by hennesse » Sun May 31, 2015 11:56 pm
Chad,
Re-reading your posts - you say air filter plugged up, silicone wires, spark plugs gapped incorrectly... Sounds like this bike got thrown together at the last minute. I think you need to go through the magneto and carburator yourself.
You want solid core wires. The modern "silicone" wires introduce a resistance to minimize RFI (Radio Frequency Interference). They have a fiberglass core with some carbon fiber and then conductive silicone applied. When we kick start these bikes, we are turning the mag barely above the speed where it starts to produce spark, so resistance in the wires is our enemy. Same thing for resistor-type spark plugs. The guy next to you at the traffic light may complain about static on his radio, but who cares?
You didn't say anything about the magneto points and condenser. Take a close look at the condition of the points. I'd recommend getting points and condenser from AEI - I had problems with points I got from another source - they started pitting almost immediately. I've also had problems with points for old tractors - seems like all the points these days are coming from China, and sometimes you get good ones, sometimes not. One set I got for my 1954 Ford tractor pitted and burned in two weeks. I got a set from another auto parts store, and they've lasted two years and are still going strong.
The points need to be gapped at .015 on the high point of the small (front) lobe. The gap inevitably changes as you tighten down the screws, so it will take several attempts to get them dead on at .015, but that's what it must be. There's no "close enough" here.
Timing needs to be done as described in the service manual. It's easier if you can tie down the bike, and raise the rear wheel with a floor jack. Put the bike in gear and turn the rear wheel - in the direction that it goes when going forward - to turn the engine. It's really hard to turn the engine small amounts by hand-moving the kickstarter.
The service manual describes using a "timing light" which is simply a battery and a light bulb - not the stroboscopic light we used to use on our Chevy 283s and 327s. The book tells you to disconnect the coil wire from the points before doing this, and it's important because hooking a battery to the mag can damage the coil.
You should have a fixed magneto on a '64. Set the timing and cinch down the magneto - don't move it around. Yeah, it's a little harder to kick it with the timing advanced, but at least you know it's in the right place. If the points and timing are correct, you shouldn't have any problem with kick-back.
You probably want to check the setting of the idle and high speed jets, and the float level in the carburator. You won't know if they were set right until you check 'em yourself.
You mentioned kicking for 45 minutes. WRONG! The cold start procedure is: choke closed, throttle 1/4 open, kill button pressed, two kicks to prime. Then choke open 1/4 to 1/2, throttle barely open, kill button released, "start engine with vigorous strokes". If it hasn't started by 8 kicks, it's time to take a break. Open choke and throttle completely, hold kill button and kick a couple times to clear the cylinders. Take a break. Then begin the procedure all over again. Your first kick is the strongest - after 8 kicks, they're already weaker. Think of the XLCH as a 16d nail. You can hit that nail with a tack hammer until the cows come home, but it ain't going anywhere. But give it a couple good whacks with a 28oz framing hammer, and it's driven home.
Let us know about your progress.
Dave