/s downpipes and balance pipe.  So they've provided yeoman service for 37 years!  Time they took a break.  

So Keihan had some s/s Busso replicas in stock and after six weeks of  dithering I woke up one morning and thought what the hell.  

Blackwell rumbles!

20 mile spin they are quite restrained from the riding seat, most of the noise is going the other way.

Spitting and butting on low throttle - weak looking plugs.

 Co-Pilots

5 August

The new plugs went out for a spin.  Bike ran very well, apart from a couple of slight squeaky sounding spfff! noises from one of the inlets.

Anyhow looked at the plugs on return after spending most of the run at about 1/4 throttle (pilot jet territory).  All looked a bit sooty, so once again have swapped the 35's (put back as part of the last bout of fault finding see "Spark Out" ) back to 30's. 

Spark Out

 July 8th

Proper try out of "new" seat thwarted by motor problems.

Before starting the bike up for the first time, drained about a gallon out and refilled with two gallons of fresh fool.

Test ride proved difficult, lots of missing and popping/spitting (not all that bother again?!).

Taken a while to get round to fault finding.  Sequence this week as follows.

Start up, one cylinder only on, the left one.  Checked sparks, both plugs flashing.  

Checked compressions, 140 both sides

Changed carbs over (left onto right).   Still not running that side.

Checked timing.  All fine.

So rang Nigel at NBS.  Talked him through it.  He suggested changing the plugs, he has had lots of problems with BP6ES and finds the BPRES much better (internal resistor).  Nigel pointed out that even a sparking plug can be faulty..  Swapped left plug onto RH, it ran straight away!  

New plugs ordered from Gutsibits, hoping that puts us back on track

Retro Seat

 May 6 2021

Fitted replacement seat, bought second hand from Ion Drakos, pan in excellent condition, cover has one slight split near the bonded trim.  Always wanted an original T3 seat, as it offers a lower seat height and a narrower profile, both of which serve to create a much more with the bike feel, as opposed to being perched on the firmer, wider, higher seat that seems to be the only one available nowadays (as supplied for G5, and Spada Mk2 and 3)

 Gaiter Refit

Thursday 25 March

ATF oil for forks arrived so ready to fit replacement gaiters.  Had taken the old ones off last Summer but on balance I like the look of the bike better with the gaiters over the stanchions.  It all looks a bit more purposeful somehow.

So had sent off for some new ones with a more suitable bellow design.  The old ones (been on for decades) looked a bit too scrunched up when forks under load.  So bought some with fewer bellow segments.

The forks were stuck in the yokes, the rubber headlamp bracket seals fit so tight they seem to have bonded to the fork tubes.

So had to drop the sliders off - hence the need for new fork oil.  Reassembled, and followed the advice in Guzziology re optimising alignment.  As this involves removing the fork caps, was able to refill oil from the top.  (never done that before but there is about 6mm clearance between the damper body and the fork tube), enough to slowly pour in with a measuring jug.

Have sent off for black stainless jubilee clips to finish the job off, cable ties look a bit temporary, and a silver finish might look a bit OTT.

Will need to think about freeing those forks though.  A job for another day.