Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => Other Bikes => Topic started by: MarkCR750 on March 09, 2019, 10:19:48 PM
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I’m currently sitting in a crummy hotel room in Croydon having driven a van down from Derby to pick this up tomorrow morning, 1955 James Captain 197cc, it’s a surprise gift for my 84 year old Father, he had one in the late 50’s I don’t think he’ll ride it other than in his garden but I know he’ll enjoy fettling it, I’ll try to get it running better before I give it to him though, the current owner says that it starts easily, runs and rides but it won’t rev fully, I’m thinking that could be a lot of things, blocked air filter, blocked exhaust, timing, blocked jet, needle height, float height, or worst case crank seals, any 2 stroke gurus out there?, any thoughts?
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Cor!!
I had a 197 Fanny Barnet.
Prone to seizing if thrashed.
Have fun.
Just check all you think
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That is a lovely looking bike Mark, I am seriously envious.
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Thanks, It’s definitely something different :), I love the flywheel cover, gives it a vintage look I think , I’ll get a better idea of what’s wrong with it tomorrow when I get it home, might get lucky and it’ll be a quick fix, but even if it’s crank seals it sort of doesn’t matter as it’ll give the old codger more to do which he’ll enjoy, got it for a reasonable price hence the 3 hour drive to pick it up!.
PS I’ll obviously be the test rider for any improvements he makes so don’t go thinking I’ve come over all generous by buying it for him :)
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Hahahaha nice touch to buy it for your Pops. Hankies at the ready !
I used to work for a bloke who called things like that.....nice little gestures and unexpected acts of kindness.....'Stacking up chips' !
Always stuck in my mind cos it's something which we old bikers often do but other parts of society seem to have forgotten that kindness cost nothing !
Well done......hope your Pops likes it.
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Ha, yes, I just need to confirm that I am indeed the sole beneficiary of his will, if so I’ll see about getting him the Ferrari he’s always wanted 🙂
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Looks like good bike, hope he enjoys it.
You're brave going to Croydon, even more so staying there! :)
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That looks tidy, your Dad should have fun with that, it was the Fireblade of its day....... The flywheel cover looks like the saucepan I cook my porridge in every morning!
We'll done for visiting and staying in Croydon, my birthplace and home of the Eagles (but let's not bring football into this!). I had a blue Captain back in the late 70's, I sold it to a guy who converted it to trials trim.
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Cracking little bike there. Did it happen to be a Post Office bike at some point or are they all red?
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Nice little bike. My surname is James so I've always wanted to get a James bike.
The Captain is the one I'd go for, the 197cc Villiers engine is probably the best one in the range and spares are readily available.
Hope your dad enjoys it. 👍🔧
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Great little thing to keep him occupied. Just a word of warning, if he does work on it just give the fasteners a quick check, as some elderly don't always tighten things up as much as you would like.
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God that brings back memories, my girlfriend had one but she was riding along quite nicely and the frame broke just under the headstock, she was very lucky not to come off, so it was replaced by a Honda 90S.
Cheers
Dennis
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Cracking little bike there. Did it happen to be a Post Office bike at some point or are they all red?
It’s a darker shade than it looks in the photos Roy, more maroon, but yes they were all that colour, apart from the blue ones!
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Great little thing to keep him occupied. Just a word of warning, if he does work on it just give the fasteners a quick check, as some elderly don't always tighten things up as much as you would like.
That’s a good point actually, he has definitely lost a lot of strength, he struggled to change a wheel on his car recently because the wheel was to heavy for him to lift onto the studs, he describes himself as having one foot in the grave and the other on a banana skin :)
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I took it for a short ride earlier, it seems to run quite well, once warmed up it didn’t seem to hold back on the revs, I’ll do a bit of fettling over the week and give it to him next Saturday, front brake is pathetic, back is very good, I found that out when I went to change gear if you know what I mean!!
I think the battery has had it, 2 cells were low on liquid which I replenished but when I connected my NOCO battery charger the 6v option indicator wouldn’t select, like it wasn’t detecting the battery?, multimeter shows 4.85v but ref above I can’t charge it!, guess it’s toast.
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One things for sure it doesn't get any easier getting older. ;D
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I took it for a short ride earlier, it seems to run quite well, once warmed up it didn’t seem to hold back on the revs, I’ll do a bit of fettling over the week and give it to him next Saturday, front brake is pathetic, back is very good, I found that out when I went to change gear if you know what I mean!!
I think the battery has had it, 2 cells were low on liquid which I replenished but when I connected my NOCO battery charger the 6v option indicator wouldn’t select, like it wasn’t detecting the battery?, multimeter shows 4.85v but ref above I can’t charge it!, guess it’s toast.
Just get a bog standard old charger and put it on to bring the voltage up until your clever charger can see it. even a 12v charger will do just keep an eye on the multimeter until the battery gets up to 6v then put the smart charger on and it will more than likely bring it back.
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Thanks Moorey I’ll give that a go
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I’ve noticed that in gear with the clutch in and on tickover you can’t move the bike backwards, the clutch operates well in normal use but if you try to “paddle” the bike backwards it won’t move, I wonder is this normal?, has anyone had a similar machine?.
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Have you got clutch drag?
Or is the kickstand pawl engaged?
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I’ve noticed that in gear with the clutch in and on tickover you can’t move the bike backwards, the clutch operates well in normal use but if you try to “paddle” the bike backwards it won’t move, I wonder is this normal?, has anyone had a similar machine?.
It's a very early version of Hill Hold! 😊
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I had a James Commodore 250 few years back,couple strange facts regarding James motorcycles is that there is no owners club ( well there wasn’t in 2003) and James motorcycles sold more bikes in America one year in the 50s Than Triumph did..................I’ll get me coat (anorak) 😆
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Have you got clutch drag?
Or is the kickstand pawl engaged?
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Hi John, I haven’t had any time to really investigate, been in France with work since picking it up and grabbed an hour on it on my return this afternoon, I don’t think the clutch is dragging, the Kickstarter works normally as far as I can tell, I will get a better look at the weekend, I’ve posted the question on a few forums so hopefully we’ll get a current owner of one that can say yay or neigh.
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I’ve noticed that in gear with the clutch in and on tickover you can’t move the bike backwards, the clutch operates well in normal use but if you try to “paddle” the bike backwards it won’t move, I wonder is this normal?, has anyone had a similar machine?.
It's a very early version of Hill Hold! 😊
Ha, I thought the same.
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I had a James Commodore 250 few years back,couple strange facts regarding James motorcycles is that there is no owners club ( well there wasn’t in 2003) and James motorcycles sold more bikes in America one year in the 50s Than Triumph did..................I’ll get me coat (anorak) 😆
There is now but their forum/web page doesn’t seem to operate correctly, I’ve posted on there or at least attempted to :(
Being an anorak is positively encouraged here Dave.
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I’m currently sitting in a crummy hotel room in Croydon having driven a van down from Derby to pick this up tomorrow morning, 1955 James Captain 197cc, it’s a surprise gift for my 84 year old Father, he had one in the late 50’s I don’t think he’ll ride it other than in his garden but I know he’ll enjoy fettling it, I’ll try to get it running better before I give it to him though, the current owner says that it starts easily, runs and rides but it won’t rev fully, I’m thinking that could be a lot of things, blocked air filter, blocked exhaust, timing, blocked jet, needle height, float height, or worst case crank seals, any 2 stroke gurus out there?, any thoughts?
That's a great gift for your dad Mark! And a lovely bike - quite fancy having a go at a small Brit bike myself.
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I thought along the same lines as johnwebley regarding the kickstart pawl mechanism.
If you pull it backward until it stops, then try to push the kickstart down, you'll feel if it's holding it.
Gearbox problems can be risky as if they sieze they usually have the ability to lock the rear wheel, and you can't correct it by pulling the clutch. Worth investigating to make sure it's safe to ride.
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Nice looking little bikes. Missed James out of my bike experiences, but had plenty of Brit bikes. There is a very good forum for British bikes that has a lot of useful info. Have a look for britbike forum
( http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forum_summary )
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John & K2 you were spot on re the kickstart, it was just a matter of taking the kickstart lever off, rotating the shaft fully clockwise and putting the lever back on, problem solved, thanks for your help, I’ve been gradually working through it and its running well now, it easily pulls 50 on the flat but I haven’t found a long enough road to achieve it’s claimed top speed of 59 yet 🙂, provided I fix a bit of a hot start issue in the morning I’ll be able to hand it over to him tomorrow .
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Thanks for the link Seamus, it’s bloody hard to find info on these online!
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Did your battery come back up.?
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Thanks Phil, it’s great apart from things like poor brakes (think no brakes!), there is no tickover facility, evidently the idea was you stopped the engine by closing the throttle!, I’ve set the throttle cable to hold a tickover but have to stop the engine by stalling it on the clutch now, also trying to remember that the gears and rear brake are swapped over is a nightmare, it’s ok until you’re in a panic situation and then you’re pressing the gear lever instead of the brake, the only thing to do is ride like an 80 year old granny , that gives you time to put right what you’ve just done wrong:), charming little bike really though.
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Did your battery come back up.?
Ah yes forgot to say, I’ve put it on the 12v charger several times, checking it with the multimeter so as not to overcharge, and finally today it’s holding 6+ volts so a success, thanks.
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A good result then. :)
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Yes thanks for the advice Moorey, I was about to buy one until you suggested using my 12v charger.
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I know modern bikes are very efficient etc but when it comes to maintenance this thing is ridiculously easy, remove primary drive cover, 1 nut, remove flywheel cover 3 spring clips, I changed the crank seals in less than an hour earlier today, what a simple bike it is to work on, anyway handover to Father tomorrow so he can continue to improve it, I guess the caveat is that you had to maintain these machines more often than modern bikes but wow it’s easy!.
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Nice bike Mark, I remember them well from the 60's. Other nice bikes to with 2T and 4T engines. They are real classics.
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Thanks Masonmart, yes it’s a nice thing considering it was made as a workman’s commuter back in the 50’s, well the handover to Father didn’t happen!, it ran beautifully on Saturday evening but on Sunday morning it resolutely refused to start, no idea why but the spark was weak, the night before it was very good, so I’m picking up an electrex electronic ignition kit for it on Friday, I had planned to fit one eventually but will do it straight away, also having it rebored, I’ve picked up a NOS oversize piston so I’ll get that done as well, I’ll be good for a few thousand miles then.
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Thanks Masonmart, yes it’s a nice thing considering it was made as a workman’s commuter back in the 50’s, well the handover to Father didn’t happen!, it ran beautifully on Saturday evening but on Sunday morning it resolutely refused to start, no idea why but the spark was weak, the night before it was very good, so I’m picking up an electrex electronic ignition kit for it on Friday, I had planned to fit one eventually but will do it straight away, also having it rebored, I’ve picked up a NOS oversize piston so I’ll get that done as well, I’ll be good for a few thousand miles then.
Cor.those Villiers motors are tough.
Hope it finally gets sorted and the handover goes well
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Thanks Masonmart, yes it’s a nice thing considering it was made as a workman’s commuter back in the 50’s, well the handover to Father didn’t happen!, it ran beautifully on Saturday evening but on Sunday morning it resolutely refused to start, no idea why but the spark was weak, the night before it was very good, so I’m picking up an electrex electronic ignition kit for it on Friday, I had planned to fit one eventually but will do it straight away, also having it rebored, I’ve picked up a NOS oversize piston so I’ll get that done as well, I’ll be good for a few thousand miles then.
The problem I've had with classic 2T's of mine (super 6) is that eventually you can't get them to run well because the crankcase seals harden and fail through not being used. Small 2Ts were amazing then because there were so many different variations. They're difficult to use now because of the performance gap with modern traffic. Still fantastic bikes.
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I had this T250 up until a couple of years ago, no problem keeping up with traffic on that as you know with your super six they go like stink!, no wonder so many 17 year olds came to grief on them back in the day, as you say the older 2 strokes are a different story, 60 mph flat out for the James and about a week to get there, worse than that though are the brakes, bloody terrifying by modern standards!
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I seem to remember that the condensers used to fail for a passtime and that could be your weak spark.
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I had this T250 up until a couple of years ago, no problem keeping up with traffic on that as you know with your super six they go like stink!, no wonder so many 17 year olds came to grief on them back in the day, as you say the older 2 strokes are a different story, 60 mph flat out for the James and about a week to get there, worse than that though are the brakes, bloody terrifying by modern standards!
Was that basically an off road Hustler?
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Yes, in fact I think mine was a Hustler, I fitted the high pipes which I got for a bargain £70, it had chrome road pipes when I bought it, pretty much the only difference though.
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I seem to remember that the condensers used to fail for a passtime and that could be your weak spark.
The condenser is being consigned to history tomorrow Bryan, and the points, and the brass flywheel, I went to Villiers spares in Brierley Hill today and bought an electrex electronic ignition kit, (had a “while you wait” rebore done as well), should achieve CB750 level reliability tomorrow, well almost 🙂
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Well the handover to Father happened today, as you can see from his expression he was rather pleased![attachimg=1]
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Aww, that's lovely.
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How old is he Mark?
I’m going to leave that picture out for my son
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Great picture. Did he take it for a spin in the sunshine?
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Well the handover to Father happened today, as you can see from his expression he was rather pleased! (Attachment Link)
likes the spitting image of my Francis Barnet,197cc 9E motor,left hand exhaust,
think I sold it for £25 about 1966 !!!
mine never looked that good,hope your dad enjoys
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Well the handover to Father happened today, as you can see from his expression he was rather pleased! (Attachment Link)
A picture paints a thousand words!
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He’s 84, no didn’t ride it today, he quickly scuttled it away into his garage I think he was worried I’d change my mind 🙂, I’m going round tomorrow there’s a small paved track near his house that’s unadopted so he’ll have a quick spin on it there, the main thing is he enjoys tinkering with old vehicles and since selling his Daimler V8 250 has been a bit bored, so more than ride it he’ll work on it, I’m not sure how he’d go on for insurance at his age!, anyway he’s a happy chap today!.
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He will be wanting a bike lift now then Mark ;D hope it keeps him busy and out of trouble ;)
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He can buy his own bloody bike lift! 🙂, he had a quick (slow) pootle on it today, 50 years since he last rode but no problems!, that said it’s just like riding a bike isn’t it, the only snag is he has a bad right knee and struggled to kick it up, he can’t quite bend his knee far enough to get on the kickstart at its highest point, might be able to drop it back a few splines on the shaft to give a lower starting point, not sure it will then give enough revolutions to start though?, we’ll have a look at the weekend, another idea is making a 4 inch platform to go along the left side of the bike :) “The James arriving at platform one is the 5.30 from Derby” !.
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He was that excited he nearly took his hands out of his pockets. ;D
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Ha, he almost took his hat off at one point!
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Good man. I hope he enjoys it.