Unleaded petrol

[paul.jameson]

I run all my bikes on E5 with valvemaster additive and have no problems. I have also taken to using E5 in both of our cars because of the much improved mpg which means that the E5 actually works out cheaper than E10, provided that you don't use a greedy filling station for your supply.

[MarkPhillips]

Hi once again thank you for your replies
Regarding adding two stroke I wasn’t thinking Castrol R although I love the smell I was thinking decent synthetic branded stuff.There are a hell of a lot of two stroke bikes and scooters out there all running E5 or 10 through carburettors having chatted to a few recently they don’t seem to have any worries, still mulling this one.
Regarding Valve master I bought some from a trade stand at Powderham classic vehicle show near Exeter last weekend hundreds of cars bikes a wonderful day out.
I got chatting to the stand owner selling all sorts of classic oils and treatments and he reckoned it would would be good in my bike
So yesterday I took the plunge drained the tank then adde a thimble full of this stuff to 5litres of E5 and went for a 40 mile spin.
Well what a revelation, I’m sold. The old girl ran so much crisper so much more get up and go flew up hills she normally flags on, she’s a different bike.
Things I’ve learned this year in my first 1000 miles
50 w oil makes my engine smoother and quieter than 40 I really like Smith n Allen classic oil.
Castrol classic 90w gear oil in my gearbox, so much better than engine oil.
Cork clutch’s are really nice and smooth and progressive so impressed.
Valve Master wow.
Tubed tyres are rubbish leak air like a party ballon.
Drum brakes are pants no matter how much you tinker with them, source of many a brown trouser moment.
Really really enjoying this bike.
Cheers Mark

[nevhunter]

Agree with Most of that, except the Brakes. Cast iron drums are the best of the period and Have the trailing shoe of softer Material and smaller area so they wear evenly and not hold off the Leading shoe so it Keeps biting as they both wear in unison. That's how the original (riveted) shoes were. Used hard the will get hot and flake the Paint off the drums but they DO work OK. Steel drums are Much inferior and often score badly. Use aluminium rivets there. Make sure all drums run Perfectly true and don't get too far oversize..Nev

[MarkPhillips]

Hi Nev I bought my 1959 RedHunter this time last year it had been sat at the back of the garage under a rug for years. But she was all there minus air filter and in tidy condition. One thing that stood out were the wheels relaced all stainless spokes and rims, skimmed drums and new shoes,
but didn’t work a stuff I mean you could not stop.
Spent the entire winter in the garage recommissioning her bliss, found both sets of shoes glazed all shiny and only a tiny bits of contact patch, roughed up the shoes and bedded them in. Now after a thousand miles the brakes are 100% better than than they were. I live in Torbay Devon and it’s twinned with the Himalayas massive steep hills everywhere God knows why we retire down here and that’s my beef there are a few hills I avoid riding down because there’s not a cat in hells chance of stopping quickly, there ok for general road riding so long as you anticipate and know there limits.
I plan to have the wheels out soon and clean out any dust and check the shoes are bedded in.
Cheers Mark.