Oil Tap - which one ?

Looks like a standard washing machine delivery pipe ball valve with adaptors to take a spigot for the pipe and to carry the male thread. I have one almost identical on my Dommie but it also has a switch operated by the lever. I wouldn't feel safe without the switch...look on this site for all the warnings and tales of woe!

I have a similar one - picture attached (sorry it's upside down...)

May I suggest that you wait a few weeks until you receive the December edition of Roadholder - there is an article that may help considerably.

Mark W.

Roadholder Editor

For some reason, occasionally photos download themselves rather than displaying This one seems to - look in your download folder......

I find that the only reliable way of uploading an image so that it opens in your browser instead of downloading (which I find really annoying ) is to write your text, save the message, then click to edit it â then I see a different set of options for uploading your image, from which you can choose your preferred option. In this instance, select 'Images', not 'Attachments'. This also offers you the ability to give your file a descriptive name, so anyone looking at your post sees that instead of a file name ending in .jpg or whatever, once you've saved your edit.

Thanks for the tip, Colin - I'm trying again. Meanwhile I'm looking forward to next month's Roadholder.

Incidentally - this is set for coil ignition so it cuts the power (opens the switch) when shut. With a different cam it could close the switch to earth the mag when closed. But I don't know how that would work on a single with no convenient electric circuit to make and break.

My ES2 came with a tap which after some thought I'm keeping. I had a non-return valve similar to the Velo one on my Commando which was fine as long as I made sure the oil pipe was full any time I disturbed it. I also had a Velo Venom which had the built-in valve and again no problems.

As you only need to turn the tap off when the bike is left for a few days or more (no need for overnight / coffee stop etc) I've made a little orange flag attached to a magnet which sits very nicely on the advance / retard lever and effectively shouts at me and gets in the way when I go to retard the ignition for starting. I have a routine of attaching it when I switch the tap off.

Even if I accidentally started without opening the tap, a roller bearing engine like the ES2 won't come to too much harm if run for a few minutes with no oil circulating.

Another thing you have to be careful of, is some Git turning it off for you! I'm fairly sure that's what happened me at the Ulster G.P. about ten years ago. Like a previous member I only turned it off on long term lay ups, so although I can't be 100% sure, it wasn't my habit to turn it off when parking fora few hours. I never checked it before setting off home and after 4 or 5 miles---- BANG! The only thing that saved more serious damage were my Carillo rods, one of which bent but thankfully didn't break, which would have wrecked my crankcases! As it was, a rebore, a crank regrind anda new rod was the price I paid, plus a Mick Hemmings Velo type Non Return Valve which has served me perfectly since!

Hi I don't own a Norton Single and I'm not sure what connectors are used. My Velocette uses a 1/4BSP with a similar thing to that which fits to the petrol tap. Air compressors use the same thread. If you go to ebay and search for ID 123314640939 you will find what I am in the process of trying or search for 1/4BSP fittings.