I put the black and white tank on the bike and put some gas in it ... and it actually fired a few times! It would fire and rev for 4 seconds, then die. I pulled the float bowl off the card and was surprised to see the plastic float jet still in there! I'd made a deal on eBay for some Norton owner's carb parts just to get a viton tipped metal jet .. guess with all the projects I never got it installed, so I dug through the cartons of parts, found it, and put it in the carb. Tinkered for another hour or so and finally .... I had it running. Granted, I need to rev it to keep it running ... but I popped the cap on the oil bottle and saw a healthy stream of oil from the return hose, so the oil pump is working. Jiggled the cable and got the tach working. The ammeter shows things are charging ...
I went inside and I grabbed my license and helmet, then I headed up the driveway for a test drive!
I know I still have work to do - I need to fix the horn button and make sure it works. The original non-sealed beam headlight seems pretty iffy - I got a 6024 style Halogen headlight ready to go - but I need to get a 3 pin socket to wire it in. And I need to dial in the timing and get the card set better ...
But its still daylight ... its actually a nice day, 55 degrees, no wind and a bit of sun, and I've been working on this bike since I got it in July - I want to ride - at least a little!
So - off I roared to terrorize the neighbors! A quick stop and I tightened down the rear brake rod and off again .... Now, common sense prevails - I just ran around the block a few times - never got past 3rd gear and I can tell the clutch needs adjustment, the tires probably need more air, and I'm sure there are other things. But I'm riding a bike that I put together ... what a feeling!
And what a long way from first seeing in Merrimack, NH mid-July http://www.thewebgal.com/blog/archives/000038.html
A few weeks back I decided it would be a good thing to rewire the bike.
I'd gotten a Tympanium to replace the Lucas Zenor Diode and Rectifier (old tech even in 1970!!), and due to those changes, the fact that I bought an old style Triumph headlight with the Ammeter, and the fact that the original harness seemed to have shrunk and the connectors were hard to fit on the existing coils, I was making enough variations that it made sense to simplify everything and wire it fresh. I did take the old harness off careful, just in case the next owner (?) wanted it box-stock, but I wanted it clean and improved. Anyway - that project was finished mid-week - but the bike wouldn't start. On a hunch, I though maybe I had cross-wired the two sets of points, so I swapped the leads and it seemed to help!
I had put a new pair of Dunlop K81 tires on the Triumph, and while I got the front tire done months ago, the bike doesn't have a center stand, so changing the rear tire involves quite a bit more work. (Lifting it onto some blocks). Also - the fact that its been 20+ years since I fooled with a pair of spoons (bike tire irons) and rim locks ... well - I pinched two different tubes over the last couple weeks. But at least I've regained my quick-change skills pulling the rear wheel off a british bike ... grin. Anyway, today I had VERY good luck - I pulled the wheel off, tore it down soaped the bead good, then swapped tubes and reseated the tire. Pumped it up to 20 pounds or so - and - voila - all seems fine! So, I remounted the wheel, reset the chain and the brake, then popped the bike off the blogs onto the tires. It was still holding air! Woohoo!
I got a white t-shirt - and I'm sorry the image here doesn't do the shirt justice, but it IS a gorgeous image of the bike! He'll even autograph it if you ask nicely!