Can't get third gear on laydown box

I stripped the gearbox this evening (thank fully it can be done without removing it from the frame) and what I found made me wonder how it ever worked.

The pins on the gear selector forks that go into the cam plate where too long and stuck out the back. As the quadrant came up when changing from 2nd into 3rd it hit the pin on the front selector fork and locked everything up. I ground a little bit of the end of the pin (only a few thou), reassembled the box and I now have all 4 gears on the bench. Haven't riden it yet as I didn't get it back together gone 11, I have something to look forward to tomorrow now!

As for the starting, the carb was flooding because the tickler was a bit to long and wasnt allowing the float to come right up and make a seal. I don't know if this has been changed in the past but runing a file over the end shortened it enough to solve that problem. I have just done a complete restoration on the bike after it has sat in a shed somewhere for 40+ years (it had a 1970 tax disc on it!)so there are bound to be a few issues to sort as I run it in.

I overhaul magnetos for a living so it would be a bit embarrasing if my own bike played up because of it, as such the magneto was top of the list of jobs to be done when I bought the bike,even so,when I had trouble starting it the first thing I checked was the spark, I'm glad to say it was a good one!

Now I think it is just getting used to the technique, I can start myInter with one 'lazy' kick. When I let someone else ride it a while back they had real trouble getting it to start!

Thanks for your input, interesting video, I'll see how I get on starting it tomorrow evening

Andy

Hi Paul. I seem to have craked the starting, that video was good.

I got about 30 miles on it then decided to be brave (foolish) and take it on a 400 mile round trip I was booked on with my Enfield. 200 miles to Coventry yesterday and 200 miles back today. The people I was going with where all on old bikes too and don't normally do anymore than 45 so I thought it would be ok and I wouldn't hold them up by running in. We had a breakdown van following us so why not.

I got all the way there and just under 100 miles back before I heard a metallic scraping noise, my first though was a dry bearing or something. I pulled over before I made things worse! Turning over with the kickstart and the noise is definitely coming from the clutch/ gearbox area. I didn't investigate on the side of the road as I didn't want to hold anyone up so just put it on the van. I'll take the primary cover off tomorrow and start investigating. The engine is settling down nicely though and after 200 miles yesterday I felt no stiffness or anything, it's easily the most comfortable bike I've ever riden. The only thing I really want to do to the engine is cure the oil leak. It's pouring out the rocker box to head joint. The back of the bike is covered in oil and I had to top up in Coventry.

300 miles in though and I'm convinced I've picked a good touring bike, I just need to get it sorted properly.

I'll post up what I find after I've looked tomorrow, and I'll post some pics of the bike too.

Thanks again for the advice

Andy

The 'metalic' scraping noise turned out to be nothing so serious. The fibre gear that drives the dymano had striped! (Don't know what made me think it sounded metalic). Thats all sorted now and the engine and gearbox would appear to be fine, what a relief.