I missed the opportunity to buy one of these in 1980, but finally it has happened. She runs great, but needs some TLC, so working my way through the list of things to do.
Lovely... it looks in better nick than my Darmah I have just finished recommissioning! Although I have to say what's going on with those gold exhaust ring nuts? I'll be interested in progress and hope to be able to help if I can. Especially with valve guides... ho hum.
I notice there looks to be a weep around the plug on the clutch crankcase cover... funnily enough mine leaked there too and was a bugger to stop. I ended up using a smear of Hylomar blue... sacrilege I know It never did it in the past so I'm not sure why it does it now? modern oils perhaps? And they do do metal re-usable valve cover gaskets see https://www.stein-dinse.biz/product_info.php?language=en&products_id=1428
A quick Q: Now I have the chassis on the stands I notice the steering head movement is a little "rough". I did buy a new bearing set. Is there anything I should know about how to pull apart the steering head to replace the bearing?
No nothing out of the ordinary just use the usual ill fitting c spanner to round a couple of the locating lugs and allow it to slip & scrape some paint off the top yoke....
Well it all came apart remarkably easily. Bearings had clean grease on them (now cleaned off) and seem to move uniformly. I might use this opportunity to unseize the steering lock.
Well they look to be ok - what about the inner races? Perhaps the roughness you felt was perhaps looseness or insufficient grease and/or cable interference. At least you now know that particular job has been done. I'd lost the steering lock key in the intervening 30 years or so & junked it...
