[Simon Manning]

Ok cheers John - I will have a look once I get the bike back.

[singleminded]

It's the nut at the bottom ,if you have it it lurks behind the gear lever. If your lever is clamped by a bolt instead of being held on by a nut(see pic for nut) then you don't have the adjustable gland.

[Simon Manning]

Fantastic - thanks so much again for your help John - yeah - it is eerily quiet out there !!

I can't see a large hex nut on my gearbox. There is a small,forward-facing square nut on the inspection plate on the front of the gearbox and what appears to be the same sized square nut on the underside of the front of the gearbox. So I guess one is the level plug and one a drain plug. I will try to tighten both - carefully !!

The rear chain does seem to be lightly oiled but dry in places so I will use your tip to top it up and see what happens - as you say, hopefully it will remain in the chaincase. Having said that there doesn't seem to be any other part or nut that actually stems the tide of leaking oil - almost every union on the bike is weeping a bit of fluid one way or another.

The bike is about to go back to the Company I bought it from - I am having hell and all trouble starting it , especially once it is already warmed up. The suspicion is that the Magneto is weak (I have already changed the plug but no improvement). So hopefully getting the Mag sorted out will improve things. If it does I will post a Forum note for others to learn from.

Thanks again for all your help.

Best wishes
Simon

[singleminded]

I was hoping that we'd get someone else contributing as well.
Grease in the filler tube is no indication that there is enough grease in the box,these boxes were intended for oil which is why there is a level plug on the square inspection plate at the front of the gearbox. Over the years riders are finding that engine oil won't stay in some of the boxes as there are no oil seals, if you have a gearbox that has a large hex nut behind the operating lever at the bottom of the right hand cover then there should be a leather washer in there and tightening the nut should reduce the amount of oil leaking. If grease is going to be used then you need semi liquid grease, it's still a devil to get it in there unless you heat it so that it becomes more liquid..I personally use Morris 140 straight cut gear oil, it's thick but liquid.
The rear chain on the enclosed chainguard is usually lubricated partly by the engine breather pipe going into the top of the chainguard, but you can pour a little in the inspection cover. With luck the oil should mostly stay in the chaincase.
John

[Simon Manning]

Hi John (and anybody else with answers !!)- I now have the following additional questions:

How is the drive chain to the rear wheel lubricated - I have taken the circular inspection cover off and can't see anything lubricating it - do I just need to regularly oil it with a long-nosed oil can? In which case, what oil do I need to use?

The front drive chain appears lubricated at the moment and I take your previous point about keeping the lower part of the chain just immersed in oil. I am using SAE40 oil in the engine (as advised by Andy Tiernan), is this ok to use for the front chain?

I attach a photo of what I am assuming is the gearbox filler neck. You will see the neck has a plug of grease in it (I have seen mention of greasing the gearbox in some of the recent Beaming articles). Does this plug of grease tell me the gearbox is full and nothing to worry about for now, or should I be pushing that plug of grease down into the gearbox and giving it a more detailed inspection? And what grease do I need to use?

I notice there are two grease nipples above the forks (again articles in Beaming refer to these being difficult to fill and the club appears to be trying to source some adaptors to make them easier to fill with modern grease guns). How often should I be filling them and again what grease should I use?

And finally, are there any other regular maintenance/topping up issues which I haven't mentioned (yes, I know it needs petrol !!).

Cheers all
Simon

[Simon Manning]

John what a fabulous reply - so helpful - thank you so much. Yep that's how my bars are set up. I will check the primary case oil level tomorrow. I am currently trying to sort out some carburetor issues, so expect more questions soon!!!
The picture of your bike looks fabulous too.
Best wishes
Simon

[singleminded]

My 1932 9A when I got her back on the road.
note the completely bog standard angle iron stand, NOT

[singleminded]

That is certainly a 1932 model. I have seen one that was registered in December 1931, but that was a common practice that the next years models were available at the end of the previous year. The forks look like 'dogleg forks' the same as my 1932 9A, the 600cc version of the 9.
You have the '32 instrument tank and the early '32 pull clutch instead of the clutch bridge pushing the clutch rod from the  gearbox side.
The 'Little oil bathe' was a sunbeam patent I believe, just add oil to the primary chaincase so that the chain just dips into the oil. Use a torch to look down from the inspection cover. The book shows the brake on the left hand side of the bike , an outdated concept even then I think. Most riders adopt the normal right hand brake and fit the valve lifter on the left with the clutch lever and I guess that's how it is set up now.
Keep asking questions when you're unsure you're not being stupid just learning.

john

[Simon Manning]

I have just purchased a Model 9 and am struggling to find info on regular maintenance items. I have purchased a photocopy 1932 manual for Models 9,10,90 and Lion (my bike was first registered July 1932) but some of the handlebar controls mentioned don't match my layout and the manual says the front chain case is lubricated by the 'little oil bath' the level should be maintained to so as just to touch the chain- but I don't know what to look for - what does the 'little oil bath' look like? and/or maybe my bike hasn't in fact got one?
I am beginning to wonder whether my bike is in fact a 1931 bike (even though registered in July 1932) but have no idea whether the spec changed between 31 and 32 - if it didn't it doesn't really matter, if it did I might need to purchase a 1931 Manual instead.
Can any old hands/heads help me please? I have lots more photos I could upload if it would help.
Cheers all
Simon