Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

May be a long shot but sometimes the float in the carb sticks, give it a tap with a long screwdriver. Mine is sometimes a pig to start, fuel to plugs etc, but I tap the float bowl, and she fires up. So maybe not enough fuel on choke, to start the old girl!

Following a final attempt I have given up with the Amal carb. It kept flooding even with a new viton needle valve and seat. The float was a newer plastic one. Just fitted a new Mikuni carb and started with no adjustments! I think after 60 years a new one was needed. Now need to complete the build and ride it. I was surprised how much noise it made the silencers have baffles in them but no other materials.

Stu
I've had a few problems with old concentrics (worked fine in 1987, wouldn't work fine in 2012). I think the big problem for me was that the pilot jet couldn't be pulled out for proper cleaning on the original one, it can on the new 'premium' replacement version which not only starts and runs much better, on the one occasion it's gone 'off' the cause was some dirt in the pilot jet.

If you have a good old search of the two-stroke topics I think you'll find some references to some of the silencers being noisier than others. (I can't remember if that was the Armours ones or not.)

Well done on getting the bike started. I bet you were pleased about that!

SG

Hi, The Armours silencers have very basic baffels in them, just four discs. You can fit original baffels but need to reduce the size of the baffels slightly. I used some end tubes , the 1'' diameter ones to reduce the sound a bit. The picture shows the original ones at the bottom and some modified Armours baffels at the top with a large tube into which the smaller 1'' diameter tube fits. The sound is not quite the same as the original but close and I think especially with the larger carb it does produce a bit more GO . Brian H.

I use an Amal MK 1 Concentric with removable idle jet size 30. Just out of interest, what's your set up on the Mikuni?

Mikuni is a VM28 from Motocarb it came jetted for Arrow SS 150 main jet 32.5 pilot 5DP7 needle 1.5 air it came with adaptor foe the inlet and I fitted a short plastic distance piece (drainpipe) to connect to the rubber air inlet that fits in the frame. Quick test on the road pulls well starts on choke after 3/5 kicks warm up no choke.
Stu

Glad to hear your sorted out now, well done for preserving

So am I correct in thinking that in summary, you got the cylinder pressure up to 100psi and it still wouldn’t start but then fitted the new carb and hey presto!

Not quite after fitting the new carb. It was not running properly and I checked the timing and adjusted the points it appears to starting and running ok but its not taxed so its only had a short test ride. Also the compression is still low after running and engine hot I have 60psi with the kick start the 100/110 was spinning the engine with power tool via the alternator bolt. I have measured the cylinders and they are just in spec. Fitted new rings and honed the bores. The last two stroke I rebuilt was a Suzuki GT380 and it was a wreck when I bought it just the crank, bearings and oil seals sorted same rings carbs and away it went.