Most Improved - some improvements

Thanks for all the comments guys - much apreciated. And Swampy is now running - I found the missing sparks, they were hiding in the coils as I had a bad earth from coils to ground. Doh. Once discovered she fired up on the third kick. I was impressed and she sounds really nice.

At the moment (8th March) I'm waiting for the UK DVLA (driver and vehicle licencing agency) to issue me with an age related registration number. I had her inspected last Tuesday, so it should be soon - then I'll wear off the tyre stickers!

Also, she may not have been a Hi-rider originally. As bought (see most improved) she came with a 7 inch headlamp and roadster tank, but did have the ape hangers and the sissy bar. I just happened to accidenty (ahem) win a Hi-rider seat on ebay and then a steel Hi-rider/SS tank before I had bought Swampy which gave me the idea...

Swampy now also features a 6 inch headlamp just to round her off. I'll post up some more picture when she's on the road.

Swampy is on the road - registered last week and I started to shack her down last saturday - did around 20 miles. Here she is in Crondell, Hants, UK:






At the end of the first ride had a few faults - the front brake ran out of adjustment, the clutch was slipping and one carb was flooding. I couldn't fix the flooding on the side of the road, and so the bike came home on the trailer.....

So today (Saturday) was spent replacing the front hub - the old one had too much meat skimmed off it, causing the lack of adjustment - turning the operating arms round still didn't take up the slack. Then I adjusted the clutch (easy - just read the manual...) and replaced one of the new carbs float. The flooding was caused by a leaking float, and this in a brand new carb. Quality control - naw - The Amal Carb Co obviously subscribe to the good old British 'let the customer be our Quality Control' syndrome.

Anyway, its all fixed now and the weatehr looks good tomorrow for a bit more riding (and hopefully not breaking down )

I'm surprised anyone in the UK would ride a hi-rider. I thought you all used the short Euro bars instead of the tiller bars much less hi-rider. Nice orange and gold, not too subtle.

What paint did you use on the barrels for the silver colour if I may ask?

Dave
69S

Hi Dave - I used Halfords own brand 'Very High Temperature' paint- Matt Aluminium colour. I put it on a while ago, and it has been very 'soft' during my rebuild as it needs to be heated up to cure properly, which has only occured in the past week! It seems to be holding up OK, but I've only done 50 or so miles so far.

Here she is at the statue of Wellington, just outside Aldershot.



Incidently, if you're not in the UK, Halfords is chain of motor factors.

Here, here for Wellington at Waterloo!! And Norton at Andershot!!

It is probably the same sort of paint we have in the US known as VHT (Very High Temp) paint. That is what I was planning on using.

Dave
69S

Here she is at the statue of Wellington

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Is that what's referred to as "giving it some Wellie"?

Yes GP, the Iron Duke was the orginator of the Wellington Boot which morphed into giving a petrol powered vehicle 'Some Wellie' with the right foot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_boot


That Hi-rider looks butt ugly, but in the nicest possible way , just glad its not me riding it :shock:

kommando said:

That Hi-rider looks butt ugly, but in the nicest possible way , just glad its not me riding it :shock:

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Possibly, but the Hi Rider gas tank is the bees knees. I'd love to find one to use on something some day.

I would get a Union Jack Jet helmet from Davida and be your very own Easy Rider of UK.
Peter Fonda would approve.
Nice job on the hi rider.
Allot of us yanks rode tired Triumphs around w/ hi bars in the 1970's.
The 70's are back in the US anyway.
Your just keepin it alive!
Marshal

Too late!



I just made a deal to sell all my remaining Norton spares in the form of a rolling project bike, to a guy here in Texas. The near perfect original '75 High Rider tank goes with it.

Matt

In your pictures Swampy has a very blued right header pipe but the left isn't.

Are the carbs evenly adjusted?

Bob

I thought that was normal 2 have one side more than the other. I have a single carb, and my old pipes were like that

rx7171 said:

Matt

In your pictures Swampy has a very blued right header pipe but the left isn't.

Are the carbs evenly adjusted?

Bob

Click to expand...

I think he said that on one of his first runs he had issues with a flooding carb, caused by a sinking float, therefore very rich on one side,= blued exhaust.
Terry

As promised, especially for Danno is the photo of my Norton with a High Rider fuel tank and a Harley XR 750 seat unit fitted as a mock-up on my 750S project that is now nearly finished. It looks a bit like a Rubik's Cube with all the different colours, but I think it gives a sense of what it might look like as a flat tracker with these items fitted, although I feel the rear loop would have to be shortened for the proportions to look right. Most of the spectators didn't get the concept of a work in progress and most asked why I hadn't 'painted the wheels"! In future I will go back to showing shiny and complete machines.

That's just the concept I have been thinking about. I have heard (don't carve this in stone) you can completely remove the rear loop with no ill effect, that it exists to carry the fender and taillight on a stock machine.