I have no idea what this machine's engine sounded like before, as the owner had drained the oil and removed a number of bolts before bringing the machine to me, but he reckoned it was clattery. Investigations to check for timing gear backlash showed that side of things to be ok, but, at some time, someone had added a Carberry crank support plate and presumably while doing so, had lost or done away with the shims between the outside of the cam wheels and the original plate, so there was a fair amount of end float on the cams. I shimmed both cams again, as required, put it all back together and this is how it sounds now - which seems ok to me.
A dragging clutch had also been mentioned, but I think that was down to there having been far too much oil in the engine, as it all seemed ok to me. The difficulty in my finding neutral at the end of the ride was more down to my having a virtually numb left foot at present, thanks to sciatica, but I hope that will pass soon, with any luck!
