D-Day- continued

Suddenly pepped up and feeling that bit more confident, I decided to give it a go, cunningly using the guise of the surrounding bikes’ noise to distract attention. Fuel on...ignition on...choke full on...push the starter button and...nothing. The battery was as flat as a pancake, again. Ironically, I’d actually sold the ‘new’ battery to my dad when I worked at a bike shop seven years previous, so I couldn’t really take it back to the shop and complain about it. It was time to call on our old friend the battery pack.

Wired up and repeating the above procedures, I was on cloud nine when that all-too-familiar rattle and cloud of smoke emitted from the Zed. Warming up nicely, Scottie decided to take the bike for a spin around the car park, only he didn’t get very far. Clutch in, every time he went to select a gear, the bike merely jumped forward and stopped abruptly. A quick diagnosis told us the clutch was the cause and an even quicker remedy was sort when the bike was pushed up against a wall, revved to the limit and clunked into second gear performing a burnout.

OK, it wasn’t exactly the Haynes manual approved method of freeing a clutch, but it sure did work and Scottie got his ride around the car park. The bike was finally ready for the dyno and I for one didn’t want to waste another second. Strapped down on the rolling road, the centre proprietor Olly Crick volunteered to run the bike up while the rest of us took shelter, just in case. Bets had been placed throughout the day as to the bike’s power output and the moment of truth was finally upon us.

Personally, I was more concerned over the bike’s welfare than performance, I just didn’t want it to blow up and throw a load of valves out the exhaust. A few minutes later, I could hardly believe my ears when I was told the results of my run; an impressive 46.1bhp (that’s £46.10 you owe me, Steve). Job done and still in one piece, I decided to make the most of the workshop’s facilities and complete a basic service while I was at it. NGK spark plugs, oil and an oil filter had been purchased in advance of the event and, with the bike having proved its worth, I couldn’t wait to treat it to a bit of pampering.

First up though was a cylinder compression check. The dyno had shown the bike was making good power, but I wanted to complete a full health check on the engine before I moved on to the rest of the project. Plugs out, one-by-one the cylinders were tested with the gauge, producing some very satisfying readings. With the old plugs out, it was a simple case of fitting the new ones in their place and connecting back the HT leads. Oil dropped and filter removed, Olly’s ramp was a huge asset in accessing and removing the Zed’s oil filter from underneath the sump.

The oil was as black as treacle, only it didn’t taste as good; trust me. Replacing the filter and re-filling the engine with fresh oil, I was half tempted to get the bike back on the dyno to see if we’d released any extra horses, only I didn’t want to tempt fate; it had done more than enough for one day. Basic service completed, it was time to load up and head off home.

Back to start of article >>

| Buy this edition | Subscribe | Find Back Issues

Why not give us a try, and buy the full printed edition post free (UK/Eire) secure on-line right now? [Click Here for details]

Get a feel of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine by viewing this and other sample articles every month on-line.

• You can view some older articles from our discontinued online archive - click here (Some items may be out of date)

We also offer a huge collection of back issues, vital for collectors and those following technical guides and rebuild series.

You can search by year, by feature or just show all to see contents details from past great issues of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine. [Click here to find out more]