BSA C15 - Black Isle (75 miles)

A loop round the Black Isle via the Nigg Ferry.

[@andrewm514]

Very good video, well produced and in a beautiful environment.

[@hughferrier5837]

@@andrewm514 Thank you Andrew and thanks for your appreciation. I am blessed where I live, lots of great BSA runs.

[@mikederrick6062]

Looking for a C15 for my retirement too, your videos have persuaded me it’s the ideal bike for me not so heavy as my old Ajs Matchless bikes I used to fettle with Thanks and keep the videos coming 👍👍❤️

[@hughferrier5837]

Mike go for it. The C15 is nice and light. No one says this but I find it a nice handling little bike. Brakes aren't great but it corners well. Be prepared for buying plenty oil! Thanks for commenting.

[@jamiedavidson3801]

That's good that your feeling better, it's good to see you driving on the bike.

[@hughferrier5837]

Good for you Jamie watching a BSA film. I know you like my scooter ones. I'm feeling good and enjoying being back out on the wee bike. Thanks for commenting.

[@clarehennessey3653]

Excellent video Hugh, I found it very interesting. Good to see you looking well. Best regards, Clare.

[@hughferrier5837]

Clare you are always so kind with your comments. I'm glad you found it interesting despite my humiliation! Thanks again for commenting.

[@frankboff8185]

Glad that you have recovered well and are feeling good, another really enjoyable video, thanks for sharing Hugh.

[@hughferrier5837]

Frank, thank you for that. Despite my PSA level not dropping to zero I feel really well after my surgery. Really appreciate the comment.

[@sanclewphotographic]

Glad your feeling okay Hugh, lovely video of the real Scotland, I love to see you out and about on the old Bike, and commentary in that calming voice, Best Wishes.

[@hughferrier5837]

Thanks for taking time to comment. I'm glad you liked my wee film despite the embarrassment. I didn't feel too calm then!

[@UPTHETOWN]

The perfect bike for those lovely roads

[@hughferrier5837]

Your absolutely right. It's as if it was designed for them. Thanks for the comment.

[@solmackay]

How you must have felt leaving the ferry was how I felt leaving your driveway. I had a similar problem on one of my dirtbikes with the throttle cable outer being the wrong length slightly. It took me 2 throttle cables and a bit of shouting to sort out. Nice to see you're back on the bike! Sol

[@hughferrier5837]

Oh Sol, I could have crawled away. Don't worry about the way you left my driveway! At least it was just me and Anne watching and we are friends. Though maybe strangers might be better, at least your not likely to see them again. Thanks for commenting.

[@petermckee1061]

Thank you Hugh. I enjoyed that ride very much. Cheers, Peter.

[@hughferrier5837]

Peter, thank you for that. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@darthvirago]

Nice scenic run. The C15 is looking good. I still have a 1961 C15 I got in 1974 for £80.

[@hughferrier5837]

Thank you for that. That is wonderful and dedicated to own a C15 for that long. I would have lost patience. Respect!

[@Tonyv1951]

I wish I'd kept mine which i sold for £68 in 1973. Come to that, I wish I'd also kept the M20. Sold for £15!! It would be worth five thousand now. It was all done up in WD paint scheme with white numbers on it.

[@hughferrier5837]

Oh the wisdom of hindsight! But you do have a yearning for the bikes of the past. It would be lovely to go back in time just to have one more run on them!

[@darthvirago]

@@hughferrier5837 sadly life gets in the way and it has only been randomly on the road for about five of those years. But it is complete maybe one day I'll fix her up.

[@darthvirago]

@@Tonyv1951 bikes and spares were so cheap in the 70s I wish I'd got a shed full back then. Would be worth a few bob now.

[@TomDoughty]

Lovely Hugh.... Thank goodness the human body is much more resilient and needs less maintenance than an old C 15... Great to see you are both keeping going! :-)

[@hughferrier5837]

Thank you Tom. We chug along together and we both have our little problems.

[@overlander123]

The Black Isle is a beautiful spot, we have stayed at Balblair while holidaying from Australia.

[@morrion00]

Good to see you and the bike back on the road. 👍👏

[@hughferrier5837]

I really enjoyed the day. And the bike chugged along reliably apart from left turns! Thanks for commenting.

[@grandadsfishingboat7455]

Morning Hugh. Yet another brilliant episode! You missed you vocation as a tour guide. I really appreciate the content as it must take a lot of effort to set the ‘flybyes’ up especially the rail crossing sequence! It makes such a change from most others films of a headlight and some never ending tarmac 😂 It must be an age thing being drawn to spend time in a cemetery as I sit in the local churchyard every morning when I take my constitutional [Ithink these old bones sense something.] cant wait to get out once I,m the otherside of my op. Great to see you so upbeat and swing your leg over little Bessie with great aplomb. Kind Regards Stuart from NE England.

[@hughferrier5837]

Hello Stuart and I agree. A film that is all just from a helmet camera gets really quite tedious. Churchyards are quiet peaceful places. I love Suddie where I had my lunch. Thanks for taking the time.

[@williamnethercott4364]

Very pleased to hear that you're feeling well, best of luck with your scan. Also glad to see you're out and about on the C15. I hate doing anything with cables but no doubt you'll have it sorted out pretty quickly. Oil leaks are something else. I had to replace the return spring on the kickstarter of my AJS and ended up with a leaky gearbox but I remembered your success with Hylomar and reseated the gasket with a bit of the blue stuff. It worked, so thanks for the tip. You will get your leaky C15 fettled. Lovely video, you must have chosen the best day in September for it.

[@hughferrier5837]

William thanks again for taking the time to comment and you are always so positive. The weather has not been good here at all. I saw the forecast for the that Saturday was good and grabbed the chance. I just cannot stop my gearbox leaking and I have tried.

[@williamnethercott4364]

@@hughferrier5837 My pleasure. Is the gearbox leaking very much? I'm busy cleaning my carburettor at the moment.

[@hughferrier5837]

Hello William a carburetor is a nice job, its small and manageable! My gearbox loses quite a bit of oil and I don't know where. Oil leaked along the kickstart shaft. I got a local precision engineer to machine the inner timing cover to take an O-ring. No oil from the shaft. If I ran the engine without the outer timing cover I could see oil coming from the mainshaft bush so fitted a new bush. I have put Blue Hylomar over the gasket for the selector cover. On the other side there is a new oil seal at the sprocket. I also stopped a big leak at the sprocket that came along the output shaft with Hylomar. Still the level drops and has to be topped up. I haven't checked but after that 75 mile run I am sure the level will have dropped quite a bit. If I got on top of that I would really love the wee bike.

[@williamnethercott4364]

@@hughferrier5837 That's really irritating. Hard to see what more you could have done but I wouldn't bet against you fixing it. The rate of loss suggests somewhere low down but I'm sure you've covered that. No chance of a crack somewhere, I suppose.

[@hughferrier5837]

I don't think so but a possibility, anything is possible with this bike!

[@bsimpson6204]

Good to see you back in health and on the bike Hugh. Thanks for taking us for a run again through the Scottish countryside, it looks so pretty and peaceful, loved the ferry and the railway crossing (I used to work on the railway).

[@hughferrier5837]

Thank you for that. I am blessed where I love and owning the wee C15. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@garybiker9092]

good bit of filming ...i enjoyed the spin...

[@hughferrier5837]

Gary thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my wee adventure!

[@stockyport]

Thank you for the upload Hugh. Great scenery and nice narrative. The scenery reminds me of the years I lived at Kinloss whilst in the RAF, happy days. That was a good long trip for a C15 and it appears to run well, apart from the racing engine on left turns, but as you note that is an easy fix. Glad to hear you are healthy and enjoying life. All the best from Ontario

[@hughferrier5837]

Amazing to have someone watch from Ontario. Out Kinloss way is lovely too especially out to Findhorn. That engine really humiliated me. Thank you.

[@alanbrown5593]

Some of my family came from Cromarty, (I'm a MacKenzie) I know most of wee roads ridden. Hope you get good results You used to see lots of Dolphins at North Kessock whilst awaiting the ferry (it was almost 50 years ago !)

[@hughferrier5837]

A good Scottish name! Cromarty is lovely but is mostly occupied now by white settlers. I remember the Kessock Ferry well. Old Charlie Hinds used to guide you on and take your fare. Better times.

[@alanbrown5593]

@@hughferrier5837 So true, but if it keeps the place alive..... I well recall all the fishing nets drying along the fences/walls. My Grandmother was at a dressmakers when she saw HMS Natal explode. Apparently some want a community buy out of The Royal Hotel.

[@hughferrier5837]

To a certain extent I agree but locals are priced out of buying. My granny heard the explosion when the Natal went down. She lived at Newhall Mains not too far from Balblair.

[@alanbrown5593]

@@hughferrier5837 It is the same, across the country, both rural and urban. Locals priced out of the market, bought either as a second home or for retirement. Neither of which lead to a vibrant community

[@davidmacgregor5193]

I sold my 1959 C15 in 1983 for £65.00, I could never get it to run right, the buyer found out that the carb was oval. She replaced the carb with a better one and it ran great.

[@hughferrier5837]

David how sad for you. Even in '83 it was an old bike. Mine is a '59 but whether any part of it dates from then I don't know. It does not have the original engine. It does not even have the original frame. You could do that back then! The engine I have does not even have matching crank-case numbers. It's just a bits and pieces but it's fun when not leaking too much oil.

[@alanlake5220]

Another cracking bike ride on your C15, The throttle cable is a easy fix, apart from that bike seems to be going well, .......

[@hughferrier5837]

Thank you Alan, I did enjoy the day. Yes the throttle cable and of course leaking most of my gearbox oil!

[@audioorigami]

thinking of you buddy!

[@hughferrier5837]

John, as always you encourage. Thank you.

[@lsdt01]

Forgot to say. To stop your jacket squeaking, to make it more supple, clean off the dead flies etc and waterproof it use Hydrophane leather saddle dressing.

[@hughferrier5837]

Thank you for the advice. I do, when I remember, apply Saddlers Original Leather Dressing. Maybe I should try your Hydrophane stuff. The squeeking is aggravating.

[@borderlands6606]

Whenever I see a railway crossing like that, I imagine the crossing keeper whose job it was to man the gates. It must have been quite a busy line in the two world wars. A lonely but responsible posting, and poorly paid. That's why so many wayside halts, signal boxes and crossings kept a substantial vegetable garden, often with poultry. Gardens weren't purely cosmetic then but a necessity of life. I had a motorcycle that accelerated on turns, an MZ I think or possibly a Yamaha RD 200. The C15 sounds in rude good health otherwise.

[@hughferrier5837]

Bikes do have personality. My C15 deliberately waits to catch me out. The accelerating engine on turning the bars to the left is awful. I must do something about it before my next trip. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@Tonyv1951]

Nice to hear the engine properly again Hugh, but sorry to hear that the oil is still vanishing from the gearbox. This might be wrong, but I wonder if reverting to heavier gear oil in the box might reduce the losses? I know it may contaminate the engine oil from leakage, but it might be worth a try. I think from now dim memory that the recommendations of old (and it is fifty years since I had a C15) that gear oil was specified. Not certain on that, but I think it is right. I expect that you will be buying a new throttle cable before you get back onto the old oil problem though. Glad you are getting out on the old Beezer again and are felling so well again. Cheers.

[@hughferrier5837]

I feel like a magician. I can fill that gearbox up with oil and it just disappears. Thanks for the advice and nice comment. The manual I have recommends the same oil in the engine, primary case and gearbox. I think it would take grease in the gearbox to stop it leaking. Now there's an idea!

[@Tonyv1951]

Now there's a thing.... I note though that Volcanic Brown (of this parish) www.youtube.com/@Volcanicbrown1878/videos experienced a disaster with his old Enfield Bullet in the deep mid-winter when the grease filled gearbox ate its cogs because the grease, being cold, had been hollowed out and the cogs ran dry as a bone and wrecked themselves. Pure grease in the box works in India - those old bullets were produced there like that and even had a grease nipple (some of them). Here though, maybe a mixture of mostly grease with some gear oil would work better in our cooler weather. There are hundred of old Indian made bullets in this country whose Albion gear boxes are running in grease though. It will probably solve your problem. On the other hand - a few ml of 20/50 every few miles is not the end of the world as long as it isn't pouring out on the garage floor, or as my old beezers used to do; pouring out on my feet as I rode. My 1970s suede desert boots had a horrible film of old engine oil all over them. @@hughferrier5837

[@balmoralpjk]

Wear any Levi’s jeans in particular with your black leather greaser jacket?

[@hughferrier5837]

This has come up on my channel before. I have not worn Levis or Wranglers for many a year. When you are an old man and you have been bothered with prostate troubles for a while the last thing you want is tight stiff denim trousers! So now I go online to www.chums.co.uk where I can get nice loose trousers with growing room! The years catch up with you.

[@denlsgoulden2307]

Ah well, at least it's an easy fix, bet you were itching to change that throttle cable out 😊

[@hughferrier5837]

Yes! The engine has not been racing on hard left turns since doing that! C15s!

[@lsdt01]

Riding your C15 your locality must be the best tonic ever, I'll bet you felt great. What an excuse, "the throttle cable is too too short" come on now be truthful you were attempting a doughnut to impress the passengers. 😉 Like me you're too old for that sort of thing.

[@hughferrier5837]

Thank you for the lovely comment and for the advice for my jacket. It is wonderful to be back out on the wee bike. Oh how I wish I was trying to impress and could use that excuse. It was pure shame!

[@michaelfirth1075]

Great to see your getting better young man. Get out there on that bike and give us some more videos.😊

[@hughferrier5837]

Hello Michael and thanks again for bothering to comment. My health stopped me getting out on the bike for a while but it has really been the miserable summer we have had that is the main problem. I hope I might get another film made before autumn makes it impossible.

[@michaelfirth1075]

Hi Hugh, It’s great to see people like you and me still enjoying our love for bikes. I watch the problems you have with the C15 and it reminds me of the same trouble I had way back in 1971. But we still carry on ,once you’ve been bit by the bike bug that’s it. You keep well my friend,and keep those videos coming.

[@hughferrier5837]

Thank you Michael. I was actually out for a run on the C15 today. It was cold. My speedo stopped working again. The adjuster on the throttle cable worked itself loose and caused all sorts of problems that I thought was due to the carb, oh, and it leaked a lot of oil. Why do I love it? I will make a wee film of it. Takes time.