Starting sequence for 1921 skootamota

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10 months 1 week ago #1689 by jpallan
Starting sequence for 1921 skootamota was created by jpallan
I am currently bringing my grandfather's skootamota back to life. Can someone confirm the correct starting sequence for the engine? Don't want to clean the engine and rebuild it,  just to blow it up on first try! Any thoughts much appreciated.

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10 months 1 week ago #1690 by gioorl
Replied by gioorl on topic Starting sequence for 1921 skootamota
Many will correctly say you shouldn't run it after many years of not running but, if you really want to try, check that the engine turns freely without making any noise
Check the tanks and clear any dirt which might have built up over time
Check that the sparkplug actually sparks.
Make sure the fuel and oil lines are also free from anything that could stop the flow of liquids.

If that is the case and you don't plan to run the bike for long, add some fuel into the larger tank (front) and oil in the smaller tank (rear).
Open the taps for both, pump some oil with the plunger on top of the oil tank and tickle the carburettor or get some fuel into the carburettor float chamber.

Once that's done, sit on the bike and press the advance lever.
It's important you get somebody else to push (!!!) and when you reach a bit of speed release the advance lever. If there is no issue and it's not too cold, the engine should at least do a puff puff.
If needed, repeat the exercise until your helper is exhausted.

Let us know how it goes.
 
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10 months 1 week ago #1691 by Roger
Replied by Roger on topic Starting sequence for 1921 skootamota
My Skootamota at Brooklands museum hadn't been started for some time but was checked and started before last year's Motorcycle Day when I rode it for the first time since 2017.  As the oil tank had oil in it the combustion chamber was checked as it has been known to fill the cylinder with oil in the past.  Fortunately the feed tap hadn't leaked but it is worth checking as in the past we've had to take the head off to clear the cylinder.
It ran well last year and I did three circuits without falling off!
 
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