[Ian Parsons]

If you know of a good precision grinder it may be possible to get the standard bearing quoted ground out in the bore from 1″ to 1 1/16″. Possibly a last resort as the experts will comment on concentricity etc. but it will keep the bike running. One can fill the space where the balls are with wax of carefully dismantle the cage.

I have had this carried out on a taper bearing for the headstock of a Velocette where the top one is the standard 1″ size but the lower one 1 1/16″

[Ian Parsons]

I have measured the clearance between the inside of the frame rear wheel lug and the backplate on my 1930 2 Speeder and it is 0.450 inch. There is room for a 3/8″ nut but it must be positioned before screwing in the rear stand bolt if the rear wheel is in place.

My rear brake backplate is a club spares casting that I machined and it is a little thicker than the original one.

Coincidently I lost a rear stand bolt last September and the locking nut is essential if one is not going to loose the bolt. As it is a locking nut one can use a thinner nut if necessary, 1/4″ thick rather than the normal thickness.

I hope this helps.

[Ian Parsons]

I do not believe that side shields were fitted to the Flying Squirrels until 1929. Castings for them should be available from the Spares Scheme.

If your Scott has the long wheelbase frame you may need to check whether the side shield from a short frame will fit.

[Ian Parsons]

Velocette also used Dowty forks and I believe their owners have come up with a coil spring conversion. This would eliminate the problem of leaking seals

[Ian Parsons]

I reckon that my 596cc TT Replica does about 45 – 55 miles per gallon depending how it is ridden. The carburettor settings and jet are what The Book of the Scott recommends and the plugs seem fine. I also got the same from a 498cc Flyer with a DPZ engine fitted.

My 2 Speeder does about 65 mpg but this is a much softer engine. What do other owners get from their Scotts?

[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!

[Ian Parsons]

One needs to be careful with valuations for probate. Over valuing is only beneficial to the Inland Revenue and also can increase the expectations of the beneficiaries of the estate. An insurance valuation is for replacement by a machine of equivalent standard. The Market price of a machine will depend on the state of the market at that time and also how rushed one is to sell.

My advice would be to value the bike as if for a distressed sale. ie priced to sell within a month. This would then minimise the death duties payable and if you manage to get more once probate has been granted, then all well and good.

As usual the estimate of the bike’s value depends whether one wishes to buy or sell!

[Ian Parsons]

I have now planned the route through some delightful Northamptonshire countryside. We visit the highest point in the county and pass the monument to the Battle of Naseby. The route is 36 miles long.

There will be refreshments at the start and end of the run, please ring on 01788 510680 and leave a message or email me at ihparsons@tiscali.co.uk to give an idea of numbers or leave a message on this website.

Musterpit House is just outside Winwick, look out for the Scott Sign on the signpost at the crossroads.

[Ian Parsons]

For the last year I have been using Silkolene Comp 2 in my TT Replica and for the last 6 months in my 2 Speeder. I have found that one can reduce the number of drips to the engine in both cases. There is an absence of smoke once under way and the engine sounds sharper. Both bikes ran well in the track sessions at Mallory when they were being worked harder than in road use. The oils is expensive £18 for 4 litres but not a significant cost for the mileage I ride.

On the 2 Speeder this oil also lubricates the 2 Speed gear. I have heard some people say that you should not use synthetic oil in the 2 Speed gear as it causes it to slip. In my case it enables a smooth take up in low gear. I only lubricate it with about 1/2 a pumpful every 30 miles and this seems ok. When I rebuilt the 2 speed gear 12 years ago I used needle roller bearings for the drums and thrust races. The hub bearings still use cup and cone bearings. I had to partially dismantle the gear after this year’s Banbury Run and found a sheared pivot pin, apart from that everything was in perfect condition.

[Ian Parsons]

My 596cc TT Rep runs with a 21T gearbox sprocket. All the other sprockets are as standard and this gives a top gear of 4.8:1. With a 3.25 x 19 rear tyre this gives a speed of 72ph at 4000 rpm, 90 at 5000 rpm. I would like to try a 22T sprocket but I think this would be close to over gearing it

My 498cc 2 Speed Sports Squirrel also has a 21T drive sprocket and a 3.00 x 20 rear tyre but in this case 4000 rpm is 80mph due to different rear and high gear sprockets giving a 3.93 high gear. This is possibly slightly over geared.

Oddly enough on my track sessions at the VMCC Mallory Park event I felt happier at using the TT Rep at high revs than the 2 Speeder. I held the 2 Speeder back on the straight when I could have gone faster (65 – 70mph?) whereas on the TT Rep I think I sometimes touched 80. As I was only demonstrating I was more interested in the cornering than out and out speed

[Ian Parsons]

I hope as many members as possible will come to Mallory over this weekend. There will be a representative selection of Scotts on our stand although I would still like an early 2 Speeder to make the set complete.
My caravan will be on the stand to act as a room if the weather turns.

I still have a couple of free tickets for those who wish to display their Scotts on the Stand but you will have to be quick as Thursday will be the last day of posting them. email me on ihparsons@tiscali.co.uk or as a request on on this site.

[Ian Parsons]

For more information about the VMCC Festival of 1000 Bikes please see the Scotting events section of the website

[Ian Parsons]

A company who do cold stitching is Surelock. They repaired the frost damaged block on my 2 Speeder by stitching in a piece about 2″ x 1 1/2″into the back of the block, not cheap but it worked and as there was no distortion I could use the original pistons.
I find that Scotts can often be difficult to start after an engine rebuild, I think they are so dry that the crankcase suction is poor. I find that a bump down a slope saves a lot of effort and preserves the kickstart. It also allows one to juggle with the controls in order to get the engine to fire.

[Ian Parsons]

VMCC FESTIVAL OF 1000 BIKES 8/9TH JULY AT MALLORY PARK

I now have some further details about this event. I have reserved a space in the Avenue of Clubs for the Scott Owners’ Club. I would hope to have a representative selection of Scotts from veteran to Birmingham as well as a Silk. Would members wishing to display their bikes contact me, my address and phone number is in Yowl. The success of the stand will depend on members support so please make an effort to attend. I shall be given 8 free weekend passes in total for these people. There will also be dedicated parking areas for those spectators who turn up on the day.

Entries for the track sessions close on 1st June and I believe the Sunday sessions are now fully subscribed. There will be other attractions over the weekend such as a pre 65 Trial, Grass Track and Sprint demonstrations as well as an Autojumble and a Racing Parade. There will be camping available and bars and entertainment on the Saturday evening.

One does not have to be a VMCC member to participate and further information is on the dedicated website http://www.vmcc.net.

I have entered my 2 Speeder and TT Replica for the track sessions and look forward to demonstrating the superiority of the Scott over other vintage motorcycles!

Ian Parsons

[Ian Parsons]

The website to check if a vehicle is licensed is
http://www.vehiclelicence.gov.uk
HAA 204 is currently SORN’d. This is due for renewal on 1/5/2006. The Scott was first registered 17/2/1949.
All this info is now in the public domain for anyone to use. Names and addresses are not disclosed.

[Author]

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