1950 Series C Comet - Vincent's Vincent Part 2 of 4 - a bit of a surprise!

[@AfricaTwin-Stuff]

Arrrrr. Watching this is like submersing into a warm bath. So relaxing and satisfying.

[@larrys.3992]

Just in time service interval! Thanks Mike!

[@TheDavey333]

You where lucky with the rocker, good you could save the threads, made a mess of the pushrod! Have great week, Mike 😎🧁

[@obfuscator]

Very nice, thanks for sharing. Not having new adjuster available, one could cut off damaged piece of the old one and re-thread the end. Looks like it's long enough for that. But glad you have replacement. Looking forward to the next episode.

[@mickgerard6696]

Yikes! The things we find when we’re performing antique engine archeology! That had to make a heck of a clatter! At least it appears she wasn’t run too long that way. Maybe why she was put up all those years ago. Draining, cleaning and refilling the oil system of an old engine is the greatest gift you could give to the bike, or owner for that matter. Can’t wait till the next episode. Cheers Mike. 🌞😎

[@RWayne-nu2fi]

Thoroughly enjoyable video, thanks for posting!!

[@jonathanhucker4634]

Thoroughly enjoyed video, thanks for sharing 👍 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@tomgarney7700]

The more I see you work on the Vincents, the more impressed I am with the level of maintainability engineered into the machines design. For example; pulling the push rods up thru the rocker arms. WOW!! never seen that on any bike I ever worked on. Then the rocker caps and the oil filter cap is the same wrench size!! The timing cover can be removed to inspect all the gears without having to remove additional sub assemblies. I would have really like to see the primary cover removed to see how the chain tension is maintained. But I'm sure its equally well thought out. I have always wanted to have a motorcycle that I could work on without constantly scratching my head and asking why the design engineers would make a simple task the equivalent to solving a rubrics cube. Cant wait to see the next video.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks a lot Tom. Yes it's amazing that they are 70+ years old and more for the original design. They are really enjoyable to work on and it feels like an honor to bring them back to life again. Best wishes, Mike

[@tomgarney7700]

@@TheMightyGarage Mike the Swoshdave KZbin channel posted a video of Century Motorcycles in San Pedro, Ca four days ago. It’s a video tour of their show room that. It looks like they have 5 Vincent’s sitting on their floor. If anyone in your group is looking to buy a Vincent this may be a possibility. Of course they are probably going to have a Vincent price as well. ) Good Hunting

[@havok531]

Satisfying to watch. Looking forward to the next video.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Awesome, thank you very much!

[@raypusey8037]

I’m learning something every week Mike, thanks. Ray 🇬🇧

[@mikemcallister757]

This bike is in good hands!!

[@TheMightyGarage]

Many thanks Mike!

[@christidmas8367]

Lots of surpises inside Mike!

[@johnb5519]

That was a nice trick taking the pushrod out through the rocker. I thought you were going to have to do some major disassembly. Well done, it looks like that bike is in good hands.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thank you very much John. Yes, everything works out really well in the end.

[@alanstockley391]

Proper job Mike 👍🇬🇧

[@chrislaunders8283]

The old pushrods make nice tommy bars for box spanners etc. That pushrod was damaged at the follower end, in the video as you pull it out that end is blackened and you can see the damage.

[@johnrowley4993]

Excellent video, Vincent was lucky no more damage was caused by the rocker adjuster coming loose. Looking forward to watching your future updates

[@zepelin-on-road]

During these years, you have get a nice collection of push rods, but not enough to play Mikado 😎 ! Good mechanics session, as always ! 👍

[@TheMightyGarage]

😉😉! Thank you very much!

[@geoffgreenhalgh3553]

Great close camera work. You or the owner were very lucky with you catching that rocker when you did.

[@chrislaunders8283]

Always take the oil quill out before removing the timing cover, they are really delicate and easily bent or broken.

[@tadpoles10]

Great timing or 'about time' for an inspection/oil change Mike. The rocker adjuster could have caused 'so much more' damage, pleased you were on the case in time. atvb t ..

[@billmarsh3767]

I haven't been back for a while now but glad to see your still working away on these terrific bikes. your sub count seems to be climbing slowly but you deserve so many more. I know you do it for love but lolly is good too--lol. If I lived close --you would be the man I would patronize.

[@madgardener5820]

A long time ago I worked in Stevenage and was asked to make a brass plate to be mounted on the old Vincent factory building. The Old Vincent Factory - it read. Dull I know, but it's all I've got when it comes to Vincents.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thank you very much for sharing! That is terrific. I had heard that there is a small plaque dedicated to the incredible Vincent company, this iconic motorcycle brand. Best wishes, Mike

[@norton794]

Another excellent and very enjoyable video Mike. Just goes to show you, check everything on a newly aquired bike before trying to start it. 🤞 everything else is ok.

[@gillestrombetta3019]

Très belle vidéo très bien expliquée ,super MIKE 👍

[@TheMightyGarage]

Salut Gilles! Merci encore pour votre note et pour rester en contact. J'espère que vous allez bien? J'espère que vous aurez bientôt du beau temps en La France ! Excusez mon Français! Meilleurs vœux

[@glennturnbull8568]

Thanks for the video Mike. You’ve become a Sunday morning habit here in England, but you’ve confirmed my liking for new BMW’s!

[@johnstainton9815]

Hello, that chewed push rod was due to the adjustor backing off and the push rod jumping out of the cam follower. It is a common problem, sometimes on assembly, if you miss the indent the ball end jams down the side of the cam follower. John.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thank you John. I appreciate your advice. Yes, that was a lucky break thankfully. Best wishes, Mike

[@beemergb]

I hope your clutch plates are not seized in ! Good luck

[@sf940477]

Looking forward to next week Mike , hopefully a restart.. 😆

[@alansummons776]

Hi Mike luck was on your side with the tappet adjuster, lots of guys are using atf, automatic transmission fluid in the primary side instead of oil it makes for very light clutch and smooth gear changes, but beware make sure the primary is not drip feed engine oil, another great vid

[@wdhewson]

Is that a nylon gear in the primary. I wouldn't have guessed our plastics technology was that good in the 1950s.

[@charliesharpe5004]

It wasn't!

[@Kevin-cy9cv]

Very lucky with the rocker adjuster, will you get, or can you get a new filter or just clean it?

[@steveburden1801]

Been with you from the very beginning and your camera and sound work have really progressed to a near professional level. Always love the maintenance videos. Thanks for the great content

[@TheMightyGarage]

Many thanks Steve! I really appreciate it. Yes, it has been quite a journey, hasn’t it! And a really enjoyable education along the way with all the editing, which represents a significant part of the videos, but I get a lot of fun out of making the vids. I’m glad that you continue to like the videos and hopefully there will be more to come this year. Best wishes, Mike

[@mickducati1947]

Hello Mike 😜🏍👍

[@henryhawk978]

Awesome vid Mike.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thank you very much Henry. Best wishes

[@charliesharpe5004]

G'day from Australia, Mike. As usual your videos are informative and well put together. It also helps that your enunciation is clear, so thanks. A few points. The nylon small idler may be a hand grenade. They were made about 40 years ago and I believe they were hygroscopic- i.e. they swelled up. If this happens you will lose the minimum backlash, .008" that the magneto gear needs. Next thing, did you shim up the cam pinion with the two shims under the steady plate? They are E95 and ET98/1. Lastly did you renew the two rubber seals in the timing cover and clean out the cover galleries?

[@colintawn3535]

@The Mighty Garage The title reads '1950's series Comet'. Your bike is a V twin. The Comet is a single cylinder ' bike.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Colin, I saw your earlier note as well. The video title, thumbnail and content match. The title of this video does indeed read Series C Comet and the video is about a friend's Comet single. I also have a Comet single and a Vincent Rapide twin. Please take a look at the video and you will see that there is only one cylinder on the bike in this video! Cheers, Mike

[@yds250]

Is it not possible to re straighten the push rods in a lathe with a good old thor copper mallet ?.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks. Yes, I'm sure that would have been possible. My friends would have done that but I took the easy route 😉

[@colintawn3535]

The thumbnail picture and title are incorrect. The Vincent Comet was a single cylinder 500 cc bike. This is a 1000 cc Rapids. Otherwise excellent video.

[@TheMightyGarage]

It’s all correct Colin. You might be looking at another video.

[@yds250]

What thread was the rocker arm ? BSF / UNF / BA etc. Was that nylon gear original or would it be phosphor bronze from that era. nice vid.

[@charliesharpe5004]

The thread is 1/8" B.S.P. and the original small idler was alloy. Steel is best, and is what is sold now.

[@yds250]

@@charliesharpe5004 They kept you on your toes back then with all the different British threads they could use .

[@spotsterjon74cu]

Another great video thanks. I have a question. Is the intermediate gear driving the generator made of nylon?

[@jameskwaka]

Now I have to wait for part three...sigh...

[@thakery5720]

I would say , judging by the colour of the oil and inside of the timing cover, that the oil used in it was poor quality. Cheapo oil leaves dirt deposits when it sits in an engine sump or oil tank whereas dirt stays suspended in the oil if quality oil is used - it is why some oils are better quality regardless off what you get charged for it, my favourite brand is Lucas. I also ride a bike to get the engine to 'operating temperature' before draing the oil (assuming the bike is rideable !) so as to get all the old oil (and any muck) out. When taking the engine oil tank (tranny sump) off my Harley Dyna out of curiousity I found that there was no sludge or anything there (despite it not having been done for 65k miles) as I always use good oil - when I changed the oil myself after the bike's first free service at the dealers I had noticed that there was sludge on the drain plug.......

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thank you very much for all your advice. I really appreciate it. I've passed on this information to the owner and hopefully he will be able to run the bike and clean some of these parts as part of the ongoing maintenance. Best wishes, Mike

[@donparker1823]

Another great episode. Just wondering about the tools. It appears that this bike has SAE fasteners (1/2" etc). But I would have thought that British bikes of this era used Witworth fasteners. I had to buy a few Witworth open-end wrenches (spanners) for my BSA B40 back in the 1960's. Our SAE tools absolutely didn't fit on anything on the BSA and neither did metric. So are Witworth tools in inches or some other measurement? And if they're in inches, I'm baffled why our SAE tools wouldn't fit on anything on that old B40.

[@453421abcdefg12345]

Whitworth and BSF spanners are not to a nearest size AF, they are a size which is proportional to the bolt shank size, early bolt heads were different between BSF and Whit for the same bolt diameter, that is why early spanners are marked with 2 sizes for the same spanner. Take care! Chris B.

[@donparker1823]

@@453421abcdefg12345 Thanks, I’m further embarrassed to say that I don’t know what BSF or AF is in this context. But I do appreciate the enlightenment on the Witworth tools ⚒️.

[@453421abcdefg12345]

@@donparker1823 BSF = British Standard Fine, and AF means Across the Flats, BA is British Association, BSP is British Standard Pipe, used on drain plugs etc ANC is American Course, Unified is a mix of UNC and Whitworth for War Dept purposes, (hence Unified). There are many more, but those are the most commonly used ones. If in doubt, always ask! Chris B.

[@JR-bj3uf]

I know why you keep bent push rods. It's the same reason I have a tub full of worn out Amal Concentrics.