BSA victor expert needed

is anyone familiar with the clutch operating rack and pinion in a Victor? The clutch lever is really hard to pull and I want to know about the rack and pinion before I take off the side cover. I have tried all the usual things such as replacing the cable and the lever and perch. and adjusting the three springs on the clutch.

You aim to have the outer timing cover case lever come onto the 12 o clock position as the clutch is fully pulled in, not 11 o clock etc, so it needs to start about the 2 o clock position with the clutch rod clearance set correctly and the correct clearance on the cable. The outer timing cover clutch arm and also the shaft can be bent, the shaft hole can go oval which all affect the action, new parts and a rebushed hole are the fixes. The other item that can cause a heavy clutch is the handlebar lever, this needs to be the 7/8" fulcrum as if its been changed it ends up being the 1" or larger variety. Mine is set up by the book and is easy to operate, 3 springs sounds odd as there were always 4 from 59 C15 to the last B50, so is it a Unit Single Clutch.

Correct it is a 4 spring. The problem is almost certainly in the rack and pinion clutch pushrod device, next week I will tackle the job.

Rupert Ratio, the BSA unit singles published expert says in his book that the rack is set correctly when the lever is at the 1:00 position and the rack is even with the top of the bore it lives in. I followed this advice with my 1970 Victor Special, the clutch works well, reasonable pull, but engages when the lever is near the end of its travel.

I think Kommando's point about a 7/8" fulcrum is my Achilles heel, I'll be checking that out tomorrow; too bad it won't make it easier to start...

For easier starting I have fitted an extended throttle stop screw, on cold starts you turn it in 1 turn which then saves you trying to give the correct tiny amount of throttle while kicking for a good start which I find nigh on impossible, as it warms you turn the throttle screw back out and the extension means you can do it with a gloved hand. I have also fitted a choke, but perversely this is more useful on hot starts than cold, the hot starts where you have left the bike for 10 mins is where it's really useful but as soon as it starts you have to turn the choke off immediately or ot 8 strokes. It can also be useful if like on a Velo you go further than just over TDC before kicking, say another 1/2 stroke, the flywheel is light and the kickstart not geared correctly and being nearer to the firing TDC without being too close helps it get the right speed for firing.

seattle##gs said:

is anyone familiar with the clutch operating rack and pinion in a Victor? The clutch lever is really hard to pull and I want to know about the rack and pinion before I take off the side cover. I have tried all the usual things such as replacing the cable and the lever and perch. and adjusting the three springs on the clutch.

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Make sure the clutch push rod is not bent. Some have tried to remove the clutch center without removing the push rod first.

I have installed the Emgo aluminum levers (took some grinding of the barrel fitting) and the clutch pull was helped quite a bit. The levers are good and look good for only $28/pair. I use them often.