Epilogue – Marge takes to the track

 

Having got my 1932 BSA B31-2 to the point where I had the engine running, and had completed a few laps of my back garden, I took the opportunity to bring it into Brooklands, where I could run it for slightly longer without trying the patience of my neighbours, and check the carburettor settings. I had planned for one of the maintenance days, with not too many people around, but with the recent poor weather it ended up being last Thursday.

With the Brooklands demo bikes set-up ready to go, I wheeled the BSA over, with the sole intention of running it up after our morning session and adjusting the air-slide. It fired up pretty easily on the new starter and before I knew it someone was bringing my helmet and gloves over. Not really needing a second invitation I set off and did a few unofficial laps of the start-finish straight. I realised that I had previously been setting the air-slide per my Norton, but when I’d got it fully open the little bike ran well with about 2/3 of the available advance on my modified magneto.  

We agreed it would be Ok to include it in the official demonstration runs that afternoon, so quite unexpectedly my Brooklands style racer has now actually made it onto the track.


As anticipated some issues arose – but equally others were resolved. My initial concerns that the carburettor was over-choked, i.e. too large, were to an extent unfounded. I think in the confines of my garden, with the run-off area being through the back door into our kitchen, any attempt to open the throttle was limited. I’m sure when I get the bike out onto a longer straight I will have to change the jets but as a starting point it’s good for now.

That gear lever, with the B&Q knob, is pretty much out of sight when you’re riding and too far to reach easily from the handlebars. I left it in second gear for the morning run, but in the afternoon it jumped into third and I decided to leave it there rather than entertain the crowd with some motorcycle display team on-board gymnastics. Nevertheless, it pulled away going up the straight and seems a tractable and torquey engine.  I’ll probably fabricate a hand lever to go beside the petrol tank, although I have the parts for a period style positive stop foot change mechanism as a future development. 

I knew there was insufficient clutch travel and may have to do something with the lever ratio. Otherwise there was a small leak from the petrol tank at one of the gear lever bosses. It’s an “Indian” made chrome tank which makes life difficult but I can just about see the back of the boss through the filler neck so I’ll work on a fix.


The front brake faded alarmingly, even for an old British bike, but again it should be relatively easy to sort it – who knows I may even have to start using the back brake. By the way that’s why I stopped short of our “pit” as I came in, not wanting to take out the Motorcycle Team like bowling skittles.

On my return home the replacement seat cover had arrived, it’s a large Lycette (possibly too large for a small bike) so that will go on before the next outing.

As far as its possible to tell on such a short and tight little circuit the handling felt very good. Being a very low horsepower engine I’m relying on corner speed to keep me in the mix on a track outing. The attention to steering geometry, wheelbase and the engine/gearbox mounting seems to have paid off.


Thanks to Mark (who also shot the video), Duncan and Ryan (pit crew) and Michael Sands (starter and MC) for their support on the day, and of course Perry who takes great photos and got us some good publicity via his Instagram site.

 

Best regards and stay safe

Gareth


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