Miss November XS2 tribute

Thank you, Jim. Found this an ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133181881801?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=432528221334&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

order placed. Tomorrow, will have a look whether I can make a jury rig, but not pinning too much hope. Always feel the battery earth is about the most vital connection in the wiring. In fact on one forum, https://thelonelyones.co.uk/ if anybody ever mentioned any electrical problem, there was one correspondent always said, 'Check the battery earth - nearly all electrical faults are a bad earth.'

Edit - Grimly, we crossed - the one on order ought to do what it's sold for?
 
Thank you, Jim. Found this an ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133181881801?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=432528221334&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

order placed. Tomorrow, will have a look whether I can make a jury rig, but not pinning too much hope. Always feel the battery earth is about the most vital connection in the wiring. In fact on one forum, https://thelonelyones.co.uk/ if anybody ever mentioned any electrical problem, there was one correspondent always said, 'Check the battery earth - nearly all electrical faults are a bad earth.'

Edit - Grimly, we crossed - the one on order ought to do what it's sold for?
That cable is 16mm2... which converts to 6awg... or 6ga.
That's overkill for an XS but will work just fine.
 
Well, was able to come up with a lash-up today. Used some cable, a lot heavier than the thin tracer wire used for the harness, but not nearly as beefy as the old battery strap. I don't know how to measure or estimate the gauge of wire:

PICT0193.JPG


Cut 7", crimped and soldered ring terminals on and fitted to t'bike. Started 2nd kick and appears fully back to normal. Ran the engine for five minutes or so, and the new earth cable didn't feel warm.

Given that I don't use the starter motor, this will probably suffice, at least in the short term.

Onwards and upwards.
 
The ebay earth cable has arrived - commendably swift - so have wasted no time fitting it. Test ride, just 16 miles of back road and the B6404.

Wow! I now suspect that the old earth strap must have been on the way out for a while. The bike feels rejuventated. It's not just cured the hesitation/slight roughness at low revs but feels better at revs too. Who'd have thought replacing the battery earth would make the bike feel more powerful?
 
The ebay earth cable has arrived - commendably swift - so have wasted no time fitting it. Test ride, just 16 miles of back road and the B6404.

Wow! I now suspect that the old earth strap must have been on the way out for a while. The bike feels rejuventated. It's not just cured the hesitation/slight roughness at low revs but feels better at revs too. Who'd have thought replacing the battery earth would make the bike feel more powerful?
Nice job Raymond; I'll be the first to ignore advise about checking for good earths before looking at other reasons for bad running.
But I am sure I'm not the only one. :devil:
 
The ebay earth cable has arrived - commendably swift - so have wasted no time fitting it. Test ride, just 16 miles of back road and the B6404.

Wow! I now suspect that the old earth strap must have been on the way out for a while. The bike feels rejuventated. It's not just cured the hesitation/slight roughness at low revs but feels better at revs too. Who'd have thought replacing the battery earth would make the bike feel more powerful?

Raymond you make a very valid point, the loom condition is way underrated.

Recently, and it happens a lot. Guys want to beef up their bike and go for engine, (mainly) and enlarge it without doing anything to the loom. Amazing how much extra oomph you get when the power is delivered efficiently to the spark plug and the engine actually burns all the fuel in the chamber.

I remember years ago PamcoPete did a exercise using his pamco and swapping in different coils and spark-plugs. Doing the same route, making all the conditions as close to the same on each run, (30miles), weather/temp and speed of the bike. Off the top of my head i think he increased his Mileage fuel consumption from 55mpg to over 60mpg. This equates to more horses at the rear wheel
 
Today, outa the blue, Mrs suggested a run on the XS. She's not come out much on any of the bikes in the last coupla years due to health issues. Beautiful day for it so we decided to go to the Lavender Tea Rooms in Etal. Here's a few pictures of the pretty village of Etal. Which apparently has the only thatched pub in Northumberland. The Tea Rooms doubles as the Post Office & village store and the garden is a lovely place to sit on a Summer day.

A few pictures of Etal.

PICT0367.JPGPICT0368.JPGPICT0370.JPG
PICT0371.JPGPICT0372.JPG


Mrs agreed that Miss November is a lot quieter, smoother, better geared than two years ago. But all things are relative - she thinks the bike is still too noisy, uncomfortable and jolts too much over the pot holes. Ah well . . .

So if we go out again, it will be on the W800.
 
Well that certainly looks like it was a nice outing and a very pretty setting. Do they serve food there as well?
I couldn’t help but notice the cowboy hat, looks like someone from Arizona or Texas visiting! 😄 I can’t imagine cowboy hats are all that common around where you live?
8BD6F469-EF20-4F02-8E20-77577E994CEC.jpeg
 
Bob, yes they sell food. Mrs and I had a toasted teacake each - they are huge and did us for lunch. But you can have sandwiches, hot food, home-baked cakes, etcetera. I think the guy with the stetson was local, came in with wife and a tiny baby. Could be the Eddie Grundy of Etal?

Digression - Eddie Grundy is a character in the World's longest running radio soap The Archers, an everyday story of country folk. Eddie famously likes his country music and we're told he sports a stetson. So, uhm, a few villages seem to possess an Eddie who loves country music and a stetson . . .

Mind you, I wouldn't say No to a 1940s or '50s Chevrolet, Dodge of Ford pick-up meself if one came along at an affordable price. Yee-Hi!
 
Last edited:
....... Ford pick-up meself if one came along at an affordable price. Yee-Hi!
Love the (non-US) gold-over-black paint scheme from XS2!

Future reference (from a Hillbilly); Yee Haw! Is the correct spell’in for that colloquialism (& always with !).;)
 
Bob, yes they sell food. Mrs and I had a toasted teacake each - they are huge and did us for lunch. But you can have sandwiches, hot food, home-baked cakes, etcetera. I think the guy with the stetson was local, came in with wife and a tiny baby. Could be the Eddie Grundy of Etal?

Digression - Eddie Grundy is a character in the World's longest running radio soap The Archers, an everyday story of country folk. Eddie famously likes his country music and we're told he sports a stetson. So, uhm, a few villages seem to possess an Eddie who loves country music and a stetson . . .

Mind you, I wouldn't say No to a 1940s or '50s Chevrolet, Dodge of Ford pick-up meself if one came along at an affordable price. Yee-Hi!
I love the Archers omnibus (airs on Sunday) and listen on Monday during my lunch break.... God I'm getting old!
 
Today was a family outing to Peebles. Too many people to fit in the car so I went on Miss November. Knew before setting out the petrol was low and decided I would fill in Peebles.

But heading out from Peebles on the way home, realised I had forgotted. Never mind, only eighteen miles to Galashiels.

Beautiful run, BTW, riders come from afar to sample the A72. Some of the best scenery in Southern Scotland. Well-surfaced, good variety of bends. Attracts more than it's share of tourists and many car drivers complain there's very few opportunities to overtake slow vehicles on the A72. Bikers know better . . .

Now, the strange fact is I've never run onto reserve on this bike. That's deliberate - don't really want to be wobbling along with a dead motor trying to flip two petrol taps, one each side of the bike. Yes of course you can pull in and move the taps, but in my experience bikes don't always choose the most convenient point to start demanding?

Would today be the day when I find out how far Missy will go before requiring reserve?

Well, yes. We reached Galashiels. We reached the petrol station. Almost. Engine spluttered and stopped fifty, sixty yards before the forecourt. Clutch out, signal on, coast in, roll to a stop at the pump.

166 miles.
 
I normally just flip one petcock to Reserve when I run out. With the fuel crossover line between the carbs, it's all you need to do. Then that gives you a "2nd" Reserve with the other petcock, if need be. But once on that one, you won't get far, lol. I also try to gas up before I hit Reserve. I head for the station at about the 120 mile mark on my Standard, about the 100 mile mark on my Special. Since most all my riding is local, my mileage isn't that great, low 40's usually. Drained and dumped bowls of fuel from carb tinkering also cut into that, lol.
 
Today was a family outing to Peebles. Too many people to fit in the car so I went on Miss November. Knew before setting out the petrol was low and decided I would fill in Peebles.

But heading out from Peebles on the way home, realised I had forgotted. Never mind, only eighteen miles to Galashiels.

Beautiful run, BTW, riders come from afar to sample the A72. Some of the best scenery in Southern Scotland. Well-surfaced, good variety of bends. Attracts more than it's share of tourists and many car drivers complain there's very few opportunities to overtake slow vehicles on the A72. Bikers know better . . .

Now, the strange fact is I've never run onto reserve on this bike. That's deliberate - don't really want to be wobbling along with a dead motor trying to flip two petrol taps, one each side of the bike. Yes of course you can pull in and move the taps, but in my experience bikes don't always choose the most convenient point to start demanding?

Would today be the day when I find out how far Missy will go before requiring reserve?

Well, yes. We reached Galashiels. We reached the petrol station. Almost. Engine spluttered and stopped fifty, sixty yards before the forecourt. Clutch out, signal on, coast in, roll to a stop at the pump.

166 miles.
Nice to see you back out on Miss November Raymond.
 
If you didn't have to push it I'd call that a 2 thumbs up success
I did the same with the 77 Surprise but I carried a 1qt camping fuel tank with me 158 miles for me
 
Would today be the day when I find out how far Missy will go before requiring reserve?

Boy it’s a sinking feeling when you’re on reserve with no idea how far it is to the next gas station. I did that a couple years ago, I headed out on a ride with about half a tank of fuel and thought I’ll get gas on the way somewhere. Only I never came across a gas station, by the time I decided I had better turn around I was just about at the point of no return. I shortly had to go on reserve and thought ” Uh oh! “ 😬 I dropped my speed down and rode like a little old lady on her way to church! 😄 By the time I got back I was coasting into the gas station on fumes.
 
Nice to see you back out on Miss November Raymond.
Daily rider.

The Kawasaki is the best bike in the garage but sits sulking a lot of the time. This year, the Royal Enfield has been getting a lot of attention and test rides. Short rides to see the effect of a change or longer rides to build confidence that this 1940s-looking bike can handle use.

But the XS is used for shopping trips, going to visit people and those pointless blasts when you just need to go out on two wheels and enjoy yourself.

BTW, I don't own a car.
 
Last edited:
Daily rider.

The Kawasaki is the best bike in the garage but sits sulking a lot of the time. This year, the Royal Enfield has been getting a lot of attention and test rides. Short rides to see the effect of a change or longer rides to build confidence that this 1940s-looking bike can handle use.

But the XS is used for shopping trips, going to visit people and those pointless blasts when you just need to go out on two wheels and enjoy yourself.

BTW, I don't own a car.
Hi Raymond,
I reckon that while the ex-WD WW2 Norton, BSAs & Matchless bikes were rebuilt before being re-sold into civilian use, the WDC & WDCO Royal Enfield 350cc singles were sold "as is". Thus an ex-WD Royal Enfield could be either nearly new or have survived 6 years of total war, which in turn led to RE's dodgy post-war reputation.
 
I would put RE's dodgy reputation these days down to a couple of factors. The first being suspect quality control in the Indian-built bikes - for a while in the 80s and 90s there were too many being shipped with faults that ought to have been picked up, poor components and flaky electrics. But even worse, the m/c press picked up on that and just loved to have a brand they could crucify as 'rubbish' and many journos are still banging that drum.

The basic design of the older iron-barrel bikes is very simple and most faults can be put right without spending much. They need a bit of owner involvement, not part of the 21st century buying experience, but reward with simple, old-fashioned delights.

This should really be in the Bullet thread . . .
 
Back
Top