Reply To: Howard Gem Series V

[sidevalve5]

Thanks Andy,

Did not know what to expect when I arrived at the hospital as had no contact with the consultant since the day of diagnosis 14 months ago. They have developed less invasive techniques, so a wire with an ultrasonic probe burnt the inside walls of the deep vein. A chemical foam was injected into the shallow vein. All went well and will hopefully continue on the road of a rapid recovery. Was previously painful to walk after 20 minutes or so, more difficult too over rough ground. Could only use the Trusty in short bursts.

Was offered a cheap Clifford MkIV after a chap made a bonfire too close to it. He lit it and left it to burn. The next day he found that the bonfire must have flared up overnight, the Clifford’s tyres caught, the machine was wrecked. My Clifford is in good condition, but has no compression and the exhaust has broken off. This exhaust formed part of the barrel on the Jap 6. So thought the burnt Clifford would be good for spares, it has an intact exhaust and compression. Think the Lucas SR4 mag is OK, but the HT pickup is burnt, so have not tested it yet. The Zenith 24T2 carb body is black, but seems OK otherwise too. Have found a chap with an ultrasonic cleaner. His main business is automotive lighting, but he also restores British bikes. We had a good chat on the phone, he knew all about gummed up carbs. He also plays guitar and says broken strings make excellent jet cleaners, another tip was to put WD40 through an orifice and check the pattern of what come out the other end. Am going to take the Gem carb, the Trusty and black Clifford Zenith’s. Whilst I cannot use the Trusty until fit enough, be good to get the carb cleaned in the meantime. The butterfly valve is a poor fit in the ventri, so do get air bypassing it, the tickover is a bit too quick. Will have a look at what I can do about that too.

Grahame