Eelco's Darmah

Since I don't yet have all the bits and experience tells me that things may not go exactly to plan, I will bear that in mind Mr Paddy!
 

Fitted coils today in what looks like acres of space under the headstock. The metal cable contacts that I had in stock are not a tight fit in the coils so I've sent for some more from the Green Spark Plug Company. I started to make a stiff bracket to hold the Rita Unit but was beaten back indoors by the cold, snow and looming darkness.
 


Made a plate to fasten the Rita-to. It's big enough to fasten other things to as well, maybe a water-shield. I'll crack on with wiring it up when I get back after the weekend. Does anybody know if ritas work ok with 5ohm plug caps or do they need plain ones?
 
MM, I'd read that, too. I have a pair of Champion suppressed caps which I don't think count as 'cheap' but I'll have a look for some non-suppressed ones. Thanks
 
Fresh air. Having used the very thick alloy which was in my scrap boxcut, I cut out the lightening holes, then didn't want to chop it up when I realised that the Rita box hit the frame bracket, so I just drilled two more holes and moved it all forwards!
 
A huge thank you to DucatiPaddy who sent me a Rita nut in the post today. Yet another reminder of the great way in which some notable people conduct their business. Thanks, paddy.
 
MMT came round this afternoon and has offered to make me a camshaft holding tool if I can find out the centre to centre distance from the camshaft itself to one of the holes in the 'cam'. I don't suppose anyone has a scale drawing of a cam anywhere or one they can measure up?
 
Martin, i have cams in stock, drop me a email with exactly the dimension you are looking for, Dont forget most later Darmahs don't have the lightening holes in the cam. I have them with and without.
 
Thanks Paddy. My motor is from 76 and was one of the last ones before the head changed to wider-spaced manifold studs, so it has the lightening holes, which I aim to use. I'll PM you
 
Finally got outside today and used a top tip from Dr Paddy to hold the cam whilst I changed the cam nut for the special Rita one. he reminded me that it is a left hand thread, for which small act of thoughtfulness I will be eternally grateful. I refitted the battery, installing flying leads that came with the charger and everything works except the starter so next time I get out I'll investigate that.
 
And what I hope you still need from me is packaged up, should have gone on Friday but for the long queue and will go tomorrow morning. Sorry about the long delay.
 
haha! with all the rain and other stuff I've had to do: driving muscle cars, cutting ribbons to open new paths, writing a special rap verse for a 50th birthday at an hours notice, sawing up all the broken furniture that my neighbour has left for firewood, called out in an 'emergency broken window catch trauma' by a pair of nervous nurses, trying to arrange to keep a grant underspend that was going to be clawed back, helping MMT muck out his convalescing wifes horses etc etc, that will be perfect timing!
 
Carefully pushed the trike into the garage to make room for the table that my better half got from my ex-neighbours to pass on to a guy she looks after. Unfortunately it touched the back tyre of the Darmah, knocking it off the stand and sideways into the trike engine. cue sounds of splintering fibreglass and whimpering from yours truly. I can't look yet.
 
and Paddy's ex's horse!
I will be able to move the table today so can get a look at the bike. I think that the tank seat unit may need some repair and the exhaust is scratched but I suppose that one good thing about a 'patina' (aka Lazy ) restoration is that there is a fine line between damage and character.
 
MartinW said:
one good thing about a 'patina' (aka Lazy ) restoration is that there is a fine line between damage and character.
Click to expand...

I dream of the day that I'm able to leave things alone :lol2:

by the way, where are you putting your reg/rec ?
 
Finally got in the garage to fit the Rita trigger that a generous friend sent me. I made up an adaptor to fit my timing disc and set the full advance at 35 degrees btdc as that was mid way between the two figures given in the downloaded instructions. I also filed up a 5.5mm spacer to give the correct offset between bump and magnet. Unable to wit any longer I mopped up the spurted oil from the timing hole, popped the tank on , dropped in a gallon of petrol and kicked and kicked and kicked. The back carb tickled audibly but the front didn't, the clutch wouldn't disengage and the gear selection is very crunchy, which all sounds very familiar. it was getting cold and dark so I'll wait before investigating further. BTW if anyone has a spare Rita cover I can borrow to mould a copy off I'd be very grateful. By the way the reluctor bumpy thing is missing from the picture, it took a big puller to fetch it off and it flew a long way!
 
i was thinking that too... although on the guzzi its tucked out of the way so have been eying up caps from aerosols that might make the basis of a fix..... hmm have i been living in the countryside too long :)
 
Aerosol caps were my first thought but then I saw an article about a kit to mould new light lenses and thought that that would be an ideal way of making a few copies, provided we can find a repairable one. MMT has also offered to fabricate an alloy version for me but I'm not sure that that would be an economical way of producing replicas. I've actually never seen an original but I am guessing that it was a tin pressing.
 
As far as I remember it was made of that charming black plastic with a wrinkly finish; You know, the *really* naff plastic. The bar was not set high by Lucas so just about anything you do will be a next generation quantum leap including an aerosol cap :) .
 
yep the guzzi one is a wrinkly hard plastic one... its only really a dust cover/finisher so doesnt have to be anything too special...
 
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