Rewire

With two new Wipac sockets I've now almost completed the rewire. I've had to use a ceramic resistor instead of the old resistor wire, and I cant match exactly the original cable colours, but its all a lot tidier.

Onwards........

 OK, so it took a week. Using a modern digital conditioning charger is not the quickest way. 0.86 amps was as high as it went, and most tutorials suggest 10 amps. But it did work.

The harvest, and a clean(er) looking tank. I'll use a single tap set up when it goes back together.

Then onto the rewire. It really is a mess. I've decided to start from scratch.

I've just ripped this lot out. I sat with the wiring diagram and really couldn't figure out how this actually worked.

Wire gauge all over the place, colours not matching.

But at least its safe

Everything apart from the two switches inside the headlamp is pretty much done. Alternator, Rectifier, Battery, Horn and Dipswitch all wired up (not tested yet mind) but after looking at the above switch I lost the will to continue 😜

Slow progress

I've now removed all the reinforced duct tape from the wiring harness, which was hidden from view under the very visible red or black (or both) insulating tape. The bike has been rewired at some (or various) point in its life, using original style connectors, those nasty hard insulated crimped on connectors and the twisted wire method, both with and without solder. It did work. I did have lights, front and rear, high, low, side, brake, the lot. The horn worked, sort of, and there was a spark.

But, trying to follow the factory wiring diagram against the work done is not an easy task. It does not now use the original colour scheme, in fact, in places....... it matters not, It can't remain like this.

There are a few choices open to me.
1. Try and figure out what's been already done and improve the existing harness. Standardize the connectors, remove the excess wire and at least get some sort of schematic I can follow.

2. I could start from scratch following the factory diagram after ordering all the correct wire and connecters. I've already admitted, electrics are not a strong point, but I can solder, I can read a diagram and with all the components in place it's doable.
3. I could pay someone to rewire the bike, I've no idea on costs, but it wont be cheap, or
4. I find Catmando Services who will make a loom for £70 specifically for the Commodore.

I'll ponder, but it's between buying a new harness or making my own.

My chemistry experiment is being conducted as I type. I was worried that my charger would supply any power. As with most chargers now it's a conditioner, fully digital and struggles with completely flat batteries.

Supermarket special, under a pound.

The diode

My charger

I've linked the supply to the tank via a battery, which is working.

The proof. A couple of hours worth.

Still at the beginning.

So, it still won't start.

It's been a long while since I've gone through the basics of a non starting engine, and I've not tickled a carb since using my fathers Suffolk Punch as a young teenager, some forty plus years ago.

 Pulling the Sparkplug, which looks brand new (clue?) and I've got a spark.

After reading in the handbook that there's a gauze filter at the banjo on the Amal Monobloc, that's next.

Apologies for the photo quality, I'm being lazy using my phone. That'll be rust then!

Of the two fuel taps, one is flowing, one is not. I now know there's a rust problem, so Its easier to just whip the tank off, drain and remove the taps for a look. Then work my way through the fuel system.

Nicely secured petrol tank, there wasn't a bolt on the other side. I keep getting this feeling that my quick fix and ride the bike option is diminishing. What other "fixes" will I find?

The tap that flowed, albeit slowly, was the main tap, but there was only a small amount of fuel in the tank. I think I'll deal with the rust issue now. Looking inside the tank it doesn't appear serious, so perhaps time to try electrolyses.

Instructables has an easy to follow online workshop.

The carburettor will need stripping down, a gasket set has been ordered, but I'm not sure what to do with the taps. They could both use a rebuild but as yet I can't identify the make.

If I've got to replace them, then I'm tempted to buy one lever type three position tap, blank off one tank outlet and replace the T piece on the Carb, oh, and install an inline filter.

Quick edit. Single fuel tap with reserve ordered.

Where do I begin?

Lets get it fired up first.

I was told it was running by the last custodian, but, he couldn't get it fired up again when it came to advertising it. A cursory glance showed fuel hoses looking a bit sorry, with at least one leaking. An easy 5 minute fix to replace two pipes and four clips.

OK, so the hose clips are not OE and they are  a bit OTT, but I did warn the purists.

One of the fuel taps appears to have been..............repaired? I'm still not sure why there are two supplies entering the Amal carb via a banjo set up. I can only find reference to the right hand side tap in the manual. Please feel free to comment at the bottom of the page.

The left hand side tap looks to be sealed with some rubber material. Looks like I'll be draining the tank as well.

...................... and then there's the wiring.

Wiring. Not my strong point, but I know these two didn't leave the factory the same colour.

My favourite. Cheap, poor fitting spade connectors, insulating tape and replacement wiring the wrong colour.

 Not knowing what was done, or more importantly, why, I'm almost loathed to connect this lot all up, although It does appear to be limited to rectifier and battery.

I wonder what's under this?

Taken from the owners manual, the wiring diagram may prove valuable, unless previous "changes" are deeper than first realized.

A bit of basic photo editing and its just about readable.

I've also discovered that neither of my battery charger/conditioners are suitable for a 6v battery, and my tool kit has just one Whitworth spanner (at least I have some Imperial AF tools) and no sockets.

What next? Purists exit left (or right)

It is what it is, a hand painted and mostly with a brush at that mish mash, and to be brutally honest, a bit of an eyesore. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder, but to my eye, those colours? They just don't work.

However, I really didn't want to cosmetically restore it, and really still don't.

The styling? Contemporary in its day? Typical of a commuter, a touring bike, a lightweight?

Yes to the above.

I'm not a purist. Whatever does get done, will not mirror its journey down the production line. The colour, if changed, will be one that pleases my eye, although I will concede, any change should and will at least be contemporary - Kawasaki green or KTM orange won't work.

Could I lean on period modifications? Styling influenced by the competition department perhaps?

Changing the mudguards and chain guard for aluminium versions. Slimmer, sleeker and lighter, removing  a sizeable area of the greyish blue hue is an option, and one that I'm being pulled towards. Not the cheapest, but probably the easiest, and undoubtedly the quickest.

Eventually I expect I will totally repaint the bike, Silver/Red, Silver/Orange or Silver/Black maybe, but that's for the future, the distant future.

A bit balky, a bit dull?

Not the best quality photo, and I'm afraid I've no idea who the owner is, but it's a photo heavily influencing my preferred options in making some change to the Commodore

Owners Handbook

An original owners handbook survived with the bike. James Motor cycles Limited provided the rider with a comprehensive - 32 pages no less - introduction to both their product and to motorcycling.