Brunton Rally

[bsa- bill]

This was held in October but I have just got around to cropping the pictures I took to get them small enough to send , so sorry if some have been cropped a tad to much, I'm new to this megapixel world and often forget to drop the resolution down for photos I might want to send through the Ether.
This rally is run by The Northumberland Vintage Tractor Club so all credit to them for their efforts.
Lots more stuff I could have included and/or photo'd
The Shooting Star Is my mate Les, I went with him to buy it in 2008 sometime, he used to own it when he was a youth.

[rocket man]

hi bsa-bill is the rocker feed on the shooting star the right way round
i thort it went the other way sorry if im being picky and she looks very nice



dave

[bsa- bill]

Hi Dave - The Rocker feed depends on the year I think, I'm sure someone will know and put us right, My Flash is the other way up, one thing I do know is Les is very rarely wrong, I have a feeling it might be better the way Les has it as there will always be a bit of oil lying in the feed to get into the rockers early, but OTOH I aint heard anybody complain about rocker shafts wearing unduly.
Made a mistake adding photos so had to go back and modify ( had a NORBSA with a Triumph engine HA ) any way here's some more including some from the steam section.

[MG]

I think Dave is right, the rocker feed should be the other way round. And considering this discussion, I would say the resolution of the pics is okay  


*****edit****

I just checked a few pics in the BSA Twin book by Roy Bacon and I saw a '57 A7SS with the rocker feed like on the above photo, and a '55 A7SS where it was fitted the other way round. What's the point in that? Anybody got an idea? I actually can't think of any reason for turning it round (puzzled)?

[rocket man]

i also think it would look better the other way less pipe showing i have also never seen anybody selling the pipe like that
or he could always fit one of these

[bsa- bill]

I should point out in Les's defence the pipe is  original along with everything else on the bike other than the rear carrier which he made himself ( was a welder at one point )
he also made one for me that now sits on the project.
The Shootng Star has had two owners since Les owned it, one lived in the same village as him and the other lives only about thirty miles away, I went with Les to buy the bike, took several hours to fix a price between tales and stories, the bike had been stored for quite a few years but taken out once a year and started, degreased then washed down and coated with fresh grease, didn't save the rims and at some point it had been painted a lurid green so he's has the rims re-chromed ( flaking already ) and tinware repainted a pretty good match for the original green.

All the best - Bill

[tombeau]

We want to hear these stories!
Cheers,
Iain

[rocket man]

yes i want to hear the stories

[Beezageezauk]

Hi Bill,

I've been hoping to get there for the last couple of years now but never found it particularly well advertised.  In fact it was all over by the time I found out about it this year.

How about posting the details of next years rally (2010) on the board when you have them?  Cheers.

Beezageezauk. 

[bsa- bill]

I'll gladly post details of next years event BUT that's another ten months away - with my memory that's a long long time, give me a reminder closer to the time.
As for the stories, well the bloke Les bought the bike from is known as "The Gardener" and we were warned before we went that he liked a chat, this turned out to be very true, every time Les asked him how much he would like for the bike another tale would manifest, sadly too many for my feeble hard disc to store.
Turned out he bought the bike from the lad that painted it the lurid green and he was the one Les sold the bike to, he was a nice lad, bit quite but was always in one of the pubs we frequented (there was only two in the village), he passed away a few years ago at quite a young age mid fifties I think, was found dead in his house sitting in his armchair.
I remember he used to pester four of us that went around together Two Shooting Stars, My gold Flash and an Aerial Arrow, to take him with us on our Sat night run to Berwick to the pictures and fish and chips. ( lived on the wild side we did)
I took him once as pillion on my Flash that I had just bought and was not fully into at that point, certainly it had a lot more acceleration then my previous sports Arrow, leaving some cross roads I gave it a handful thinking I needed to compensate for a pillion passenger, it didn't wheelie but my pillion did, two legs and feet wearing the then customary Beatlle boots arced upwards to tank level and thankfully gravitised downwards again.
Don't know to this day how he stayed on, but he did  but never wanted to go with us again?

All the best - Bill

[rocket man]

your a bit of a wild one bill 

[LJ.]

That made me laugh hearing how your pillion struggled to stay on. There is an uneasy feeling with a guy hanging on to a guy unless...? However, it is no problem for a girl hanging on to a guy! Less of that. The situation brings to memory of when my lad and I were on the Hampshire BSA camp and my lad slipped off the back of the A10 when I pulled out of a T junction, sometimes you have to open up and get moving if it is a busy road. Any way I could feel him struggling to get back on as he had slipped off the seat and onto the rack. We had to stop to let him recover but he was as white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf. I don't think I could be persuaded to take the pillion as much as I'd like to ride on the back of my own bikes.

[rocket man]

i would never be a pillion again once on the back of a mates kawasaki
he was doing over 100 mph when he put his head down i court the wind
under my full-face helmet and it pushed my head back  i was sh....ing it
thort i was going to come off never again 

[muskrat]

Nice pis Bill. My similar story. Teaching my 9yo stepson to ride on a '76 XT500 !! After a few laps of paddock (5 acre) with him sitting in front watching the levers and throttle he took over control with me still on the back. Till he hit a pothole and blipped the throttle. Front wheel in the air, me on the ground with a buggered back. He saved it and rode around the paddock for another 10 minutes till the fuel ran out and fell over. 15 years ago but my back is still buggered and he races MX.
Cheers

[bsa- bill]

With ref to the rocker feed query, I'm sure there are two versions  - 1 up 1 down

Here's one on Ebay
BSA A7 A10 rocker oil feed original not pattern item No 170433117982

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BSA-A7-A10-rocker-oil-feed-original-not-pattern_W0QQitemZ170433117982QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycle_Parts?hash=item27ae9aff1e

All the best - Bill

[flashblack]

Hi folks, just spotted a third different rocker feed set up on a bike on e-bay, was wondering if anyone had come across one like it before, or maybe it`s a homemade job!    
                                                         http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1959-BSA-650cc-A10-good-runner-on-the-road_W0QQitemZ220544371179QQcmdZViewItemQQ

Rich                             

[muskrat]

Looks good. I haven't seen one like that before. Nice looking bike and vendor seems to be a nice bloke too.
Cheers

[bsa- bill]

Brunton was this weekend, took me by surprise, I had forgotten the date, it was a chance conversation with Bob's wife that she mentioned they were taking two bike down tomorrow (today Sunday)
Sorry Beezageezauk I had meant to put the date up, google Northumberland vintage tractor rally for dates and info.
Anyway today dawned wet and cold and as I hoped to get some stuff from one of the tool stalls there we took the car, of course it then turned out to be a rather nice day - ah well
So some pics of bikes that made it
Bob's Flash and a rather nice Douglas

[bsa- bill]

a Chagne Wang (spelling) and a AJS (got best competition bike in show)

[bsa- bill]

Another Flash but look closely and you'll see SRMs ignition system,Two Raliegh runabouts hiding behind a James,
And finally proof the Heath Robinson is alive and well and amalgamated with Meccano