
April 19, 2018

Hi all. Newbie. Posted this in introductions group but thought would be relevant here too.
Hello all, Stewart from Glasgow here, the new and proud owner of a '59 direct lighting plunger D1. Only got the bike 21/4/18, so just getting to know it. Looks remarkably original(apart from paintwork, headlamp and wiring "upgrade"), so I think this is going to more of a preservation than a restoration.
When it came out the back of the van on Saturday, a quick tickle, 3 kicks and it fired up, despite not having run for years. THAT's great British engineering. The petrol was foul and plug was loose but within minutes I was scooting up and down the road happily. First time I'd ridden a bantam since my last one, a D7 scrambler in about '79.
The bike is so honest that I think the plan is to keep it as much "as is" as possible. The only light rust ive found is inside the headlamp rim! Just going to service the carb, new plug and points, change the oil, bit of a decoke and check the brakes. Probably gonna remove the extra wiring and return to original spec but with a wee battery for a brake light. Need a headlamp switch and new lens as well as a bulb horn. Replace the fork gaiters, adjust the chain, lube the cables and replace the downpipe which is a bit pitted and blowing. Then it's ride and enjoy I'd like to pure wee fishtail on it and legshields too but that can wait.
I think its been a working farm bike as its had some basic practical mods done - home-fabricated rear footrests, wiring, headlamp and large nuts welded to bottom of centre stand legs!! Gonna do some detective work into its history. Only 4 owners since 59. It's got an old John Bull tyre(bit perished), the inside of headlamp bowl is all intact except switch and original battery. Toolbox is good. Saddle is obviously new - which will save me getting a punctured buttock! And everything works. No leaks. Filler cap has oil measure. Not sure if tail lamp is standard but i like it and would use it fo brake light anyway. I certainly dont intend ot to be concours and, after all, back inhe day we used to tweak everything on bikes to suit the circumstances. .
All-in-all a cracking wee bike.
I'll try to make the photos smaller and keep everyone posted on how we progress.
Cheers
Stewart
1959 D1 direct lighting plunger, '60 5TA, '76 FS1-E.

April 19, 2018

Hi all, had a look for info on this but no luck yet. Does anyone know what make pump was fitted below the tank? I've come across a few nice old Bluemel ones that would look good but wondered if BSA used their own make on pushbikes or used the same supplier for Bantams ?
Cheers
Stewart
1959 D1 direct lighting plunger, '60 5TA, '76 FS1-E.

March 12, 2012

Stewart
I've made a couple of pumps up for my bikes using bicycle pumps available from Halfords - £3.00 each if I remember correctly when I purchased them last year. They are larger in diameter than the usual bicycle pumps and look more like the pumps that you would have originally expected to be supplied with Bantams. Also, they are easier to work on than some of the smaller diameter pumps.
The pump will need to be shortened to fit on the fixing lugs and to do this the glue on the bottom and also the pump handle (if I remember correctly) will need warming so that the pump can be dismantled and cut down in size. It is then possible to reassemble and super glue the joints back together. Even if you muck things up on the first attempt, £3.00 for another pump is not the end of the World!
Before I attempted this, I read an article on the forum written by Jess Steele. I'm sure it must still be available somewhere on here, so it would be worth doing a search to see if you can find it before starting. If not and you decide to go down this route, let me know and I will try to jot down how I tackled it.
Regards
Mike

January 17, 2015


June 23, 2013

First hit using the terms I quoted - ** Please log in to view **
Just needs a bit of practice, I think.
BTW, I picked up an aluminium one for my D3 from a local Brocante (Car Boot sale, but on a Village scale) for a couple of euros. Not original (as if I care), but looks OK.

April 19, 2018

Now the new points, HT lead, plug and cap are on, I 've started looking at the wiring. I hadn't really looked at the Speedo as it's got no cable. But then I went to investigate the bulb and clean the glass. I could see that the colour didn't match but then I realised that it was a 75mph dial !?!
Cheers
Stewart
1959 D1 direct lighting plunger, '60 5TA, '76 FS1-E.

April 19, 2018

Hi All,
Started work on my barn find D1 and all's good.
Now the new points, HT lead, plug and cap are on, I 've started looking at the wiring. I hadn't really looked at the Speedo as it's got no cable. But then I went to investigate the bulb and clean the glass. I could see that the colour didn't match but then I realised that it was a 75mph dial !?!
Ooops! After a bit of rummaging, I've discovered that it would originally have been fitted to a '56 C12, like this one from Czechoslovakia....
So.... Now I'm wondering whether A: I can use this Speedo as is. B: I can use it but fit a different Speedo drive at the wheel. C: Put this on eBay and search for an original 55mph unit D:????
Does anyone have a solution please?
Cheers
Stewart
1959 D1 direct lighting plunger, '60 5TA, '76 FS1-E.

November 16, 2011

Stoo63 said
Absolutely, Blue. Sunshine all the way. Love your avatar - always nice to see an engine in it's natural habitat - sitting on a chair!![]()
Haha,yeah it was waiting for supper,very well behaved D14 engine.I should change the pic really,it now lives with the other Bantam engines on a bench waiting for me to sling the rest of the bike together,when I finished the projects I`m on with.
With your 70mph speedo,I`d leave it if it`s accurate enough and working ok.
Blue

November 16, 2011

Good bit of detective work matching it to a C12 with the paint.Have heard it mentioned recently on here that BSA used up whatever they had kicking around.....and bearing in mind that your `59 D1 came after the one year D5 run of `58,maybe some D1s found themselves fitted with 70mph speedos left over from the 175?I think my D5 is that colour.
Blue

April 19, 2018

Hi All, trying to get the wiring on my D1 as original as poss (in 6 months ill probably have gone electonic and led!!😂)
In the meantime, however, I'm trying to find a substitute for the Translucent wire in the headlamp bowl. There's no sign of anything really similar on any sites I've trawled through, so , unless someone on here is kind enough to send me a metre , is this kinda thing the best alternative? This one is 35 strand copper.
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Sorry couldnt post pic
Cheers
Stewart
1959 D1 direct lighting plunger, '60 5TA, '76 FS1-E.
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