T160

[Sea Dog]

Had to have a serious look at the carburettors. The LH plug was sooting up.



Stripped them down, cleaned and measured everything to ensure heights were perfect and slides opening exactly the same.



Come up with this method to check float levels were spot on. Doubles up as a needle valve leakage check.

Checked & set valve clearances and ignition timing. Compression test revealed all good inside.

Set up idle speed and mixture. Now ticks over reliably at 450 rpm. Yet to take it for a road test. May get time tomorrow.

Now have a sweet idling engine. The Tri Spark ignition and coils go a long way to being able to set these triples up well.

 

[Rocky]

Good stuff

 

[CarlS]

You are welcome, Bryce.

Good post and great work on the carbs.

 

[grandpaul]

At that low of an idle, you'll sap your battery. Should be no lower than 750, and I much prefer 1,000 PRM tickover on pushrod engines to also promote oil flow.

If it'll idle that low, you should be in for some enjoyable riding with smoothness.

 

[Sea Dog]

At that low of an idle, you'll sap your battery. Should be no lower than 750, and I much prefer 1,000 PRM tickover on pushrod engines to also promote oil flow.

If it'll idle that low, you should be in for some enjoyable riding with smoothness.

Hey GP,

Above points noted. Also a pain having to monitor the throttle when warming up with idle set too low. For normal use have set it around the 750 mark, where the oil pressure is 30 psi at operating temp.

The Bing Carbs on the TSS have a far more sophisticated enrichening mechanism for cold starts. They have a separate air / fuel enricher which raises the engine revs when operating. Great for starting the bike, then putting on your riding gear while the engine warms up. Using this has the engine warming up at about 1500 rpm.

The Amals on the T160 with their "ticklers" to flood the carbs and the choke slides to restrict air flow are very basic by comparison.
I do not use the choke slides as they stall the engine.

The Workshop Manual advises that 2500 rpm is required for the alternator to meet the power demands of the electrical system with the lights on. Apparently a Tri Spark regulator improves this. I found a new, still in its packaging Tri Spark regulator in with the spares I got with the bike. Will fit it when I have the time.

Will let you know how it goes on the ride tomorrow.

Have also ordered a set of Viking replica mufflers for it, as I want to preserve and store the originals.

 

[CarlS]

Good idea on preserving the original mufflers.

 

[Sea Dog]

Good idea on preserving the original mufflers.

Did the same with the originals on the TSS as they are impossible to replace.
Oooops....its 0130am here. Better sign off and get some sleep. Got to work tomorrow. Bye Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

[Sea Dog]

Did an 80 km run today with town and highway riding. Engine running really smooth, however LH plug still sooty. Swapped LH coil with centre coil and will give it a run tomorrow.

 

[CarlS]

Let us know the results of the swap.

 

[devo]

Just as a matter of interest Bryce,
the left hand plug is the same heat range as the other two isnt it ?

 

[Sea Dog]

Just as a matter of interest Bryce,
the left hand plug is the same heat range as the other two isnt it ?

Yep....all good. All three are new and "reading" exactly the same as the ones they replaced.

 

[devo]

strange.
could it by chance be how related to the running temp of that particular cylinder,ie,airflow or oilflow from the cooler,as it could be running a little cooler than the other two.
If this was the case, I would think it would be characteristic of the model.

 

[Sea Dog]

strange.
could it by chance be how related to the running temp of that particular cylinder,ie,airflow or oilflow from the cooler,as it could be running a little cooler than the other two.
If this was the case, I would think it would be characteristic of the model.

Thanks for the help Harry. Yes, restricted airflow could be an issue. May be a restriction in the exhaust port. Will have a look when I fit the replica mufflers. Never know, could be another warranty job.

Found the wiring from the Tri-Spark sensor plate to the trigger box had a section wrapped in insulation tape. Removed the tape and found the insulation on the white wire was burnt off. Checked with previous owner and the wiring had not been secured to the frame by the mechanic who had fitted the Tri-Spark and had rested on the exhaust. Now considering whether the earthing of the white wire has damaged the Tri_Spark. Will email Tri-Spark and see what they have to say. Spark at plugs on all cylinders looks strong and blue when cranking over.

Ah...another journey of discovery begins.

 

[Sea Dog]

Just spoken to Stephen Kelly of Tri-Spark. Firstly, what an incredibly helpful person. He took me through step by step how the Tri-Spark operates, then we went through a process of elimination to diagnose the problem. It would appear all is well with the ignition. We then went through the carburation, (he has a T160 and is right up to speed on them) and we conclude that the problem is in the low speed area of the carburettor.

Anyway that has to go on the back burner for two weeks as I am going on a road trip / family holiday, leaving early tomorrow morning. The bikes are all securely locked up and my eldest son is staying at home to look after everything...house, farm, animals and aging out laws.

Will keep an eye on TT while I am away.

 

[DaveM]

Well that sure was nice of him to go through the process like that with you. Will be waiting to see if you get it sorted when you get back. Have a great trip and enjoy your holiday .

 

[otherwise]

I am going on a road trip / family holiday

What direction and how far?

If you find yourself about 1,800 km south from home I've got cold beer.
I've also got a few of these, this one just poured.

 

[Sea Dog]

What direction and how far?

If you find yourself about 1,800 km south from home I've got cold beer.
I've also got a few of these, this one just poured.

View attachment 7102

Kevin....man of my own heart. Will be as far south as Tamworth, with a high probability of going over the Great Dividing range to the Motorcycle museum at Nabiac. Try and find out more about Rosie as she spent many years there. Also staying at Toowoomba, so will also cross over the range to Marburg and visit the museum there. Then of course is the museum / private collection in Tamworth which is worth a visit and a free cuppa. I'll make sure I take plenty of photos and post them.

 

[Sea Dog]

Well that sure was nice of him to go through the process like that with you. Will be waiting to see if you get it sorted when you get back. Have a great trip and enjoy your holiday .

Thanks Dave.

 

[CarlS]

Just spoken to Stephen Kelly of Tri-Spark. Firstly, what an incredibly helpful person. He took me through step by step how the Tri-Spark operates, then we went through a process of elimination to diagnose the problem. It would appear all is well with the ignition. We then went through the carburation, (he has a T160 and is right up to speed on them) and we conclude that the problem is in the low speed area of the carburettor.

Anyway that has to go on the back burner for two weeks as I am going on a road trip / family holiday, leaving early tomorrow morning. The bikes are all securely locked up and my eldest son is staying at home to look after everything...house, farm, animals and aging out laws.

Will keep an eye on TT while I am away.

That is very refreshing to hear. Good for Stephen Kelly. I like that kind of caring for customers.

Bryce, have grand trip and enjoy the getaway.

 

[Sea Dog]

Finally have had time to investigate the sooty LH spark plug. Removed and rechecked all the settings in the carbs. All spot on. Decided to lower the float level of the LH carb. It is now 2mm lower than the other two. Went for a ride into town and around. Covered about 80 kms. The engine seemed to be running better than it has. When I got home, removed the plugs and this is what I found.



Plugs are in order of cylinder they came out from. A huge improvement of the LH plug. Before the float adjustment it was totally black.
Bit of an act to adjust the float level as there is no adjustment for it (can not bend plastic floats with no adjuster tabs). The needle valve seat is an interference fit in the float chamber. The seat has a thread in it, which I screwed a small bolt into. Heated the float chamber in a cup of boiling water, then gently prized the seat up using two screw drivers under the head of the bolt. I bit of fiddling and I achieved what I thought "looked" right. Close enough I think looking at the spark plug colour.

Sorted !

Here's a question. With all things measuring and being equal, including compressions, why does the LH float need to be lower than the others to achieve a similar mixture?