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Update on my 1970 Triumph 500 Project

I had some time to work on the bike today, And the plan was to try and cure a hard-to-start problem. Although I had gotten the motorcycle to run last fall, starting it wasn’t easy.

The ritual went like this: Turn the gas on, reach down and jiggle the tickler until gas squirted out the overflow hole. With the switch off, ease the engine over with the kick start level until you feel its on the peak of compression. Turn the switch on and hop up, throwing your whole body onto your right leg for the kick. When it fires, feather the throttle and keep it running as long a possible, until it stalls. Repeat as necessary. Once the engine warms up, it generally runs ok, but the effort of starting it 6-8 times just to get it warmed up was exhausting, and on a hot summer day, guaranteed you’d be quite damp.

So, I took the float bowl off the single Amal Carb, and on a hunch, popped the top cover off, and set the needle one notch leaner. I cleaned all the old gasket off the base, made sure all the air passages were clear, and reassembled the carb.

I cleaned my hands of the excess Permatex Form-a-gasket, then rolled the bike out of the back porch and into the back yard.

So. I started the old ritual – open the gas; tickle the carb till the fuel dribbles out; with the key off, rotate the engine ’til its just begins the compression stroke; turn on the key; then kick like you mean it. And it started and ran, and ran, and ran … !
A little fine tuning of the idle and mixture screw and I was done.

Amazingly – I have reached near-legendary status –
… Starts on the first kick …

Of course, I could still use a good cleaning, would be nice to have the tank professionally painted, and a few other things are in order (get it inspected or get antique plates). But its pretty near being able to start and ride whenever I want to ride – and that IS the real goal when you have such an old bike!