BSA Wiring & Mechanical Upgrade - Follow Up

The upgrades completed on my 1970 BSA Lightning last winter required a bit of tweaking but are working well so far. (links to previous posts are below) The spark is good and the Beezer starts well with the timing set at the factory spec.

The lights all work as they should including oil pressure and high beam indicators. The head and tail lights are bright at idle including the brake light. The bike will not start if the lights are on which  I accounted for by wiring a setting on my headlight switch that turns all lights off. I confirmed this was necessary when I was showing a friend how well my new setup worked and I couldn't get the Beezer started. Off with the lights and it started right up. The LED headlight has not failed as it did last year when I first went battery free. My starting capacitor blew just before the LED failed which may have contributed to its early demise. I have four hours on the bulb now and will report on my "LED Headlight" post if it goes out again.

Off, pilot, and main beam settings work well. Nice and bright at idle.

The LED tail light showing up quite nicely at idle. 

What didn't work? The horn blew its 5 amp fuse promptly and was replaced with a 7.5 amp unit which blew as well. On to the internet for a bit of research. It seems that Lucas horns draw 3.5 amps each which make a 10 amp fuse a reasonable choice. It is installed and both horns are working now. The only problem is that the engine must be at 4K RPM before an audible blast is made. The horn button almost substitutes as a kill switch as the bike cuts out when its pressed below 4K RPM.  One reasonable argument for a battery in the system I guess.

Sorting through fuses to set the horn right. I like the individual circuits. 

The bike ran a bit rough at the start of the season but smoothed out with a bit of jet tweaking. The heat sync for the Podtronics unit works well as it gets a bit warm but not hot and I will declare success on the this setup. I am running 90 octane RV gas (non ethanol)  with Marvel Mystery Oil to lube the valves. Although I do not have spark knock I am looking for higher octane RV gas since knocking may occur when the weather heats up this summer.

No speedo.....Time to take the drive out and see what's wrong although I think I know. 

Let's grease the cables while we're at it. 

The speedometer gear drive cogs looked a bit rough when last apart and I thought they may be an issue this year. When the speedo quit working this spring I knew what the likely culprit was. Apart it came and my suspicions were confirmed. A new unit was purchased, the cables greased, and it all went back together and is working fine now. 

The bad Beezer unit on the left next to one with its drive cogs.

The 21 tooth counter-shaft sprocket which replaced the 20 tooth one puts me a bit under 4K RPM at 60 mph which is perfect for the roads I like to ride. I took the BSA up to 70+ MPH but don't want to tempt fate by running there very often. The new cork clutch plates connect well and have eliminated the sticking plate syndrome I had with the old ones. The SRM tapered roller bearings in the steering head are silky smooth and will be put in all of my Beezers. Finally, the welded cracks on the headlight and fender have held up so far. I am not ready to declare success but am feeling good about them. Time to go riding.... 

This post is a follow up to previous entries:

http://keepingtherockersrolling.blogspot.com/2017/01/70-bsa-lightning-maintenance-and.html?_sm_au_=isVmkJPQ3pP50Pks

http://keepingtherockersrolling.blogspot.com/2017/01/70-bsa-lightning-electrical-overhaul.html?_sm_au_=isVmkJPQ3pP50Pks

http://keepingtherockersrolling.blogspot.com/2014/12/an-led-headlight-bulb-take-that-lucas.html?_sm_au_=isVmkJPQ3pP50Pks