Fitting an Oil Tap Mag Cutout to a Gardengate Inter??

Mine has a tap adjacent to the engine.  It is very inconveniently inaccessible.

You can't have an electrical cutout for the mag unless there is an electrical kill circuit/connector on the mag. You won't be able to fit up any electrical buzzer either as it would need an ignition switch on to enable it. So it looks like your 'oil switch' would have to have a mechanical interference with the 'kick start' or even with a valve lifter? Sounds complicated. Can anyone enlighten us?

They have a quarter turn micro switched  valve with 1/4BSP Female:Male  pair to insert inline with your tank outlet.  The rest is simple with the kingpin cap. 
It will improve your “opportunity to ride” ratio and keep the garage a bit cleaner.

Fabulous bike Mike, a job very well done.

Mine is more of a survivor…

Cheers

Jon

if you are so inclined.  Many years ago I found a plastic aerosol cap which perfectly fitted in place of the steel points cover.  I then fitted a brush holder into the end.  It just needed an earthing wire to make a kill system for a magdyno.  The magneto was just an accumulation of parts at that point.  I made the mistake of leaving it on the points housing when I sent the parts off for a rebuild, and didn't get my improvised kill points cover back.  The magneto now works, and I have a standard points cover instead....  intended for my putative Inter engine build.  One day !!

PS congrats on the Inter build, it looks superb

The lever on the valve has very little space to turn 90 degrees.  Mine is articulated so it can be lifted away from being parallel with the pipe.  But my exhaust is closer to the bottom bevel box.  That gives more cornering clearance, but only finger tip access to the tap.

For the first two years of manufacture, oil cut off was standard. Does anyone have a picture of the factory arrangement from 1932/1933?  Factory racers were 1931.  Did they have taps?

Sorry to go off topic slightly - but Jonathan - that's a nice snug fitting pipe.  Do you happen to know where it's from?  I bought a new one recently and grounded the silencer clip at a roundabout first time out.  Mine is rigid, so probably even less ground clearance than yours.

But the snug fit pipe makes access to a tap even more difficult.  I can imagine a ball valve with screwdriver slot might work quite well, because you are only likely to need to turn it off when at home where there's bound to be a screwdriver in easy reach.  I have a magneto cut out switch on my Dommie, using the plastic lever on a ball valve to provide the actuator cam.  But that also means no screwdriver slot.  I imagine one could be arranged.

The only way to drain my oil tank is by removing the bottom hose.  So that needs to be reasonably easy to do.

The machine is a 37 Inter MS built into a 48 Plunger frame.  Most of the running gear plus motor/  gearbox and exhaust header are from the 37 Machine;  Plunger frame, forks and tank are around 48. Silencer is BSA, seat is ES2.

For this machine I would be more inclined to fit the Velocette style ball valve as (att). My Commando has the Mick Hemmings version, the Dommies are easy enough as they can mount in line with the pipework.; and the Venom [FOR SALE] stays dry.

Cheers

Jon

This is the setup on my 1936 Inter, gas/oil type ball valve with the handle being the cut out to earth from a standard cap for a ring cam type magneto. The valve handle, a homemade alloy extension, is very close to the exhaust pipe but can be operated by hand.

This is what I would consider for the Inter. I’m fortunate at present as it holds up pretty well. A great advantage when you can just go out without the draining task

Jon

There should be room at the crankcase inlet.  It would need thread adapters.  How safe are they?  Is the suction from the Norton pump the same as that from the Velocette?  I'm sorry to admit I rely on a magnetic card notice on the fuel tank. It only comes off after I open the valve.  The big risk is not so much when starting in the morning, but when testing after maintenance.

...just been to Kempton Park and saw yet another way round this warning. A traditional in line on/off switch (a la washing machines!) with a bent plate captivated when the tap is off. The other end of the plate goes over the gear lever. So you cannot engage gear with oil off. Obviously you h ave to leave the bent plate at home and obviously you have to remember to re fit it but-no electricity needed.

... since replaced by a Yamaha non-return valve, I had a magnetic "Oil" label that I used to stick on the advance / retard lever as that was always used when starting. It's only necessary to close the valve when leaving the bike for weeks rather than hours or days unless the oil pump is well past its best.

Turning oil on/off with with a separate tool strikes me as a 'backward' step? If it was in your pocket and got dropped on the road? But there again if you had a 'finger' tap could you turn it off when out and forget to turn it back on? One of our members did this-got half way home before the engine stopped 'very hot' BUT his engine did survive. HUM??

... you don't need to turn it off for brief stops, only when left for weeks. So no need to carry the key.

hello,

be nice if you could fit a 6 or 12 volt miniture oil pump with a push switch in the system. to pump the oil back into the tank from the sump.

Barry

Michael was doing this as a workshop only close.  I only close mine if the machines are laid up  for a month or more.

Cheers

Jon

There isn't even a dipstick hole into a Norton sump to put a suction tube from a pump into.

I'm fortunate that my 16H  takes weeks to wet sump.  But, if it does, I simply start it up and run it gently until the oil returns.  All the interesting bits get plenty of splash lubrication straight away and (like the other Singles) it has no shell big end or main bearings to suffer from lack of instant oil pressure.

I doubt if the pressure side of the pump ever fully empties anyway, so even the OHC engines will push some oil up to the cams as soon as the engine is turned over.  There are no garter seals to blow out, so do we worry far too much?

What grade oil you using Mike?  Six weeks isn't excessive enough to warrant a pump strip especially now you have that neat solution.

Cheers

Jon

But don’t stop… it’s another step towards the inevitable.  

 Because you have made it a very positive action to carry out before you start, you will soon get into the habit.  Also the memory of the draining performance will keep a smile on your face as you reach for your “key”.

Remember the aches and pains diminish as you ride. It’s a smashing looking machine I bet it’s an absolute joy to run out on.  What is your location Mike? Your central west if I remember right. 

Very best regards

Jon