sparks2

In motion have no M80 cranks or RHS halves Regards Sparks

Thanks Woody, I'll try Dave Renham. Thanks everbody for your replies. Regards Sparks

Should have said the 325s are probably a M159 and a M199 So they are probably no go. Yes, the magneto end has a smaller woodruff key and is known to fail. But in this case it's the main drive end. I will probably have to strip the M221 down to see. Has anyone come across this problem before and is there a repair scheme? Thanks for your help. Sparks

Should have said woodruff KEY

Hi Thanks for the replies The M80 has chewed the wooduff, crank and drive sprocket. Failing the M221, I have a couple of poor 325 engines that might need new big end & con rods Failing the 325, as a final resort I have a good M49 engine. Regards Sparks

Hi I have an otherwise very good M80 slimline but with a mullered crankshaft. Can anyone tell me if the crankshaft from a 175 Sherpa (M221) will be more or less a straight swop. Thanks in anticipation. Sparks2

Yes, Hedley Cockshott did have a new Comerford Cub

Let me say from the start I'm an inveterate 'pusher in' and see nothing wrong with the practice. I use all the above techniques and more. I'm always willing to take advantage of other peoples good nature and good manners. I merely assert my status as someone who had their name in TMX in 1993. The build up begins on the Wednesday or Thursday before the event. At work the boss will ask a colleague a question, but I will answer quick as a flash. Well, it gets me noticed and on the way to that increment. In the pub, Friday night someone's giving their opinion but there's a hesitation mid sentence with a bit of verbal dexterity I leap in and finish the sentence and more, thus superimposing my opinions. Sunday morning now, on the way to the event and a complete idiot in front is driving at just below the legal maximum. The 3 and 3/4 inches between bumpers cofirm he or she is completely at odds with world progress before he finally moves over. In the signing on queue now and it's all bon-hommie and no dash cams. I'm just warming up and 'slide' down the door side, not making eye contact of course, thus cutting in front of 5 or 6 'rabbits' before offering my £50 note. Section 3 and I'm approaching a queue with 3 or 4 riders in loose formation at the back and quickly assess the situation and no, compared with my ability on a trials bike they are complete duffers and fit only to clean my boots. So I complete the loose formation by joining from the front as my status befits. That is, unless my good friend Mick Andrews is there, in which case I only progress up the line as far as MA and proceed to chat in a fawning, starry eyed manner although MA hardly knows me from Adam. That's the advantage of having 'good friends'. Section 5 and I'm into the steady routine of parking the bike at the front of the queue, inspecting and then re-joining the queue from the front, all the standard stuff. In fact it's all become more a way of life, that is until it happens to me when I become a snarling fist waving beast. The satisfaction gained from pulling out of the parking area and homeward bound when the others are just loading up the muddy bike just has to be experienced. Yes, I've been in trials a long time. Life's all about getting to the front ........... and staying in front. PS For rocky trials I use all of the above techniques but in reverse, so end up way, way, way behind everything. This gives the opportunity for the lesser lights to steamroller the rocks into submission and I can then motor round in 2nd gear without hinderance. When the others are loading up the muddy bike I'm still only half way round on my first lap. As long as I finish before it's completely dark what does it matter?

Hi BSA engine in a Bultaco frame

What are you sorry about Deryk ?? Sorry that you suggested Aintree might have been active as an airfield 1939 - 1945 ?? Anyway, Aintree was not active as any type of airfield or MU 1939 - 1945. Strangely, I cannot find any reference to a night fighter station protecting the NW. This would have been 9 Group Fighter Command. All the night fighter stations appear to be to the east - Digby, Wittering, Coleby Grange, etc (Probably because night fighter operations had to be co-ordinated with the RADAR cover on the east coast). However, in 1914 - 1918, some of the early military aircraft were built in the Liverpool area and flown off from Aintree, the grassed field as it was then. As I understand, the Aintree motor racing circuit was purpose built from the grassed area to the inside of the Grand National course in 1954 specifically to hold the British Grand Prix. In later years the inner grassed area was used for a time for private light planes coming into and out of Aintree race meetings. That is until there was a fatal accident when all flying was stopped. Regards Sparks

Hi Wrong side of the country to fly a fully loaded four engine bomber over to the continent from in 1944. Could have been a training station though. But no, Aintree was a purpose built motor racing Grand Prix track in 1954. Glad to have been able to contribute on an historical point. Regards Sparks

I agree, 26mm works well. As for barrels, I think the Marcelle (and probably Greeves) alloy 'scrambles' and trials barrels use the same porting and are essentially the same barrel. The heads do differ, a higher compression for 'scrambles' , a lower for trials.

Hi I know Post Hill quite well, so read the above with interest although I can't add much. But I can offer an explanation as to how the POW / AA (anti-aircraft) battery confusion may have come about. Towards the end of the war (1944/1945) and in the immediate post war years some of the AA battery sites around northern towns were used to house Italian and no doubt some German prisoners of war. The 'prisoners' worked on local farms during the day and were pretty much free to come and go as they pleased. After the war the process of returning POWs took some time that in many cases stretched to years. Indeed, many chose not to return, maybe they had nothing to return to, they just integrated / married into the local community and made their life here. Of course, when an AA battery site was turned over to house POWs it would cease to function as a gun site but by then the risk of raids was small. Regards Sparks

As far as can remember, Paul and Terry Brailsford are/were brothers. Paul, the elder, rode in the 70's, Terry, the younger rode in the 80's, 90's

Westy You're not wrong, my Cotton Minarelli had something like an 11 or 12 on the gearbox and a 65 on the rear wheel. And about 25mph flat out in top, but not a bad bike.

No problem with that.

Hi If you think this is difficult, try the New UK State Pension. This applies in 4 months time and nobody, but nobody, understands. And yet it appears to be fully rigged so nobody will get more or less than on the current system. So what is the point of a new system ?? Answers on a postcard, Please.

Yes, I fully agree. And the Rickman hubs would surely have been developed for motocross, (for the Mettisse) So would be accordingly beefed up.

Hi Dabster I have supplemented my last post (please read again) to make the point clearer. Regards Sparks

I think Paul Jackson did it a while ago and the difference was negligible. I weighed my large original 1969 Cota 247 front hub against the later smaller hub, difference negligible, looks neater though. The British Hub Company full width alloy rear, is heavy though when compared to it's contempories - due to cush drive arrangement.

Hi Dabster I'm not saying 669 NHO and NHO 669 A were issued in the same year. What I'm saying is that 669 NHO and NHO 669 A could have been issued in the same year, as they are each distinct registration marks. In 1963 / 1964 it was left to the discretion of the local authority office whether they issued the new style suffix marks or carried on issuing non suffix marks, where available, or a combination of the two. (sorry, if that wasn't initially clear). And NHO 669 B and NHO 669 C could have been issued in 1964 and 1965 respectively. My record shows that the suffix 'HO' was issued by Southampton County Council, so where Dorset's got involved, heaven knows. Don't draw too many parallels with today, as we've had the dead hand of DVLA centralisation since 1974. Thanks for showing an interest. Kind Regards Sparks

Brilliant, Charlie I'm arranging a mortgage right now !! Totalshell:- That's the second outrageous suggestion you've made in the last few days. You'll end up like Richard III (under a car park in Leicester), but I admire your guts.

Totalshell How very dare you make such a suggestion, don't you realise this is a fashion driven industry and any man worth his salt would not be seen dead in iron hubs.

Hi I know exactly what you mean. But, unfortunately the part is very rare these days. I sold a couple 3 or 4 years ago to Villiers Services, so try there first. But don't hold your breath and good luck. Regards Sparks

AAH.......THE JOY OF REGISTRATION NUMBERS (or 'Should I have got out more?') In those far off days UK vehicle registration numbers (or marks) were issued by the local authority motor tax office for the area in which the vehicle was to be registered. To avoid duplication each individual motor tax office had a 'block' or 'blocks' of registration marks from which to issue. So, although the larger local authority motor tax offices had more blocks of numbers (thus more available registration marks) to serve a greater population, the number of registration marks available to any one authority was always finite. By 1962 it was becoming clear that some local authorities were fast running out of available registration marks to issue. (The UK had just experienced the 'Never Had it So Good' era (according to Harold McMillan, the then Prime Minister) when unprecedented numbers of people were taking to the road in the new relatively cheap BMC minis, Morris Minors, Ford Cortinas, etc, etc. So it was decided by the Ministry of Transport, the government body with overall responsibility for vehicle registration, that local authority motor tax offices could, as from January 1st 1963, issue registration marks from their local 'block' or 'blocks' but with a suffix 'A'. The suffix was to change to 'B' as from January 1st 1964. Thus many more individual marks were made available for issue. Where these were available, local offices could carry on issuing 'non suffix' registration marks. During these years (1963-1964) it was discovered that the new vehicle buying public prefered to have a 'suffix' registration mark on their new vehicle and were thus favouring dealers in those areas that were issuing the new style 'suffix' marks. So, as from January 1st 1965, ALL local authority motor tax offices were instructed to issue marks with a 'C' suffix. So, quite unintentionally, the system had arrived at the 'age identifier' element of the vehicle registration mark. Where 5 or 6 digit registration marks (with age identifier suffix) tended to be issued to motor cycles it was always an informal /casual arrangement or understanding between local office and dealers to help dealers fit a registration mark onto the limited space of a motor cycle number plate. Not sure what a 'factory' number plate is or ever was. A registration mark was issued from the local 'block' or 'blocks' of numbers by the local authority motor tax office which initially registered the vehicle. Whether that application to register the vehicle was made by a dealer, manufacturer or private individual didn't matter. Even Sam the Man didn't get to choose his number. Note:- One unique registration mark or number to one vehicle. (A requirement that seems to have been widely abused). Note:- One unique (as far as practically possible) frame number or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to one vehicle. (Also a requirement that seems to have been widely abused). Was it like queue jumping, one law if you were famous, and another if you weren't?? Many more registration mark issue changes were to follow in the years to come, however I hope the above will go some way to the understanding of how 669 NHO came to be issued in November 1964. It would seem that 669 NHO, initially at least, was a (heavily) modified M4, and this would make perfect sense. I actually knew someone who bought an early M10 and it came with an M4 owners handbook (I still have the handbook somewhere), I don't suppose Barcelona had had time to produce a specific M10 book. There would seem to be two series of production M10, the initial series with the more rounded tank and a slightly later second series with a flat bottomed tank, borrowed from the M4, with different hubs fitted at some stages and maybe a few other minor changes (which is where SM's second Bultaco EAA 60D started life and then morphed into something completely different). Yours Sparks PS The above is only my interpretation but what would I know? You will no doubt be reading the actualitae elsewhere of course. Apoligies for spelling mistakes, factual and grammatical errors (what do you expect from someone who failed their 11 plus and with a current reading age of 7).