Pilgrim v drippers

[Bob Mather]

I am considering converting the Pigrim pump on my 1932 short stroke flyer to drippers. I would like some feedback from members who have done this conversion, advantages and disadvantages, problems, rate of drip etc.
At present I have a 3:1 Gerry Howard reduction gear fitted set to drip 3 or 4 spits to a drop and run 66:1 petroil mix. I use Silkolene Comp 2 Premix oil through the pump and Valvoline 2 Stroke Outboard in the fuel. The bike gets a hard life, is gas flowed and has ported pistons together with an extractor exhaust system, has run on this mix for years and doesn’t show any distress.

Regards,

Bob Mather.

[Eddie Shermer]

Hi Bob,
Sounds like you have a pretty good system working already and I would ask the question ‘why change something that ain’t broke?’ It stikes me the only reason to go to a dripper is if the pilgrim drive system is for some reason compromised, changing to a BTH mag for instance. Advantage of dripper = no drive required. Disadvantage of dripper = 1. non return valves in pilgrim removed, if oil tap left on for any length of time wells fill up and overflow, if crank happens to have stopped with gland open case fills, it’s happened to me. 2. thread of adjusters has to be remade very fine to get any degree of fine adjustment. 3. drippers give constant drip all time, pump is at least connected to engine rpm so feed variable, although still drips too fast on overrun as we know, depends if you do any long downhill sections if this will be a problem.
I am sure this is a very debatable subject and will put in April copy of Yowl.
Eddie

[Mike Fennell]

Very debatable indeed Eddie !! The engine lubrication issue seems to go round and round with successive generations asking the same questions …

I’d agree that the Bob Mather petroil system has the attributes to provide oil flow proportional to engine load. The geared Pilgrim safely pumps a small quantity of oil to the mains but at a rate varying with rpm. If converted to drippers it would be less well metered. Variation in oil tank temperature would have a marked influence as well – consider the difference in oil tank temperature between a bike left standing overnight in sub-zero weather, and on a sunny summer’s day when the tank may be too hot to touch. A downside to the existing Mather system may be that the complication of two oil-grades required, and the need to mix petroil, would be an inconvenience to some.

I would like to mention a favourite of only a handful of members – LoftyLube, with its revolutionary scavinging/re-circulating system – smoke free; no over or under oiling; cleaner combustion; automatic in operation. Just fill the tank and go. Ask Ian Loveridge.

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