Francis-Barnett Plover 86 restoration and repair

Lighting switch - manner of operation Although my repaired switch was functional- it wasn't ideal. In particular contacts that should not be connected in some switch positions (see on) were actually connected- all be it with a massively high resistance in the mega-ohm range. I decided to replace the unit and so bought a SO781 switch and new cap specified for the Tiger cub. Most switches of this type are sold with all 10 spades/pins. However, that for the tiger cub has only 9, like the FB original. I wondered how the lighting switch operates as there is little detail in the manual so I decided to determine which terminals were connected and in which switch positions and correlate this with the onward connections of those pins shown in the wiring diagram. Holding the switch so as to view it from underneath (pins up) with the gapped pin at 12 O'clock, I numbered the pins clockwise. The finger below indicates what I'm calling pin 1 and viewed in this way pin 3 is the battery p...

The Acquisition- initial description and survey Responding to a Facebook market place ad, I snapped up this project Francis Barnet Plover from 1960. I'd never had a  FB bike and as I'd got several books on Villiers motors I was keen to continue my investigation into two strokes. As usual I paid too much and failed to ask the correct questions (through ignorance) but it seemed an achievable challenge to restore or quickly flip, whilst the vendor appeared honest and open, and the bike appeared to be pretty much complete. The first signs I'd got the wrong bike were when I discovered this was a Plover 86- fitted with an AMC 15T motor that seems to be universally panned in the opinions of many FB owners and writers. I'm not too bothered about this because the motor was widespread and used in the Bantam as well and frankly most of the detractors have either not owned such a motor or cannot tell me what its weak points are anyway. Finally Motor Cycling magazine on August 1960 ...