Back on the Road Again

I ran my G3LS until 2007 until the magneto decided it had had enough of working life…that all important spark had gone. Many of the original components had been reused, except I believe for things like bearings and brushes. The armature was original and it was likely that the shellac varnish or condenser(s) had failed. I removed the magneto and found I could only get any form of spark at higher rotational speeds.

If you’re planning on having a long term illness, can I respectfully advise you to avoid Crohn’s Disease. It and the associated medication can completely floor you for many years. Lifting motorcycles around the place when you’re poorly is not a good plan…and most importantly, I won’t ride my bikes unless I’m feeling 100%.

I put the bike away carefully, coated in ACF-50 where necessary to stop the corrosion, and put a decent dust cover over the top of it. In a garage, it’s not just dust that gets on your bike…there’s spider poo too; little white dots that appear from nowhere. Dust on chrome holds moisture…which causes pitting and eventual rusting.

The next few years involved focusing on my business until I sold it in late 2013 due to poor health.  By 2018 things improved enough for me to send the magneto away to Armoto for a full refurbishment. They did a great job but I had issues and major surgery that meant I didn’t get it back on the bike until lockdown was eased in the middle of 2020. All seemed well and I gradually increased the distance of my trips. Little did I know…