1967 B-40 WD
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The oil-tank was cleaned thoroughly and when finished, fitted to the frame using new rubbers.
Then came the finished rear mudguard and license plate holder.
The rear chain enclosure was complete as well, but needed some work to fit properly. When it was back in shape, it was sandblasted and painted too.
The cylinder head and rocker box finally completed the engine.
A new ignition coil, a new contact breaker cam and battery, a shiny new exhaust system and a new Amal Concentric (to replace the awkward butterfly- type Amal that was normally fitted to these machines) were fitted next and the bike started to look like it really meant business...
The oil-tank was cleaned thoroughly and when finished, fitted to the frame using new rubbers.
Then came the finished rear mudguard and license plate holder.
The rear chain enclosure was complete as well, but needed some work to fit properly. When it was back in shape, it was sandblasted and painted too.
The cylinder head and rocker box finally completed the engine.
A new ignition coil, a new contact breaker cam and battery, a shiny new exhaust system and a new Amal Concentric (to replace the awkward butterfly- type Amal that was normally fitted to these machines) were fitted next and the bike started to look like it really meant business...
As I wanted to fit the battery in the airfilter box, a new case was made and the old cover was drilled to house a proper ignition lock, since these machines only have an on/off switch on the headlamp...
A " pillbox " airfilter was installed on the carburettor.
It was April 2007 by then and the bike was nearly finished.
Final adjustments to ignition, valves, cables and other stuff was done and one day, I poured some fuel in the tank...
After flooding the carburettor and turning the engine over a few times, I turned the ignition key and hit the kickstart lever.
After more than 20 years, the little BSA burst into life on first kick ! Woohoo !
It even ran pretty well, but after a few minutes, I switched it of to check oilflow and to see if it was oiltight.
All seemed ok, so I was pretty happy as you can imagine.
Next day, I' d take it for a spin...
Again, one kick and the engine started happily. Phew.
Clutch was pretty heavy, but the gearbox worked smoothly, so off I went to the street.
First, second, third, ... and huh ? No fourth ?? It did work by hand before!
Mmmm... a bit of a drawback of course and no other option than to dismantle the gearbox.
It turned out the gear selectors were bent, but only very little, so it was easily fixed and a few hours later, I went for the second try-out.
Everything worked fine now, but the clutch needed some attention to make it lighter, so I replaced two of the springs with lighter ones, what almost solved it.
Rerouting the clutch cable helped too, so now the bike was finally ready to go.
A " pillbox " airfilter was installed on the carburettor.
It was April 2007 by then and the bike was nearly finished.
Final adjustments to ignition, valves, cables and other stuff was done and one day, I poured some fuel in the tank...
After flooding the carburettor and turning the engine over a few times, I turned the ignition key and hit the kickstart lever.
After more than 20 years, the little BSA burst into life on first kick ! Woohoo !
It even ran pretty well, but after a few minutes, I switched it of to check oilflow and to see if it was oiltight.
All seemed ok, so I was pretty happy as you can imagine.
Next day, I' d take it for a spin...
Again, one kick and the engine started happily. Phew.
Clutch was pretty heavy, but the gearbox worked smoothly, so off I went to the street.
First, second, third, ... and huh ? No fourth ?? It did work by hand before!
Mmmm... a bit of a drawback of course and no other option than to dismantle the gearbox.
It turned out the gear selectors were bent, but only very little, so it was easily fixed and a few hours later, I went for the second try-out.
Everything worked fine now, but the clutch needed some attention to make it lighter, so I replaced two of the springs with lighter ones, what almost solved it.
Rerouting the clutch cable helped too, so now the bike was finally ready to go.
***
That was in April 2007 and apart from some minor problems - including a faulty ignition coil and bad rubber replacement parts ( fork gaiters and footrest rubbers ) , it is still going strong and a joy to ride - hopefully for many years to come...
Have fun !
