W/E 21st December

I couldn’t believe it as I rolled to a halt for the fourth Monday in a row! The Atlas had been running sweetly and I had just wondered if this was going to be the week I had no problems and it dies. No lights or power and a quick check showed a blown fuse. I called Mrs A to drive out with more fuses (I was only 10 miles from home) and set to checking the electrics again. I couldn’t see anything and kept blowing fuses and then I checked the power wire to the starter motor – bingo! The connection was loose but more importantly the nut holding it to the starter was loose which meant a dead short inside the starter motor. I tightened it all up with a 10mm spanner and there it was fixed 🙂

The Atlas ran in and out of London all week, including Saturday but it was making a right old racket in the motor like something was loose. The other problem was the front brake which seemed both a bit weak but also the pulse suggested a warped disc. Plenty to do on Sunday then…

Oops should have tightened this properly

First up it was off with the alternator cover and there was a loose crankshaft nut. I’d suspected this because I had only used loctite and no tab washer when assembling it. More loctite and this time I bent the corner of the washer over. Job done.

Marks on the back of the calipher

Next up was the front brake. I decided to take it off and intended to split the calipher but the bolts held fast and I suspect the allen heads are a slightly weird size (typical of a late 80’s motorcycle with lots of car size heads e.g. 12 and 14mm). I could see the pistons weren’t really moving so applied a combination of heat and WD40 to get some movement. Put the calipher back on and bled it through and adjusted the free play at the bar. It all seems a lot better but there is some drag on the disc. The other thing I noticed is the back of the calipher appears to have been rubbed – the spokes are very close but didn’t appear damaged. Hmmmm. A shakedown roadtest tomorrow is required before the final couple of days before Christmas.

Nick 🙂