Once a year it takes me....

About the same time every year I decide to take care of the worst hated bike (by people who never rode one or even better, never saw one!) in the British world: the mighty 400 Electra. After some cleaning and polishing, my wife insisted to have the tinware mounted, it is her bike after all...



I am wondering if anyone can date this bike .... Frame & engine # are EL/7888. Nothing else?

My second question: how does this contact work? Where do I find the "thingie" going there ?




Thanks!!

EMG is for when Hondas pull up beside you . It activates the Methanol / water injection & Ign. Advance .



Some people call this a KEY . :shock:

Anyway , if the Alternator phaseing is right , the Emg should coincide the pulse with the necesity , resulting in it starting . Perhaps .
When the battery is out to lunch .Think there was a posn for daylight , lights of . And Lamps ON , activateing more alternator coils .
Which if used without the drain boils the battery .

This cost cutting hasnt improved the product .

SOMETHING LIKE THIS : " The 1953 Triumph Thunderbird had no means of voltage regulation, just a simple full-wave, 2-plate rectifier under the seat for converting AC to DC current. In case of a dead battery, an "Emergency" switch brought the alternator's full output into the ignition circuit, making it easier to start. The old magnetos were self-sufficient & would start no matter what. These new-fangled alternators & coils were suspect in the eyes of the public. "

Apparently Doug Hele got a Navigator or an Electra to do well over 100mph, which was going some for a 350/400 in the early 60s. However amongst a few other fairly simple mods, it needed twin tooters and the Great Minds at AMC would not approve the head casting to be changed. So another one bit the dust.
cheers
wakeup

Make sure you switch back to normal key posn once you are underway otherwise the rising battery voltage causes a misfire :mrgreen:

There is a Electra parked outside the local Suzuki dealership (or on the floor sometimes) I had never really seen one up close before,it is a funky bike.
I wonder what the thinking was regarding a 400 cc bike in that time period (even though there were 350 twins)
A small bore tourer,a commuter (unlikely) ??

These look good too.

Time Warp said:

There is a Electra parked outside the local Suzuki dealership (or on the floor sometimes) I had never really seen one up close before,it is a funky bike.
I wonder what the thinking was regarding a 400 cc bike in that time period (even though there were 350 twins)
A small bore tourer,a commuter (unlikely) ??

These look good too.

Click to expand...

Hmmm, the 250 version called Jubilee. They had the noisiest valve gear of anything, even a Triumph. An old mate of mine had one, Jubilee that is. Would do about 80 or 85mph flat strap. He was distinctly upset when my supertuned BSA 150 Bantam went past him!!
This engine (250, 350, 400) is yet another example of a basically quite good design, that suffered from too little development. They could have been really good, but they were left to wither on the vine.
cheers
wakeup

Nice Electra, I too feel they are very under rated bikes. I owned one & my father also owned one, used to go 2 up with my mom all over the place.
The Electra's came out in Jan. of 1963 and ended in August of 1965.
from 1/63 - 7/63 650 was the last serial number
from 7/63 - 9/64 6201 was the last serial number
from 9/64 - 8-65 7961 was the last serial number

so your serial number starts with "EL" for Electra , and based on the serial number, looks lie you own a 1965 Electra.

As you may have noticed, the Electra uses primarily Wipac electrics except for the starter (Lucas) & turn signals (Hella). The Electra came with two "Grip tip" indicators which were made by Hella, also known as "bar end winkers", or "ox eyes". These were most common on BMW motorcycles of this era. I had them on my Electra & my slash two BMW & I like them a lot, as they each have a forward & rearward facing lens, so you only need 2 indicators to give 4 way viewing, and they don't vibrate like the Lucas stalks. They are still available as genuine Hella, or you can buy oriental copies.



This was a model produced for the American market, so that Berliner could attempt to compete with the Japanese bikes. The Electra had a new gearbox, electric starter (Lucas M#), 12 volt electrics (two 6 volt batteries) , high output alternator. and turn signals.

The frame was similar to the Navigator, and had the Norton heavy twin rear brake drum laced to an 18" wheel.

Top speed in "Motor Cycle" magazine test in 1964 was 83 mph.

Some info from the NOC site: http://www.nortonownersclub.org/history/lightweight

I have some Electra parts available. If you need anything PM me.

Thanks Skip! So good to hear from someone who had one and does not repeat hearsay !

Is there a button for the ES? switch for turn signal?
I received an electronic ignition from Pazon and I am thinking of using a modern reg/rect... Any opinion on this?
I have a pair of Hella somewhere and will install them, do you know where should the turn signal relay should be positioned?
I was looking at the starter relay... Can see a Japanese one in the near future!

The picture of the green/cream one is a picture of the 250cc Jubilee. It doesn't have the Roadholder forks and 8" sls brake that the Navigator and Electra had.
cheers
wakeup

I'd like to own one of those. I'd buy myself a Cromwell pudding basin helmet and Spitfire pilot goggles to go with it, and ride down our main steet on Sundays and mooch around the local coffee shop to let the kids admire it. This performance stuff is all bullshit anyway. A mint condition 1920s Indian Chief might be even better , but you need a dog in the sidecar wearing a leather helmet and goggles.

[/quote]

Regardless of all other considerations, that is a really magnificent looking bike. I wonder if it would be possible to build a commando with that styling ?

acotrel said:

Regardless of all other considerations, that is a really magnificent looking bike. I wonder if it would be possible to build a commando with that styling ?

Click to expand...

Sweet God why? That rear fender looks like something that came off a boat.

swooshdave said:

acotrel said:

Regardless of all other considerations, that is a really magnificent looking bike. I wonder if it would be possible to build a commando with that styling ?

Click to expand...

Sweet God why? That rear fender looks like something that came off a boat.

Click to expand...

Maybe if it was yellow?

Ken

acotrel said:

Regardless of all other considerations, that is a really magnificent looking bike. I wonder if it would be possible to build a commando with that styling ?

Click to expand...

The Fastback still shows some vestiges of that styling ?

You will notice that Electra owners almost always show the primary side view.
The timing side view is, ahem, not quite so pretty...

Nortons did play with that styling - they designed and built those prototype unit 650's models, circa 1960 ish or so.
But canned it, when the 650SS and then Atlas proved quite capable bikes..
There was also the 'Deluxe' styled bikes - Nortons answer to bathtub Triumphs...
Another evolutionary sidebranch.

Didn't the story go that the electric starter in the Commando was the same one they used on the Electra ?

I think it was the same ES than the Tigress and the T160...

Can you show a pic of the Electra starter ?

Pic of the starter??
Without taking it out:

Hi Philipe

The Electra I put in a dumpster was EL748, was titled as a '64 for reference. It was in pieces when I got it and wasn't a project I was interested to work on as it came along with the '57 model 50 as a package deal in '82. Have you seen the Electra on craigslist SF? Asking $2800.

I am in South Africa, and have a disassembled 1961 350cc twin Norton Navigator, the standard model without the 'bathtub' rear wheel enclosure. I would like to cyber-meet other Navigator owners with a view to seeking emotional support and technical advice during the rebuild. I have not seen any Navigators, Electras or Jubilees here, and think very few must have been imported. I realise these were Norton's and Francis-Barnett's least successful bikes, but understand that owners who have fettled their examples, have found them to be tractable and reliable.

wakeup said:

Apparently Doug Hele got a Navigator or an Electra to do well over 100mph, which was going some for a 350/400 in the early 60s. However amongst a few other fairly simple mods, it needed twin tooters and the Great Minds at AMC would not approve the head casting to be changed. So another one bit the dust.
cheers
wakeup

Click to expand...

I believe you on the 100mph as it was D.Helne, but the real reason it died was because there was a certain jap bike that came onto the market;

http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/class ... omber.aspx


Personally I would have preferred a 500 Velo Thurxton which cakewalked the Honda in the Motor Cycle 500 miler usually by one or two laps :!: