My first goal is to get the bike running. I’ve never owned or worked on an old British motorcycle, so I’ll be floundering more than usual.
Purchased a battery, changed the oil, cleaned the carburetor and added fresh gas. With this, I got the bike running poorly.
Next, I tried to set the timing and couldn’t make the procedure described in the shop manual to work. My Ohm meter would not show the points opening and closing. Also, the spark advance didn’t seem to be working the way I expected it to.
I decided there might be multiple problems and rather then spend the summer floundering, I took the bike to Don Hutchinson Cycle, a shop specializing in old Triumphs and BSA’s. After waiting 3 weeks and hearing several excuses about vacations and the like, I picked the bike up and took it to a mechanic friend with lots of experience with British bikes.