wdbikemad Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Our lovely old W/NG, owned for years and restored twice, doesn't get used a great deal nowadays.........we took her out today because the 16H's MoT has just run out and I'm too busy / lazy to re-do her before MoT's are no longer needed from November 18th 2012 onwards for pre-60 vehicles......:-\ She started beautifully, and ran like a top, even after stopping for fresh fuel...... Passing through Calne bike meet in Wiltshire today, we stopped and shut her off to enjoy the sun and stretch our legs......but there we remained for over an hour......:embarrassed:....... "Nancy" refused to re-start........I tried ever bloody trick imaginable, including attempting a bump-start...........after depositing my heaving, sweaty self next to a smiling Mrs Madden enjoying a ciggy on the grass verge, I admitted defeat and called recovery.......we were over 20 miles from base...... Incredibly, minutes before recovery arrived, a good friend passed on a WLA and stopped......after chewing the fat for a time, he prodded the kickstart and she fired up and ticked over normally......just as recovery arrived... Bloody typical.......guess the old girl, 70 this year, was just being a temperamental old lady........she got us back, faultlessly, running as sweet as ever........... Don't you just LOVE old British iron.............:-) My right leg will never be the same again............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Passing through Calne bike meet in Wiltshire today, we stopped and shut her off to enjoy the sun and stretch our legs......but there we remained for over an hour......:embarrassed:....... "Nancy" refused to re-start........I tried ever bloody trick imaginable, including attempting a bump-start...........after depositing my heaving, sweaty self next to a smiling Mrs Madden enjoying a ciggy on the grass verge, I admitted defeat and called recovery.......we were over 20 miles from base...... Incredibly, minutes before recovery arrived, a good friend passed on a WLA and stopped......after chewing the fat for a time, he prodded the kickstart and she fired up and ticked over normally......just as recovery arrived... Bloody typical.......guess the old girl, 70 this year, was just being a temperamental old lady........she got us back, faultlessly, running as sweet as ever........... Don't you just LOVE old British iron.............:-) My right leg will never be the same again............. Steve, A similar thing happened to me, on my WM20. It would have been around 1984, on my way to Portsmouth for a show. Stopped at Wisborough Green, for a break, and went to start it, no spark. After a lot of fiddling I decided to call the RAC recovery. They were quite busy and not able to reach me for an hour or so. After a while, I tried again and the bike started, so I had to huriedly call the RAC back, they were good about it and said to call again if I had further trouble. Carried on to the show, with no more trouble. The return journey was non-stop all the way .......... and the magneto was changed, never had a problem after that. regards, Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Sonds like the magneto armature is on it's way out (insulation breaking down) - a get you home dodge is to to cool down the mag with wet rags - generally works (for a bit). Cheers, Stefano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 The strange thing is, I had fuel and a decent spark throughout the wait.........I checked every damn thing..... I put it down to age and temperament............. At least I amused my better half.......(and I will never hear the end of it either....>)........... Old MV's......hate 'em, love 'em.......but I wouldn't part with them.............:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Sometimes you'll get a spark when the plug is sitting on the cylinder head but nothing will happen under compression. I've seen this crop up a couple of times over the years and it's beyond annoying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 If it was me Steve, I'd get the mag checked professionally.(which has already been suggested) The condenser is probably the problem. Removing the mag from a W/NG is not the easiest I know but definitely worth eliminating. I have a good Mag guy in the New Forest. But it's only worth using him if you don't mind being without the bike for 6-8 weeks. Otherwise I'd recommend a guy in Shaftesbury. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Garrison Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I think she simply was NOT going to be upstaged by that (can't bring myself to say the words) HD.. On a technical note.. i would be leaning towards the mag breaking down. It doesnt take much. But then again my Indian starts fine one day and just sulks another.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Never have that problem with My Indian Garrison. But then it does have a dizzy! Of course you must then always have a good battery and charging system......you just can't win!! I did have a quick try on a Powerplus in a field at one of our 'Indian Riders' rallies. But I got off quite quick as I could see it would all end in tears. Couldn't get me head round all the levers and left hand throttle. Ron the coward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 I had been thinking magneto........the one fitted to the W/NG was professionally restored when I first built her (years ago)....and it failed within 300 miles....however, the magneto restorer sorted it out in no time (duff condensor from a dodgy batch) and since then she's run without problem. When I rebuilt the Ariel for the second time around 2006, a stripped the unit down for cleaning but she seemed fine and again has remained working well......... I have a couple of refurbished armatures stored in a warmish/dry place in the house, so when time permits I'll take off the mag and put one of these in. Everything points to the mag, so I won't waste time fannying around looking at other things..........as mentioned above, the Ariel's magneto isn't the easiest to remove, as you need a particular threaded puller to draw off the sprocket and the three bolts holding the unit onto the engine/gearbox plate can be a pain to access due to the oil pipes and footrest support obstructing things.....but it's not as bad as some tasks......:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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