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