clutch tool

Well guys after many clutch spring swaps and clutch plate swaps i decided to hunt down a tool that worked for the job.......originally i bought a clutch compressor tool from t&g and it was crap ......the legs just bent  on it...... then i got the idea of using the 3 legged puller from summers town (from the bantam forum) this certainly was a big improvement but i still wasn't happy .......so i saw one on eBay for about £19 posted .....i emailed the guy and he assured me it was British made and was brand new and would do the job so i bought it.......well i ordered it yesterday and received it today and what a result it does what it says on the tin ......i would recommend one 

It came from montys  s classic motorcycles in devon www.montysclassicmotorcycles.com     phone 07899967132

Bantam spares !

Well guys i have had to change my clutch springs as the clutch was slipping ......The last couple of times i have bought some parts i got them from Charles field (Chas) at bantam spares http://bantamspares.webs.com/
I have to say the service is fantastic and parts are priced right too.....i ordered the springs on Friday and the parts arrived Monday .....thank you Chas I'm back on the road in no time

Quick update

Well guys i mentioned that i was doing the m.o.t on the bantam well guess what SHE PASSED.....the tester said she was nice and safe and he liked how i have kept the bike original ....at the same time i received the v5 back through the post so i got her taxed and away we go .......I must thank Howard from Bournemouth bantams as he did all the hard work with regards to registering the bike as he is a dating officer for the British two stroke club ......one word on insurance i got mine from E-BIKES this year they were the cheapest by far  and include breakdown cover (this could be vital) Any how i have been for a couple of rides to test my little gem and i have been real impressed with the old bird ....i had a small problem starting her from hot but i think this was because i flooded the carb......the other problem is the clutch is slipping so new springs are on my shopping list .....anyway for now ride safe

been away

Well guys i have been away on my holidays and well deserved in my opinion.....any how the bantam has been sitting in the garage i suspect quite bored with life at the moment and feeling a little neglected........My plan of attack at the moment is to get her registered and m.o.t done as soon as possible....i have already sent of all the paper work of and i am awaiting a response!!!!!!!!! so lets keep our fingers crossed x .......When i get this done my plan is to do some miles on her just to make sure she rides well and all is good with her i will take her out on plenty of short to medium runs over several weeks.....then if all is well again crossed fingers  i will be doing a few mods to her..... i plan to fit a rooster booster to her and some indicators might find there way on there too.....ill be adding some modern bulbs to the front and rear lights and plan to get her running sweet and reliable.....so there should be plenty of pictures and write ups on the way ......in the mean time i will be totting up the cost of all the work i have done so far and i will publish it on here as soon as i have completed it....i hope this gives a good indication of the costs to people and helps them with there budgets......ill list the work i have done and i think both you and i will have a shock to how much has been spent and how much i have done......when the winter arrives i am thinking about doing a full repaint and re chrome to the bike so by next year i will have a fully working and sort of posh bike !!!!  

wires !

I did this wiring diagram last year to help me fully understand how my bike was wired up.....

As i did it i realised that the new wiring loom was slightly different a couple of wires were different colors and my tail light was a single bulb it showed two bulbs in the bantam book i had! Any way this might help people work things out ....happy riding

Manual

Now i always look to my manual when I'm working on my bantam......it pays just to check nothings missing or in the wrong order.......remember there are differences in the various models of bantams !

Notice i printed the pages from the Internet then i put them in plastic covers and in a folder water proof and oil proof.......you might say idiot proof !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

funnel sir !

Here are a selection of funnels i bought from my local diy store ......there are various sizes and are perfect for filling up the forks with oil and the gear box.....I'm sure i can find more uses for them too !

Whitworth

I was reading a post on the bantam club forum someone was asking about which spanners to use......someone replied saying you could still buy new whitworth spanners relatively cheaply so i thought i would treat myself

They are spot on for the home enthusiast like myself........go on you know you want to !

promised picture

I promised you a picture of the bike with the newly painted exhaust and kicker fitted so here you go

The kicker works perfectly now.....in fact it started 2nd kick from cold no problem I'm chuffed

Spring

Well my spring has arrived........i thought i would show you a picture of the old and new together

There are two things to notice (the new one is on the left)
1. the old spring is a lot more compact i guess this means its tired or it could just be made by a different company ?
2. look at the bit that attaches to the quadrant ...... they are in different places ? one at the top one at the bottom remember though there are two slots on the quadrant !
It matters not the new spring works perfectly I'm chuffed ......happy riding Paul

oil

I have posted before about oil......the oil i use is 20/50 motor oil.....i use it in the gear box and front forks it gives them a nice firm less bouncy feel ......on my trip to asda to pick up a new bottle i realised they now sell it in 2 litre bottles not bad for £8 .......there is enough there for half a dozen refills to the gear box and one to the forks (i might be a little optimistic here) but there is lots ! any way here is the picture happy riding

A small problem with the kicker

If you look at the picture of the kicker you can see a slot that allows the kicker to clamp down onto the kick start shaft....... well mine and maybe yours was full of oil and gunk which stopped it from clamping properly......the kicker seemed loose..... simple remedy clean it out !

A few bits

Well as i have had a bit of waiting time i got carried away and gave the kicker and gear change lever a bit of attention

 The chrome has all but gone......i thought a bit of silver hammerite was called for just to tidy them up

They have turned out well.........i will post a picture of them fitted .....when i fit them soon !

Tidy up that pipe !

Morning all.......while I'm waiting for my kick start return spring to arrive i thought i might tidy up my exhaust pipe (silencer) as you can see its seen better days (me too) i don't mind the old weathered look but i had a bit of time to kill and found an old tin of high temperature paint .......so i cleaned up the pipe and hey presto

not looking too bad but the end needs to be black !

when i fit it back ill post a photo of it on the bike ........maybe i might treat her to some proper chrome in the winter.......

WEAK SPRING !

I noticed that when i use the kick start on the bantam the kicker does not return properly this could end up causing damage to the kick start quadrant........ i suspected it was the spring being weak so i needed to investigate.....so i drained the oil first

then removed the exhaust so i could remove the casing ....kicker......gear lever.......and engine bolts

Then removed the clutch using a cheap puller i bought from a diy store this allows removal of the dreaded clip !

As you can see i used my home made engine holder so i could loosen the nut to get the clutch off

Here is the spring....notice there are two slots on the quadrant which the spring can clip into....this allows you to tighten the spring up....unfortunately it had already been set to the tightest .....so i need a new one

This is how it all looks withe the clutch and spring removed

Ever thing laid out ready to be put back ......i have now ordered the spring and await its arrival .....so far this process has taken 15 Minuit's......Also note its worth replacing the spring if you do an engine rebuild as its a biggish job to replace (including replacing the gear oil) all for a £7.50 part  

Well guys i have been busy over the last few months and i have not had a chance to work on my poor old bantam.......Any how i have managed to find a bit of time in the last few days so i decided to start her up for the first time since the engine rebuild......it took a little cunning to get her going but she runs really well now ! I have however noticed oil leaking from those forks i rebuilt earlier on in the year so last night i whipped them off and inspected them ......i think i know why they leaked ....i fitted the seals and glued them in place with silicone for a better seal but what has happened is the silicone has got between the fork and the seal causing a leak ! so i have cleaned them up and refitted them while i was at it i have put some fibre washers on the top nuts that hold the springs in place because they were weeping a little.....it seems to have done the trick.....I'm hoping the whole thing is not far away from m.o.t ....yippee... i am a little disappointed i haven't got it up and running sooner but with all the bad weather WHAT THE HECK.......i also neglected the bantam forum not having been on for a few months so i had a look and i have to say what a difference its top notch and getting stronger....well done to Stephen (anderzander) who seems to have got things sorted .... i promise ill get some more photos and write ups done in the near future so see you then and happy bantam riding   

fitting my exhaust !

Well i thought i would do a quick post on how i fitted my exhaust ...... simple enough to do

This c spanner is just a generic one i bought with two different size c sections it fits other bikes too ! cheap enough to buy as well

Make sure you use a copper ring to help seal the down pipe to the engine a good seal is required

 in my wisdom i decided to use sealant as well.....i had no exhaust cement so i used some very high temp sealant

Nice tight fit screwed tight

where the down pipe meets the silencer i used sealant and a heavy duty clip to provide a good strong seal
job done ......as you can see the exhaust is rusty and i thought i may leave it like this because i want the bike to look its age ....sort of a rustic look......if i were to fit a new one i would just buy a pattern one as they are as cheap as chips........ the other alternative i have is to paint it with high temp paint..... barbaque paint from B&Q is as good as anything but it would be black......although you can buy silver high temp paint too this would smarten it up without braking the bank .......watch this space

Bournemouth bantams review

I ordered some bits from Bournemouth bantams last week......... well the parts are spot on and they were delivered  quick (a couple of days) and were wrapped up well .....i think Bournemouth bantams are under new management so a big thanks to Howard and well done keep it up http://www.bournemouthbantams.com/

fitting the sprocket

I then put my new drive sprocket on the shaft

looking good

Added the tab washer

Dont forget to bend the tab washer over the locking nut

one last thing when fitting the primary chain make sure the clip on the chain is blunt end facing the direction the chain moves

oil seal

Here i am fitting a new oil seal ....the old one is so badly rotted its stuck in its housing i had to use a heavy hand to remove it ....i also had to make sure everything was cleaned and grease free......the gaskets are new its not worth using the old ones as they are cheap to buy....

The seal did look ok until i started to investigate ......i recommend changing them if in doubt

Job done .......just take your time and follow your manual .....keep things clean and replace gaskets