Jan 13, 2013 ... The Piled Arms is a publication of The BSA. Owner's Club of .... was derived the '
old fashioned' way, by STROKING the 500cc M20! The original.
Owner’s Club of Southern California Established 1978
Monthly Journal
January 2013
Automobile Association M21 R.S.O.
The Piled Arms is a publication of The BSA Owner’s Club of Southern California. We are a member driven publication and rely solely on your participation. Technical articles, photos and “Member Experiences” and opinions are essential
Meet Our Directors Burt Barrett (661) 832-6109…..…….….…………....President Steve Ortiz (951) 245-5287………….Membership/Secretary Barry Sulkin (310) 569-1383…………Web Master/Treasurer Barbara Barrett (661) 832-6109……………..Events/Director Clive Brooks (714) 771-2534……Piled Arms Editor/Director Craig Rich (562) 868-9389 ……….………………….….Director Jody Nicholas (714) 730-9257...….……………….…...Director Piled Arms Production Staff Clive Brooks (714) 771-2534…
[email protected]; Contributing Members and Named Sources The Piled Arms, 820 South Esplanade St. Orange, Ca. 92869
Please submit your articles by E-Mail or direct mail. Deadline for submissions is the 12th of each month.
Members may place Non Commercial “4-Sale” or “Want” Ads in the Piled Arms Free for 90 days, without renewal. Contact Editor for “Commercial Ad” rates and information. Librarian….John Gardner….310-920-3393 BSAOCSC Regalia… Randy Ressell….714-448-1179 Web site... www.bsaocsc.org
Web master... Barry Sulkin
Front Cover Photo submitted by ; BSAOCSC stock photo, Rear cover; Internet
2
President’s Page …….. by Burt Barrett BSAOCSC FISCAL CLIFF The USA is not the only entity approaching the Fiscal Cliff. Our Club is currently having its own crisis. We currently show a membership of just over 200 paying clubmen. Dues produce most of the funding for our Piled Arms publication, which is the backbone of the Club. Our other fundraisers are our two swap meets, The “All Brit, and every other year, the North South Rally. At the Rally, we strive to break even on the catering, charging Clubmen what the Caterer charges us. This year we provided soda and water at the Clubs expense. There is also the expense of renting the Veterans Hall in Morro Bay, and the Permit. We bought raffle prizes, soda, water, ice, and chips, which took a large bite out of the revenue generated by the raffle tickets. Yearly dues generate about $5000/ per year. Costs for P/A runs about $450 per month. Flyers of course are an extra expense. This translates into at the lease a -$400 deficit. Our yearly All Brit at Hansen Dam also contributes to our shrinking Bank Account, as permits are required, and the cost goes up every year. Our Treasurer, Barry Sulkin, has managed to keep the cost of the permit down. I’m sure by now you can see where this is going. The problem is that there is a shortfall in dues. Our current bank balance is down to about 2.5 months worth of P/A publishing. Our Piled Arms is absolutely the Best it has ever been. Our Editor, Clive Brooks, has done an outstanding job, both in content, and streamlining the production of this publication. Steve O has sent out postcards urging Clubmen to bring their dues up to date, so Piled Arms can continue to serve our members. Please answer our request soon, and bring your dues up to date. I am looking forward to the New Year and the beginning of riding season. Lots of familiar rides are scheduled, some with different dates. Happy New Year to you all. Burt Barrett
Members please be aware that sometime in the next few months we will be publishing our current Membership Roster, containing your name, address, phone # and email address. If you DON’T want this information published, please call or email me . Editor
3
Editors Page:- Oilyleaks by Clive Brooks My Fellow Enthusiasts… On Sunday 9th of December there was a memorial for Cindy Rutherford at century Cycles, which I attended. The Norton club met in Los Feliz and rode to her shop, I met up with a few friends in Huntington Beach and rode up PCH to San Pedro. The event was very well attended maybe 500 bikes, and several friends and family members eulogized Cindy in a sometimes emotional, shop full of people. God Bless Cindy. Those of you who read the Presidents page, know we are on a membership drive, so please check you expiration date on the front of the envelope that your Piled Arms is mailed in. See example below: Also, if you have any friends or acquaintances who are interested in old British bikes, please recommend them to join up. Membership forms can be “downloaded” from the internet at our website,
www.bsaocsc.org, or you can contact me by email, call, or request one by post. Well it was another year with some good riding and events, we had a couple of events, that could have been timed better, and those issues have been addressed, I hope. If any of the membership have some ideas that might improve the club and increased participation, please let me know your ideas. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year. Again, I urge you all to send me your stories, articles, British Bike tech tips, photos, and commentaries for us all to share, after all this is your newsletter. Thanks again to those who have already contributed material to the Piled Arms, and I hope you continue to do so. I desperately need fresh articles to keep this going. CHECK YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DATE (see front of envelope) MAIL CHECK OR MONEY ORDER FOR $25.00 U.S. ($40.00 Overseas) Make Checks Payable To: BSAOC/SC
Mail To:
BSAOC/SC, 11125 Westwood Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230
4
I ONLY LEFT THE OIL TAP OFF ONCE ..by Art Sirota I'd been saving my dollars each day ‘ cause I wanted a BSA twin when a Gold Flash came up on E-Bay In green metal flake with cream trim I was thinking about the day's ride and my girlfriend's new blouse was cut low when I wheeled my green Beezer outside she was gassed up and ready to go In the back of my mind was a doubt was there something I'd failed to take care of? The lights and the cats were put out was there something I wasn't aware of? So I tickled both carbs, turned the key on she burbled to life - what a beauty I felt like a king - not a peon riding pillion was my little cutie Then three miles from home came a wheezing a strange sound I'd not recalled hearing it got louder and wasn't too pleasing maybe something was wrong with the steering The noise had now changed to a screeching a whining, a clank, then a roaring for the clutch I was suddenly reaching when a piston let go and went soaring That piston went higher and higher it knocked down two ducks and an eagle with the con rod it cleared the church spire and came down right on top of a beagle I So I coasted downhill in dead silence then got off when we came to a halt my girlfriend's not given to violence but she knocked me down on the asphalt The engine was smoking and hissing while I stood there in shock and sheer terror with one piston seized and one missing the oil tap was off - oops! my error! Now I rebuilt that Beezer completely and the oil line is uninterrupted so if your bike wet sumps indiscreetly just deal with it - don't be corrupted!
© 2012 Art Sirota
5
M20 and 21 A.A. R.S.O….by Barry Smith, originally printed in PA Jan 1986 The bright yellow RSOs (Road Service Outfits) were once a very familiar sight on the roads of Britain. Their khaki uniformed Automobile Association drivers provided roadside help and break-down service, for the associations membership. Displaying an A.A. badge on the front of your vehicle, would get you a salute from any A.A. patrol that you met; this being a holdover from the early days of motoring, when if you DIDN'T get a salute, it was a warning that something was amiss, usually a policeman with a stop-watch hidden in the hedgerow around the corner! After 1938 the vehicle was a BSA M20 or M21 side-valve, with a box sidecar, although there were enough differences to the standard models to justify an extra section in the illustrated parts books. Such things as engine flywheels, clutch, tank and leg-shields were peculiar to the RSO, while later models had a revised electrical system with an additional alternator and battery, to power a two-way radio system. The M models basic engine design originated in 1937 with the Val Page redesigned bottom end that relocated the magneto behind the engine and featured dry-sump lubrication. The same bottom-end was capable of handling the output of the sporting Empire Star, so that the 12-15 bhp of the not so sporting flat-heads, presented no problems and the bike was to earn an enviable reputation for longevity. Incidentally the 600cc M21 was derived the 'old fashioned' way, by STROKING the 500cc M20! The original models had girder forks and rigid frames, the side-valvers getting the 'heavy' type as their primary function in life, was sidecar haulage. The flat-head even pre WW2 was not really considered as a solo machine, but as a slogging puller of loads; however due to the preference of the army, for maintainability, the military M20 was the one BSA to stay in wartime production. BSA made ever 125,000 of them and I think a lot must have been stockpiled somewhere, recall that when the army an dispatch-riders favourite wartime bike, the telescopic forked Matchless G3 was retired n in the early sixties, its replacement (to the horror, of the D.R. s) was not a new machine, but the older girder forked M20, which had about half the fork travel and ground clearance of the G3, and could hardly be described as a cross country vehicle! In civilian guise the M20 and M21 reappeared after the war with few changes. In 1948 they acquired telescopic forks, and the front down-tube of the frame was kicked back at the engine attachment, to accommodate the different travel of the teles'. Modified bikes with teles, in girder frames, can usually be recognized by the dents in the front mudguard!
6
In 1951 plunger rear suspension became an option, and an aluminium head, was introduced. The final version of the M models appeared in 1951, with the cowled headlight and chrome paneled tank common to the BSA range that year, The M models never acquired the swing-arm frame, or the more modern gearbox from the twins, and they kept the old 'tin' primary chaincase to it the end of production, which was 1956 for the M20 and 1962 for the M21. The latter day RSOs were the latest version of the M21 finished in black with a yellow painted sidecar and fuel tank, leg-shields and large handlebar mounted windshields were fitted to give their riders some weather protection, In 1959 the Austin/ Morris Mini cars appeared on the scene, and the sidecar business was dealt a blow from which it never recovered, and even the A.A. would start to forsake their RSO's, for four wheels in 1963. They chugged on in A.A. service until 1968, when they were all finally replaced by B.M.C. Minivans, The patrolmen disappeared inside their vans, there was no more saluting for A.A, members, and it was the end of an era in more ways than one, The truth of the matter was a little less romantic (it usually is of course). The A.A. men were only too glad to come in, out of the cold and wet, and were very happy to see the back of their old RSOs! B.M.L.S.
Preview of a Coming Attraction… by Larry Luce Pete Young, a person I know from the Velocette club, maintains a blog I peruse occasionally. It is titled 'Occhio Lungo' (translation from Italian is something approximating ‘long eyes’ alluding to looking far back into the past). Apropos to that title the focus of this blog is primarily motorcycle related topics from the era of about 100 years past. I find it interesting, especially as he does many articles that deal with fabrication of parts. He also occasionally features personality profiles. I was interested to see one in which the featured subject was another of my acquaintances, Don Danmeier. For those readers who may not recognize that name, Don is a leading light in and the originator of the BSAOC in Northern California (the northern equivalent of Barry Smith in many ways). I first met Don when I signed up for a service Don organized some years ago to ship bikes to Australia. The object of that effort was to have our bikes available for participation in the BSA international rally, which was occurring in Australia that year. It turned out to be a really enjoyable trip for my wife and I and the shipping came off with no glitches. Don, like myself, also participates, on a regular basis, in the Velocette summer rally. I always enjoy it when we cross paths and I get an opportunity to speak to him . Continued on page 8
7
Preview of a Coming Attraction ….Contd from page 7 My interest was especially piqued when I read that what is currently occupying a lot of Don's time is participating in the organization of the BSA international rally for 2014. As you might guess, this rally is to be held in Northern California. I don't know any specific details yet but if you have ever considered attending this annual event this is a golden opportunity. I admit, Northern California lacks the exotic appeal of foreign locations, but the obvious up side is you can drive there in a single day so there should be no airfare or bike shipping expenses involved in attendance. Don participates in the international rally nearly every year no matter where in the world it is held. I believe he has always shipped his own bike to those events. That involves a lot of planning and expense but he enjoys the experience so much he is willing to do what it takes to make it happen. There have been many occurrences of this event where I found the venue very appealing but so far I've only managed to swing the one trip to Australia. I'm going to make every effort to attend the North Cal occurrence. For those members unfamiliar with the international rally I will give a brief description of the general format based on my one experience. It is a week long event. That said, participants come and go as suits their own schedule. The rally I attended offered a riding opportunity each day with a few coach trips offered to more remote local points of interest. There were accommodations available to suit campers and also for those who prefer a room. Meals are often, but not always, arranged by the organizers. The week concludes with a big gathering of BSAs a judging of the bikes entered in the formal show. The final feature of the event is a catered dinner with presentation of awards etc. All that will sound familiar to anyone who has ever participated in one of the major regional events that occur across this country each year. What makes this event unique is the number of foreign subscribers and the focus on BSAs. Many of the foreign participants ship a bike over. At the Australia rally there were participants from nearly every state in Australia and at least six other countries. This is a great opportunity to indulge your appetite for all things BSA, meet a lot of really nice people (and make potential foreign contacts if you travel abroad) and, I'm sure, see parts of Northern California you have never seen before under the best circumstances possible (from the seat of your BSA of coarse). For those members who may be uncomfortable with large scale social occasions this is the perfect opportunity to break some ice. At this event you will have something in common with every one else there. From personal experience I can vouch that the quickest way to attract a crowd at this type of event is to get out your tools and start fiddling with your bike. Offers of help, purveyors of unsolicited commentary and sage advice are always at hand. 2014 is still a ways off. If you are interested in attending this event I would suggest starting preparations now. You will want your bike to be well sorted and up to the task at hand. Participation in some of the local events may serve as a suitable test venue. You don’t want to miss this opportunity; I doubt the International rally will soon be this convenient again. L.D. Luce
8
BSAOC/SC “name the member contest.” Who is the club member on this old Honda in this 1962 photo? Winner wins a pat on the shoulder, slap on the back, and/or a handshake! Take all those gestures, add $2. then you can buy a cup of coffee with it.
Club members, “The Piled Arms” is limited to printing only photos on it’s pages, so, Steve Ortiz has conjured up a “you tube” website that shows member’s Brit Bike related, home videos. We have a few to view currently, and would like more. So if you have any video and want to share it with our membership please contact Steve at; …..
[email protected], or phone him at …(951) 245-5287, and he’ll walk you through the “uploading” process.
www.youtube.com/BSAOCSC
BSAOC / SC members, we are updating our e-mail list in order to contact you for any last minute changes in our calendar events, so please contact Steve Ortiz at ;
[email protected].
9
Chronometric Article….. submitted by Burt Barrett
10
11
Chronometric Overhaul
12
….Contd
13
14
Calendar of Events Dec 31 (Mon) 27th Annual Run for the Roses, meet Burger Continental, 535 S. Lake Pasadena; ride leaves at 11 am. Info- www.socalnorton.com, or call Bib at 626-791-0259
2013 Jan 13 (Sun) Umpteenth Annual Rock Store Ride; meet at Café 50s on Santa Monica Blvd (west of the 405) for breakfast and a 10 am departure up the coast through Malibu, a stop at a private collection in Camarillo and on to Mulholland – a short ride but a quintessential L.A. biking experience! Info- www.socalnorton.com, or call Bib at 626-791-0259 Jan 13 (Sun) Long Beach Motorcycle Swap-meet, Info: www.socalcycleswapmeet.com Jan 20 (Sun) * BSAOCSC “ TOLUCA LOOP” SINGLES STREET RIDEFor lovers of British and vintage single cylinder motorcycles. Meet at 9 AM at the NE corner of Griffith Park Zoo parking lot, ride at 10 AM. All British bikes are welcome, but this route is shorter, designed for BSA “441” and smaller bikes. Info: John Searock (818) 843-2892 or Steve Ortiz (951) 245-5287 Feb 24 (Sun) Long Beach Motorcycle Swap-meet, Info: www.socalcycleswapmeet.com Mar 3 (Sun) * BSAOCSC”CINDER CONE” DUAL SPORT RIDE starts in Lucerne Valley at the Highway 247 Restaurant parking lot, Junction of Hwy 247 & 18 Meet at 9 AM, ride at 10 AM. Info: Mike Haney (760) 365-9191 or Craig Rich (562) 868-9389.
15
Members only….For Sale/Wanted Rickman 500cc Twin Triumph $8500 or best offer (cash only, no trades, make offer, all offers will be considered) Built from new kit in 2000 Ceriani forks with Race Tech emulators, spare Betor forks. Progressive Suspension adjustable dampening shocks. Spare race tank and newly manufacture Lynn Wineland stock tank. Alloy rims with Rickman hubs and Buchanan stainless spokes and nipples. Modern levers and controls. 1972 Unit Triumph 500cc motor, completely rebuilt in 2000 New Surflex clutch, Open exhaust pipes (one high, one low). Two-into-one exhaust system with titanium spark arrestor muffler for District 37 GP's. Bash plate for GP's, JRC carb, Trick dual foam filter setup Boyer Power Box, battery-less, Boyer electronic analog ignition w/correct coils Stainless steel chassis hardware Converted externally to left hand shift, but possible to put back to right hand shift Currently set up for Vintage GP's but can be put back to MX setup w/low fender/open pipes Low race miles (occasional super senior rider...me and a couple of GP's by my Expert son) Excellent condition..looks fresh and runs strong Too old to ride anymore and son has no interest anymore in Vintage racing Lynn Bennett 760-949-0139
[email protected]
16
Members only… For Sale/ Wanted For Sale: 1988 Matchless G80 with 600cc electric start engine and original 500cc Rotax engine as spare. Excellent condition, only about 200 made. California licensed and registered. $5000. Barry Sulkin 310 398 6406 12/1/12 See a walk around at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDOqgxGyNuQ For Sale: BSA M-20 Girder Forks. NOS. $375 plus shipping. Call Barry @ (818) 681 0385 email:
[email protected]
1/1/13
FOR SALE: BSA Bantam built and ridden with success by Don Alfred in the early 1950’s scrambles around So California. $1500 Call Chuck Minert 951-763-2738 11/1/12
FREE ENTRANCE TO: $$$$$ LONG BEACH SWAP MEET $$$$$ $$$$ IF YOU RIDE YOUR BIKE IN $$$$ Contact: Barry Sulkin, Treasurer, for tickets 310-569-1383,
[email protected] $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
17
BSA Owners Club of Southern California
Email & Phone Directory Specialists Gold Star/Winged Wheel: Dick Newby No Email (714) 839-7072 ********** Pre Unit Twin: Clive Brooks
[email protected] (714) 771-2534 ********** Grey Porridge: (-: Position Open :-) ********** Unit Singles/B50: Jack Faria (805) 551-4982 ********** Rocket III/Trident: Burt Barrett (661) 832-6109 ********** Triumph/Sidehack: Russ Smith (818) 343-8045 ********** BSA Unit Twins: Bill Getty
[email protected] ********** Specialty Tool Consultant: Craig Rich Questions: (562) 868-9389 ********** Please make calls between 9am and 9pm 18
BSA Owners Club Regalia Baseball Caps $14 + $5 Sweatshirts $25 —$28 + $5
S&H S&H
Official BSA Owners Club “T” Shirt. Comes in Blue, Red, Grey and Black. Large, XL and XXL. Price is $20 for short sleeve and long sleeve $25. BSA Club sweat shirts are available in limited colors and sizes. Price includes shipping and handling. Take delivery at a Club gathering and save $5. Sizes and colors are limited, so place your order quickly! Contact—Randy Ressell: Regalia Coordinator Hm. (714) 448-1179, E-mail:
[email protected]
19
Nostalgic Winter’s Scene From the 50’s
