Somender Singh
to me
show details
Sep 28 (2 days ago)
Thanks Arunesh,
There is enough about grooving 2 stroke heads on my site & elsewhere on the net ~ check the forum for 2 stroke mods. That's about it as far as grooving goes.
I have had an overdose of Yezdis all my life no amount of suggestions made any sense to the senseless who ran the company. There is no sign of anything left at Mysore.
i am really busy with marketing my invention to the big 5 hence palying around with the yezdis is forgotten story. ( maybe Nanjappa will remember what i did to his winning bikes )
All the best in restoring jawas and yezdis.
sing !!!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Jerry Pinto in Hindustan Times writes about motorcycles from a car seat
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=cc38c824-a59d-49a4-97e5-684efc218a51&&Headline=The+Motorcycle+Diary
The Motorcycle Diary
Jerry Pinto
July 22, 2007
"...The motorcycle has always been a phallus substitute. Even if you think Freud was a dirty old boy with his mind in the toilet, you have to only look at the way that these machines have been marketed to know that there is a deep grammar connection between the idea of masculinity and the motorcycle. The car now seems like some old man’s idea of an extended self. This here bike, steel-hard, inner-thigh-hot, vibrating deeply, protruding from between your legs? Sounds like something familiar?
[ever heard of seat-of-the-pants? - Arunesh]
You might argue that masculinity has been redefined in the last twenty years, that it is now about responsibility and stewardship and keeping the promises you make. Tell that to a young man who can’t think beyond his testosterone.
Thus the cinematic cliché of the woman who peels off her helmet to reveal a mane of flowing hair — her breasts have been disguised by clever camera angles in her hunched stance on the bike — always plays with the notion of gender. Not what you expected, right?
But at least, she’s young and bodacious.
Imagine if a little old lady shook her salt-and-pepper curls out of the helmet.
That would be unthinkable.
[equally unthinkable as the fact that motorcycle clothing is primarily protective and if it is androgen den why call it a cliche? - Arunesh]
After all, the motorbike is also associated with youth. Think back to Marlon Brando as Johnny, the leader of a biker pack. Halfway through The Wild One (1953, dr László Benedek), someone asks Johnny, “What are you rebelling against? His answer has the iconic quality of a quotable quote. “Whatcha got?” he sneers. The bike film got bigger in Easy Rider (1969, dr Dennis Hopper), with two young men sashaying their way through America, redefining what the continent meant, showing it to be a nation of dropouts and drug lust and thoughtless violence. [went to sleep all four times i tried to watch easy rider and i can vouch for the fact that the only thing a sashaying bike signifies is 'fishtailing' - Arunesh] And from there, on and on, past many deaths and much screeching sound effects to The Motorcycle Diaries (2004, Walter Salles) with Gabriel Garcia Bernal playing Che Guevara. The association between youth and the counter-culture and the motorbike continues.
Granted, young men will always lust after motorbikes. Death is always a subtle and seductive mistress to the adolescent because life, in the form of good loving sex has not had its chance, to make a claim. Our social structures are also geared to help them prefer death to life. Which do you think is the four-letter word a child should not use? Give you a hint. It’s a verb, transitive. Did you think of the verb ‘to kill’? To threaten someone with death is not transgressive. To mention death is not a social solecism. It is common for a child to say, “I’ll kill you if you tell her what I told you” or ”I’ll kill you if you mess with my comics” and no parent will twitch. The F word however brings on recriminations and tears and horror.
And so on the roads of every major metropolis and B town, there is a bunch of tearaways who are generally all-but virgins. As they rip through traffic, as they throw themselves into the wind, the older, the wiser shake their heads and wonder at how cheap life seems to be to them.
Especially surgeons. I was driving with one when a young man on a motorcycle cut in front of us.
“Donorcycles,” he said. “We call them donorcycles.”
“Would a helmet help?”
“Of course it would. But you have to have it on. Your pillion should have one on too. Or you might end up dead. Why don’t you guys write about this?”
I have.
(The writer is the author of Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb)
The Motorcycle Diary
Jerry Pinto
July 22, 2007
"...The motorcycle has always been a phallus substitute. Even if you think Freud was a dirty old boy with his mind in the toilet, you have to only look at the way that these machines have been marketed to know that there is a deep grammar connection between the idea of masculinity and the motorcycle. The car now seems like some old man’s idea of an extended self. This here bike, steel-hard, inner-thigh-hot, vibrating deeply, protruding from between your legs? Sounds like something familiar?
[ever heard of seat-of-the-pants? - Arunesh]
You might argue that masculinity has been redefined in the last twenty years, that it is now about responsibility and stewardship and keeping the promises you make. Tell that to a young man who can’t think beyond his testosterone.
Thus the cinematic cliché of the woman who peels off her helmet to reveal a mane of flowing hair — her breasts have been disguised by clever camera angles in her hunched stance on the bike — always plays with the notion of gender. Not what you expected, right?
But at least, she’s young and bodacious.
Imagine if a little old lady shook her salt-and-pepper curls out of the helmet.
That would be unthinkable.
[equally unthinkable as the fact that motorcycle clothing is primarily protective and if it is androgen den why call it a cliche? - Arunesh]
After all, the motorbike is also associated with youth. Think back to Marlon Brando as Johnny, the leader of a biker pack. Halfway through The Wild One (1953, dr László Benedek), someone asks Johnny, “What are you rebelling against? His answer has the iconic quality of a quotable quote. “Whatcha got?” he sneers. The bike film got bigger in Easy Rider (1969, dr Dennis Hopper), with two young men sashaying their way through America, redefining what the continent meant, showing it to be a nation of dropouts and drug lust and thoughtless violence. [went to sleep all four times i tried to watch easy rider and i can vouch for the fact that the only thing a sashaying bike signifies is 'fishtailing' - Arunesh] And from there, on and on, past many deaths and much screeching sound effects to The Motorcycle Diaries (2004, Walter Salles) with Gabriel Garcia Bernal playing Che Guevara. The association between youth and the counter-culture and the motorbike continues.
Granted, young men will always lust after motorbikes. Death is always a subtle and seductive mistress to the adolescent because life, in the form of good loving sex has not had its chance, to make a claim. Our social structures are also geared to help them prefer death to life. Which do you think is the four-letter word a child should not use? Give you a hint. It’s a verb, transitive. Did you think of the verb ‘to kill’? To threaten someone with death is not transgressive. To mention death is not a social solecism. It is common for a child to say, “I’ll kill you if you tell her what I told you” or ”I’ll kill you if you mess with my comics” and no parent will twitch. The F word however brings on recriminations and tears and horror.
And so on the roads of every major metropolis and B town, there is a bunch of tearaways who are generally all-but virgins. As they rip through traffic, as they throw themselves into the wind, the older, the wiser shake their heads and wonder at how cheap life seems to be to them.
Especially surgeons. I was driving with one when a young man on a motorcycle cut in front of us.
“Donorcycles,” he said. “We call them donorcycles.”
“Would a helmet help?”
“Of course it would. But you have to have it on. Your pillion should have one on too. Or you might end up dead. Why don’t you guys write about this?”
I have.
(The writer is the author of Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb)
Monday, August 6, 2007
Google Torque
me: Hi, gud evening, hope I not disturbing u
arunesh: nope
me: I cleaned the Jikov carb yesterday & the reason for excessive smoke was that It was set at 4th notch from top
arunesh: which means the needle was set to ride lower in the slide?
me: I now have set it to second notch from top of needle now it doesn’t smoke as much
arunesh: oh ok
listen, needle is just for amount of mixture and still has nothing to do with the smoke
me: but could it be that more oil & petrol mixture was supplied than the amount of air getting in?
Ok, I also want to know a method where excessive carbon from the engine can be removed
arunesh: listen, you have put oils of different types
me: since I have ridden the bike with lot of carbon & smoke & it’s a new engine?
arunesh: will take time to burn off, and when it does, where do you thing it will go - in carbon and smoke, of course
me: no I have used only castrol 20w40 with petrol & at a 50ml per liter
arunesh: mustard oil?
me: just 10 drops
arunesh: bring oil ratio down to 25ml per liter
me: but it’s a new engine rite
arunesh: 100 ml plastic corex cough syrup plastic bottle equals 4 liters amount
me: ok that’s a good measure I shall do that from now on
I will measure using the cough syrup bottle
arunesh: 50 is far too much
either stop worrying about new piston and concentrates on smoke, or leave extra oil in petrol and ignore smoke. seems to me you are trying too many things at once - not scientific enough
back in 10 mins
me: ok
arunesh: so?
me: see I now need ur view what I should be doin That’s Why i am asking u what should be my action?
more fuel mixture or less smoke?
arunesh: simple, if bike starts, ride it
takes time to settle after major surgery – heart transplant
bring oil down to around 25 for sure
me: yaa no starting prob, but spark plg needs frequent cleaning,
arunesh: it will spare your plugs from oil fouling
me: Ok oil 25ml
arunesh: exactly, simplest to carry extra plug in pocket
pop in the new one and clean araam se
is the piston noisy?
saw points
me: Yaa how’s it?
arunesh: need more info
we will keep talking, relax
like i said, bike starts okay, 50 of problem solved
me: ok any time u r having time is ok with me
arunesh: then if say you find there is less top speed, more pick up on one setting, you make note of that, go back and try the other way, and make note of changes in performance
slowly you build up a bank of knowledge
understand why i want you to go out and ride your bike?
me: yaa i shall do it
I have not the settings after I do change the points settings
arunesh: but please, do not touch things without first reading, searching online, and learning about it.
me: should i do thast?
arunesh: obviously,
for example, you think the air is controlled by the needle, you bloody fool, and the needle goes into the main jet at the bottom of the carb. i called you a bloody fool, because if you had sat for 2 hours JUST looking at it, you would see it
for air, you have seen the curve cut into the slide on the filter side? ?
also save these conversations
put them on your blog
me: I know that I am saying the mixture won’t be right
arunesh: okay about mixture, young paduwan (star wars) but you still have lot to learn about how a carb works
relax, I meant share the info with others and help fellow y-bikers
you don’t have to blo for my sake :)
anyway
arunesh: the air, my dear is controlled by the cable adjustment screw on the top
That decides how high the cutaway on the slide is and how much air is coming into the carb
are you following me?
let me put it this way
when carb is flooded
you open to full throttle and turn of fuel and kick, right?...?
or open plug and kick to clear extra fuel in cylinder or carb
on full throttle
me: Yes I have removed the spark plug to clear the excess fuel
arunesh: what I want to say is that the air for the fuel goes in from the small hole at the bottom of the carb passage, where it joins the rubber boot. Right?
me: Yaa I have seen two small holes
arunesh: good, you have been looking at the carb:)
me: :)
arunesh: those holes are controlled by the two screws on the side of the carb( not the one at the bottom, which adjusts the idling)
me: ok one is with a spring tension & other is like a screw
arunesh: one screw has no spring on it, it should ALWAYS BE FULLY SHUT [Jikov carbs specifically]
it is the air screw
the one with the spring is the fuel/air MIXTURE screw
me: Ok i have kept it slightly open
arunesh: turn it in for more petrol, turn out for more air in mix
me: the first screw
arunesh: are you following me?
the spring one on the side is the mixture screw
me: Ok i have to turn the screw with spring to control
arunesh: the one which juts out (not the one at the bottom which also has a spring - there are only two with springs)
me: ok got it
arunesh: hey, do you have a carb before you right now?
me: I know bottom is for idling
Yaa i have
arunesh: by the way,. on the rx100, the screw is the opposite, turn out for more fuel, in for more air
okay, now the setting for this mixture screw is ...
...
...
...
...
...
...
me: ya
arunesh: ...
suspense...
....
...
...
:)
me: tell me please
arunesh: 1 and a half to 1.85 turns out from fully closed
then you do two steps to further tune
1. bring idling down
2. turn mixture screw IN OR OUT just a small fraction, whichever way makes the engine speed up so that the low idling does not make it shut down (you have to be prepared for kicking, tuning, kicking, tuning, etc)
arunesh: 3. repeat steps 2 and 3
the idea is to find the lowest idling for the mixture
arunesh: Got it?
sleeping?
me: no i am reading twice to follow
arunesh: thisishowall carbs are tuned in same 2 steps
me: ok 1 1/2 twist & get idling down with idling screw
arunesh: there are 3 rules/dangers
ready?
me: ok
arunesh: i hope you are saving this stuff
me : yes it gets save automatically
arunesh: good, mail it to me tomorrow
me: ok
arunesh: I'll put it up at yezdidiaries.blogspot.com
me: yaa pls do that
arunesh: 1, Do not touch your carb!
Too Many idiots fiddle with whatever they are given that can be played with - the carb is a very difficult thing and is designed by engineers who are way, way above those who design the rest of the engine
me: ok
arunesh: therefore ONLY touch your carb after you are sure all other systems are running fine
the mechanical and moving parts system
the electrical system
there are 3 systems on a bike
the third is the fuel system
me: ok
arunesh: 2. Two strokes don’t usually idle properly
they hunt and peck at the fuel and miss a beat here and there
me: ok
arunesh: Listen for (magic word) the "beat" of the engine - 19 or whatever, akshay is brilliant at tuning the beat
that’s why we work.
3. Do not let the two-stroke engine four-stroke!
me: yes i have noticed that He tell me all stuff i need
to check
arunesh: I once made the mistake of pulling my first bikes idling so far back that it was four-stroking!
me: how do u notice that it is four stroking?
arunesh: You need to research and read and spend more time in the library before you understand number 3.
but it is a danger!
still, you must suffer for your own actions
and your bike too
me: ok i shall do some research & read more books
arunesh: so spend some time in the library and come back in a day or two with your learning and we shall close the topic
me: Before I do some thing I take advice
arunesh: but please, do one system at a time
me: ok I shall always do that
arunesh: notice, i stayed away from topic of points?
me: yes u never touched that topic ,,
of points
only last time u scrapped me
arunesh: because you seem to be doing things to the carb and i need to stop you from that
If bike starting properly, points can wait a bit
you must have done something right there :)
me: no only yesterday I changed the setting the settings of carb never touched since two months
Yaa had replaced the points after July 7th ride as I tried to set it right & broke one of the terminals
of the points
arunesh: i like the black out look of your bike
me: Thanks, Iove color black
arunesh: been fighting with akshay to let me make one roadking all black, except for the engine and the logo plates
sick of cleaning old chrome
besides, have you noticed, our bikes looks sexy after sunset?
me: but black is more difficult to maintain as every dust is more visible
arunesh: easy to touch up scratches and all
use the engine spray paint that they use for cars. its yellow can with heatproof paint
paint
matt finish like blackboard paint
black nail polish is also good for touch ups
comes with built in brush in bottle :)
me: ok, this i need to try as the tank has scratches
:)
arunesh: let it be, wear your scars with pride
some times i don’t understand why everyone wants an old bike to look like it just came out of a showroom, on one level, it is a totally fake look
me: Engine is done with mat finish
12:34 AM arunesh: That attitude is called 'rustoration' and is different from 'restoration'
me: No for me I wanted black as it looks good
arunesh: means engine must run and be factory spec, and clean but let the age and dignity show in the scars and paint
12:35 AM me: u can see my bikes old paint in orkut album I have it
yaa old look makes the bike more dignified & i believe in that
-- Regards Abhijith.V
arunesh: nope
me: I cleaned the Jikov carb yesterday & the reason for excessive smoke was that It was set at 4th notch from top
arunesh: which means the needle was set to ride lower in the slide?
me: I now have set it to second notch from top of needle now it doesn’t smoke as much
arunesh: oh ok
listen, needle is just for amount of mixture and still has nothing to do with the smoke
me: but could it be that more oil & petrol mixture was supplied than the amount of air getting in?
Ok, I also want to know a method where excessive carbon from the engine can be removed
arunesh: listen, you have put oils of different types
me: since I have ridden the bike with lot of carbon & smoke & it’s a new engine?
arunesh: will take time to burn off, and when it does, where do you thing it will go - in carbon and smoke, of course
me: no I have used only castrol 20w40 with petrol & at a 50ml per liter
arunesh: mustard oil?
me: just 10 drops
arunesh: bring oil ratio down to 25ml per liter
me: but it’s a new engine rite
arunesh: 100 ml plastic corex cough syrup plastic bottle equals 4 liters amount
me: ok that’s a good measure I shall do that from now on
I will measure using the cough syrup bottle
arunesh: 50 is far too much
either stop worrying about new piston and concentrates on smoke, or leave extra oil in petrol and ignore smoke. seems to me you are trying too many things at once - not scientific enough
back in 10 mins
me: ok
arunesh: so?
me: see I now need ur view what I should be doin That’s Why i am asking u what should be my action?
more fuel mixture or less smoke?
arunesh: simple, if bike starts, ride it
takes time to settle after major surgery – heart transplant
bring oil down to around 25 for sure
me: yaa no starting prob, but spark plg needs frequent cleaning,
arunesh: it will spare your plugs from oil fouling
me: Ok oil 25ml
arunesh: exactly, simplest to carry extra plug in pocket
pop in the new one and clean araam se
is the piston noisy?
saw points
me: Yaa how’s it?
arunesh: need more info
we will keep talking, relax
like i said, bike starts okay, 50 of problem solved
me: ok any time u r having time is ok with me
arunesh: then if say you find there is less top speed, more pick up on one setting, you make note of that, go back and try the other way, and make note of changes in performance
slowly you build up a bank of knowledge
understand why i want you to go out and ride your bike?
me: yaa i shall do it
I have not the settings after I do change the points settings
arunesh: but please, do not touch things without first reading, searching online, and learning about it.
me: should i do thast?
arunesh: obviously,
for example, you think the air is controlled by the needle, you bloody fool, and the needle goes into the main jet at the bottom of the carb. i called you a bloody fool, because if you had sat for 2 hours JUST looking at it, you would see it
for air, you have seen the curve cut into the slide on the filter side? ?
also save these conversations
put them on your blog
me: I know that I am saying the mixture won’t be right
arunesh: okay about mixture, young paduwan (star wars) but you still have lot to learn about how a carb works
relax, I meant share the info with others and help fellow y-bikers
you don’t have to blo for my sake :)
anyway
arunesh: the air, my dear is controlled by the cable adjustment screw on the top
That decides how high the cutaway on the slide is and how much air is coming into the carb
are you following me?
let me put it this way
when carb is flooded
you open to full throttle and turn of fuel and kick, right?...?
or open plug and kick to clear extra fuel in cylinder or carb
on full throttle
me: Yes I have removed the spark plug to clear the excess fuel
arunesh: what I want to say is that the air for the fuel goes in from the small hole at the bottom of the carb passage, where it joins the rubber boot. Right?
me: Yaa I have seen two small holes
arunesh: good, you have been looking at the carb:)
me: :)
arunesh: those holes are controlled by the two screws on the side of the carb( not the one at the bottom, which adjusts the idling)
me: ok one is with a spring tension & other is like a screw
arunesh: one screw has no spring on it, it should ALWAYS BE FULLY SHUT [Jikov carbs specifically]
it is the air screw
the one with the spring is the fuel/air MIXTURE screw
me: Ok i have kept it slightly open
arunesh: turn it in for more petrol, turn out for more air in mix
me: the first screw
arunesh: are you following me?
the spring one on the side is the mixture screw
me: Ok i have to turn the screw with spring to control
arunesh: the one which juts out (not the one at the bottom which also has a spring - there are only two with springs)
me: ok got it
arunesh: hey, do you have a carb before you right now?
me: I know bottom is for idling
Yaa i have
arunesh: by the way,. on the rx100, the screw is the opposite, turn out for more fuel, in for more air
okay, now the setting for this mixture screw is ...
...
...
...
...
...
...
me: ya
arunesh: ...
suspense...
....
...
...
:)
me: tell me please
arunesh: 1 and a half to 1.85 turns out from fully closed
then you do two steps to further tune
1. bring idling down
2. turn mixture screw IN OR OUT just a small fraction, whichever way makes the engine speed up so that the low idling does not make it shut down (you have to be prepared for kicking, tuning, kicking, tuning, etc)
arunesh: 3. repeat steps 2 and 3
the idea is to find the lowest idling for the mixture
arunesh: Got it?
sleeping?
me: no i am reading twice to follow
arunesh: thisishowall carbs are tuned in same 2 steps
me: ok 1 1/2 twist & get idling down with idling screw
arunesh: there are 3 rules/dangers
ready?
me: ok
arunesh: i hope you are saving this stuff
me : yes it gets save automatically
arunesh: good, mail it to me tomorrow
me: ok
arunesh: I'll put it up at yezdidiaries.blogspot.com
me: yaa pls do that
arunesh: 1, Do not touch your carb!
Too Many idiots fiddle with whatever they are given that can be played with - the carb is a very difficult thing and is designed by engineers who are way, way above those who design the rest of the engine
me: ok
arunesh: therefore ONLY touch your carb after you are sure all other systems are running fine
the mechanical and moving parts system
the electrical system
there are 3 systems on a bike
the third is the fuel system
me: ok
arunesh: 2. Two strokes don’t usually idle properly
they hunt and peck at the fuel and miss a beat here and there
me: ok
arunesh: Listen for (magic word) the "beat" of the engine - 19 or whatever, akshay is brilliant at tuning the beat
that’s why we work.
3. Do not let the two-stroke engine four-stroke!
me: yes i have noticed that He tell me all stuff i need
to check
arunesh: I once made the mistake of pulling my first bikes idling so far back that it was four-stroking!
me: how do u notice that it is four stroking?
arunesh: You need to research and read and spend more time in the library before you understand number 3.
but it is a danger!
still, you must suffer for your own actions
and your bike too
me: ok i shall do some research & read more books
arunesh: so spend some time in the library and come back in a day or two with your learning and we shall close the topic
me: Before I do some thing I take advice
arunesh: but please, do one system at a time
me: ok I shall always do that
arunesh: notice, i stayed away from topic of points?
me: yes u never touched that topic ,,
of points
only last time u scrapped me
arunesh: because you seem to be doing things to the carb and i need to stop you from that
If bike starting properly, points can wait a bit
you must have done something right there :)
me: no only yesterday I changed the setting the settings of carb never touched since two months
Yaa had replaced the points after July 7th ride as I tried to set it right & broke one of the terminals
of the points
arunesh: i like the black out look of your bike
me: Thanks, Iove color black
arunesh: been fighting with akshay to let me make one roadking all black, except for the engine and the logo plates
sick of cleaning old chrome
besides, have you noticed, our bikes looks sexy after sunset?
me: but black is more difficult to maintain as every dust is more visible
arunesh: easy to touch up scratches and all
use the engine spray paint that they use for cars. its yellow can with heatproof paint
paint
matt finish like blackboard paint
black nail polish is also good for touch ups
comes with built in brush in bottle :)
me: ok, this i need to try as the tank has scratches
:)
arunesh: let it be, wear your scars with pride
some times i don’t understand why everyone wants an old bike to look like it just came out of a showroom, on one level, it is a totally fake look
me: Engine is done with mat finish
12:34 AM arunesh: That attitude is called 'rustoration' and is different from 'restoration'
me: No for me I wanted black as it looks good
arunesh: means engine must run and be factory spec, and clean but let the age and dignity show in the scars and paint
12:35 AM me: u can see my bikes old paint in orkut album I have it
yaa old look makes the bike more dignified & i believe in that
-- Regards Abhijith.V
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Back To School
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
I'm Older than my Yezdi.
What's my Age?
1. 250cc
2. Kal-Aaj-Kal
3. Out of Syllabus
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.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
8th July is Jawa day!
Old bikes never die. They live on memories long after the paintwork on them has faded from years of storage in dusty old garages across India.
Entire generations of our fathers, brothers, uncles have cut their teeth on one such bike.
A BIKE THAT COMMANDS RESPECT AND GENUINE, HEARTFELT RESPECT, EVEN TODAY.
As ever, we delve into the origins of the venerable Yezdi and the earlier version, the equally distinguished Jawa 250cc.
July 8 is going to be celebrated internationally by all Jawa owners who will congregate and ride their bike.
That's right!
July 8 is Jawa Day.
So please pull out your old Yezdi & Jawas and bring them onto the roads on July 8.
Entire generations of our fathers, brothers, uncles have cut their teeth on one such bike.
A BIKE THAT COMMANDS RESPECT AND GENUINE, HEARTFELT RESPECT, EVEN TODAY.
As ever, we delve into the origins of the venerable Yezdi and the earlier version, the equally distinguished Jawa 250cc.
July 8 is going to be celebrated internationally by all Jawa owners who will congregate and ride their bike.
That's right!
July 8 is Jawa Day.
So please pull out your old Yezdi & Jawas and bring them onto the roads on July 8.
The Lost Stallion/The Black Rider Touches 119kph on Stock After 16 Years
we live and we breathe through two nostrils that need to be bigger if we try and do harder work.. Night curves and your foot swings free of the pedal as you swerve through traffic, all lightness and grace bestowed by the motor humming between your knees. She won’t let you down, you’ve been in conversation with her for two weeks prior to this ride. 3rd gear tops at 84kph. Top speed doubles is 110kph. Cars coming up fast, lanes that were longer seem to be all diagonal swathes across gaps that must be predicted as closing gaps. Cut back and let the left hand go at 80. Child’s play, physical memory, I’ve held this so long I’ve got to calling it home/second nature/easy. All memories strung out in a white wake of smoke. The stodgy yezdi delivered it’s own factory modified version and that was the road er, king.
[UPDATE: Since then, last saturday, on a ride organised by Som, we found that one could shift out of third at 96. Unfortunately top speed was clocked at 119 with a change from third to fourth gear at around 85-86kph. Every body say hello to
'The Black Rider' (ref 2 Tom Waits)]
ANY WAY
here are pix of the ride
turnout: 3Yez3Bullets (nice road for it, eh dudes?)
som & raja
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