Hoosier Daddy
Earache my eye...
**THUD**
That was my jaw hitting the floor johnu!
That was my jaw hitting the floor johnu!
BSA ZB32 Goldstar
- Thread starter davidc
- Start date
That is one cool machine- I have decided to buy new shoes for the front and see if there is any other problems with the lever or cable.
I will also finish off the side panel by making a new one out of stainless stell and aluminium.
Your bike looks the dogs and has the clubman riding position- that gives a completely different feel to riding these.
I had to ride for a few miles on mine holding the fuel tank up by hand, it made me ride home in a prone position and you could feel the difference in handling on the bends.
You'll love it
I will also finish off the side panel by making a new one out of stainless stell and aluminium.
Your bike looks the dogs and has the clubman riding position- that gives a completely different feel to riding these.
I had to ride for a few miles on mine holding the fuel tank up by hand, it made me ride home in a prone position and you could feel the difference in handling on the bends.
You'll love it
I was back in England about 6 weeks ago and rode the Goldie a little bit and that front brake is horrendous. It has new shoes in it and a new cable, the actuating arm appears to be in the perfect mechanical position as well. I hope you are able to get yours working well then maybe I can learn something from you. My dad has a Rocket Goldstar as well with exactly the same front brake and that one works pretty well so it is possible get them to work, I'm just not sure what it could be. I wonder if it is the material on the brake shoes.
I have been told that with the advent of discs, some of the older model brake shoes have been re-lined with car material- which is too hard.
Mine, visually, appeared to be OK when I checked them (3 yrs ago!), but I have only started to ride the bike in the last 2 months, so teh deficit is now showing, - I need to sort out something
Enjoy yours- they're great to ride- there is a great difference between a ZB32 motor and a B31- much more torque and pulls in most gears with a std box.
Mine, visually, appeared to be OK when I checked them (3 yrs ago!), but I have only started to ride the bike in the last 2 months, so teh deficit is now showing, - I need to sort out something
Enjoy yours- they're great to ride- there is a great difference between a ZB32 motor and a B31- much more torque and pulls in most gears with a std box.
Well, so far, I've stripped out the front brake. The shoes were not as I remembered and were coated and shiny. The drum was fine and the rest of the brake parts were good.
I sanded off the shoes and drum and checked the fit - all was good.
There was a lot of hard grease and dirt in the drum, I dont' know how it got there.
I think that I made a mistake earlier, when I thought I remembered looking at this brake a few years ago- I obviously didn't as I would not have left it this way.
I re-assembled and took it for a short ride- about a mile.
Still fairly crap- slightly better I think.
I wonder how long to bed them in- before I make a judgement?
I sanded off the shoes and drum and checked the fit - all was good.
There was a lot of hard grease and dirt in the drum, I dont' know how it got there.
I think that I made a mistake earlier, when I thought I remembered looking at this brake a few years ago- I obviously didn't as I would not have left it this way.
I re-assembled and took it for a short ride- about a mile.
Still fairly crap- slightly better I think.
I wonder how long to bed them in- before I make a judgement?
I was stuck for something to cover the battery on the ZB32 GS, so I decided to make something until I got a proper 1950 battery box and bracket.
I got some perforated aluminium and using a template I cut and folded it into rough shape. I then beat a curve in it using a ball hitch as an anvil and riveted the folds together.
I don't know if it's going to stay- but after I re-jig it to match the frame lines I might make it semi-permanent.
What do you think?
I got some perforated aluminium and using a template I cut and folded it into rough shape. I then beat a curve in it using a ball hitch as an anvil and riveted the folds together.
I don't know if it's going to stay- but after I re-jig it to match the frame lines I might make it semi-permanent.
What do you think?
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I was having trouble with the front brake and handling on the ZB32 goldie.
I tried roughing up the shoes and cleaning everything as normal and went for a ride- no better!
I then left it for a while (2 months) and every time I went for a short ride the brakes were shite.
A friend of mine who has an M20, looked at the brakes and forks- he suggested that the fork spacing at the axle was wrong and he inserted a spacer (see photo), he also sanded off the leading edge of the shoe to force the lever action of the brake cam to utilise the trailing part of the shoe for say 65% of the surface.
The brakes are much better now and the handling has improved!
I think it is a good idea to get someone else to ride your bike, with a fresh view on things and on how you've built the machine.
I was getting tunnel vision on how I was bolting the wheel up - not noticing that the spacing and movable sleeve were not right.
I was getting to the point where I was going to reverse the brake arm and make all sorts of engineering difficulties for myself.
This way, I have reduced the life of the shoe lining- but got a much better performance from a poor 7 inch drum- which is generally regarded as the worst BSA option for front brakes.
I know that I will eventually have to improve things- but for the moment it's winter here and trips are short and far between.
I tried roughing up the shoes and cleaning everything as normal and went for a ride- no better!
I then left it for a while (2 months) and every time I went for a short ride the brakes were shite.
A friend of mine who has an M20, looked at the brakes and forks- he suggested that the fork spacing at the axle was wrong and he inserted a spacer (see photo), he also sanded off the leading edge of the shoe to force the lever action of the brake cam to utilise the trailing part of the shoe for say 65% of the surface.
The brakes are much better now and the handling has improved!
I think it is a good idea to get someone else to ride your bike, with a fresh view on things and on how you've built the machine.
I was getting tunnel vision on how I was bolting the wheel up - not noticing that the spacing and movable sleeve were not right.
I was getting to the point where I was going to reverse the brake arm and make all sorts of engineering difficulties for myself.
This way, I have reduced the life of the shoe lining- but got a much better performance from a poor 7 inch drum- which is generally regarded as the worst BSA option for front brakes.
I know that I will eventually have to improve things- but for the moment it's winter here and trips are short and far between.
Attachments
See how Vintage Brakes relines and sets up drum brake shoes. http://www.vintagebrake.com/drum.htm
To my eye, your uneven brake wear indicates your drum is not true. Once your rim and spokes are true, have the drum turned on a lathe to bring the steel brake surface to truth, measure the drum's diameter, then lathe turn your brake shoes (mounted in their backplate) to be .020" smaller than your drum diameter. The goal is to as much contact between the drum and pad as possible. Your friend was right to feather the leading edges of the shoes.
To my eye, your uneven brake wear indicates your drum is not true. Once your rim and spokes are true, have the drum turned on a lathe to bring the steel brake surface to truth, measure the drum's diameter, then lathe turn your brake shoes (mounted in their backplate) to be .020" smaller than your drum diameter. The goal is to as much contact between the drum and pad as possible. Your friend was right to feather the leading edges of the shoes.
Johnu,
Hope the bike is as good as it looked on the last shots- when you get it.
Swan is right - the correct thing to do is to get the wheel trued and tightened and then skim to a matched set of shoes.
This will bring it back to the best it can be from the BSA factory - probably still shite.
I don't have the correct forks fitted for a 1950 ZB32 -I think they're are probably from an A7 or A10
The wheel looks right for a trials spec- so the 7 inch drum is also right for this model.
I am limited in resources and time to do what Swan says, however this bike is not a clubman- it's not that quick.
The machine is great to ride, the only down side is the 7 inch skinny front brake.
But if it continues to work as I have shown - it's good enough for this type of bike (reduced performance)
There is a mod where you can reverse the brake arm on the drum and drill and fit a cable anchor to the drum plate just forward of the fork leg. I have an old one in the workshop that's rusted (see photo)- but it means a lot more work to get right and it may not be a whole lot better.
Hope the bike is as good as it looked on the last shots- when you get it.
Swan is right - the correct thing to do is to get the wheel trued and tightened and then skim to a matched set of shoes.
This will bring it back to the best it can be from the BSA factory - probably still shite.
I don't have the correct forks fitted for a 1950 ZB32 -I think they're are probably from an A7 or A10
The wheel looks right for a trials spec- so the 7 inch drum is also right for this model.
I am limited in resources and time to do what Swan says, however this bike is not a clubman- it's not that quick.
The machine is great to ride, the only down side is the 7 inch skinny front brake.
But if it continues to work as I have shown - it's good enough for this type of bike (reduced performance)
There is a mod where you can reverse the brake arm on the drum and drill and fit a cable anchor to the drum plate just forward of the fork leg. I have an old one in the workshop that's rusted (see photo)- but it means a lot more work to get right and it may not be a whole lot better.
Attachments
Other things to consider:
Phil Pearson makes a TLS brake plate for 190 mm, 8" and A65 drums. Only £635 pounds sterling... http://www.bsagoldstar.co.uk/price_list/price_list.htm
Take a look at Victory Library's notes, articles and links on brake theory, lightening, modification and improvement. A good resource. You can change your existing 8" to TLS
http://victorylibrary.com/brit/SLS-TLS-c.htm
This looks interesting too: converting a single drum to a dual drum http://www.realclassic.co.uk/techfiles/bsa_brake_conversion.html
Or you could fit a later style BSA or Triumph drum. Most people prefer the BSA 8" front drum over the 190mm, though the 190's see ridiculous prices at auction. I have both drums for my Goldie. To start I am using the 190mm because it came with the bike. I restored 8" drum I had and will lace it up to a new rim when I have the cash and compare the two. At the end of the day, it would be best to replace the old brake shoes with a new modern compound.
Phil Pearson makes a TLS brake plate for 190 mm, 8" and A65 drums. Only £635 pounds sterling... http://www.bsagoldstar.co.uk/price_list/price_list.htm
Take a look at Victory Library's notes, articles and links on brake theory, lightening, modification and improvement. A good resource. You can change your existing 8" to TLS
http://victorylibrary.com/brit/SLS-TLS-c.htm
This looks interesting too: converting a single drum to a dual drum http://www.realclassic.co.uk/techfiles/bsa_brake_conversion.html
Or you could fit a later style BSA or Triumph drum. Most people prefer the BSA 8" front drum over the 190mm, though the 190's see ridiculous prices at auction. I have both drums for my Goldie. To start I am using the 190mm because it came with the bike. I restored 8" drum I had and will lace it up to a new rim when I have the cash and compare the two. At the end of the day, it would be best to replace the old brake shoes with a new modern compound.
Thanks for the links, the modified SLS is interesting.
My machine is fitted with a 7 inch hub- therefore any improvement is realistically going to require - lacing up a new hub.
I may as well get a new wheel.
I don't think that I need that much more improvement, given the low power of the ZB32.
It gets interesting down hill in the Wicklow twisties!
My machine is fitted with a 7 inch hub- therefore any improvement is realistically going to require - lacing up a new hub.
I may as well get a new wheel.
I don't think that I need that much more improvement, given the low power of the ZB32.
It gets interesting down hill in the Wicklow twisties!
Re: BSA ZB32 Goldstar- old tech versus new tech
I took the 1950 ZB32 GoldStar, well it's a GoldStar to me. It has a 350 engine, which left the factory in trials trim ( I have the certificate)it was fitted with a plunger frame and a 21in front wheel. It was re-framed in the 1950s with a B31 plunger frame (so no change there) but obviously the frame # is now, not a GoldStar number. I don't care too much- other than the high tech computer in the UK DVLA and the Irish vehicle registration dept. can't recognise the change, as it's too old. - (1 up for Lo-tech).
I have the choice of breaking the bike for parts or riding it until I get the government goliath to give me a bit of paper to re-register.
I went out for a ride last night over some nice twisty roads to visit a mate about 25 miles away. I looked at the fuel and thought - I have enough. In 1950, the petcocks didn't bother with reserve. - fairly quickly, the technology moved on and reserve taps were a standard soon after- ( 1 up for hi-tech).
The bike has suspension (of sorts) but the plunger units aren't damped, so the term suspension- needs to be suspended. (2 up for Hi tech).
There is a vibration at about 45MPH in top gear- this goes out at 55MPH- therefore it is more pleasant to ride at 55MPH, but the suspension can't cope, nor the brakes, nor the tyres, nor the rider - my other bike is from 1993 and has all of the above items, brakes, tyres, suspension- easy to ride at 55MPH - (3 up for Hi tech).
BUT, unless you try, the performance of the 1950 machine doesn't really get beyond the shortcomings of the frame, tyres etc - so, unlike the 1970's when Sheene's Suzuki threw him down the road, because the bike's power overcame the tyre technology, the ZB GoldStar- is well within it's capabilities (rider aside) - so (that's at least 3 up for Lo tech)
Because of the vibration issue, I was tending to use wide open throttle a lot - this was nice and quick but used more fuel than I anticipated- so the inevitable misfire and engine death occurred about 10 miles from home and 5 miles from the petrol station.
So, I got off- I used my mobile phone to call my wife to use her eco-diesel Citroen to bring me lawnmower fuel.
In the meantime - I found some grass to lie on and watched the sun drop behind the bike.
At this point, I discovered that I like this bike, I'm not going to break it for parts, I will, wait out the Goliath for paperwork.
There was an ad on the Telly in the 70s and 80s for a cigar, - slow piano music after a bloke (usually) - had had a minor but comic disaster -
I had a 'Hamlet' moment.
I think Hi-tech versus Lo-tech is about even at this stage
Regards
David C - Ireland
I took the 1950 ZB32 GoldStar, well it's a GoldStar to me. It has a 350 engine, which left the factory in trials trim ( I have the certificate)it was fitted with a plunger frame and a 21in front wheel. It was re-framed in the 1950s with a B31 plunger frame (so no change there) but obviously the frame # is now, not a GoldStar number. I don't care too much- other than the high tech computer in the UK DVLA and the Irish vehicle registration dept. can't recognise the change, as it's too old. - (1 up for Lo-tech).
I have the choice of breaking the bike for parts or riding it until I get the government goliath to give me a bit of paper to re-register.
I went out for a ride last night over some nice twisty roads to visit a mate about 25 miles away. I looked at the fuel and thought - I have enough. In 1950, the petcocks didn't bother with reserve. - fairly quickly, the technology moved on and reserve taps were a standard soon after- ( 1 up for hi-tech).
The bike has suspension (of sorts) but the plunger units aren't damped, so the term suspension- needs to be suspended. (2 up for Hi tech).
There is a vibration at about 45MPH in top gear- this goes out at 55MPH- therefore it is more pleasant to ride at 55MPH, but the suspension can't cope, nor the brakes, nor the tyres, nor the rider - my other bike is from 1993 and has all of the above items, brakes, tyres, suspension- easy to ride at 55MPH - (3 up for Hi tech).
BUT, unless you try, the performance of the 1950 machine doesn't really get beyond the shortcomings of the frame, tyres etc - so, unlike the 1970's when Sheene's Suzuki threw him down the road, because the bike's power overcame the tyre technology, the ZB GoldStar- is well within it's capabilities (rider aside) - so (that's at least 3 up for Lo tech)
Because of the vibration issue, I was tending to use wide open throttle a lot - this was nice and quick but used more fuel than I anticipated- so the inevitable misfire and engine death occurred about 10 miles from home and 5 miles from the petrol station.
So, I got off- I used my mobile phone to call my wife to use her eco-diesel Citroen to bring me lawnmower fuel.
In the meantime - I found some grass to lie on and watched the sun drop behind the bike.
At this point, I discovered that I like this bike, I'm not going to break it for parts, I will, wait out the Goliath for paperwork.
There was an ad on the Telly in the 70s and 80s for a cigar, - slow piano music after a bloke (usually) - had had a minor but comic disaster -
I had a 'Hamlet' moment.
I think Hi-tech versus Lo-tech is about even at this stage
Regards
David C - Ireland
Attachments
Hoosier Daddy
Earache my eye...
Zen... BEEE the bike... Ahhhh serenity.
You suck.
You suck.
I was trying to find the main oil leak on the ZB and have noticed that even after new rocker gaskets and banjo bolts- anytime that I give it a run, there is oil leaking down the push rod tower from the top.
Went out for a run over the mountains yesterday, 20deg (weather) celsius that is, and about 40 miles over the hills.
The bike ran faultlessly- however there is some oil pool under it this morning.
I am trying not to pull the engine- but it is now looking likely.
The gear box is leaking at the sprocket oil seal and somewhere else- but this is not a big leak
Anyone any idea where to look- I hope that the head is not cracked or porous
I also removed the oil filter- this is the wadding type filter that site s over the return tube in the oil tank - covering the pin hole oil return indicator.
This has improved the oil leak department, as I assumed that there was too much oil pressure at the rockers - or something
Went out for a run over the mountains yesterday, 20deg (weather) celsius that is, and about 40 miles over the hills.
The bike ran faultlessly- however there is some oil pool under it this morning.
I am trying not to pull the engine- but it is now looking likely.
The gear box is leaking at the sprocket oil seal and somewhere else- but this is not a big leak
Anyone any idea where to look- I hope that the head is not cracked or porous
I also removed the oil filter- this is the wadding type filter that site s over the return tube in the oil tank - covering the pin hole oil return indicator.
This has improved the oil leak department, as I assumed that there was too much oil pressure at the rockers - or something
