My G5 came back from its stay at Watsonian Squire last Friday evening. I was working away saturday but the weather held and I took it out for a fifty mile ride on sunday.
The engine has been re-built, so I'm having to break it in again, but once it's rolling it thumps along nicely at fifty with the engine just above idle speed. It feels tight and a bit sluggish like it did when new, and I look forward to it loosening up and getting perky again. I'll keep the stock pipe on until then, then I'll either re-fit the Goldie or give the Hitchcocks classic efi silencer a try.
The clattering has gone - the engine is a bit ticky but nothing out of the ordinary. I was also aware before of the beginnings of a rumble lower down when I wound the throttle open from slow, and this too is gone thanks to new main bearings.
Mike told me they couldn't find anything specific which would explain the clattering, nothing amiss in the valve train. If it's stopped they don't know why!
It
has stopped and that's good enough for me.
They took out the auto decompressor previously apparently, so it wasn't that. But that explains why it was such a bugger to kickstart when the starter relay packed up last time! Starts on the button now, new relay & battery. It looks like they've done a real job on the bike, for which I am truly grateful and will be writing to thank Mike and his team.
It was a real pleasure to ride the old thumper again - what a shame it's the wrong end of the year! Winter weather is moving in apace and I shall be getting both bikes cleaned up and sealed inside these -
http://www.vac-bags.co.uk/bike.htmuntil the spring.
Or at least until the next dry not-too-freezing day comes along .....