jon v8

Seems most people go for the PVL electronic ignition now,or look at the Electrex world website,their kit seems to work well. I'm in the middle of fitting one of their kits made for a C15/B40 onto my HT5 Ariel,neat little unit that gives 27 degrees of automatic advance. As for carbs alot are using Dellorto's around here,the old Keihin Honda CB125 unit is becoming less fashionable.Hope that helps.

Had another look at the bike this evening,its the one that Malcom Davis - or perhaps his brother Tony rode.There is a picture of it on p5 of vol 3 of twenty yrs of twinshock trials.It is not quite as original as I first said,the motor is now sporting a Greeves square fin barrel/head and a conical front hub.But still possibly an interesting/important bit of trials history.

A friend has just managed to get hold of what appears to be an ex works 37AT. We are looking for more info than the limited amount I can find in Roy Bacons books.(Postwar singles and Classic two stroke trials bikes.) The bike is 99% complete and looks original apart from the exhaust. Any help would be appreciated,cheers.

Thats a bit cynical - even by my standards.Steve is a decent bloke,give him a break,if you want a dig have a go at tony blair for his donation announcment.(His name does not even warrant capital letters in my opinion.)

So Charlie,I'll be there on Sunday with my son - but is there anything going on there that would entertain my wife and daughter ? They are not much into trials although my daughter thrashes around the woods on a PW80..... (I'm just trying to sell it to them as a family day out - or should I get them to drop us off so they can go shopping ?)

We have an over 50 mono class,which I'm totally happy with,after all some of the riders are in their mid 70's and could no longer manage a pre unit big banger - so who would I be to ask them not to ride,on whatever they want to ? Esp as they have been riding since before I was born. My problem is when a couple of weeks back a bloke rang and asked if he could ride his mono in the over 50 class yet he was 47.What am I supposed to do - ask for his passport and turn him away ? I just told him if he wanted to cheat - he was only cheating himself,there were no awards anyway. I dont know,I guess no one will ever be 100% happy,but I think clubs that are either called classic or advertise pre65 or twinshock trials should remember this when marking out - and remember that most of us,(Me included.) just want a fun day out,usually in beautiful countryside, riding around with other interesting old bikes,nattering about them etc and having a brew/bacon sarnie after.

I'll be there on the Sunday,cant get there Sat cos I have to play vintage tractors at the village day.Not sure that the electronic ignition conversion on my Ariel will be done in time which is why I didnt try for an entry to ride. Back nearly on topic,the only comment I would make about the way the AMCA rules go, is that at a local level individuals can have their voice heard and if they feel strongly enough they can get on a clubs commitee and make a difference. I'm trying to get the Bath classic trials back to a reputation that is welcoming to older bikes - many riders have complained that the trials are too hard,so they either ride in the o50 mono class or worse still they dont turn up at all.Could be an uphill struggle.....

Yes,there is - I have a copy of the 2009 version but not this years.Seems to me that AMCA clubs sort of interpret the rules as they see fit,bit like the french with EU rules...... Which prompted me to actually look.Page 4,section 10 states,"Machine eligibilty is left to the discretion of the event organiser,however machines allowed must be clearly stated on the entry form or any supplementary regulations issued for each event." Which sounds fair enough to me,it allows some flexibility for clubs to steer things.(Which is just what I'm trying to do with the Bath Classic club.)

Its probably dieseling,Yam mono's were prone to this.I stopped mine doing it by carefully going up on main jet size till it was just a tad rich - but ran a treat without knocking at all. And I'm almost ashamed to admit the jet was one I found in a Suzuki moped carb,which I gradually reamed out with Mig welder nozzle cleaners - crude,but it worked.......

I wouldnt be too quick to write off the twinshock bikes,there are loads of people going back to it and lots of trials to ride.A Fantic,Yam,Honda or SWM etc can be really nice to ride,they dont lose money,(Unlike modern bikes) and are reliable with very little maintenance - if they are in good order to start with.The trials are marked out sensibly so you can have some fun,but not end up in hospital or smash the bike up - and be fit for work on monday. I came back to trials in 2006 after a long lay off and my main bike is a TY250 which was in good nick apart from the engine.I rebuilt it straight away and its still running strong now,all its had is chain and sprockets,tyres and brake shoes.One spark plug and a clutch cable - I cant see a new bike doing any better,and its worth more than when I bought it,even including the engine rebuild. Main thing is the the twinshock trials are FUN - a really good day out.I stopped modern trials as I found it was just too serious and required constant practicing and riding every W/E to keep up any hope of a decent standard.Twinshock can be left for a couple of months and within a couple of sections you are right back into it.

Would be OK if it had a turbo fitted. How does the total loss igniton work - I thought they all were,never found a bucket to keep the sparks in.....

Talk to Talon Eng,they did a rear sprocket for me a while back.The bloke I spoke to understood what I wanted,gave me a price and time etc - it arrived on time and was exactly what I asked for.

Bath's fun trial tomorrow,(Sat 31st July) has had a change of venue which was at first set right in TMX.Unfortunately it has been inserted again at the old venue. To set things straight,(As much as I can ! ) all I can do is tell you that the venue is Fairy Hill,Compton Dando. BS39 4LJ. The start time is 2.30pm,there are two routes,and the sections will be biased towards older bikes.Should be a good day out,a catering van will be onsite.

Last time I had a glazed liners to deal with it was on a kubota 3cyl diesel running a generator on light load.The advice was to mist vinegar int the air intake whilst the engine was running on full load.It worked,the slubbering stopped within an hour of running and the engine went away - not to return.There is alot of talk about correct oil and running in proceedure etc,but modern oils to me can be so good at lubricating that they prevent running in that bores/rings need. The old Deutz diesel advice of a handful of vim in the air intake on full load was a bit cruel to me....

Clapton.

He were tekin the pi-- !

Sort of Bo,but its all in stock and not going anywhere.I've got the mag back together on the Ariel and its running fine.Trouble is just finding enough time,the Duke is next on the list as I've promised to ride it in a local parade.I need to have the Ariel half sorted for the next Bath trial on the 29th - not to ride the actual trial but to check all the sections as I'm trials sec for the club now and I want to make sure they are all doable on a pre unit bike. The Serow will get done as its too close to finishing to give up,reckon it will be a nice tool when sorted.

Thanks for the invite Charlie,was planning to come along anyway. I now have a slight ignition problem,going through all the usual checks and service bits before using the HT in a trial.I went through the carb,had the clutch apart and turned up a spacer on the lathe that means the hub can now be tight on the mainshaft..... Anyway, I thought it best to check/clean the points gap on the Lucas racing mag....... Its 20 years since I did anything with one of these,( Had a 1940 rigid G3 Matchless.) and I stupidly tried to fire it up with the cover off the end of the mag.The result is that the cam ring has now walked out of the end of the body,I have no spark and no advance /retard from the lever.Can anyone point me in the direction of a parts list / shop manual so I can put it back together without breaking anything.

Alan is spot on,I have exactly the same problem - I've just bought a PW80 Yam for my kids.My daughter who is 9 yrs old is struggling to get the front brake on without opening the throttle.i was looking at a different lever - but maybe I should just fire up the gas....

Have a look here,gave it a quick blast off with the pressure washer and some tfr.Not the smartest bike but I really like how it rides so I'll give a it a good service and ride a few trials before I alter too much or start pulling it apart. http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/AllyV8/ArielHT5#

Sorry,no pics yet - I only picked it up lunchtime today.Within 20 mins of getting it home I was riding round on it,forget the original question it carburates fantastically.Runs like a Fowler steam engine at low revs,chuff,chuff,chuff. Crack it open at its all there,no problem - considering its been laid up for 10 yrs it runs a treat,whoever built that motor knew what they were doing.I even rode a couple of my practice sections at home to see how it went.Cant wait to ride a trial on it,when I've cleaned it,(The mud is 10yrs old) I'll stick some pics up.

I've just done a deal on an HT5 that has not been used for 10 years,so will need a bit of sorting out.Its basically all good with mostly the right bits,but the carb is a Monobloc. I've had bikes with these before and had no problems,but it seems they are no longer in favour,most seem to have either a Mk1 Concentric or a villiers carb. I want to get this bike to run really well,so is the original worth playing with or is it better to change it ? Which is best ?

Good day out,my first clean sheet in 25yrs ! Not ridden a Pre65 for about 20yrs - but amazed how well a 350 Enfield can handle and steer.

I guess it must be cos I'll be there wobbling round on a 350 Enfield,and I didnt go today.Just hope it stays sunny......

You would be most welcome,the club recently secured another venue for us to use and I'm working on a couple of other possibilities too.Its a friendly club,with the main idea being a good fun day out with nothing too silly. If you dont mind the M5 bit dont forget the Golden Valley club too,another really good outfit with some fantastic places to ride.