New Scott owner – bit of help needed

[steveda]

I have recently purchased a 2 speed Scott Super Squirrel c1930 but I’m still investigating the history.

My father owned a 1957 Birmingham Scott in the 70’s (VOC956) which he subsequently sold to a chap from New Zealand. We joined the SOC and went to at least one Evesham rally and several of the Red Lion Whitehall evenings. I owned various machines over the years but, gave up motorcycling in the early 1980’s when I got married. I’ve always wanted a two speeder though and now, at last, I’ve managed to find one.

I’m very conscious of the fact that this machine is far removed from anything else that I’ve owned, including the Birmingham Scott, and I’m reluctant to start to use it until I understand it properly. I’m hoping that someone in the club, preferably fairly local to me (Wokingham Berkshire), could spare a bit of time passing on some knowledge and tips.
David Stevenson

[lewis onions]

Hello David and welcome back to the fold(or should I say to the privileged society of the pracitioners of the 2 speeder)!

I am no expert (I have only recently acquired a running 2 speeder myself) and I am not near to you, but I thought that I should reply in case no one else does! The following are maters of note I have exerienced in running my 1925 Squirrel.

I was a little cautious myself at first – but apart from remembering to oil the two speed gear – and not too much (see my earlier postings) – there is not a great deal of difference in operating a 2 speeder from any other vintage machine.

Lots of tickling of the carb to start cold – make sure that it is very wet. When starting warm apply the opposite – very little petrol is needed.

Beware of being too brutal with the kick-starter which, although robust is less so than those operating directly from a conventional gear box.

The gears are easier to use than folk-law might suggest. All the same a little practice in a safe place is recommended; not least to save blushes in front of neighours who will undoubtedly make themselves available to be amused. I find that a twist grip throttle makes use of the gears all but fool-poof.

Returning to gear oiling – remember every 25 miles (or 30 minutes of running) or so to apply a pump of oil and use mineral rather than synthetic.

I suggest that you just go ahead and have a go! Make use of the summer weather and keep us informed of your progress. Any problems which you experience are usually capable of being settled via this forum (where, unlike the neighbours’, the humour of the correspondents is usually disguised).

If you do not have a copy of the “Book of the Scott” – I have a 1930 copy which I could photocopy and send to you. Let me know.

Good Luck!

[steveda]

Thanks Lewis for your reply, that’s the sort of information that I’m looking for.
At the risk of sounding completely clueless, can I clarify the points you make about gear oiling.
My bike has two sight feed drip oil pumps(best and Lloyd?) either side of the oil tank and a hand pump in the middle plus a tap under the tank.
Am I correct in assuming the hand pump and tap supply oil to the gears?
In which case is it the same oil supplying the engine and gearbox?
I remember we used Silkolene oil for the engine on the Birmingham Scott but what would you recommend now?
The bike seems to be a good starter and both drip pumps are working fine with the oily haze coming from the exhaust.
Finally, I’ve got a copy of Jeff Clew’s book but not a copy of the book of the Scott, if you could kindly photocopy the latter, I would be very grateful. If you would like to contact me at stevensonbishops@tiscali.co.uk
I can arrangeto send you the cost of photocopying and postage etc.

[lewis onions]

Hello again David

You appear to have got the idea with the oiling – centre pump is for the gears and the drippers each lubricate one side of the engine. The same oil is used for each from the oil tank situated on the down tube.

It is not enirely necessary to have a smokey oil haze in the exhuast – I suggest that you refer to the excellent online Technicalities posted by Steven Enticott (following the link provided by Roger) for extensive discussion regarding oiling of the engine. My drippers were set at just over 1 3/4 by (the far more knowledgable) prevous owner and this appears to do the trick with the minimal of haze. 20 drops per minute is recommended and this may mean that the drippers are set at different levels. Check that each cylinder is receiving oil by detaching the plug cables alternatively.

One (obvious) tip I can offer is to always make sure that the oil is turned off at the end of the day as flooding can cause great difficulties in slipping to the gear and copious amounts of smoke from the engine (if it starts at all). However, if you do remember to switch off it is often recommended to switch the oil to engine on a little before starting so as to allow some initial flow.

The Book of the Scott recommends Castrol XXL for “touring”. This is avaialable from specialists (I bought some at an auto jumble recently) but it is not cheap. An alternative is Duckhams 20W-50 Classic Engine Oil which I have found easier and is a lot less expensive. (I feel that this might provoke a debate – but we all have our favourites).

I will contact you off-line for details of where to send the copy of the Book of the Scott which I will copy at work on Monday – do not worry about charges.

Let us all know how you are getting on. There really is not anything quite like the experience of riding a 2 speeder!

[steveda]

Lewis, I’ve managed to download a copy of “the book of the Scott” which looks just the job to get me started. Thank you very much for your kind offer to photocopy your copy but I think I’ll be fine with the one I’ve printed off.

[steveda]

For various reasons, I have only now got round to starting my Scott ,(1929 2 speed suoer squirrel), and I’m making sure everything is fine before I take it out on the road.

I’ve read everything I can on what to do regarding oiling of the gears and engine and the bike starts well and there is plenty of oily smoke coming from the exhaust. But, the oil drips on the two pumps don’t seem to be happening.

I let it run for about a minute, still smoky exhaust but no activity in the oil pumps. Please can someone advise me what to do. I’m assuming the pump settings were fine as per the last owner.

[steveda]

As a further addition to above, I checked the condition of the plugs before starting the bike. They were both fairly oily looking so I cleaned them and replaced them and the engine started second kick.
Could the presence of oil in the combustion chamber, in some way dictate the need for less oil from the pumps or is the system not that sophisticated?

[Ian Parsons]

If you bike has not run for a while you may have to open up (unscrew) the pump adjusters half a turn to get oil to prime the pump. Once it has started to flow through the drippers then readjust it to give the correct number of drips.

I use Silkolene Comp 2 Injector in my 2 Speeder and consequently in the 2 speed gear as well and have not discovered any drawbacks with the gear being lubricated with synthetic oil. I use about 1/2 a pumpful every 25 – 30 miles. I have my gear adjusted so that it has to be held in low gear. This way one loses drive if you take your foot off the pedal which is, I think, safer when footing at junctions etc.

2 Speeders are delightful to ride as they are so light and flickable. Practice using the gear in a carpark or quiet lane before mixing with traffic. I lent mine to a friend for the Banbury Run this year. 20 minutes practice the day before and he managed fine – another convert to 2 Speed Scotts!

[steveda]

Wow,
Thanks to everybody who has contributed to my learning curve on this post. I’ve now been out on the Scott and, what a thrill, it runs beautifully and after a few false neutrals I’m starting to get the hang of the gearbox.
I seemed to have an awful lot of smoke so, I need to experiment with the pumps but, overall it was well worth it.

[Author]

Posts