Last week, I was sitting in my office when a stranger walked in. After we exchanged greetings, I asked him what a BMW motorcycle rider from Coleraine (a town in Ireland) was doing in our town? He was taken aback and replied: “You can’t see the forecourt from here. How do you know?
I laughed and said: “Elementary, my dear Watson. You sound just like a friend of mine from Coleraine, and your shoes have petrol stains on them.
These most likely come from the Bing carburettors on a flat-twin BMW. They are prone to leaking.”
The suitably impressed stranger then asked us to show him how to adjust the carbs on his 1955 BMW R60. He had flown over from Ireland to buy this collector’s piece and combined the trip with a visit to a friend in our town. He was happy with his purchase but couldn’t get the idling right.
He was in luck, because I have owned three of these desirable models over the years and was able to demonstrate the special trick that’s mentioned in the owner’s manual.
I started the engine and pulled off one of the plug leads, causing the engine to run on one cylinder. I then adjusted the mixture and revs to get a very regular slow beat, with no sign of hunting. I then replaced the plug lead, pulled off the other lead and adjusted the other cylinder. When this lead was replaced, the engine idled in a most satisfying manner.
