You're most welcome to carry on blipping and tickling in my books Paul. Whatever one's preference is in such matters, and no matter what valid arguments are put forward either way - it's all trivial (as you've exposed admirably here). Watching your videos has now become a regular morning ritual with me. I love seeing these bikes and seeing how someone like myself (ie. without a flash workshop or state-of-the-art tools/equipment) goes about working on a classic British bike. 😊
Hey Paul, don't waste your time on these ignorant people. Live and let live. Your highly appreciated by most of your viewers. Thank you for your videos mate.
Blipping the throttle and matching the revs to change down is a skill that many cannot master. It makes for smooth non clunky down changes and I pity those not capable. You critical folk carry on clunking!
I buy bikes that have been "repaired" by your critics. Armchair mechanics. It's easy to criticize. More difficult to actually do the work correctly. Nothing can replace years of experience! You keep doing exactly what you've been doing! Don't change a thing!
Very good response Paul. 👍 There seem to be an annoying few clowns online who have too much spare time on their hands and who simply like to complain and find fault with others. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix for this problem except to tell them to piss off. Keep up the good work Paul. Cheers, Dan ✌️🏍🇨🇦
I'm with you on both points - I find if you hold the ticklers down, you get more spillage than if you press and release repeatedly. My T140V won't idle reliably until it is properly warmed up, so I'm in the habit of blipping the throttle while stationary, because it's extremely annoying to be ready to pull away and it stalls. By the time you've found neutral and restarted, the lights have changed, so I'm with you on that one, too, Paul.
I am a jabber as was my father and his father before him! All so true Paul and there are so many experts out there who are just regurgitating something they read somewhere else without having actually done it. I have been messing about with bikes for the best part of 50 years and did a 4 year MOD engineering apprenticeship and happily admit I know a tiny fraction of the knowledge needed. The day you stop learning or stop being willing to learn is the day to knock it on the head! Keep up the good work Paul! ( and get that Bullet book published! 😉)
My friend Jack worked on and sold English bikes his whole life. One day a know-it-all was telling him how to repair something on a Triumph, can’t remember what. Jack didn’t even look up. He just said, thank you Edward Turner, I’ll keep that in mind. Mr. know-it-all just put his head down and walked away. It was hilarious.
Mr Henshaw i realy like your channel. I have learned many things from your videos .I am a motorcycle mechanic in the usa.Do not let the uneducated get to you, they are just uninformed. Thank you again for sharing your expertise !
Bang on the button. I blip the throttle on my Classic500 just because it sounds good. My bike my rules. I was told not to modify my bike until it had run in by an 'expert'. Exhaust, air filter, air injection system, booster plug, iridium spark plug and rear shocks all changed or deleted before the bike went on the road. Never regretted it. Don't let them get to you. Your knowledge is second to none and nobody doubts your abilities, the asbo bikes are testament to that.
I enjoy watching your videos learn so much your critics can go take a flying after the rolling doughnut. Motorcycles British motorcycles sounds so good they are a joy to look at ride and to listen to. Your critics can go piss off. Thank you so much sir
Bikes of the 60's did not always have a reliable tickover thoughout their heat range so blipping the throttle was essential and of course some bikes did not have tickover. And then again with a gold star silencer fitted a good ol' throttle blip at the lights sounded marvellous. Even my B33 sounded like a racer. Stick with it Paul as most of us want to see how YOU do it.
This is doubly true of 2-strokes, which always seemed to respond differently to weather, atmospheric pressure and anything else. I'm not a habitual blipper and a nice tickover is a marvellous thing. Unfortunately some bikes just won't settle and need the encouragement.
Well said. Bikes are individuals, as are we humans, years of learning, backed by experience and intuition come together 'sometimes' and wisdom then means we are confident and free to be ourselves and know what works and importantly works for us. I still enjoy learning and I find your channel interesting, informative and full of character.
Well said! It's a tickler so tickle....and if you blip the throttle on any of the bikes you ride it's going to sound a treat for you and any bike enthusiast near by; so please carry on... In making and putting out videos you entertain many people but you also open yourself up for potential criticism, it's a brave thing to, please don't let the buggers get you down.
You continue to do it your way, why does it matter. I enjoy watching your videos and if it works for you why bother what others think! Nice to see the Trident, you’ll still be riding it in another 46 years 🏍️ 🙏
Always had an urge to tickle and blip. This habit is impossible to kill even in my advance age. Thanks Paul, always a pleasure to see you in the morning with your beautiful Trident in the background
Tickling the carb by agitating the button,as a child,I'd watch my Dad doing that on his Francis-Barnet Plover. Then,he'd plonk me onto the petrol-tank and give me a ride around the front yard-my introduction to the noble art of motorcycling! 😊
You are very much correct in what you say. I have a lot of respect for yourself and the knowledge you have built up and shared with us all over time. Constructive criticism is the key. Thank you again for the huge amount of your time you spend to video/edit and upload content to share with us.
as you can see from the comments, you and your methods and workmanship is vastly appreciated, Ive learned from your videos and thoroughly enjoy them, as for the armchair critics, well they can continue to make themselves look foolish, years ago I had a little plaque where I worked that said 'i have neither the crayons or the time to explain it to you' and when some know-it-all started i just used to point to that, they didn't bother me much afterwards, maybe you should get it on a shirt!! keep up the good work Paul
Excellent Paul. I use the tickler like you do. I don't want fuel pouring because I had a fire doing that!!!!! I started pressing the tickler like you do for that reason. "Tickling" gets the best outcome and you don't need the fire brigade to help!!!! yes, we had to get them out!!!
Love the videos Paul, you're a lad after me own heart, a tickler and a blipper, i got about the same years as you being of '58 vintage myself and always having had Brit bikes i am like you utterly fed up of "mr know it all" who appears every time i take one of my old bikes out! I think it's got worse in the last 30 years coz before that a lot of the old Brit bike boys were older than me and knew what they were talking about, now sadly age has taken that generation away from us. We are the ones with the knowledge now Paul, keep doing it your way mate!
Well said sir. I've been fettling bikes for over50 years but I've learned so much from watching your videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Hi Paul, funny thing the tickler, sounds plausible your idea, personally I can see the theory of just holding it down but I seem to have a natural urge to "tickle" it as well, from what you say there does seem to be a benefit from it. The blipping the throttle thing I can see that as well, sometimes there are places that you don't really want it to conk out, going up a hill, busy traffic etc. although I might be wrong here, I had it in my head that it helps with lubrication to the upper part of the bore as opposed to constant revs. I enjoy watching your videos so please carry on as you are, most of the time I just tick "like" but I'd like to support you now, just carry on doing your thing.
We all do things differently to suit our own ways of working, but the end result is the same. Pauls attention to detail is second to none and his excellent reputation precedes him.
Many years ago I worked as a railroad machinist in a locomotive shop. The senior mechanic told me when I started that I'll meet two. types of mechanics, one who has 20 years of experience and one who has 2 years tomes ten - they quit learning a long time ago. I can tell you have never stopped learning and that's why I watch the videos.
Hi Paul, I support your view, tickle is the way I have always done it. With my Commando it always seemed to work. I never considered the "hold it down" method. Still, you learn something every day. Thanks Baldio57.
Well done Paul. I blip the throttle on my Enfield for the very reason you mention. It doesn't always settle into a nice idle and with no electric start I want to avoid kicking it at a red light. As for the tickler, I don't hsve a bike with one at present. I'd always just held them until gas apoeared, but after listening to your reasons for agitating it I think what you say makes good sense. More so than what I used to do. Well done with this video.
I've been meddling with bikes for a similar time to you I am a multi press on the tickler bloke and I enjoy a blip of the throttle, sometimes merely to announce my arrival🙂I enjoy your videos and the rides out. Especially the same routes after an adjustment has been carried out. The complainers will complain thats what they do. When I want to learn a thing or two I watch you😉carry on.
I’m with you Paul. I tickle the carb on my 70 T100 the same as you, and also blip the throttle on both the T100 and RD 350 while waiting to pull away. 👍😁
Paul I ride an old Matchless,so understand your passion,I stumble through maintenace and up keep,but five years down the line she is a sorted regular ride,thanks to people like you who know your game!!! And what you don't know you work out,your the real deal,keep doing what you do so well Andrew Ward
Good on you paul you have my greatest respect, i wish i had half your knowledge. The way you tickle the carbs and blip the throttle is just the way my older brother and all his mates rode in the good old days when British bikes were considered the best performing machines. To blip the throttle in the old days was the only way to be sure the engine would fire when you needed it to pull away. I enjoy all your vlogs from my new home in Australia. Take no notice of the negative idiots and keep up the good work. Kind regards Lester. QLD Australia.
All mechanics do in their own way, nothing strange in that, I have been working with motorcycles since the late 70's, and I do not consider myself fully learned, my grandfather used to say that "people with little knowledge, tend to have the most criticism", and Mr. Henshaw, you have given me several good ideas over the years, so keep up the good work, and by the way I'm tickled too. Cheers, Carl
Well said Paul, my thoughts on tickling the carb is if an engine is to run smoothly, then among other things it needs all the componants in the fuel system to work smoothly, especially the float and it's pivot pin and float needle, by manipulating the plunger, in my eyes - helps to keep things from sticking.... and I've been tickling and blipping mine for 50 years with no issues lol, cheers, Dave
Hey Paul, I thoroughly enjoy your videos, and enjoy your down to earth presentation and have picked up some helpful hints from them. I do some things differently and occasionally wonder about your reasoning for your method of doing particular things, but as with most things, there's more than 1 route to a destination. Keep up the good work.
Hello Paul. In the 60s I was taught to tickle not hold down for the same reasons you said. Sounds like that person saying it best to hold down is not old school. I also when in the day I also flipped the engine in fear of it conking out. Getting them going again wasn't a matter of pressing a button sometimes it was in good old tradition to get off and shove it to the curb and get it going once again hopefully.
Thanks Paul. You have expressed what I thought I knew to be true about running old British bikes. But wasn't confident enough to say at the BSA Owner's Club.
Hi, when I saw the title of this I thought 'No way!' but I knew what it was gonna be about, un'flippin?'believable (exercising politeness) lol. I'm with you Paul and have gotten a lot of pleasure watching your videos at quiet times of the day or in the dark bleak winter evenings, a feel good thing mainly involving the engine notes,....blips an' all lol cheers
Carry on Paul , 99% of us subscribe because we enjoy your videos and your take on things. As you said if that’s not their thing then go somewhere else !
I think you're right Paul! I like your nice videos, specific the Royal Enfield ones. I have a 1951 Bullet myself. Really nice to ride! Greetings from Holland.
Paul I have worked on bikes for nearly fifty years. I enjoy your videos, you carry on working as you are. We all have slightly different ways of working and you are helping a lot of people keep running our old clunkers😀👍🇬🇧
I realize that people (and myself) bob the tickler up and down, because if you hold it down or press it down and keep it down until the petrol comes out, it can stick and then flood, and to stop this overflow, you have to wiggle it anyway. So, now I wiggle it in the first instance. Ha ha ha.
👍great video. I also ride and fettle as I want and blip even on modern stuff. Keep up the good work. I particularly like the smaller stuff like the cubs.
I.ve just got my 1st classic. Matchless g3ls. I was wondering about why most people tickle carb up and down. I.ve been holding it down which works fine. But I think jiggling it means less chance of it sticking so I.ll start doing that! Can't believe people tell you that you are doing somat wrong when you are full time classic bike mechanic. 🤦♂️enjoy your video.s Paul. Proper old school no bull and ads! 👍👍👍
I'm a plunger, not a tickler. But I would never tell another bloke he's doing it wrong. Either way works. And I've got one of those rare Amals on my Interceptor. Some days it wants blipped, some days it doesn't. Part of the charm of British motorcycles.
Paul, I have learned, lots of useful things from your videos, as well as enjoying your rides in the beautiful Welsh countryside. Please ignore the tossers and keep educating and entertaining us !
Happy st patrick day paul. I know im hear cause i like way u sort bikes out and if it works for u u must b doin somethink right. Keep up the good work paul
Well done Paul. Ignore the nay sayers. I tiggle and blip and so do most of us. I think tiggling also gives some idea of how full the chambers is. Blipping, well it just sounds nice doesn't it ? I've owned and blown and stripped my Enfields many times over 40yrs and am still learning from you. Many thanks
Nice one Paul I "tickle" a carburettor the same way as you and I always blip my throttle when I stop I think most people do. I can't understand why it would bother someone else!! People are strange. 👍
Frankly after my 74 years of life, if something has not moved or turned for a long time, it is necessary to make sure it functions properly and does not jam or stick the first time you use it in "anger." I learned my lesson when my wife had a Cossack 250, that had been outside for months and I decided to move it. Thinking it would be difficult to start, I did the old fashioned TT start run alongside it , jump on it engage second gear. Just one problem it fired up straight away, the throttle jammed open and the clutch cable snapped. I was headed for a neigbour's front door flat out in second gear. I had to dump the bike so I was sat on top whilst it slid to a halt and pull off the plug lead.
Someone once told me that it's easy to criticise, but not so easy to be criticised..... May I humbly suggest when asked why or whatever and it's yet another 'keyboard warrior' the you just reply with ' If I have to explain then you wouldn't comprehend' or my personal favourite -'because I can - now tell me, what bike do you have ?' People are jealous of your bikes and experience, skills etc and are not worth the time or effort. Take care Paul and please continue with your excellent videos - you have taught this 47-year biker a few things ! Oh, by the way - I was always a 'depress the plunger' person but see the logic in your way.
excellent,well said.I happen to do the same but never analysed it.I have always enjoyed blipin' the throttle but my Enfield requires it at stops to not stall.Great rant,have a great day from florida,thanks for the great rides,cheers Paul.
I've been doing bikes and cars n plant since I was 10 years old. I absolutely love your videos and I've learnt a bit from you. Just to say, I tickle and blip the throttle just like you. Fantastic work my friend, keep it up. Regards Johnny ringo 👍😎
When you tickle the carburettor, any competent mechanic will be holding in his mind a visualisation of a set amount of fuel being released based on his own experience. It is also a valuable diagnostic technique when setting up or diagnosing faults. The amount of tickle will be based on years of knowledge and experience. Of course you can use the open valve method , and after flooding the engine a few times you will be happy to sit down with a decent mechanic who will show you how to tickle . But if you are still unable to grasp the principle perhaps you should stick to electronic ignition and ecu's. Since time immemorial riders and racers have blipped the throttle in order to be able to pick up on the higher revs in order to pull away . From stock cars to formula 1 the basics never change. Blip or stall. Your choice. Paul , you sir are a wealth of knowledge ,coupled with a wealth of experience and a unique talent. Long may you keep whispering for all our benefit.
Hi Paul what you do works because you have learnt it over the years and refined your fault finding skills which saves time for us all !! It's really inspiring and most importantly easy to understand, some people just have different views on things and that's ok if it works for them. Keep the videos up exactly as you do Many thanks mate Noel
If you know who the troublemakers are,shut them down,block them.Don't let them spoil things.Lots of troublesome idiots on FB who just want a fight and cause trouble.
I’m 65 and have been riding motorbikes since I was 9….in those days, with no Internet, very limited access to reference libraries etc, we relied on word of mouth, watching, listening and learning from those around us. Now I grew up in Eat London with a VAST resource to call on: from my Dad, cousins and uncles who all rode bikes in some form or another, to grandads who owned garages and repair shops. I was taught the same way as you to “tickle” a carb and for the same reasons as you (more or less). Just like accents, there were - in those days - regional differences on how stuff was done, what stuff was called etc, but it all worked as it was supposed to. If something didn’t work or you were flummoxed by something there was always someone to show you “how”……. Nowadays, everyone’s a feckin’ expert and knows better than someone else because “der internet”. Here’s a pro tip: unless asked for your opinion, keep it to yourself. If it (whatever ‘it’ may be) works for you fine. But don’t criticise the next man for doing what works for him and has always worked for him, but if you can’t cope with that, make your own channel, give your own sage advice and then see how nice it is to have some tw@t cry about what you do. Never forget: we may all start from the same point but chose a different route and mileage to get to the same place.
Hi Paul the people that make the comments you discussed, i think have clearly never worked on or ridden bikes of the era that you work on and own ,i very much enjoy your instructive videos , dont change a thing.
Some people just need to get out more Paul. I always like your videos and there is always something to learn from them. Something your friendly cat must appreciate too. Keep up the good work and sod the pedants!
I experimented with "tickling" vs holding the button down. I prefer tickling as it's easer to prime without spilling a drop as I can see when fuel starts to wet the bellmouth gauze.
I have, on more than one occasion, had a monoblock float needle stick in the closed position (probably due to wear) so that just holding the tickler down results in no fuel flow at all. Most of the time, bouncing the float up and down is just what is needed to get it un-stuck. On the other hand, I have found that tickling can sometimes clear a flooding carb. I was shown how to tickle a carb when I started riding bikes back in 1968 and I was also taught to blip to prevent an engine from dying from a badly adjusted tickover mixture or a fouled plug. I still haven’t found the tickler on my R E Interceptor 650 so good job I haven’t needed it so far!
Great video, thanks Paul! It is quite common that people try to make sort of impact by telling how long (at least 85 years) they have ridden motorcycles and how many (hundreds) bikes they have had - and all the other things they have done during their life from racing formula ones to milking a camel...
Love this video....i never understood how the internet encourages keyboard warriors.....keep doing what you do, which is why most of us watch your videos. Best wishes from Llandybie.
I think the idea that tickling primes the jets is absolutely spot on for a cold engine. Just to fill the float bowl,which should already be full from the last time it was used, is a bit of a waste of time. Plus, you don't need to tickle if the engine is warm as the jets are already full of fuel. Crack on.
A ticklish subject neatly covered Paul. My own response would also be "please give us a link to your superior UA-cam channel." A good bet there isn't one and never will be.
Extremely well said. I believe we are about the same age and are possibly coming to the same conclusion that at times we seem to encounter a large number of people who thoroughly deserve a “Look At Me” badge or T shirt that Cleary distinguishes them as special. Just waiting for the right time to find fault with something no matter how trivial has become an art form for this evolving group of individuals. Anyway I must commend you on doing things your way as too I’m sure your nearly 9000 followers do as well. Take care and enjoy 👍👍
I started riding on 2 strokes which would oil their plugs if you just let them tick over, so you kept blipping the throttle to stop the plugs oiling up, still do it now and ain’t going to stop. Same as I always give 2 kicks with ignition off first to prime it when cold
Don't waste your oxygen on the critics. If there getting to you, name them, then we will take a look at their channel. Keep posting pal. I had a similar thing on my channel. Your a better man than me i switched off comments. trolls mate
Just the right tone. I've found that some carburettors respond better to a tickle than holding down the button, it seems to give better control over the amount of extra fuel you let through. It is a right royal pain when you get to a busy junction and the bike conks out, especially a single cylinder engine. So unless you trust the thing to tick over, what are you going to do except blip the throttle? I don't usually do it when I know the engine has warmed up properly but I don't have to ride loads of different bikes plus I'm the last one to tell anybody else what they should do. Anyway, I can offer ideas once in a while but there's nothing I could teach you about motorbikes. I look forward to your videos. More power to your elbow!
Hey Paul, Paul here. Yeah I've seen a lot of chatter about the tickler. For me tickling works because I can control how much gas comes out a lot easier than holding it. More of a chance to stop the flow.
Good god the things people pick up on. I to tickle the carb. Give the float a good bounce. Also you can gauge the hight of the float by the speed of the return tap on the tickler
Tickle, tickle, tickle, and brmm, brmm, brmm ...brilliant Paul ! Well said. And sound reasoning. Really enjoy your videos. Keep it up and don't let the nonsense bug you. Next, they might ask you why you don't have a moustache or some such drivel. 😀God bless . Dave in New Zealand.
Great videos Paul and if I see any negative or non constructive ones I just ignore and move on so don't let things bother you like that. Keep up the channel mate great content and workmanship 👍🏻
I always "blip" the throttle usually when changing down gear to match the engine speed to the gear I'm changing down to especially with a high compression engine like mine (12:1) . In these days of quickshifters and slipper clutches these engine speed matching skills are being lost , but even with these things on a bike I think i would still blip the throttle out of habit. As for doing it when stationary, theres no real need for it at all when riding a modern machine but on a tuned older bike with a racing carb, there's no pilot circuit so you have to to keep the engine running or perhaps there's some foreign matter floating around in the fuel blocking the pilot jet... so its sometimes unavoidable to keep it running...these are old bikes after all.. These old school machines demand old school skills which, so far as I can tell, you have in abundance Paul, so you keep doing what you do and sod the rest!
love your vids, one clues in the name TICKLER, completely agree with blipping as well, don't let the clowns get you down, bet most don't even pull their mM own chains back, keep pumping your vids out, love the ASBO's mM
hi Paul well said, do what ya do, I've whatched your vids and i've learn't a lot like the other day about them piston rings which way round they should go, i also like how check what others have done before you to make sure its right and if not you put right and you don't take things for grant good on you Paul keep the vids coming
I find that on my 68 Triumph Trophy Sport 650, that even when the engine is warm, I need to tickle the carb or else it feels like the engine is binding. Not all the time, but if it feels like there is 500 lbs of compression, if I tickle the carb it kicks over normal again. Weird, right? It runs beautiful other than that.
The proof of the pudding, you have a proven track record, ignore the "keyboard warriors" and "couch experts", don't let them get you down mate !
You're most welcome to carry on blipping and tickling in my books Paul. Whatever one's preference is in such matters, and no matter what valid arguments are put forward either way - it's all trivial (as you've exposed admirably here). Watching your videos has now become a regular morning ritual with me. I love seeing these bikes and seeing how someone like myself (ie. without a flash workshop or state-of-the-art tools/equipment) goes about working on a classic British bike. 😊
Hey Paul, don't waste your time on these ignorant people. Live and let live. Your highly appreciated by most of your viewers. Thank you for your videos mate.
Well said Paul. Thanks again for your good work.
Blipping the throttle and matching the revs to change down is a skill that many cannot master. It makes for smooth non clunky down changes and I pity those not capable. You critical folk carry on clunking!
I buy bikes that have been "repaired" by your critics. Armchair mechanics. It's easy to criticize. More difficult to actually do the work correctly. Nothing can replace years of experience! You keep doing exactly what you've been doing! Don't change a thing!
Very good response Paul. 👍 There seem to be an annoying few clowns online who have too much spare time on their hands and who simply like to complain and find fault with others. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix for this problem except to tell them to piss off. Keep up the good work Paul. Cheers, Dan ✌️🏍🇨🇦
I'm with you on both points - I find if you hold the ticklers down, you get more spillage than if you press and release repeatedly. My T140V won't idle reliably until it is properly warmed up, so I'm in the habit of blipping the throttle while stationary, because it's extremely annoying to be ready to pull away and it stalls. By the time you've found neutral and restarted, the lights have changed, so I'm with you on that one, too, Paul.
Exactly my experience on my Venom.
Paul. Its a tonic to watch your videos! Please keep them comming.
I am a jabber as was my father and his father before him!
All so true Paul and there are so many experts out there who are just regurgitating something they read somewhere else without having actually done it. I have been messing about with bikes for the best part of 50 years and did a 4 year MOD engineering apprenticeship and happily admit I know a tiny fraction of the knowledge needed. The day you stop learning or stop being willing to learn is the day to knock it on the head! Keep up the good work Paul! ( and get that Bullet book published! 😉)
My friend Jack worked on and sold English bikes his whole life. One day a know-it-all was telling him how to repair something on a Triumph, can’t remember what. Jack didn’t even look up. He just said, thank you Edward Turner, I’ll keep that in mind. Mr. know-it-all just put his head down and walked away. It was hilarious.
Mr Henshaw i realy like your channel. I have learned many things from your videos .I am a motorcycle mechanic in the usa.Do not let the uneducated get to you, they are just uninformed. Thank you again for sharing your expertise !
Love it, just as good as your other videos. 😅
We are of a similar age (1964 baby) and life is too short for crap shovelers, good on you Paul.
Bang on the button. I blip the throttle on my Classic500 just because it sounds good. My bike my rules. I was told not to modify my bike until it had run in by an 'expert'. Exhaust, air filter, air injection system, booster plug, iridium spark plug and rear shocks all changed or deleted before the bike went on the road. Never regretted it. Don't let them get to you. Your knowledge is second to none and nobody doubts your abilities, the asbo bikes are testament to that.
I enjoy watching your videos learn so much your critics can go take a flying after the rolling doughnut. Motorcycles British motorcycles sounds so good they are a joy to look at ride and to listen to. Your critics can go piss off. Thank you so much sir
Bikes of the 60's did not always have a reliable tickover thoughout their heat range so blipping the throttle was essential and of course some bikes did not have tickover. And then again with a gold star silencer fitted a good ol' throttle blip at the lights sounded marvellous. Even my B33 sounded like a racer. Stick with it Paul as most of us want to see how YOU do it.
This is doubly true of 2-strokes, which always seemed to respond differently to weather, atmospheric pressure and anything else. I'm not a habitual blipper and a nice tickover is a marvellous thing. Unfortunately some bikes just won't settle and need the encouragement.
Well said. Bikes are individuals, as are we humans, years of learning, backed by experience and intuition come together 'sometimes' and wisdom then means we are confident and free to be ourselves and know what works and importantly works for us. I still enjoy learning and I find your channel interesting, informative and full of character.
Well said! It's a tickler so tickle....and if you blip the throttle on any of the bikes you ride it's going to sound a treat for you and any bike enthusiast near by; so please carry on... In making and putting out videos you entertain many people but you also open yourself up for potential criticism, it's a brave thing to, please don't let the buggers get you down.
You continue to do it your way, why does it matter. I enjoy watching your videos and if it works for you why bother what others think!
Nice to see the Trident, you’ll still be riding it in another 46 years 🏍️ 🙏
Always had an urge to tickle and blip. This habit is impossible to kill even in my advance age. Thanks Paul, always a pleasure to see you in the morning with your beautiful Trident in the background
Well said Paul, keep up the good work 👍 👏
Tickling the carb by agitating the button,as a child,I'd watch my Dad doing that on his Francis-Barnet Plover. Then,he'd plonk me onto the petrol-tank and give me a ride around the front yard-my introduction to the noble art of motorcycling! 😊
You are very much correct in what you say. I have a lot of respect for yourself and the knowledge you have built up and shared with us all over time. Constructive criticism is the key. Thank you again for the huge amount of your time you spend to video/edit and upload content to share with us.
as you can see from the comments, you and your methods and workmanship is vastly appreciated, Ive learned from your videos and thoroughly enjoy them, as for the armchair critics, well they can continue to make themselves look foolish, years ago I had a little plaque where I worked that said 'i have neither the crayons or the time to explain it to you' and when some know-it-all started i just used to point to that, they didn't bother me much afterwards, maybe you should get it on a shirt!!
keep up the good work Paul
defiantly keep on being you . thanks
Excellent Paul. I use the tickler like you do. I don't want fuel pouring because I had a fire doing that!!!!! I started pressing the tickler like you do for that reason. "Tickling" gets the best outcome and you don't need the fire brigade to help!!!! yes, we had to get them out!!!
Love the videos Paul, you're a lad after me own heart, a tickler and a blipper, i got about the same years as you being of '58 vintage myself and always having had Brit bikes i am like you utterly fed up of "mr know it all" who appears every time i take one of my old bikes out! I think it's got worse in the last 30 years coz before that a lot of the old Brit bike boys were older than me and knew what they were talking about, now sadly age has taken that generation away from us. We are the ones with the knowledge now Paul, keep doing it your way mate!
Well said sir. I've been fettling bikes for over50 years but I've learned so much from watching your videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Hi Paul, funny thing the tickler, sounds plausible your idea, personally I can see the theory of just holding it down but I seem to have a natural urge to "tickle" it as well, from what you say there does seem to be a benefit from it. The blipping the throttle thing I can see that as well, sometimes there are places that you don't really want it to conk out, going up a hill, busy traffic etc. although I might be wrong here, I had it in my head that it helps with lubrication to the upper part of the bore as opposed to constant revs.
I enjoy watching your videos so please carry on as you are, most of the time I just tick "like" but I'd like to support you now, just carry on doing your thing.
We all do things differently to suit our own ways of working, but the end result is the same. Pauls attention to detail is second to none and his excellent reputation precedes him.
Many years ago I worked as a railroad machinist in a locomotive shop. The senior mechanic told me when I started that I'll meet two. types of mechanics, one who has 20 years of experience and one who has 2 years tomes ten - they quit learning a long time ago. I can tell you have never stopped learning and that's why I watch the videos.
Hi Paul, I support your view, tickle is the way I have always done it. With my Commando it always seemed to work. I never considered the "hold it down" method. Still, you learn something every day. Thanks Baldio57.
Well done Paul. I blip the throttle on my Enfield for the very reason you mention. It doesn't always settle into a nice idle and with no electric start I want to avoid kicking it at a red light. As for the tickler, I don't hsve a bike with one at present. I'd always just held them until gas apoeared, but after listening to your reasons for agitating it I think what you say makes good sense. More so than what I used to do. Well done with this video.
Love watching and learning from your channel. Some people really need to get a life and open their minds up 👍
I've been meddling with bikes for a similar time to you I am a multi press on the tickler bloke and I enjoy a blip of the throttle, sometimes merely to announce my arrival🙂I enjoy your videos and the rides out. Especially the same routes after an adjustment has been carried out. The complainers will complain thats what they do. When I want to learn a thing or two I watch you😉carry on.
I’m with you Paul. I tickle the carb on my 70 T100 the same as you, and also blip the throttle on both the T100 and RD 350 while waiting to pull away. 👍😁
Balls to them. Paul I find your vlogs informative and pick up tips as you explain the procedures. Keep it going.
Great stuff Paul. Thank you for all your hard work in sharing your videos. 🌞🏍
Paul
I ride an old Matchless,so understand your passion,I stumble through maintenace and up keep,but five years down the line she is a sorted regular ride,thanks to people like you who know your game!!!
And what you don't know you work out,your the real deal,keep doing
what you do so well
Andrew Ward
Good on you paul you have my greatest respect, i wish i had half your knowledge. The way you tickle the carbs and blip the throttle is just the way my older brother and all his mates rode in the good old days when British bikes were considered the best performing machines. To blip the throttle in the old days was the only way to be sure the engine would fire when you needed it to pull away. I enjoy all your vlogs from my new home in Australia. Take no notice of the negative idiots and keep up the good work. Kind regards Lester. QLD Australia.
Just remember, those who can't do will be the first to comment. Don't take it to heart.
All mechanics do in their own way, nothing strange in that, I have been working with motorcycles since the late 70's, and I do not consider myself fully learned, my grandfather used to say that "people with little knowledge, tend to have the most criticism", and Mr. Henshaw, you have given me several good ideas over the years, so keep up the good work, and by the way I'm tickled too. Cheers, Carl
Well said Paul, my thoughts on tickling the carb is if an engine is to run smoothly, then among other things it needs all the componants in the fuel system to work smoothly, especially the float and it's pivot pin and float needle, by manipulating the plunger, in my eyes - helps to keep things from sticking.... and I've been tickling and blipping mine for 50 years with no issues lol, cheers, Dave
Hey Paul, I thoroughly enjoy your videos, and enjoy your down to earth presentation and have picked up some helpful hints from them. I do some things differently and occasionally wonder about your reasoning for your method of doing particular things, but as with most things, there's more than 1 route to a destination.
Keep up the good work.
Hello Paul. In the 60s I was taught to tickle not hold down for the same reasons you said. Sounds like that person saying it best to hold down is not old school. I also when in the day I also flipped the engine in fear of it conking out. Getting them going again wasn't a matter of pressing a button sometimes it was in good old tradition to get off and shove it to the curb and get it going once again hopefully.
I used to give the Amal car on my Tiger a couple of tickles before kicking it over for a first start every time.
Thanks Paul.
You have expressed what I thought I knew to be true about running old British bikes.
But wasn't confident enough to say at the BSA Owner's Club.
Hi, when I saw the title of this I thought 'No way!' but I knew what it was gonna be about, un'flippin?'believable (exercising politeness) lol. I'm with you Paul and have gotten a lot of pleasure watching your videos at quiet times of the day or in the dark bleak winter evenings, a feel good thing mainly involving the engine notes,....blips an' all lol cheers
Carry on Paul , 99% of us subscribe because we enjoy your videos and your take on things. As you said if that’s not their thing then go somewhere else !
I think you're right Paul! I like your nice videos, specific the Royal Enfield ones. I have a 1951 Bullet myself. Really nice to ride! Greetings from Holland.
Paul I have worked on bikes for nearly fifty years. I enjoy your videos, you carry on working as you are. We all have slightly different ways of working and you are helping a lot of people keep running our old clunkers😀👍🇬🇧
I realize that people (and myself) bob the tickler up and down, because if you hold it down or press it down and keep it down until the petrol comes out, it can stick and then flood, and to stop this overflow, you have to wiggle it anyway. So, now I wiggle it in the first instance. Ha ha ha.
👍great video. I also ride and fettle as I want and blip even on modern stuff. Keep up the good work. I particularly like the smaller stuff like the cubs.
I.ve just got my 1st classic. Matchless g3ls. I was wondering about why most people tickle carb up and down. I.ve been holding it down which works fine. But I think jiggling it means less chance of it sticking so I.ll start doing that! Can't believe people tell you that you are doing somat wrong when you are full time classic bike mechanic. 🤦♂️enjoy your video.s Paul. Proper old school no bull and ads! 👍👍👍
I'm a plunger, not a tickler. But I would never tell another bloke he's doing it wrong. Either way works. And I've got one of those rare Amals on my Interceptor. Some days it wants blipped, some days it doesn't. Part of the charm of British motorcycles.
Bloody good videos, when I watch them it's like being with my mates in the old shed in the good old days. You get a lot of rain to ride in! 😄👍
Paul, I have learned, lots of useful things from your videos, as well as enjoying your rides in the beautiful Welsh countryside. Please ignore the tossers and keep educating and entertaining us !
Happy st patrick day paul. I know im hear cause i like way u sort bikes out and if it works for u u must b doin somethink right.
Keep up the good work paul
Well done Paul. Ignore the nay sayers. I tiggle and blip and so do most of us. I think tiggling also gives some idea of how full the chambers is. Blipping, well it just sounds nice doesn't it ? I've owned and blown and stripped my Enfields many times over 40yrs and am still learning from you. Many thanks
Yes exactly, I've ticked my carburettor just like you do since the 1960s and it's always worked fine.
Nice one Paul I "tickle" a carburettor the same way as you and I always blip my throttle when I stop I think most people do. I can't understand why it would bother someone else!! People are strange. 👍
Frankly after my 74 years of life, if something has not moved or turned for a long time, it is necessary to make sure it functions properly and does not jam or stick the first time you use it in "anger."
I learned my lesson when my wife had a Cossack 250, that had been outside for months and I decided to move it. Thinking it would be difficult to start, I did the old fashioned TT start run alongside it , jump on it engage second gear. Just one problem it fired up straight away, the throttle jammed open and the clutch cable snapped. I was headed for a neigbour's front door flat out in second gear. I had to dump the bike so I was sat on top whilst it slid to a halt and pull off the plug lead.
Someone once told me that it's easy to criticise, but not so easy to be criticised..... May I humbly suggest when asked why or whatever and it's yet another 'keyboard warrior' the you just reply with ' If I have to explain then you wouldn't comprehend' or my personal favourite -'because I can - now tell me, what bike do you have ?' People are jealous of your bikes and experience, skills etc and are not worth the time or effort. Take care Paul and please continue with your excellent videos - you have taught this 47-year biker a few things ! Oh, by the way - I was always a 'depress the plunger' person but see the logic in your way.
excellent,well said.I happen to do the same but never analysed it.I have always enjoyed blipin' the throttle but my Enfield requires it at stops to not stall.Great rant,have a great day from florida,thanks for the great rides,cheers Paul.
I've been doing bikes and cars n plant since I was 10 years old. I absolutely love your videos and I've learnt a bit from you. Just to say, I tickle and blip the throttle just like you. Fantastic work my friend, keep it up. Regards Johnny ringo 👍😎
Thanks, Johnny!
@@paulhenshaw4514 no problems, I think you are a very honest great engineer and like I say, you do VERY enjoyable videos.
When you tickle the carburettor, any competent mechanic will be holding in his mind a visualisation of a set amount of fuel being released based on his own experience. It is also a valuable diagnostic technique when setting up or diagnosing faults. The amount of tickle will be based on years of knowledge and experience. Of course you can use the open valve method , and after flooding the engine a few times you will be happy to sit down with a decent mechanic who will show you how to tickle . But if you are still unable to grasp the principle perhaps you should stick to electronic ignition and ecu's. Since time immemorial riders and racers have blipped the throttle in order to be able to pick up on the higher revs in order to pull away . From stock cars to formula 1 the basics never change. Blip or stall. Your choice. Paul , you sir are a wealth of knowledge ,coupled with a wealth of experience and a unique talent. Long may you keep whispering for all our benefit.
On my Rocket 3 I always tickled both outside carbs and sometimes the middle one as well, then a cold start did not need the choke.
Hi Paul what you do works because you have learnt it over the years and refined your fault finding skills which saves time for us all !! It's really inspiring and most importantly easy to understand, some people just have different views on things and that's ok if it works for them. Keep the videos up exactly as you do Many thanks mate Noel
Carry on,Mr.Henshaw.Interesting and informative.You're the one making a good living from your activities.These people probably don't and cant.👍
If you know who the troublemakers are,shut them down,block them.Don't let them spoil things.Lots of troublesome idiots on FB who just want a fight and cause trouble.
Well I think that's unanimous then! Thanks for all your videos.
Tickling or pushing both work but if you hold it down you get a wetter finger!😊
I’m 65 and have been riding motorbikes since I was 9….in those days, with no Internet, very limited access to reference libraries etc, we relied on word of mouth, watching, listening and learning from those around us. Now I grew up in Eat London with a VAST resource to call on: from my Dad, cousins and uncles who all rode bikes in some form or another, to grandads who owned garages and repair shops. I was taught the same way as you to “tickle” a carb and for the same reasons as you (more or less).
Just like accents, there were - in those days - regional differences on how stuff was done, what stuff was called etc, but it all worked as it was supposed to. If something didn’t work or you were flummoxed by something there was always someone to show you “how”…….
Nowadays, everyone’s a feckin’ expert and knows better than someone else because “der internet”. Here’s a pro tip: unless asked for your opinion, keep it to yourself. If it (whatever ‘it’ may be) works for you fine. But don’t criticise the next man for doing what works for him and has always worked for him, but if you can’t cope with that, make your own channel, give your own sage advice and then see how nice it is to have some tw@t cry about what you do.
Never forget: we may all start from the same point but chose a different route and mileage to get to the same place.
You do you! I really enjoy your videos and learn lots from you 😊
Hi Paul the people that make the comments you discussed, i think have clearly never worked on or ridden bikes of the era that you work on and own ,i very much enjoy your instructive videos , dont change a thing.
Some people just need to get out more Paul. I always like your videos and there is always something to learn from them. Something your friendly cat must appreciate too. Keep up the good work and sod the pedants!
I experimented with "tickling" vs holding the button down. I prefer tickling as it's easer to prime without spilling a drop as I can see when fuel starts to wet the bellmouth gauze.
👍👍👍👍😂😂😁thats cheered me up no end
as ken dod would say "how tickled i am"
I have, on more than one occasion, had a monoblock float needle stick in the closed position (probably due to wear) so that just holding the tickler down results in no fuel flow at all. Most of the time, bouncing the float up and down is just what is needed to get it un-stuck. On the other hand, I have found that tickling can sometimes clear a flooding carb. I was shown how to tickle a carb when I started riding bikes back in 1968 and I was also taught to blip to prevent an engine from dying from a badly adjusted tickover mixture or a fouled plug. I still haven’t found the tickler on my R E Interceptor 650 so good job I haven’t needed it so far!
Great video, thanks Paul!
It is quite common that people try to make sort of impact by telling how long (at least 85 years) they have ridden motorcycles and how many (hundreds) bikes they have had - and all the other things they have done during their life from racing formula ones to milking a camel...
Love this video....i never understood how the internet encourages keyboard warriors.....keep doing what you do, which is why most of us watch your videos. Best wishes from Llandybie.
I think the idea that tickling primes the jets is absolutely spot on for a cold engine. Just to fill the float bowl,which should already be full from the last time it was used, is a bit of a waste of time. Plus, you don't need to tickle if the engine is warm as the jets are already full of fuel. Crack on.
A ticklish subject neatly covered Paul. My own response would also be "please give us a link to your superior UA-cam channel." A good bet there isn't one and never will be.
Well said, I do exactly the same on both counts, keep up the good work👍
Extremely well said. I believe we are about the same age and are possibly coming to the same conclusion that at times we seem to encounter a large number of people who thoroughly deserve a “Look At Me” badge or T shirt that Cleary distinguishes them as special. Just waiting for the right time to find fault with something no matter how trivial has become an art form for this evolving group of individuals. Anyway I must commend you on doing things your way as too I’m sure your nearly 9000 followers do as well. Take care and enjoy 👍👍
Well said fella, each to their own 👍
I started riding on 2 strokes which would oil their plugs if you just let them tick over, so you kept blipping the throttle to stop the plugs oiling up, still do it now and ain’t going to stop. Same as I always give 2 kicks with ignition off first to prime it when cold
Don't waste your oxygen on the critics. If there getting to you, name them, then we will take a look at their channel. Keep posting pal. I had a similar thing on my channel. Your a better man than me i switched off comments. trolls mate
Just the right tone. I've found that some carburettors respond better to a tickle than holding down the button, it seems to give better control over the amount of extra fuel you let through. It is a right royal pain when you get to a busy junction and the bike conks out, especially a single cylinder engine. So unless you trust the thing to tick over, what are you going to do except blip the throttle? I don't usually do it when I know the engine has warmed up properly but I don't have to ride loads of different bikes plus I'm the last one to tell anybody else what they should do. Anyway, I can offer ideas once in a while but there's nothing I could teach you about motorbikes. I look forward to your videos. More power to your elbow!
Hey Paul, Paul here. Yeah I've seen a lot of chatter about the tickler. For me tickling works because I can control how much gas comes out a lot easier than holding it. More of a chance to stop the flow.
Nice one Paul and keep saying it as it is, another great video thanks 👍
Good god the things people pick up on. I to tickle the carb. Give the float a good bounce. Also you can gauge the hight of the float by the speed of the return tap on the tickler
Tickle, tickle, tickle, and brmm, brmm, brmm ...brilliant Paul ! Well said. And sound reasoning. Really enjoy your videos. Keep it up and don't let the nonsense bug you. Next, they might ask you why you don't have a moustache or some such drivel. 😀God bless . Dave in New Zealand.
I don't get why certain people feel the need to question or critisise how you do things just watch the video and enjoy it .Good video paul 👍
Great videos Paul and if I see any negative or non constructive ones I just ignore and move on so don't let things bother you like that. Keep up the channel mate great content and workmanship 👍🏻
Im a tickler, have been for 40 years, for the reasons u laid out !
Great vid Paul. Keep on keeping on 👍
I always "blip" the throttle usually when changing down gear to match the engine speed to the gear I'm changing down to especially with a high compression engine like mine (12:1) . In these days of quickshifters and slipper clutches these engine speed matching skills are being lost , but even with these things on a bike I think i would still blip the throttle out of habit.
As for doing it when stationary, theres no real need for it at all when riding a modern machine but on a tuned older bike with a racing carb, there's no pilot circuit so you have to to keep the engine running or perhaps there's some foreign matter floating around in the fuel blocking the pilot jet... so its sometimes unavoidable to keep it running...these are old bikes after all..
These old school machines demand old school skills which, so far as I can tell, you have in abundance Paul, so you keep doing what you do and sod the rest!
love your vids, one clues in the name TICKLER, completely agree with blipping as well, don't let the clowns get you down, bet most don't even pull their mM own chains back,
keep pumping your vids out, love the ASBO's mM
hi Paul well said, do what ya do, I've whatched your vids and i've learn't a lot like the other day about them piston rings which way round they should go, i also like how check what others have done before you to make sure its right and if not you put right and you don't take things for grant good on you Paul keep the vids coming
I find that on my 68 Triumph Trophy Sport 650, that even when the engine is warm, I need to tickle the carb or else it feels like the engine is binding. Not all the time, but if it feels like there is 500 lbs of compression, if I tickle the carb it kicks over normal again. Weird, right? It runs beautiful other than that.
I asked my wife who cleans my Amal carbs for me, she prefers tickled rather than just pressed😳 Whatever floats your bowl.😂