shovel whirr....

lo again,

Whilst enjoying plodding around on my now great starting FXS, there is but a couple of tiny nagging thoughts in my mind.

The motor seems to make a high pitched whirring sound, almost whining, which goes up and down with the speed of the engine, not road speed, regardless of clutch in or not. It doesn't sound nasty, but it is certainly noticeable. 14500 miles and I dont think it's ever been apart, so it's unlikely to be bad meshing of gears or anything like that. I know these are mechanically noisy engines, and I know that it is almost impossible to describe, but does anyone have any similar noises?

Also, 3rd to second change is VERY clunky, although I am getting better at matching the revs and avioding actual crunches. All other changes pretty good. Again, is this typical?

Is the M6 primary chain adjuster worth fitting?

Lastly, just got a rivera SU carb setup. How good are they. (I no that a harley CV is probably better, but I do like the look of the SU sooo much...

Cheers

hopefully this will be a pic of my bike...

[kevscrivener]

That whirring sound is almost certainly a Shovel set up just how it should be! Might be an idea to check your primary chain tension though.

Gearbox; it does take a bit of getting used to, try to avoid rushing the change and you'll find it gets better with practice. With that kind of mileage, assuming it's genuine, the bike is only really getting bedded in.

Tensioner; can't help you there, never fitted one. Send kiwidave a PM, he might well know.

SU carbs; had one on my first Ironhead, lovely piece of kit. Once fitted, do NOT be alarmed by the funny noises coming from it! And remember to keep the dash pot topped up with VERY THIN oil; sewing machine oil or "3-in-One" is best.

BTW, lovely looking bike. Are you coming to this wekend's Vintage do so we can all enjoy it? ;)

You'll learn more about Shovels there (and have a great time) than any number of books can teach you.

[kiwidave]

Nice bike!

I like the M6. Some do, others don't.

Your mileage may vary, etc

I would say that my last primary chain lasted about 55,000 miles with one fitted.

[hippy]

sounds like a perfectly good shovel su carbs are great as Kev said dont forget to oil the dash pot great carb an su and its a nice looking shovel

[fuz]

NEVER use anything as thick as 3 in one in an SU dashpot on a shovel. If its kicker only you'll never start it . Trust me, been there done that. Just a light spray of WD40 in the dashpot once a month during riding season is sufficient. The Rivera SU manual recommends this also. I think theres a link to it somewhere in one of Kiwi Daves posts but I can't find it.
If running points and automatic advance & retard check the bob weights are well lubricated, I use molyslip 'cos these can make a worrying whirring noise sometimes.
Good luck.

Originally Posted by kevscrivener

BTW, lovely looking bike. Are you coming to this wekend's Vintage do so we can all enjoy it? ;)

Sadly, no. Duty calls so I will have to work instead However, I will be around Helmsley on the Sunday in a couple of weeks at the MAG rally, so if any of you guys see me bike then please say hello.

Changing the subject, does anyone remember a couple of guys who used to have a company called Deluxe Cycles in Ripon N. Yorks? Helped me build a cracker of a sportster (pic), and turned out some serious bikes. I no that one of the guys went to spain, and I believe that the other may live in Masham N.Yorks. I would like to get in touch with him if poss.

[fuz]

Found 'em.
All the tech links for SU carbs are in the thread:
"SU carb for 1980 Ironhead"
In this section.
Good luck.