The centre stand on the Mario Mobile was bad. Shockingly bad. I had to put it on planks of wood to get it to stand up. If you tried using it on the road, the bike would wobble unsteadily - a bit like me walking home from darts.
Anyway, I splashed out on a new one and rode over to see Luigi this morning. He said, "Hey, long time no see!" to which I replied, "Hey, look what I've brought over for you to fit to my bike!" He looked so thrilled I was touched (with guilt).
As you can see from the shot on the left, he had to take off part of the exhaust to remove the offside bolt. You can also see me taking a well-earned rest - it's stressful watching him work on my bike while he's muttering under his breath about someone taking liberties.
As you can see from the shot on the right, the camera was more interested in what was on the floor than the stands, but the new one is on the left and the very worn one is on the right. Notice also how the centre hole is oval rather than circular.
The final shot below shows the new centre stand in action and that the rear tyre is off the ground - spiffing.The second job of the day was to make good on the bodge job I'd made on Luigi's bike when we took a link out of the chain. The back wheel wasn't quite in alignment and you could occasionally hear the chain catching on the guard. Time for the old string trick! Tie it round the front wheel and drag it backwards through the centre stand. Wiggle the back wheel around until:
- the string touches the front tyre in two places and also the back tyre in two places;
- the chain is at the correct tension - not too tight or loose.
Hi both,
ReplyDeleteI`ve been reading your blog with great interest as I am in the middle of restoring a 1962 C15 (fitted with A 1966 " G " engine); it`s all going well so far with no major problems ! Can I ask you what colour you used to redo your green bike ? It`s exactly what I would like on my bike. If this blog is still active I`ll try to send you some pics of work in progress. Best regards, Richard
email: richard@rhw1789.plus.com
Hi Richard
ReplyDeleteI think my Dad (Mario) replied to you about this - and yes, the blog is still active, it's just that the poor weather means we haven't been out much!
It'd be great to see some pictures of your restoration :-)
Any ideas why my rear tyre on a BSA C15 is almost touching the rear chain, The tyre is a 3-50-17 but should be 3-25-17.
ReplyDeleteThe front an rear tyres are aligned correctly, I have not fitted the chain guard as it would touch the rear tyre
Its a bit of a mystery any comments would be good
Hi, sorry to hear you are having alignment problems. You’ve obviously done the basic setup so all I can suggest is to remove the tank and saddle and check that the frame isn’t twisted. The bike could have had spill in its past. I do remember seeing a similar problem as the one you are having and that was down to a twisted frame. Another thing that is worthy of checking is the final drive sprocket on the gear box drive shaft. Is it the right one, as this could position the sprocket with a lateral offset on the gear dive shaft which would position the chain nearer to the tyre wall? Are the rear wheel bearings in good nick with no play? A bit obvious I know but trying to think of everything without insulting your intelligence. Also, swinging arm bushes need checking for wear and play. If everything is square at the rear end of the bike then the problem might be at the head stock end. I really hope you sort the alignment problem out.
DeleteRegards.
Peter.