Author Topic: Armistice 101  (Read 2458 times)

Offline Mosin

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Armistice 101
« on: 23.11. 2018 19:20 »
Ok, so I have been wanting to visit the WW1 battlefields of Belgium and northern France for many years. All the publicity which surrounded the centenary of the armistice this year has just made me more determined than ever to get myself there. However three stumbling blocks presented themselves. Firstly, I am so poor that the local church mice regularly hold fundraising events for me. Secondly, I wanted it to be a journey which I would remember. Something that was not just a case of jumping onto a train or a plane and ending up there. I wanted to feel as though I had actually achieved something by getting there. In short, I wanted it to be about the journey as much as about the destination. I feel that in order to actually understand what I am going to see, I need to have the time and space to reflect and immerse myself in the subject. Finally, I don't want to be completely surrounded by tourists - something which would undoubtedly have been the case if I had made my journey to coincide with the centenary itself.

This is how I came up with my idea for the Armistice 101 project.

The attached photos show the condition of my 1960 A7ss as she was a couple of months ago when I finally stripped her down. Six years ago she suffered a quite catastrophic engine failure. In short, it looks like someone lobbed a grenade into the crank cases. She has been sitting in a number of sheds since then as I tried to work out what to do with her. My plan therefore, is to get her back on the road over the winter and then ride her from Cumbria to France next summer. What could possibly go wrong?
1960 A7 Shooting Star
1959 D3 Bantam
1994 Triumph Trident 900

North West England

Offline muskrat

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #1 on: 23.11. 2018 20:05 »
G'day Mosin.
Ouch *ex* Were you riding when she dropped her guts?
The bike itself looks OK so it's "just" a motor rebuild  *pull hair out*
Good luck, were all rootin' for you.
Cheers
'51 A7 plunger, '57 A7SS racer now a A10CR, '78 XT500, '83 CB1100F, 88 HD FXST, 2000 CBR929RR ex Honda Australia Superbike .
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Offline Black Sheep

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #2 on: 23.11. 2018 20:54 »
Ouch! Looks like you need most of an engine... What all bits do you need?
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Offline Butch (cb)

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #3 on: 23.11. 2018 21:05 »
I can't help thinking that a grenade might well have done less damage than that. But it's a solid plan - good luck.
Warning - observations made by this member have a 93% unreliability rating.

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Online morris

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #4 on: 23.11. 2018 21:45 »
Easy.
And if ever it takes a bit more time, don’t worry. The Ypres Meningate won’t walk away and they’ll still blow the last post every evening for a long time to come.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eiWL2BCfhGg
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The world looks better from a motorbike
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Offline Mosin

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #5 on: 23.11. 2018 21:48 »
I was riding at the time, but luckily managed to grind to a halt without dropping the bike. It actually looks much worse than it was. The cases and crank were both ok. The barrels, head, con-rods, valves, pistons, and camshaft were all shot. I have spent the past six years slowly collecting bits and putting a tenner aside every month towards the job. I now have pretty much everything I need. The new head has just been skimmed and fitted with new guides and valves. The new barrels have been bored and honed. I have new pistons and a new camshaft and followers. All I need now is a really good pair of con-rods and the whole thing can start to come back together.
1960 A7 Shooting Star
1959 D3 Bantam
1994 Triumph Trident 900

North West England

Online Worty

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #6 on: 24.11. 2018 17:59 »
Jeez, ouch, best of luck with the rebuild.  Not sure whether I'd have the time, skills or patience to put that lot back together.
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Offline Mosin

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #7 on: 27.11. 2018 14:43 »
Well to date I have had a con-rod fail on me on two separate occasions. Both have resulted in catastrophic damage to the engine internals (they haven't been much fun for me perched on top of it either). So, given the amount of work I am doing on the whole thing, I have decided to push the boat out and order a brand new pair of Thunder rods. This means I now have all the bits I need for my rebuild. Watch this space for updates!
 *smile*
1960 A7 Shooting Star
1959 D3 Bantam
1994 Triumph Trident 900

North West England

Offline Topdad

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #8 on: 27.11. 2018 15:53 »
Sound thinking and money well spent , just before GB posts, let me remind you to clean the sludge trap out , sure you've already taken care of it but it's important ,cheer sand keep posting , Bob
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Offline chaterlea25

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #9 on: 27.11. 2018 20:30 »
Hi Mosin,
Sound decision on buying new conrods  *wink2*
I would also very seriously consider a new oil pump to go with them

John
1961 Super Rocket
1963 RGS (ongoing)

Offline Mosin

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #10 on: 28.11. 2018 10:15 »
I would dearly love to be able to replace the oil pump too, but sadly funds will not stretch that far at the present time.  *sad2*
1960 A7 Shooting Star
1959 D3 Bantam
1994 Triumph Trident 900

North West England

Offline chaterlea25

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #11 on: 28.11. 2018 22:31 »
Hi Mosin,
At least have the pump tested and or rebuilt,
SRM have a test rig that will test them for flow and pressure

John
1961 Super Rocket
1963 RGS (ongoing)

Offline duTch

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #12 on: 29.11. 2018 01:41 »

 GB and I (at least) have a Cast Iron Hi- flow pump procured from I think Bantam John for much less than the fancy SRM one , I think was about ~£170 four or so years ago.... maybe that's more doable, and works fine so far
Started building in about 1977/8 a on average '52 A10 -built from bits 'n pieces never resto intended -maybe 'personalised'
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Offline Mosin

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #13 on: 05.12. 2018 09:31 »
These arrived in the post this morning. To be honest, I can't decide whether to fit them in my engine or invite them out on a date.
1960 A7 Shooting Star
1959 D3 Bantam
1994 Triumph Trident 900

North West England

Online Greybeard

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Re: Armistice 101
« Reply #14 on: 05.12. 2018 09:36 »
These arrived in the post this morning. To be honest, I can't decide whether to fit them in my engine or invite them out on a date.
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