Touring NZ on a '74 Suzuki AC50 Maverick (Longish)

**Dances With Poultry** · 14th June 2007, 15:32

Hiya all.

We had a very nice 19 year old German girl stay with us for about 6 months, on and off, and became such a part of the family that we have "adopted" her. Anyone hanging around our place runs a serious risk of developing an interest in motorcycles and decided she wanted to learn to ride while she was here. So we had many pleasant afternoons, first in the park and then on the quiet country roads on a couple of the '60s A50s that I have. She eventually had one "opps" and came off into a Give Way sign post, cutting her hand quite badly and bruising her leg, but she got on the bike and bravely rode it home.
I told her she can ride a moped (50cc) with only a car learners license, so she sat her exam and passed after getting a special eye test as she has an eye problem. Then, together, we spent a couple of weeks in the workshop, rebuilding a '74 AC50 Maverick for her to tour New Zealand on for the remainder of her 1 year stay here. It was great showing her how the motor, carb and ignition system worked, and getting her to do things like change tyres and wheel bearings. The bike wasn't exactly a legitimate moped as it had been fitted with an A100 motor (but I'm sure her English will fail her if a cop questions her...). It needed a rebore and 0.5mm piston, and a de-coke of the exhaust system. We fitted a luggage rack, a new throttle and clutch cable from my spares collection, we set the oil pump, fitted a two tooth bigger front sprocket as it was still on AC50 gearing. All in all, we had fun.
It took us a couple of days to find an intermittent fault in the electrical system, finally swapping out the generator coils from a spare A100 motor I had.
She went off and on her first day she went over Porters and Arthurs Pass in the Southern Alps, with the tight motor meaning she was usually running at no more than 70km/hr. By the time she had reached the top of the South Island, via the long way through the Takaka Hill road (the Mussel Inn delayed her for two days!) and Queen Charlotte Drive, the bike was well run in and she was touring at 70km/hr on about half throttle. A flat tyre in the middle of no-where let her exercise the tyre-changing skills she had and she put in the new tube she was carrying, but it wasn't until an elderly couple in a home-made camper, complete with air compressor came along that she got going again. Eventually she crossed from the South Island to the North Island, and got as far as New Plymouth when she lost a lens from her glasses as she wiped it riding along in the rain, and it took more than a week to get her glasses fixed, as the special lens had to be made and couriered. Just outside of town, she stopped to brew some coffee and then the bike wouldn't start. Remembering what I had told her, she fitted a new sparkplug and the bike started but not as easily as it had before. A guy on a '70 Bonneville (she even had started noticing details like this as where-ever she went bikers stopped to talk to this little girl on an even smaller bike) and took details for the Triumph Owners Club magazine articles he writes.
Eventually she reached Auckland, with more than 2000km under her.

I was talking to her this morning and the trusty Maverick is not so trusty at the moment. There seems to be a lack of decent spark, so if there is anyone on this list up there who can help her, either by having a look or recommending a mechanic with points and coil skills somewhere near Parnell can they let either me or Josephine ( josephine@gehrt.info ) know? Also if there is anyone who wants to meet her on the rest of her travels further north and then back down the east side of NZ, send her an email.

Thanks for reading this far.
Kind regards

Nigel in Rangiora

**janno** · 14th June 2007, 22:05

What a gutsy chick!!

She puts some of the posey girls here in Bris on their gixxers to shame. Some of the lassies I've come across couldn't diagnose a fault to save their lives.

How long is she in NZ for?

Jan.

**Zukin** · 14th June 2007, 22:12

Hi Nigel

Whilst I cant help her with her issues in Auckland, we are more than happy to lead her some of the way down the East Coast on her return trip.
She is even welcome to stay here for a day or two is she wishes

Also you will notice on my profile that I have purchased a F650GS too, you and a few other BMW riders made my mind up

Regards Scott

**chanceyy** · 14th June 2007, 22:19

wot an awesome way to see the country ... & great job teaching /setting her up for the amazing journey .. well done

**Dadpole** · 14th June 2007, 23:03

Good on her (and you for making it possible). That type of road trip seems to be a forgotten art these days.
And you have the entire T series! Good to know that someone still cares enough to get the lot. Remember me in your will.

**Paul in NZ** · 15th June 2007, 09:53

Bloody love stories like this!!!!

There is a bed for the night in Raumati and help if she needs it.

**Crisis management** · 15th June 2007, 11:27

Nigel, I've send Josephine an email and, if I can, will get her going again. I assume this is a points, condenser and coil type ignition system?

Iain

**Dances With Poultry** · 15th June 2007, 11:45

Hi Iain. Yes it's bog standard points and coil. My guess is that the points have settled in a little after the motor has been sitting for years and the timing and gap have gone off, but with these old 'uns, it could be the coil has lost it's oomph or the condenser is shagged. She has a new condenser with her.
Paul: Cheers for that and will pass it on as she is coming back down this way at the end of her trip in Sept/Oct.
Dadpole: Every year me and about 6 friends have a weekend away on my fleet of Suzuki 50s, usually over Arthurs Pass. Little bikes are fun, it just requires a change of "head" to enjoy them for what they are.
Scott: Onya mate, I'm sure you'll enjoy owning it. Nice to see you here. Does the Good Lady get to ride it too?
Jan: Gutsy ain't the work for it. She got back to the house after the accident with a mangled hand, dripping blood all over the place and said "I learnt a lot today, and I'm still going to ride around NZ". She leaves NZ mid October, unless she can find a real Kiwi bloke to marry first! http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/im...lies/shock.gif

Thanks all,

Nigel in Rangiora

**Dances With Poultry** · 15th June 2007, 17:55

Thanks for the offers of help. Josephine took the bike to a corner garage this morning before I could let her know that people had offered to help. The backpackers she was staying at told her no-one would offer to help her and told her to take it to the garage. Obviously someone who doesn't know the biker community! It turned out to be as simple as a wire off somewhere and she is on her way north tomorrow.

Cheers and Beers

Nigel in Rangiora

**Crisis management** · 16th June 2007, 11:40

Bad news, I'm sorry folks....... I had a look at Josephines bike today and although it was going (roughly) yesterday it ain't now!
The points appeared closed up and I adjusted them as best I could without removing the flywheel, and we got a bit of spark, but not enough to start the bike. The spark is weak and intermitent.
This became a bigger job than I can comfortably handle so we rang the local bike shop, Colemans, and had a chat to the service man there. He was very helpful and provided a long list of possible problems but not too many solutions. Parts are not very available and he is reluctant to touch the bike due to the cost of repairs soon passing the cost of the bike (cost Josephine $400) so we didn't go anywhere their.

What we need is someone with more time than me and the inclination to fix this bike.

Anyone???????

**janno** · 27th June 2007, 15:56

So what happened with this one then?

A happy ending or was her trip on the bike cut short?

**Dances With Poultry** · 28th June 2007, 10:21

Well last I heard she was collecting her bike from Davey Motorcycles last Friday, so I assume it's going OK now. They were about the only bike shop that I could find from this end of the country that still understood the ancient black arts of the Points and Coil. I'm sure Josephine will let me know how things are going and will post more news here.

Regards

Nigel in Rangiora