starter

[RDfella]

The original 'gearbox selector' thread had gone off-topic, so continuing here ...

The starters on my GF and other vee spin the engines fine and they start well, the GF instantly.
Not so with the 1,000cc vee I'm afraid, where it works hard, resulting in the engine turning over fairly slowly (when designing the starter I chose a motor from a Honda Firestorm as the requirements are similar, but it's barely enough).

I believe it's this slowness that's maybe encouraging the engine to kick back (more like a baulk) resulting in breaking the 3/8" start chain.
Thinking about this, I figured rather than looking for stronger chain maybe I should concentrate on ensuring the engine doesn't try to kick back. After all, breaking strain of that chain is a ton - if I increase that, what'll break next? The starter gears? The crankcase mounting? I'm now looking at the chain as a sort of safety shear-pin, even though it's a PITA to get to (brake, footpeg, alternator and primary off).

This problem has only started happening recently, mainly because the 200A battery's now 2 yrs old and starting is getting even slower (people with electric cars will soon be learning about battery deterioration). So, mindful of Steve's advice regarding maximum ignition advance, I've knocked the timing back by 5 deg and will widen the distributor advance if I find road power has been affected. Here's hoping ....

Printer just packed up last night, so the list of bad news continues ...

[muskrat]

G'day RD.
Just wondering if a 2Kw HD starter motor would fit and change the gearing to spin the V over faster.
Cheers

[RDfella]

Been ordering parts for the new vee starter.
I usually get my gears from a firm in Chesterfield. For five (small) gears the quote was around £80 - plus 80 postage! When I asked for Royal Mail (should be around £12) was told they'd lost too many parcels so changed to DHL. Well, I get R Mail stuff almost daily and think they lost one item in the last 2 or 3 years. And apart from cost DHL hardly have a good reputation. So I ordered from China at 1/4 the price. £40 incl postage, with delay similar to UK.
Needed two sprag bearings. UK prices are around £28 ea. I'd expect approaching £50 (each) for decent ones, so concluded these were most likely of Chinese origin. In which case why not buy direct (£14 ea)? I admit Chinese engineering is not top notch, but in my case I'm not worried about lifespan, just as long as the gears / sprags stand the torque.

I know this subject has been on here before, but do we realise just how much of the stuff we buy comes from there?
Take our recent microwave. My partner insisted it was UK (a well-known make) until I pointed out the tiny label underneath 'made in China'.
Our local lifeboat is due to get two new Baudouin engines very shortly. A well-known French marine engine - made in China. Volvo cars - a Chinese firm.
Postage is not the only issue. I used to use a UK firm (again in Chesterfield) for my alloy castings. They had a flat postage rate of £60. Now they also refuse to accept any form of payment other than a bank transfer. So I now go elsewhere. Don't UK firms want any business nowadays?

[berger]

RD is the gear firm ondrives?

[muskrat]

I know this subject has been on here before, but do we realise just how much of the stuff we buy comes from there?
Take our recent microwave. My partner insisted it was UK (a well-known make) until I pointed out the tiny label underneath 'made in China'.
Our local lifeboat is due to get two new Baudouin engines very shortly. A well-known French marine engine - made in China. Volvo cars - a Chinese firm.
Postage is not the only issue. I used to use a UK firm (again in Chesterfield) for my alloy castings. They had a flat postage rate of £60. Now they also refuse to accept any form of payment other than a bank transfer. So I now go elsewhere. Don't UK firms want any business nowadays?

G'day RD.
I work a couple of days a week in a tool shop. 60,000 items on the shelf, 99% are made in china. All of the big brands are made there or assembled in the home land from parts made there.
Cheers

[mikeb]

would some shock absorber in the starter mechanism help smooth out the backlash of a big lumpy twin? that, and more power/amps to speed it up?

[rocker21]

why not fit a decompresor? let the engine spin up and then release it.

[RDfella]

A few replies:
1. the original gear order was not from ondrives
2. shock absorber - I tried that on my original starter. Was a disaster as it produced massive lurches which actually seriously damaged the starter mounting - 1/4" steel plate.
3. decompressor? That's how I start my 1,000cc vee - spin it up then slowly release compression (there's coupled decompressors on both cylinders). At 9.5:1 it takes some turning (I use a 1,000cc Honda starter motor and a 200A CC battery). The new vee has a decompressor on front cyl which I use in the same way. The rear cylinder could be linked like the 1,000cc vee should I find it necessary.

[sean]

why not fit a decompresor? let the engine spin up and then release it.

I had to do this with my Harley motor build ....de compression valves had to fitted kept going through starters and ring gears  185 psi compression  and early closing cams .......I believe lawn equipment  use a similar decompression system just a push down poppet with a 10 mm thread 1/8th hole drilled into combustion chamber  , no problems after the mod