Most of us will have one of those ‘Impact Driver’ tools, with several screwdriver bits and a chrome handle thing that you hit with a hammer to loosen recalcitrant rusty screws. Take one of the hexagon-section bits and put it in the chuck of a POWERFUL slow-speed drill that has reverse. Then put the half-inch square to hexagon adaptor socket onto the bit, and Bingo, you have a half-inch square female drive that will fit directly onto the end of the layshaft. No machining to do, nothing Scott mutilated, and the only problem is that you have to be near a power point !
I find this particularly useful when first starting an engine after a rebuild. Spark plugs out, HT leads earthed, petrol off, oil on, and both wells of the Pilgrim pump primed with some oil. Making sure that the drill is in reverse, pull the trigger, and the engine will turn over quickly enough to see that the pump is working properly. Then spark plugs back in, HT leads connected, petrol on, ignition turned on if it’s a coil ignition bike, tickle carb, air lever closed, throttle opened a bit, and pull the trigger again…..
Such a pity that you can’t take the drill with you !
Brian
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