Batavus Reading

Thanks to Kawa for the following links:

Batavus HS50 manual

Batavus Service and Repair Manual

I like this bit:

Bertie Batavus

I've already mentioned the Batavus moped I bought while at Uttoxeter so here are a couple of pictures of him.

Ariel 3 engine removal

While at Uttoxeter, I acquired a Batavus HS50 moped, having somehow justified the purchase on the basis that the Batavus was running and had the same Laura Anker engine as the Ariel 3s.

Now, Bertie Batavus has missing engine covers and he's having to live out in the rain at the moment so I thought I'd borrow covers from one of the Ariel 3s.  The Ariel 3 engine I bought on ebay came without covers so that was no help.  Next possibility was the snot green Ariel 3 that apparently used to live in a hedge.

To access the engine bolts, the yellow chain case cover needed to be removed.

Note the BSA rubber bung proudly advertising the name of the manufacturer.  Bear in mind it would have been completely hidden by the engine enclosure almost all of the time!

 It looks fairly clean inside the chain case, quite unlike everything else.  Engine bolt is accessed just behind the top run of the chain but there is enough slack to not have to remove the chain:

With the two engine bolts removed, the engine lifted out easily, leaving the layshaft, drive chain and inner chain cover in place.  They drop down without the engine bolts to hold them in place:

The engine

 

Engine bolts were replaced to keep the chain case and layshaft in position.  The tall nut on the left hand side is apparently the belt drive adjuster but I haven't really worked out yet how it works - not helped by the distinct lack of belt, I suppose.

Behind the plastic flywheel cover.

Dead bodies

Plastic cover just needs a clean and it is ready to fit to Bertie Batavus.

The flywheel cover fits directly on to the Batavus engine.  There are supposed to be some sort of spring clips to hold them on but those were missing, of course.  That probably explains why the covers are missing on a lot of the other Batavus images I've found on 'tinternet. I'd been hoping there would be a cover for the clutch as well but I'd forgotten that the Ariel 3 has a fan fitted on that side that means there is nowhere for a clutch cover.  However, the flywheel cover also fits where the clutch cover should be so I need to check if there is one in with the original blue Ariel 3 so it can be loaned to Bertie and help keep him protected from the rain.

The idea is to get the Batavus all sorted and running properly and reliably (and road legal so I can use it on NACC runs), then use the running engine as a reference for when I try and put an Ariel 3 together.

Festival of 1000 Bikes

Piccies to follow

Uttoxeter Show 1st-3rd July 2011

A week before the show, I was surprised to receive a phone call telling me that my TriBSA was being allowed on the BSAOC stand.  I'll admit I've regularly been nagging for it to be allowed on the stand but I didn't really expect a result!

I was working all day Friday so Gus drove over to Uttoxeter with the TriBSA in the trailer, got the bike in it's rightful place as a Show Bike Trailer Queen (ha ha!!), got the tent put up and then drove home to fetch me (I hadn't just been wasting my time working, I'd managed to fit in getting Horatio, no 2 XL185, MOT'd!).  In spite of both being Very Tired (Gus has been working nights so had been awake for more than 24 hours and I'm nearly always tired), we managed to stay up enjoying ourselves until a reasonable hour.

Saturday was bright, sunny and hot; there were more showers available than in previous years and the water was hot; the racecourse cafe were able to provide delicious bacon butties; there were lots and lots of shiny and not so shiny bikes to look at and lots of people to meet and chat too.  It didn't seem as busy as in previous years but, as a "punter", that felt like a good thing - more room to move around and look at things and most people on the stands had time for a bit of chat and banter.  Everything you need for an enjoyable day, really.  The organisers provided a band in the bar each evening and lovely Uncle Jim Reynolds was an entertaining Compere during the day. What more could you want?  Oh yes, free weekend tickets for sticking my bike in the show for a couple of days!!

Gus pointed out the Batavus moped for sale - it has the same engine as in the Ariel 3.  But this one was running! I resisted the temptation. Until Sunday afternoon anyway.  The Batavus moped came home with us but, unusually, I had haggled - so successfully that I felt I could have got away with being less generous. Still, it was a good result by my standards!

Here are the pictures:

http://www.flickr.com//photos/bsanorthstaffs/sets/72157627114033460/show/

You'd think I'd have learned by now but I got horribly sunburned again on Sunday (I used the factor 50 on Saturday but sort of forgot until too late on Sunday), to the extent that I had to come home early from work today because I felt so ill.  I feel I need a nice lacy parasol to protect my delicate skin in future!

Eddie Kidd's Marathon Success

Well done Eddie!

BBC news

Thinking of Pooh!

It's a year since Cliff's funeral (Pooh on the Classic Bike Forum).

This is for you, Pooh.  It's a pleasure to have known you.