. . . If you can duplicate the problem, immediately try kicking the thing over and see if it's seized. A soft seize usually takes a good 5 minutes more before loosening it's grip. Sounds to me like it took less time than that, yes?
Do you recall what your skirt clearance was when you put it back together?
Thank you All for your helpful remarks and suggestions. Have now had overnight to think about this, thinking not being my strong suit.
Looks like the Bullet had a partial/soft seize. When we first stopped, exploratory prod at the kick lever, it was stuck. Few minutes later, didn't time it, lever was free. Left it about another ten minutes, switched on and gave a kick - started first kick, rode gently home.
Perhaps the most relevant question was Jim's about skirt clearance. Well, stupidly didn't measure it. Measured the bore a while back to see if within wear limit or need a re-bore and decided no re-bore was needed. Bought a std piston and never occurred to me to measure it - in effect, I have assumed that a std piston will fit a loose std bore. But as a past boss used to say, assumption is the Mother of all Fuck-ups.
So, is it the rings that seized, or the piston skirt? And in either case, with continued running-in, will the thing eventually wear to a good fit?
Today, going to squirt some oil in the plug hole and turn the engine a few times. Might start it and run for a minute or two but not going out for a test ride. Tomorrow, going to ride the half-mile to see village m/c engineer for MOT.
After that, will need to decide, continue running-in
or pull head & barrel off to take a look at piston, rings and bore before starting engine again.
Bikes, eh? Mind you bikes, if they could, would say Owners, eh?
just joshing mate.
