Poor starting - solved!

[Chris Exelby]

I have been complaining of the difficulties in starting my Silk (number 46). This was incredibly frustrating as with a Silk crowds will gather to watch you speed off into the sunset and struggling to start the bike was not a great advert for the mark. I have now seemed to have fixed the issue.

1. the voltage to the bike coil was almost 1v down on the battery voltage and the main issue was the volt drop across the cartridge fuse and inadequate cable between the battery and the key switch. Swapping the wire and fuse out for a modern blade fuse and heavier cable reduced the volt drop to 0.2v , with a subsequent improvement in the voltage at the coil. Bigger spark is likely to mean easier starting.
2. Learning from my Norton Commando that the correct float height is critical, I could see that the Silk float was set low, meaning it took ages to pull enough fuel through the crankcase to start the bike. My first attempt to correct this left the float too high and fuel flowed overnight through the engine and out of the exhaust. . The tap was clearly faulty and replaced, but anyway it should not have leaked through of course. Setting the float correctly means the fuel is just below the jet top, but not flowing out. The carb is at quite an angle and it took a bit of trial and error to find the correct float height.
During this exercise I understood why I have run out of fuel twice. The tank bottom is practically flat and even though you can hear fuel sloshing about it is biased towards the front of the tank, and the 'reserve' function on the tap is irrelevant. Note to self, keep plently of fuel in the tank.

Result, I finally have a bike that not only starts first or second kick, but it pulls like a train through the whole rev range, up to and beyond legal speed limits.  

I hope that these findings will help new members with their Silks!

[Smokey_Paul]

Good tips Chris