TA Clutch Basket

As is usual with unknown bikes there always seems to be another problem or two....or three.

The clutch was very heavy when operated so with the engine out it was time to examine it.

The tabs of the basket are very worn and this is probably causing the plates to stick when the clutch lever is operated. Now I could file them flat again however it is extremely unlikely that I would get each one flat and in the same position regarding the clutch plates. This would of course mean that I would be getting more pressure on some of the tabs and little on others. This would end in tears as the tabs that have more pressure would probably break and cause more to fail and then you have a bike travelling fast with lots of bits of metal flying around in the clutch. So I'm trying to source another basket or get this one professionally machined by someone who knows what they're doing.

Cylinders Removed

It's almost Christmas and I won't have much time for a couple of weeks but I thought I'd have a look inside the engine.

First the heads and cylinders removed. You can see in the photo below that the pistons are in good condition and have been purposely scuffed with emery to hold oil.

 Looking at the photo of the top of the piston it's obvious that this piston has never been run. There is no colour on it at all.

The bores are in excellent condition.

I removed the other cylinder and it was in the same condition as this one. I'll split the crankcases after Christmas. I've never worked on an engine with vertically split cases before (excepting lawnmowers) but I guess it can't be too difficult. Gotta work out what's wrong with the gearbox.

TA125 Engine Removed

Well it's been almost a year since I had the time to start on the TA. I did manage to get the 1972 GT380 going so that's ready for club plates. I will build a stand for the TA but just to get the ball rolling I took a heap of photos today and then removed the engine. Digital cameras are wonderful for anyone working on old bikes, cars etc. You often dismantle parts and don't get back to them for long periods and then you find that you can't remember exactly what went where.

For the moment I'll concentrate on the engine. The bike hasn't been started or anything since I got it and before I removed the engine I checked the spark and gearbox etc. Well there is only spark on 1 cylinder and the gearbox appears to have only one gear. This is a problem buying things sight unseen on the internet. But even if I had been aware of these things I still would have bought it.

Engine Out

And on the Bench