I will drain the oil as a precaution. I should be sorted by saturday in time to watch the rugby!
thanks for the comments.
regards
Pete

So who will you be supporting.

so today I whipped off the air box, removed the plugs front and back and sprayed wd40 down through the carbs and through the spark plug holes. The front right sparky was in a bad way with corrosion all the way down the thread and the bit where the spark is generated was corroded too. It seems that some water has got in. I tried hand cranking it after the lube had been in for two hours and it was tight initially and then it spun freely for 3/4 of a turn and there is serious resistance. I didn't want to force it especially as the penetrating fluid has only been in a while. Any suggestions?
Regards
Pete

Hello
This morning I tried cranking it and although there was a good bit of resistance to begin with it is now spinning freely!
Regards Pete

Best of luck, let us know how you get on..