Alton being installed

lawman · Aug 13, 2013

I am having an Alton electric starter installed on my 12/1973 Commando this week along with a Tri Spark. My knees and calf muscles are worn out unfortunately but I still love riding the bike and won't stop.

When it is finished I will provide some pics and an update on how it turns out.

Frank

mike996 · Aug 13, 2013

Good Luck; Alton has demonstrated superb customer support!

norton73 · Aug 14, 2013

Let us know how it goes. I've been watching these threads on the starter. I've had my '73 850 Interstate since the mid-80s and don't want to give it up either, but my knee and ankle are starting to have issuses in my old age. I'm thinkin' it's time for a good overhaul this winter and a starter may be part of it.

lawman · Aug 14, 2013

I am also having a choke installed in the Amals.

Frank

Nortiboy · Aug 14, 2013

lawman said:
I am also having a choke installed in the Amals.

Frank

Why ?. Your in Sydney like me, never gets cold. I take mine to the snow and its a first kick starter. Ticklers work just fine. Trispark is a good move. Unless it starts with 1 or 2 gentle prods, yr just masking the problem with electric starter.

mike996 · Aug 14, 2013

If you are putting the enrichners back in the Amals in hopes that doing so will allow the e-start to crank/start the bike from cold without having to tickle, forget it; it won't work. I went through that particular drill some months ago, installing the enricher slides back in the carbs I removed them from 6-7 years ago after installing my Alton. I quickly discovered that they did nothing to help starting with E, tickling still required. You have to tickle the carbs from cold - kick or E-start. I removed the slides and they went back in the drawer were they had been for the previous 7 years.

IF you are talking about installing a "real" choke - as in a valve that will close off the air right at the intake end of the carb, that will work. If I put my hand over one of the carb intakes while hitting the starter, enough fuel was sucked in and the bike would start.

batrider · Aug 14, 2013

I've always had to tickle. It's a Norton. The chokes do make a difference on every Brit bike I have. I've lived in upstate NY and here in PA. They do help on my bikes. I wouldn't buy a bike that had them removed just because I'd think the owner messed with it otherwise too much. JMO. It's not really broke so don't fix it.

Russ

lawman · Aug 29, 2013

Got my bike back today with the Alton installed and it starts brilliantly. I couldn't be happier.

Frank

Nater_Potater · Aug 30, 2013

lawman said:
Got my bike back today with the Alton installed and it starts brilliantly. I couldn't be happier.

Frank

Good to hear, and I'm happy for you! It'll be my time soon enough...

swooshdave · Aug 30, 2013

lawman said:
Got my bike back today with the Alton installed and it starts brilliantly. I couldn't be happier.

Frank

With or without the choke? :mrgreen:

lawman · Aug 31, 2013

The choke was installed as well but don't need it to start the bike.

I also had the boyer taken out and a tri spark put in.

Frank

OldBalz · Aug 31, 2013

lawman said:
I also had the boyer taken out and a tri spark put in.

Frank

Another excellent decision.........Boyers are either a love/hate ignition system. I'm in the hate group...My Tri-Spark has been flawless fo the last year and a half.

chasbmw · Aug 31, 2013

OldBalz said:
lawman said:

I also had the boyer taken out and a tri spark put in.

Frank

Click to expand...

Another excellent decision.........Boyers are either a love/hate ignition system. I'm in the hate group...My Tri-Spark has been flawless fo the last year and a half.

Just need another 40 years of Data to see whether or not the Trispark is reliable

grandpaul · Aug 31, 2013

chasbmw said:
Just need another 40 years of Data to see whether or not the Trispark is reliable

Yep, I used to be quite down on Boyers because they were the only ones I ever saw that failed (in bunches). However, in the last year or two, stories have been popping up on Sparx, Pazon and Tri-Spark now that enough of them are out there and in-use to finally exhibit an initial failure rate.

mike996 · Sep 1, 2013

If you want a reliable ignition that won't leave you stranded, theres a type of ignition that it mostly mechanical, uses something called points. Can't quite figure out how such a thing could possibly work but I'm told it does...

Sorry, couldn't resist.

chasbmw · Sep 1, 2013

mike996 said:
If you want a reliable ignition that won't leave you stranded, theres a type of ignition that it mostly mechanical, uses something called points. Can't quite figure out how such a thing could possibly work but I'm told it does...

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Funnily enough there is a story that the reason why the 1972 combat engined 750s eate their main bearings, was that after norton changed the spec on the points, the ignition timing shifted in use and that's why the bearings failed. I don't know if this is true, but I fitted an early Boyer in 73 to my Combate Interstate and it was one of the few reliable things about that bike.

Alton being installed

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