Greeves Scottish 1960

[Lee Morgan]

My name is Lee from Lincoln, UK.. Just finished renovating my fathers Scottish, took 9 months.. not bad for someone not mechanically minded.. Had someone look at the engine for me and can’t get it to start...
I'm confused with all the different permutations of what fuel and oil to use...
High octane with fully synthetic oil, 95 octane semi synthetic, 50:1 20:1..
Can anyone put me straight?

[Colin Sparrow]

A Scottish does not have a particularly sophisticated or fussy engine.

Normal pump fuel and any pre-mix two-stroke oil at 25:1 is a good starting point.

Can't help with the non-starting problem without a bit more information - like has it got a spark?

[Lee Morgan]

Thanks for that.. yes there is a spark we checked that.. The first couple of kicks it did fire once then not again after that... I used the shell V power fuel which I think is 99 octane with fully synthetic millers 2 stroke oil.. if not the fuel could it be timing? I think best to have someone look at it who knows what to look for.. As you say its a simple engine so can't think what to do

[johnrunnacles]

As Colin says, its a bit of a job to know where to suggest you start by email.

If you've got a strong and consistent spark you're probably half-way there.

Timing is pretty much fixed in a standard Scottish set-up, although the points can be moved by the back-plate as well as in their gapping. It's always good to try a different plug, too, because they can give a different response under compression.

Carburation is critical on any 2-stroke although, again, the standard Villiers carb leaves little room for mis-setting.

One thing that does sometimes make a big difference is to remove the crankcase drain plug and the spark plug, then to kick the bike over a few times, before putting both back and trying again.

Good luck!

John R