bgeacook

was tentatively planning on riding my father's bike in a poker run but approved spark arrestor mufflers are required. the club organizing the event are very strick about it- it's state land so they have to be. all these years (he bought it new) I've assumed the stock muffler was U.S. Forest Service approved (which is the standard here in the states). since it's not fiberglass packed it shouldn't NEED to be a spark arrestor design but 'rules are rules' they will say. were there ever units made for the alpina and/or what are my options?

so I got it running again. "start with the basics", they always say. I re-attached the black wires at the terminal block- one from the ht coil and the other from..? anyway, I cut the insulation back a little and made sure I got them both in the terminal all the way, etc. ultimately I think what fixed it was the spark plug terminal, though. the boot is disintegrated and WAS taped but that had failed. I taped it good and tight and ta-da! spark! I'll be ordering a new terminal (along with a couple other, unrelated, items). thanks for the input- I learned some new stuff about these bikes, and that's always a good thing.

yes, the white wire (w/ ring terminal) is ground, or earth. it was attached to the ht coil mounting bolt. based on comments about the tail light bulb (ground going through it), I assume that this wire is not original.

I've lost spark, model 85 250 alpina. not sure if whats there is original as a brake light was added long ago. mostly want to know how/where to test each component before buying new coil, etc. been running fine then just quit like out of fuel. added fuel (knew it was low) but would not start. cleaned the carb, etc but still nothing. then started and ran for few seconds then dead again. that's when I checked for spark and saw none. the two loose black wires (heavier one from the high tension coil, other from wire harness) were connected to terminal opposite the red wire. 1) how do I test output from magneto 2) how do I test the ht coil

got the plates (kx80/85), fit them, rode it. pleased. that's the short version. long version- 1) is a little tricky getting the tabs filed equally so plates fit. the overall dia is just under the advertised size of 110mm but not by much so tabs have to be just right. 2) the stack of plates comes out to about .008" less than the stock so I was not concerned about using them with the pin-type center hub. the threaded type would be easier but I couldn't justify the cost to buy one. 3) I used only three springs. I believe they are heavy duty ones. possibly Barnett- dad couldn't remember, it's been years since he changed them. and apparently he lost one as there was one that was a little shorter and plain gray, not black, like the other 5. assuming that one is stock. 4) the pressure plate does move out slightly unevenly, which could be addressed easily with a threaded hub. I think the problem is the spring cups, being stamped, are not equal depth. out of the six I'm sure three the same size could be found. 5) no slippage, kicking it over or shifting into high gears. hot or cold it kicks over fine and I rode it down the street, shifting up, lots of throttle, and no slipping. 6) engagement is nice and smooth, not grabby at all 7) clutch pull is much easier than before, not modern bike easy, but still a big improvement. 8) paid under $20 USD for the plates!

the Japanese bike plates (kx80, vf500, etc) that user oldjohnno lists

I've noticed these plates are listed as 110mm dia but the hub measures right at 110mm inside dia. these plates will fit in the bultaco drum?(after filling the tabs)

I'm interested in using friction material plates but NOT the more expensive Barnett ones for bultaco. read on here about using certain Japanese bike plates and it looks like the kit that is sold by Bultaco UK(?) uses that type plate evidenced by much bigger inside dia. Anyway, all these plates are listed as 110 O.D. but I'm measuring the Bultaco hub I.D. right at 110. are the plates slightly under or do they have to be filed down to fit? I know the tabs are wider but I'm talking about the diameter of the plate fitting the dia of the hub. unfortunately I just buttoned up the clutch side on my son's 87 Honda cr80 after inspecting the clutch. at the time I wasn't aware of the interchange-ability of the Japanese clutches. I'm not too interested in dissembling his bike again just to check the fit of the Honda plates. thanks

do you happen to know if clutch springs are the same between models (alpina and sherpa, for example) and/or cup/pin type and nut retainers? where did you get the lighter springs?

has anyone tried using only 3 springs, or maybe four (which would be slightly out of balance)? like most people I'd like to reduce the heavy clutch pull on this bike. it has the cup/pin retainers BTW. I saw mentioned here of a clutch kit (from BUK?) that consisted of fiber plates and LIGHTER springs. wondering if anyone is familiar w/ the Barnett (usa) kits. they say "heavy duty" springs but not sure what actual rate is compared to stock. I figured if they were heavier then maybe 3, or 4 would hold, especially with the fiber discs?