The Importance of Smoke by J. Lucas

[montmil]

A Treatise on the Importance of Smoke by Joseph Lucas

   Positive ground depends on proper circuit functioning, which is the transmission of negative ions by retention of the visible spectral manifestation known as "smoke". Smoke is the thing that makes electrical circuits work. We know this to be true because every time one lets the smoke out of an electrical circuit, it stops working. This can be verified repeatedly through empirical testing. For example, if one places a copper bar across the terminals of a battery, prodigious quantities of smoke are liberated and the battery shortly ceases to function. In addition, if one observes smoke escaping from an electrical component such as a Lucas voltage regulator, it will also be observed that the component no longer functions. The logic is elementary and inescapable!

   The function of the wiring harness is to conduct the smoke from one device to another. When the wiring springs a leak and lets all the smoke out of the system, nothing works afterward.

   Starter motors were considered unsuitable for British motorcycles for some time largely because they consumed large quantities of smoke, requiring very unsightly large wires.

   It has been reported that Lucas electrical components are possibly more prone to electrical leakage than their Bosch, Japanese or American counterparts. Experts point out that this is because Lucas is British, and all things British leak. British engines leak oil, British shock absorbers, hydraulic forks and disk brake systems leak fluid, British tires leak air and British Intelligence leaks national defence secrets. Therefore, it follows that British electrical systems must leak smoke. Once again, the logic is clear and inescapable.

   In conclusion, the basic concept of transmission of electrical energy in the form of smoke provides a logical explanation of the mysteries of electrical components; especially British units manufactured by Joseph Lucas, Ltd.

"A gentleman does not motor about after dark."
Joseph Lucas (1842 - 1903)

[Tony Smith]

Monty.

What silliness is this?
Anyone experienced in repairing/maintaining/servicing Lucas equipment knows that it is absolutely essential to keep in stock both a bulk stock of Lucas smoke and the appropriate service equipment to infuse magic smoke into the wiring harness and components to replace any that may have leaked out.
 
I would have thought that you of all people would have this equipment, here are photos of mine, note the part number for future reference.

[r80rt]

I remember when I foolishly let the magic smoke out of the wiring on my 69 BSA Thunderbolt, it took quite a lot of electrical tape and foul language to get it running again.

[montmil]

Tony, I sure could have used that "replacement smoke" installation tool back in the mid-60s when I worked for a very small BMW-Triumph dealer.

Surprisingly, my 1953 Tri T100C was rather nice about containing its smoke.  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[steve hawkins]

Its all magic, actually.

"A gentleman does not motor about after dark."
Joseph Lucas (1842 - 1903)

Generally because he is likely to be a bit 'tight' with his favorite tipple....Brandy, Gin, Whisky, etc.

Your Servant,

Rev. Light

[balibeemer]

I'm glad the Beemers are NOT using Lucas Electrics. It is one of the main reasons I avoid Brit classic bikes!

[Motu]

I don't have any problems with Lucas - back in the '70's I only rode British bikes.  But I came across other brands working on cars, and Lucas distributors, generators and starter motors were superior to Delco, Bosch, although British Ford distributors were pretty good.  The inertia starter pinion was crude, but simple and it worked.

Japanese stuff came later and was an improvement.  But what really annoys me with Japanese wiring is their lack of sticking to a colour code - a green wire goes into a connection, and comes out orange! How the hell are you going to trace problems when they do things like that?  I liked Lucas colour coding - red for live, green for switched, brown for charging, purple for horn etc.  Mind you, there was enough colours to go around with not many extras.

[Tony Smith]

I'm glad the Beemers are NOT using Lucas Electrics. It is one of the main reasons I avoid Brit classic bikes!

I wouldn't - the good thing about Lucas is that there is a simple wiring code and old "classic" bikes can be completely re-wired in a day (I know I have done so by the side of the road, well in the forecourt of a service station to be entirely truthful). Most of the problems with Lucas electrics are age related and in the the case of switches - most replica "British" switches come from that well known English county of Taiwan and many are of indifferent quality brand new.
 
If you really want a brand of electrics to just hate with a passion - try Miller or Femsa.
 
Miller so-called electrics were fitted almost universally to Velocette bikes. Mr Miller had great ideas, but lacked the engineering know-how to make them work. He thought it was a really cool idea to fit a 3 phase alternator to Velocettes (that's what our beloved BMWs have), but he made the wrong bit rotate and used Selenium rectifiers.....Aaargh!
 
Rumour has it that Mr Miller started out as a Lucas apprentice and was sacked for extreme incompetence.

[Barry]

I remember the Millar ammeters and they are still in business selling spares for vintage bikes.

I never had a problem with old Brit electrics ...except for the time that the wiring loom set on fire but that was down to a bodger using silver paper from a cigarette packet wrapped around a blown fuse.  

If you want rubbish electrics The handlebar switches on a 7O's Ducati made Lucas look good.

It was the Japs that showed just about everything up. Brits and Italians alike had to use Nippon Denso instruments and switches before they looked good.

[wa1udg]

THere's  a special kind of radio smoke which you don't want to let out of a $2,500 transmitting tube.
In the early 80s here in the USA Jaguar was using "Lucas" fuel injection parts which looked exactly Bosch production.  I watched two Italian mechanics argue the point standing over an XJ 6, finally one of them peeled the "Lucas" label off a regulator and under it was engraved the Bosch part number which he pointed to with great satisfaction.

[Semper Gumby]

I have 4 britbikes and all of them are quite reliable electrically.  It is only when there are abused beyond their stated and known limits that problems arise.  Also allowing the insulation of wires to become too thin in a high vibration environment is also a problem.  To become one with positive ground requires a clear head and an understanding of color code of different wires and good tie wraps.  On the BSA the Brown and Blue wires are the most important.  I now have thousands of miles on BSA's proving their reliability.   My last big trip (~6500 sm) on the Thunderbolt I had only one failure - a flat rear tire do to an improperly installed tube.  

As with any motorcycle - proper maintenance and preparation is an essential element of a successful trip.  8-)

[thrang]

I had a Guzzi Le Mans mk2 for a while and the magic smoke was forever escaping from the loom... Eventually I gave up on the Guzzi smoke and just rewired the thing. Worked fine from then on until some light fingered syphilitic toe-rag decided to nick her from work!  

[Justin B.]

You lucky bugger!  Back when I had my MGBGT the only smoke I could find was some cheap Chinese knock-off smoke.   The up-side was that when it escaped it sorta smelled like fried wantons!