Mobile drum kit. Valve and timing chain question?

[YEN_POWELL]

I know exactly what size it is, it's 24mm. But on my RD07 a normal 24mm spanner will not get on the front one as the frame gets in the way, which is why I use the rear wheel nut spanner instead. An adjustable might work, it shouldn't be on too tight. You can get combination spanners for dirtbikes that are 24/17mm and are very similar.

[xrv_jim]

It's an RD03 XRV650, which I thought was a bit rattly, until hearing another exact bike purring beside mine at the lights!

Bob,

You're obviously less disillusioned than me. I actually thought my RD07 was quite smoothly, 'til hearing Fewtrees AT tick over - boy, does that bike run sweet!

Anyhow, while playing with AT valve clearances is great fun (no, really), the symptoms you describe might be attributed to out-of-balance carbs. Got to be worth having checked.

[BobA]

Hey Jim!

Thanks man, but 'm one step ahead of ya!

When I won the bike on eBay, the guy selling it actually mentioned that it needed a few things done, one of which was carb balancing (funny he forgot to mention that the forks and yokes would need straightening though!).
Anyhow, being an eBay addict, I found and won a twin cylinder vacuum tester, so all's I gotta do now, is figure out how you work the thing!

I can't remember the make, but it has two vertical tubes of mercury, which I guess have to read the same assuming the carb mixture is already correct??

Anyway, that's another job, but I am beginning to think now that perhaps my AT isn't that bad or noisy after all, and I'm just being an overzealous fart trying to get the old girl to idle like a Bentley, and sound as smoth running as my other bikes. It sounds like quite a few people on this board just put up with, or are proud of their bikes rattles, taps, and knocks!!!

I don't know how or why, but I'm hooked on this rusty rattly monster, and find riding and talking about it great.

Cheers all

Bob

[YEN_POWELL]

Sounds like a Morgan mercury carb gauge set. I've got a 4 cylinder one which still works on a twin. I don't think Morgan make them anymore, they've switched to steel rods which aren't as accurate.

Easy as anything to use, get the engine warm first, so that it ticks over reasonably well. Speed up the tickover a little if necessary. Remove the litle plugs from the top of the gauge that stop long term mercury leaks and slide the long rubber tubes over instead. Zip tie the gauge to the handle bar and find the blanking screws on the carb rubbers (little allen screws). Remove the screws and screw in by hand the appropriate brass adapter from the carb gauge kit. Slide the ends of the rubber tubes over the brass adaptors, gently start the engine(don't rev madly for goodness sake) and the mercury appears bobbing gently up and down on the gauge.

If the columns are level with each other then your carbs are balanced. If they are out then adjust the carb balance screw. If your RD03 is like my RD04 then its down a hole in the airbox. It doesn't take much of a turn to move the mercury columns (they go in opposite directions as you adjust) so gently does it. A few gentle blips of the throttle after adjusting to make sure all is okay.

When you've finished readjust the tickover to

[YEN_POWELL]

Sorry about that, keyboard died so I posted as far as I'd got....Now where was I? oh yeah...

Re-adjust tickover to proper setting when finished. Also if you've got the sort of AT where the tank has to come off to do the above, turn it backwards, bungee it to the frame and plumb the pipes back in to keep the carbs supplied whilst balancing them.

[BobA]

I'll be having a go as soon as time permits, Many Thanks for the info.

Nice one about bungeeing the tank back to front, I probably wouldn't have done that and would have spent uneccessary cash on some extra lengths of fuel line.

Regards

Bob