My Jawa is Older than me.
I'm Older than my Yezdi.
What's my Age?
1. 250cc
2. Kal-Aaj-Kal
3. Out of Syllabus
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Opensource Primer on How To Set Ignition Points
iknewit wouldcometothis.
for points,
'First Find Top Dead Centre'.
That is when the piston is highest. Do this by holding a long (!) bolt into the spark plug hole, after removing plug.
BE CAREFUL! ONE OF THE TOP TEN STUPID THINGS TO DO ON YEZDIS IS TO DROP THE BOLT INSIDE THE CYLINDER.
You can also remove a bent pipe and observe the piston from there. Draw markings on the piston with a marker pen if you need to. This method will require a new bent pipe copper ring gasket, so it can be costly.
To turn piston, use ring spanner on centre cam bolt. Its usually better to turn the piston clockwise, but that could just be a superstition.
Second step is to look up reccomended point Before Top Dead Centre (BTDC). BTDC is when the piston is coming up towards the sparkplug and is compressing the mixture in the cylinder.
(The mixture is transfered from the ports in the cylinder walls on either side in case of our bikes - yz, jw, cz. you can see the transfer ports bulging on the side of the cylinder base from the outside. Just look at the middle part where the fins end on either side of the cylinder. anyway, back to things that spark in the dark...)
Now do your research, find the correct setting for your bike from the various documents, manuals available at jawaclub.com; yezdiclub.com, yahoo yezdi group.
I can tell you, but in my experience these are all old bikes and each one is slightly different from the other. So exact factory settings would go out of the window if, for example, there is (free) play in your camshaft! - can be detecting by putting an o-ring spanner on bolt and rocking up and down/sideways and observing if it causes the points to move, when it is not rotating - obviously)
I have had friends not talk to me and vice versa because we differed on how to set points exactly.
In any case, this setting is to be made before TDC. If it is said as 23 degrees, then i use a compass and the spanner as my pointer, measuring backwards (anticlockwise turn on spanner) from TDC. Watchout, the piston tends to stay at TDC slightly, so that lag would have to be built into your roatation.
You could also mark the piston as it goes downwards with the marker pen through the exhaust opening . Or you could measure the long bolt you are placing through your spark plug hole. Again, be careful here.
I suggest get the gap at the spark plug to the standard 0.5, keep the points to open a the specified point Before TDC, and let it close whenever the bloody thing closes. Watch it running and you will understand that the flat side of the cam is for the points to open.
Just ensure that the gap does not open too far wide. Look at the setings specified in the jawa/model b manual at www.jawaclub.com. try that gap setting.
for points,
'First Find Top Dead Centre'.
That is when the piston is highest. Do this by holding a long (!) bolt into the spark plug hole, after removing plug.
BE CAREFUL! ONE OF THE TOP TEN STUPID THINGS TO DO ON YEZDIS IS TO DROP THE BOLT INSIDE THE CYLINDER.
You can also remove a bent pipe and observe the piston from there. Draw markings on the piston with a marker pen if you need to. This method will require a new bent pipe copper ring gasket, so it can be costly.
To turn piston, use ring spanner on centre cam bolt. Its usually better to turn the piston clockwise, but that could just be a superstition.
Second step is to look up reccomended point Before Top Dead Centre (BTDC). BTDC is when the piston is coming up towards the sparkplug and is compressing the mixture in the cylinder.
(The mixture is transfered from the ports in the cylinder walls on either side in case of our bikes - yz, jw, cz. you can see the transfer ports bulging on the side of the cylinder base from the outside. Just look at the middle part where the fins end on either side of the cylinder. anyway, back to things that spark in the dark...)
Now do your research, find the correct setting for your bike from the various documents, manuals available at jawaclub.com; yezdiclub.com, yahoo yezdi group.
I can tell you, but in my experience these are all old bikes and each one is slightly different from the other. So exact factory settings would go out of the window if, for example, there is (free) play in your camshaft! - can be detecting by putting an o-ring spanner on bolt and rocking up and down/sideways and observing if it causes the points to move, when it is not rotating - obviously)
I have had friends not talk to me and vice versa because we differed on how to set points exactly.
In any case, this setting is to be made before TDC. If it is said as 23 degrees, then i use a compass and the spanner as my pointer, measuring backwards (anticlockwise turn on spanner) from TDC. Watchout, the piston tends to stay at TDC slightly, so that lag would have to be built into your roatation.
You could also mark the piston as it goes downwards with the marker pen through the exhaust opening . Or you could measure the long bolt you are placing through your spark plug hole. Again, be careful here.
I suggest get the gap at the spark plug to the standard 0.5, keep the points to open a the specified point Before TDC, and let it close whenever the bloody thing closes. Watch it running and you will understand that the flat side of the cam is for the points to open.
Just ensure that the gap does not open too far wide. Look at the setings specified in the jawa/model b manual at www.jawaclub.com. try that gap setting.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wily writes bout Long-Distances on his Yezdi 350
T’was in the wee hours of a mildly crisp November morning that I headed out to Agroha, Hissar for a quick weekend getaway. One of the guiding reasons for making this trip was to road test Rob Roy, my Yezdi 350.
About Rob Roy: A Jawa 350 type 634 engine wedded to a Yezdi Monarch frame and only the second twin cylinder motorcycle ever to be launched in the country, like its predecessor the RD 350, the Y 350 had also failed to capture the imagination of the Indian two wheeler market. I have yet to understand why. Electrical problems have been touted as the number one reason, another weird one I have heard is that it was too heavy. Well with dry kerb weight of 152 kg it was heavier than most of its peers in almost every category. My regular steed being a Yezdi CL2 250cc single the Y- 350 had very high standards to compare with. Going forward I invite you to join me on my journey of discovery, if you please.
For a start the 350 was not a patch on Stranger so far as initial take off was concerned, but this is not about how the 350 matched up to my CL2. This is about the 350 as such which is a totally different motorcycle. Two cylinders fed by one carb, a Jikov, twin sparks, twin coils, twin CB points ignition the power train pumping out 24 bhp and oodles of mid range torque. But first the appearances,
I can honestly say it was not love at first sight when I saw Robbie parked in Anil’s work shop. It did interest me academically since it was only the second time in my life I was seeing a Yezdi 350, the first being a fleeting glimpse of one back in my hometown of Coimbatore. It did not have the seductive curvaceous beauty of the Jawa, it lacked the muscular symmetry of the CL2, the exhaust did not have the thumping roar of single which over the years I had come to love and starting was not the momentum building sequence leading up to that one decisive kick by which the bike exploded into life. Everything about the Y 350 was understated. In profile, mug shot or rear first looks failed to interest.
It took time and a greater appreciation of its inner virtues to recognize its outward graces which in hindsight are considerable. Start with a mugshot. Lurking right behind its graceful circular headlamp and wide set direction indicators is the deceptively large fuel tank and the designers did a swell job fusing it seamlessly with the side and rear panels. The paint and streamlined sticker job coming into play here. The instrument cluster is a pleasing mix of utility and aesthetics. In keeping with Ideal Jawa’s obsession with symmetry, the speedo and tacho meter pods nestle on either side of the indicator panel equipped with three lights, the top orange for the indicator, the middle blue for the neutral and the lowest for the high beam.
Right below the fuel tank beats the 350’s lion heart.
Inline twin cylinders, 175 cc each. The air cooled heads with their perfectly crafted cooling fins with the twin sparkers leading to the two ignition coils nestling on either side of the frame beneath the tank. Starting the 350 is in itself an experience which runs contrary to all our rigourous training on our 250 singles. For a start its not the pumping to build up momentum routine, it’s a few powerful push kicks that brings the engine to life, and the whole thing is powered by the battery. Like the older bullets the Y 350’s brain is the battery. A 12 volt unit which fits snugly in the compartment provided for it but which all my other Yezdis lacked gives the bike the initial juice for starting bringing the fore the muted growl reminiscent of the other famous twins that graced the country’s roads.
Soon after commencing the ride the armature which also doubles as the magneto takes over the running part, leaving the charging plate and cut off to recharge the battery. Any extra effort like honking, running the headlamps and the battery comes back into play. It’s a fool proof system and the bike gives the comfortable impression of running on and on till kingdom come. This however is an illusion and with the original electricals, it was about this time that the battery drained completely and the bike stopped leaving you wondering what hit you. What happened especially in long trips was that the carbon holders clamping the charging plate tended to melt due to heat generated by hours of long riding and stopped charging the battery. The battery would then run on manfully till it runs out of juice and the bike would stop. Most owners after initial attempts to rectify the problem simply gave up and the market for the 350 gradually vanished.
For some strange reason the company, resourceful though it was in solving so many other niggles, just couldn’t figure their way out of this one. My mechanic, the previous owner switched the original charging plate and cut off switch to that of a car’s and this simple remedy worked fine. Some of the YJ clubbies, notably Prashi and his coterie have converted the ignition system from CB points to electronic and have faced no problems since. As I was unaware of the option at the time and in any case having always been a stickler for originality, would probably have not considered the option and do not intend to either.
The slightly raised handle bar along with the seat offers an upright seating position, something that stock Yezdis and Jawas lacked. This comfortable riding position coupled with the bike’s low rev relaxed riding style, makes this one of the true cruisers born in this country. The switchboard is functional and all switches in the correct place. A light kill and start switch, a flip up and down low/ high beam switch next to it with the turn indicator and horn button just below it, all clustered on the left handle yoke, the right one being bare. The headlamp is brilliant thanks to the effective new electrical system and the indicators effective interchangeable Swiss units.
The ride? The take off is not explosive like that of the RK or the CL2 but is heartwarming in its own right. The two cylinders letting out a lions roar as you open throttle and if you push him far enough, before you know it your doing 80 on 2nd gear. This, however, is not to be recommended, for the Y 350 is like a spirited and delicate racehorse. He always responds to the throttle if geared correctly but don’t over do it. The Y-350 is a low rev bike mated to a 4 speed gear box with very high gearing ratios. The lower and higher end torque is pretty ordinary. Where he really starts to perform is in the power band which starts at around 2800 rpm. The burst of speed takes you to a nippy 110 from whence he labours to pick up further speed.
I have taken him as far as 120 kmph but somehow it seems too much of an effort. Robbie seems content to cruise all day at 110 and for the moment so am I. He returned perfectly acceptable mileage figures of 30 per litre, that with touching speeds of 120+ on more than a few occasions and steady cruising at 110, several brake stops and accelerations included. The ride was relaxed and comfortable but my seat did ache after a while. I am used to the hard seat of my CL2 and its butter soft rear suspension. The suspension on the 350 was relatively hard. But there I go again comparing the two. Like I mentioned at the start this is not a comparism between the 250 single and the 350 twin. It is a journey, a ride with me on an entirely different genre of motorcycle from what I have been riding all my life and I hope you enjoyed it.
— Wily Coyote
Facts and figures:
Date: 4th Nov 2006
Route: Delhi, Sampla, Rothak, Meham, Hansi, Hissar, Agroha 197 km
Time: 4 hours including stoppage for breakfast.
Top speed achieved: 120kmph
About Rob Roy: A Jawa 350 type 634 engine wedded to a Yezdi Monarch frame and only the second twin cylinder motorcycle ever to be launched in the country, like its predecessor the RD 350, the Y 350 had also failed to capture the imagination of the Indian two wheeler market. I have yet to understand why. Electrical problems have been touted as the number one reason, another weird one I have heard is that it was too heavy. Well with dry kerb weight of 152 kg it was heavier than most of its peers in almost every category. My regular steed being a Yezdi CL2 250cc single the Y- 350 had very high standards to compare with. Going forward I invite you to join me on my journey of discovery, if you please.
For a start the 350 was not a patch on Stranger so far as initial take off was concerned, but this is not about how the 350 matched up to my CL2. This is about the 350 as such which is a totally different motorcycle. Two cylinders fed by one carb, a Jikov, twin sparks, twin coils, twin CB points ignition the power train pumping out 24 bhp and oodles of mid range torque. But first the appearances,
I can honestly say it was not love at first sight when I saw Robbie parked in Anil’s work shop. It did interest me academically since it was only the second time in my life I was seeing a Yezdi 350, the first being a fleeting glimpse of one back in my hometown of Coimbatore. It did not have the seductive curvaceous beauty of the Jawa, it lacked the muscular symmetry of the CL2, the exhaust did not have the thumping roar of single which over the years I had come to love and starting was not the momentum building sequence leading up to that one decisive kick by which the bike exploded into life. Everything about the Y 350 was understated. In profile, mug shot or rear first looks failed to interest.
It took time and a greater appreciation of its inner virtues to recognize its outward graces which in hindsight are considerable. Start with a mugshot. Lurking right behind its graceful circular headlamp and wide set direction indicators is the deceptively large fuel tank and the designers did a swell job fusing it seamlessly with the side and rear panels. The paint and streamlined sticker job coming into play here. The instrument cluster is a pleasing mix of utility and aesthetics. In keeping with Ideal Jawa’s obsession with symmetry, the speedo and tacho meter pods nestle on either side of the indicator panel equipped with three lights, the top orange for the indicator, the middle blue for the neutral and the lowest for the high beam.
Right below the fuel tank beats the 350’s lion heart.
Inline twin cylinders, 175 cc each. The air cooled heads with their perfectly crafted cooling fins with the twin sparkers leading to the two ignition coils nestling on either side of the frame beneath the tank. Starting the 350 is in itself an experience which runs contrary to all our rigourous training on our 250 singles. For a start its not the pumping to build up momentum routine, it’s a few powerful push kicks that brings the engine to life, and the whole thing is powered by the battery. Like the older bullets the Y 350’s brain is the battery. A 12 volt unit which fits snugly in the compartment provided for it but which all my other Yezdis lacked gives the bike the initial juice for starting bringing the fore the muted growl reminiscent of the other famous twins that graced the country’s roads.
Soon after commencing the ride the armature which also doubles as the magneto takes over the running part, leaving the charging plate and cut off to recharge the battery. Any extra effort like honking, running the headlamps and the battery comes back into play. It’s a fool proof system and the bike gives the comfortable impression of running on and on till kingdom come. This however is an illusion and with the original electricals, it was about this time that the battery drained completely and the bike stopped leaving you wondering what hit you. What happened especially in long trips was that the carbon holders clamping the charging plate tended to melt due to heat generated by hours of long riding and stopped charging the battery. The battery would then run on manfully till it runs out of juice and the bike would stop. Most owners after initial attempts to rectify the problem simply gave up and the market for the 350 gradually vanished.
For some strange reason the company, resourceful though it was in solving so many other niggles, just couldn’t figure their way out of this one. My mechanic, the previous owner switched the original charging plate and cut off switch to that of a car’s and this simple remedy worked fine. Some of the YJ clubbies, notably Prashi and his coterie have converted the ignition system from CB points to electronic and have faced no problems since. As I was unaware of the option at the time and in any case having always been a stickler for originality, would probably have not considered the option and do not intend to either.
The slightly raised handle bar along with the seat offers an upright seating position, something that stock Yezdis and Jawas lacked. This comfortable riding position coupled with the bike’s low rev relaxed riding style, makes this one of the true cruisers born in this country. The switchboard is functional and all switches in the correct place. A light kill and start switch, a flip up and down low/ high beam switch next to it with the turn indicator and horn button just below it, all clustered on the left handle yoke, the right one being bare. The headlamp is brilliant thanks to the effective new electrical system and the indicators effective interchangeable Swiss units.
The ride? The take off is not explosive like that of the RK or the CL2 but is heartwarming in its own right. The two cylinders letting out a lions roar as you open throttle and if you push him far enough, before you know it your doing 80 on 2nd gear. This, however, is not to be recommended, for the Y 350 is like a spirited and delicate racehorse. He always responds to the throttle if geared correctly but don’t over do it. The Y-350 is a low rev bike mated to a 4 speed gear box with very high gearing ratios. The lower and higher end torque is pretty ordinary. Where he really starts to perform is in the power band which starts at around 2800 rpm. The burst of speed takes you to a nippy 110 from whence he labours to pick up further speed.
I have taken him as far as 120 kmph but somehow it seems too much of an effort. Robbie seems content to cruise all day at 110 and for the moment so am I. He returned perfectly acceptable mileage figures of 30 per litre, that with touching speeds of 120+ on more than a few occasions and steady cruising at 110, several brake stops and accelerations included. The ride was relaxed and comfortable but my seat did ache after a while. I am used to the hard seat of my CL2 and its butter soft rear suspension. The suspension on the 350 was relatively hard. But there I go again comparing the two. Like I mentioned at the start this is not a comparism between the 250 single and the 350 twin. It is a journey, a ride with me on an entirely different genre of motorcycle from what I have been riding all my life and I hope you enjoyed it.
— Wily Coyote
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Wily took these pix of the ride put to gether by som
L2R: Som, Raj
L2R: Akshay, Arunesh, Arjun, er bullet boy, Som, Ronnie I remember, Som, anudder bullet boy. (Som's friends. Dunno, they left early.)
the bikes L2R: Byrdflu, Rob Roy, Black Rider, Marie Clarie
the bikes L2R: Marie Clarie (Som's Model B), Black Rider, Rob Roy (Arjun's Yezdi 350cc), Byrdflu (my roadking - actually so is the Black Rider, sort of...)
the dudes L2R: Akshay, Som, onlooker, Rajamohan.
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