A rider ...

[pd]

Thanks for the sources , Reese .

And , Mike , I suppose there is some consolation in knowing I'm not alone .

That sunken feeling ain't no fun at all .

I'll post what I find for a replacement .

[pd]

I found a replacement bowl at an on line small engine supply store . It should be here by Wednesday , I hope .

[illMATTic]

The bowl is just a CH smaller than the old stock unit. It WILL work though.

I just dropped my original glass bowl and cracked it. I pulled that new style off the shelf at work and test fitted.

[pd]

I can live with a CH smaller . I currently have the inner cap from a rattle can cap installed , so I can at least run the motor .

The tape is to help keep the cap centered and add a bit of rigidity .
Sorry for the fuzzy pic , but you get the idea .

[admin]

So, how did it run?

[pd]

Some of you might notice that the tank rail bolt is situated a bit different than OEM design .

I didn't like the way that the end of the bolt chewed into the aluminum rail , so I used a little shorter bolt and ground the head to fit into the rail recess . That keeps the bolt from turning and spreads its applied pressure . The nut is simply snugged to the support rail . The bolt is just long enough to extent into the hole in the support rail .

Rick ,

It runs much better after I made the adjustments of 'lowering' the float in the bowl and drilling a fourth set of holes in the metering tube . It's still not exactly right , but I should be able to get it fine tuned with the idle and high speed screws . Hopefully , anyway .

[pd]

Question :

How much clearance should there be between the transmission shoes and the drum ?

I have very close to .025" . The bike wants to 'take off' at high idle , while it's warming up . It just seems that the transmission should engage a bit later , at a higher RPM .
It's been too long and I don't recall how it performed when I was 14 , other than it zipped around the block pretty quickly .

[Ricks]

2 things will effect the engagement; rpm and friction shoe spring strength.  As I see it, how close the shoes are to the drum at rest is mostly irrelevant.  Can you lower the idle speed?

[pd]

"2 things will effect the engagement; rpm and friction shoe spring strength."

Agreed .

"As I see it, how close the shoes are to the drum at rest is mostly irrelevant. "

So , you're saying that spring strength is irrelevant ? Weak springs will enable engagement at a lower RPM . If there were more distance between drum and shoes the engagement would happen at a higher RPM , all things being equal .
I have the original springs installed .

Warm idle speed seems fine , at the moment . It's when cold and still on partial choke that the idle is a bit higher and the transmission wants to engage . I suppose it's possible that after I get the carb fine tuned that it might 'settle down' a bit .
And , I'm sure that after the shoes wear a bit , it may not be as much of an issue .

[Ricks]

"2 things will effect the engagement; rpm and friction shoe spring strength."

Agreed .

"As I see it, how close the shoes are to the drum at rest is mostly irrelevant. "

So , you're saying that spring strength is irrelevant ? Weak springs will enable engagement at a lower RPM . If there were more distance between drum and shoes the engagement would happen at a higher RPM , all things being equal .
I have the original springs installed .

Warm idle speed seems fine , at the moment . It's when cold and still on partial choke that the idle is a bit higher and the transmission wants to engage . I suppose it's possible that after I get the carb fine tuned that it might 'settle down' a bit .
And , I'm sure that after the shoes wear a bit , it may not be as much of an issue .

No, weaker springs will allow earlier engagement. I just don't think the static measurement from the drum means anything.  Those original springs might have lost there springiness over the last 40 years.  Is "springiness"  even a word.  LOL

[pd]

"Is "springiness"  even a word.  LOL"

It is if I know what you mean when using it .

Oh and , " weaker springs will allow earlier engagement." = "Weak springs will enable engagement at a lower RPM ."

[Ricks]

Pete, we are on the same page! See you in Portland! 

That's a little prod.

[pd]

 

I'd really like to make Portland , but I'll have to see how things work out . No prod needed .

[oil-lamp]

Pd, did you put new shoes or liners in the clutch? It may take awhile to glaze over a little. I just installed some on mine and it tries to turn the motor over sometimes. Give them time to set in. 

[pd]

 Reese ,

I do have new linings on those shoes . I guess I'll just have to do a few burn outs .