Police encounter with a smile :)

[andrewaust]

Hi Guy's


Just a quick one!

Whilst helping a friend with some traffic controlling on Saturday (with the Enfield parked on the side of the road), a Highway Patrol car, followed by a Cycle Officer passed, noticing that the Cycle Officer done a U turn and came back.

He was a Enfield/bike enthusiast and wanted to know if I had come from the bike run "Guessing a historical run" and if the bike was new vintage or old = as it looks old .

So after telling him its vintage I said = Yeah and its Diesel????? So then we got into discussion with the conversion, speed, economy etc etc before he realised he'd better get going, but not before a demonstration of how easy it is to kick start and the unique Diesel sound !

After a few words of praise, off he went with my mate saying "with a smile", well that beats everything, even the Police stop for a look .

Nice to see, and goes to show there's some officers out there who like to meet bike enthusiasts/riders.

Certainly made my day too! .






Cheers - take care!


Andrew

[Cockney Bob]

Have you done anything to make it easy to Kick start.I have a 406cc Greaves Engine and I can not strart it with a kick for love nor money.
I have to use the starter.
I have tried adjusting the tappets and have adjusted the valve lifter all to no avail. Is your engine especially modified.
Bob

[andrewaust]

Hi Bob



No mate, my engine is pretty much stock. Although I wound the fuel back so it hardly produces any smoke, and most certainly will prolong engine life. I also add a little Acetone in with the fuel, this may help starting too?

The temp here can go down to below 0degC, and the engine will still start. There are many factors that determines how well a diesel will start and also burn the fuel charge.

When cold, I twist the throttle on starting to make sure a full charge is delivered, I just push the decomp down until it clicks up, giving the kick starter a good solid push all the way through the stroke, 9 times out of 10 it fires up first go.

I've also got my kick starter sitting straight up at 0/360deg so I can get a full stroke. Maybe that might make a difference?

The same engine in the gen-set, plus the spare start really easy too!

How many K's are on the engine you have Bob?




Cheers mate!


Andrew

[Cockney Bob]

you probably have the right thought my engine has only done 1400 miles so is virtually new.I have tried adjusting the exhaust valve as it was a little loose but it is still not starting on the kick.
Perhaps a few more thousand miles will ease it a bit.
Bob

[Ih8Suvs]

Same experience as Andrew here, dead easy to kick start. Only rarely do I have to kick it more than once even when cold. See, I ride in the cold The pic is of a one kick start day.

[Cockney Bob]

Looks good I hope you have some good weather soon.
I will persevere and hopefully it will ease up allowing me to kick start.
It is not because I am not able to kick start bikes I have a 500 petrol Bullet on which I have taken off the decompressor and fitted another spark plug so I can kick the 500 over compression easily but this 400 cc Greaves will not start on the Kick at all .In fact it refuses to go over compression without the valve lifter .
Bob

[Ih8Suvs]

Well, there is a little technique. I cannot directly kick over compression either, what you have to do is position the crank so you can store up some energy in the flywheel to help it kick over compression. In other words it should hit compression at the end of the kick starter stroke after it builds up momentum. You don't do it like a gas bike where you bump it up to compression and then give it a wallop on a fresh stroke. Like Andrew said, the way on these is to hit the compression release, then slowly kick over until just when the release just kicks back off which correctly positions the crank, then start a fresh stroke. At that point you have just enough travel on the kick starter to carry it through compression thusly giving you max energy stored in the flywheel before the piston comes up on compression.

[Cockney Bob]

Just replaced the Valve Lifter as it had come loose and blown out .
Now there is a popping sound when I start which seems to coincide with the strokes but disapears at top speed .I have checked the Tappets they are Fine 2 thou Cold .
I think it might be the Other Decompressor valve at the front does any one know how this works on the Greaves 440 Engine.
Bob

[andrewaust]

Hi Bob


Sounds like you may have a major problem? Might be a good idea to place what you said in the technical section to get more attention. Seems the decomp, or head gasket might be a problem.



Cheers mate


Andrew