Had a look today

Had a look at the motor today and took it apart slightly just to see what I am up against.

Parts are missing and a full strip down is in order to find out what is missing as well as to get at the sludge trap. Plus after taking the sump plate off and discovering some rust covered dirt(?) it's just as well.

Other than being greasy and not taken care of for quite  while, for the most part it doesn't seem to bad except for a few places. There are some parts that are in a box by themselves but seem to be OK, thse being the primary drive and the cam. There's a few other miscellaneous parts but they look to be scrap I think unless they can be saved.

The timing case cover has a small bit missing from the rear at the gearbox area. Another cover has been ordered from eBay to replace it.

 

There'll be more to look at later on, but for now I'm gonna clean the parts up to see what shape their in and after the New Year comes in, I'll order the Caswells tank sealant and possibly the air filter element for the Starfire to get that dealt with, leaving the tires, battery, engine tune-up and registration papers to deal with.

Yes and no....sort of....

First off, I need to make a small, tiny little correction thingy here. In my last entry, I kept referring to the B44 as a Victor Sport whereas it's actually a Victor Special. For some reason thatI can't explain, namely to protect myself from looking like a real wazzick, I had it in my head that it was a Victor Sport instead of a Victor Special.

Now that that's cleared up...the yes and no part is now explained; Yes I got something, but no it wasn't the whole thng at the price I was quoted

The day after seeing the B44VS I went with money in hand to pick this pile of scrap metal up and cart it off home. When I got there I saw the young chappy from the day before and after telling my intentions, he lets me know that he talked to his dad, the owner, about th esale and the price and dad the owner said that he couldn't let it go for the aamount we agreed on, $75.

Said that he's sell the frame for $350 and the motor for $85. I think he could see I was a little peeved by this and sort of sympathized with me a little. But I agreed to buy the motor for the $85. He then said that perhaps the frame could go for $200.

I figured that that might still work out as unless they put the frame on Craig's List or eBay as is, nobody around here would buy it sans engine so I have the advantage there as well as that the motor will go into the Starfire frame so if they did sell the frame minus the motor, I still have that.

So I got the motor along with some parts that were taken off (for whatever reason) and took them home.

On Chrimbo Day, yesterday, I had  look at what I had.

I pulled the head and barrel off to show a dry and slightly grungy conrod, crankshaft and flywheels. The piston was missing along with a few other parts that I can see. The other parts consisted of the primary drive with clutch and some minor parts.

I'll have to take some digital pictures tomorrow to show how things look at the moment before any work starts.

I will have to buy a timing side cover as there is a small chunk missing out of the one on thee now. As it happens, there just happens to be one on eBay. Luckily parts shouldn't be to much of a problem getting.

A new addition

Today, a few days before Merry Chrimbo or Bah Humbug, depending on your view, I stopped by a small, local motorcycle business that I had happened upon a few weeks ago by chance. So, as I was in the area I thought I'd drop in to see what they dealt with and what they did, as in repairs, parts, Japanese/HD or even possibly British.

I went inside and talked to this young guy for a few minutes and casually asked if they had any dirt bikes, British specifically like BSA or whatever. He told me there was a BSA frame in the back and he had an engine inside if I wanted to look. I did.

We went into the office where there was a motor sitting and he said that his dad had pulled it apart so some parts might be missing. I had a look at the area where the maker information is and guess what? Go on have a guess!!!

Can't guess? OK, it said it was a BSA B44 Victor Sport which is the big brother to my wee Starfire. Then he asks if I want to see the frame and of course the ansswer is...Yes!

We go back outside to an area that is tarped over. He pulls the tarp back and exposes a rolling chassis. He then says that he thinks that the motor came from this frame. So we have a quick look at the mounting lug on the left side of the down tube and he reads off B44VS.

I ask him what he'd be asking if he was to sell it and he tells me $75. To make sure I heard right, I said "$75 for the frame and motor, right?" and he confirms it.

After asking if I want to take it right now, I tell him that I'll get it after Christmas.

But I have the money and I'm slightly anxious about going back in a week or two and findng the price has gone up. So I'll swing by there on the way home from work to get the new additon to the shed along with  bill of sale for later on.

This new beastie is in rough shape; the forks need work as they are rusty, needs a seat, exhaust system, headlight, electrical wiring, tires, a tank and a ton of work.

But as it's similar to the Stafire, it shouldn't be too bad and parts are fairly easy to get from various sources. The big thing is whether to re-do it as a Victor Sport or as a Shooting Star

The Victor Sport is the one on the left with the blue tank and the Shooting Star is on the right with the red tank. They both look good, but which one? I'm leaning very heavily towards it's original set-up, the Victor Sport as seen on the left.

More pictures to follow when I pick the bike up and bring it back to Thrash 'em Motorcycles. This is to document it's sorry state for the restoration log and for reference work during the work.

Forums

As a way to get additional info on restoratns as well as a way to relax a little, I use internet forums.  I belong to one that caters strictly to BSAs and two  that are devoted to classic bike ownership.

As far as technical information, all three are good as there is someone, somewhere that has somthing to offer as well as differing opinions on some matters. This is especially true of the BSA forum.

Of the classic bike forums, both are good in that there is varying thoughts on posted queries and an answer is never to far away.

There are good and bad points to te forums; the good being that there is, as I say, someone with an answer, the bad being that it may not be the answer wanted.

One drawback is that as there are varied thoughts and opinions, I've noticed some slagging going on. For the most part moderators keep everything in check, but I've also seen where moderators are culprits as well.

From one of the forums I got the web addy for a blog that while not techincal is very informative. This is the blog of "The Gorgeous Biker Chick" or GBC for short.

GBC chronicles her adventures of classic motorcycling in northern Scotland on a wee Triumph Tiger Cub. The blog covers shows and events, charity dos as well as country life in the wilds of Scotland. As well as some good writing, there's also some good pictures to go along.

One is of a rather large statue of a dog at a port with the wee Cub and a 250 Panther parked up alongside. Both bikes are well used and travelled.

Other pics are of the Scottish scenery, weather, sheep and shed. To find out more, go over and have a look at GBCs blog. You'll be glad you did.   

Originality vs reliability

I just got the latest copy of Classic Bike Guide and one of the columnists did a bit on originality vs reliability and in the article, he talks about people who do restorations on classic bikes and insist on using only original parts instead of upgraded parts that might be better. No matter that the original stuff might be rubbish now as it was then.

I was interested in this as this blog is about the restoration of my Starfire and trying to keep it as original as possible.

But, some of the things he had to say made a lot of sense. As much as I want to keep it original, I can see that there are or will be times that it may not always happen.

One area that I've deviated from is the chainguard; one's for a B25 Starfire are rarer than frog lips so I had to make do with one from a B50. Another is the two bolts that secure the upper portion of the oil tank to the frame I replaced with stainless steel AF type nuts and bolts. This was done as the original CEI or BA threaded bolts snapped while re-installing the tank.

With the chainguard the purist anoraks will be coming out with the infamous "Don't think that chainguards right for that machine there mate." The bolts are hidden by the seat so will never be seen.

In either case, they may not be the right parts, but it doesn't stop the useablity of the bike.

As far as other upgrades, things such as electronic ignition to replace the points, that sounds like a good idea as it improves starting as well as reduces the need for adjustment on the points set-up or other problems with say the coil or condenser.

Depending on how well the headlight illuminates, I may go with a Halogen bulb or LED if there is one to improve the lights. Same for the rear light. Later on it may be agood idea to have the wiring loom replaced with a custom made one in the same colors.

Rubber for the wheels I'm still not sure about. I've always liked Dunlop K81 TT100s front and rear, but as those are from about 20-30 years ago, it may be hard to find them here. More recent Dunlop K82s have the same look and tread and might be available from the local MC breaker. If not, I may have to go with a modern tread and compound if necessary.

On the next restoration, I think upgrades will be in the cards.

Todays weather is.....

cold and windy. Pretty much like it has been for the past week. The beginning of the week it was dampish and it rained for most of the day. Then it's been just cold and windy as I say.

As I've been on vacation all week I've been indoors for the most part instead of the shed. I would've gotten some Caswells tank sealant on order, but an unexpected expense in the form of a replacement water pump for my truck came up.

Even if that hadn't occured and I had the sealant, I don't think that I could've gotten the tank satisfactorily sealed due to the weather right now. I think that it may affect the way curing takes place.

So for right now I'm going to enjoy the weather. It beats 100F temperatures of the summer and I actually prefer this as it reminds of being back in the UK and on the east coast.  

A sad day

I've just recently learned that Olga Kevelos from Kings Sutton, the village I grew up in back when I was younger, has died.

Olga and her brother Ray ran the Three Tuns pub in Kings Sutton and I would got there for a pint or two on some nights. I had heard during visits that Olga used to ride motorcycles, but I wasn't aware of the extent of her involvement until later on.

An article from the Kings Sutton Times gave a short history of her life and experiences. Here's a copy of the article in it's entirety

The Classsic Motorcycle also did a two part story a few years back about Olga's exploits on two and four wheels.

Olga was one of Britians few pioneering women motorcyclists and her or her legacy won't be forgotten.

RIP Olga

                                                                 

Restorations

As this load of drivel is about motorcycle restorations being performed (term used loosely) at Thrash 'em Motorcycles, I thought it best to list a few of the makes and models that I would love to work on if I can get my grubby little mitts on them.

Seeing as how they are very hard to find in this region, other than through trawling the 'net or attending classic bike shows, as it stands for right now, this is basically just a wish list. Anyway, here's the list in no particular order:

-BSA B44 Shooting Star
-Triumph T20 Tiger Cub
-Triumph T100SS
-Norton 750/850 Commando
-BSA A50 Royal Star or A65 Lightning
-Any small British trials bike
-And lasty, a BSA Bantam

There are a few sources that may be of great help in knowing where these beasts exist; one is Allan Johncock of the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum in Vanderpool, Texas.

He has been previously mentioned in this epic story and he surprises me with his latest acquistions every time I visit his collection. If anyone knows of a machine to be had or knows a mate who knows someone that once seen one, he's the one.

Mike Brown, also mentioned before, is another who may know of such things.

Also, I shouldn't forget the British Motorcycle Owners Association (BMOA) based in Houston, Texas. They stage an annual Rallye (their spelling not mine) which attracts classic bikes from this vast state to a tiny little town, village really, for a weekend.

Classic bikes can be seen, heard and ridden in all their glory as well as displayed and parts sold, bought or traded. Various vendors are also out flogging their wares, clubs are in attendance, field events are held and BBQs are going as well .

If a classic bike is wanted, those are the ways to find them.

The hunt will be on at a later date. But first the wee Starfire needs to be finished. Back to reality for now I guess.

Plans for the future

Besides getting the little beast on the road to ride around when I can, I'm also getting her ready  for a special little event.....the 2010 British Singles Run.

Before I tell you about it, it's not what you think, a get-to-together for single Brits. It's a motorcycle run for British single cylinder motorcycles that spans a week out in west Texas.

This is a small event put on by Allan Johncock, Aussie ex-pat and owner of the Lones Star Motorcycle museum in Vanderpool, Texas.

He's been doing this run for about 13 or 14 years now and has participants from all over taking part. The only requirement being that you have to have a British single and more or less invited.

As I said this takes place in west Texas and goes to a different place/town each day. Daily distance covered is about 100 miles a day and average speed is around 50-60 mph.

There's a recovery truck with a trailer for those that break down or don't feel like riding for a spell. At the beginning everyone pitches in $100 to cover running costs for the truck and trailer such as gas, oil and any blown tires.

At each stop over, riders have the choice of either roughing it by camping or living the life of luxury by staying in a hotel or motel with  hot shower, food and drinks and the all important bed.

The stops along the way usually have some type place of interest to see. This year one of the stops was Langtry where Judge Roy Bean, The Hanging Judge,  had his court back in the wild West days.

At the end of the week long run, there is a gathering of sorts to hand out awards and celebrate the end of a successful run.

The event takes place starting the first Saturday in October, starting and ending at the Museum, which will be chronicled at a later date.

But for now, tires, battery and tune up are in the works as well as getting registration papers in my name for ownership.

So if all goes well and the wee beast gets on the road and has no teething problems, we'll be taking part, with a report to accompany.

While we're waiting...

to do the tank sealing, I thought I'd tell you about some of my inspirartions in the classic world.

First, a name I mentioned way back in the beginning, Rick Parkington. Rick is basically a self employed restorer based in Edinburgh. He works from his shed in his back garden and from what I can see has an excellent reputation locally as well as nationally and internationlly through his writings in Classic Bike magazine. His common sense approach to problems and his solutions are most helpful when doing any kind of work on a project.

Another source is Mike Brown who is local to me. You may have seen his book, Building Budget Brits, advertised in some of the classic bike magazines. I've talked to him while at a rally/show and he too has a down to earth common sense approach to keeeping British bikes running.

Grahame Blighe has a book called Improving Classic Motorcycles which covers a few areas that can be improved upon. Even though they are applied to his BSA Bantam and Starfire as well as his Triumph Daytona, these can be applied to any classic motorcycle.

I've gotten a few books off eBay that have been helpful or just plain informative; one is published by Haynes and is called The Practical Motorcycle Workshop Handbook or something along those lines. Another is  The Motorcycle Restorers Companion which is like a Bible to restoring in that it has tables and charts as well as chapters on set up, metal and plastic fabrication as well as restoring sidecars.

A couple of small gems are The Motor Cyclist's Workshop by "Torrens" and the other is The Motorcyclist's Pocket Book. The first talks about workshops, mechanical work, tools and other related areas while the second is aimed more at the first time or amatuer motorcyclist. Both are interesting (to me anyway) though no longer in print.

If you're lucky, you may run across them on eBay. If you do, get them, you won't be sorry.

Tank preparation

As it says, the tank is off again in order to prep it for sealing the inside next month I hope.

As it's a BSA it's pretty easy and straightforward to do; undo the fuel lines from the petcocks, undo the single tank mounting point on top of the tank and lift off.

Next undo the petcock nut at the bottom of the tank on both sides and pull the entire unit out. Now I put these into plastic sandwich bags, marked them as to which side was which and sprayed some penetrating fluid in them. This was to help loosen the taps up as they still seem to be stiff and gummd up. I think some type of spray to clear up/out gum deposits is actually in order. But for now, the penetrating fluid is OK.

Other than cleaning up the tank, I did one more thing before ending this little task. I used some sticky electrical tape to tape the rubber tank bumpers to the main frame spine. This is to keep them in place and to make it easier when puttng the tank back on.

Now for a general tidy up of the shed.

A slight bit of a breather here.

Due to the left side footrest being slightly bent, I decided to remove it in order to straighten it out. This looked fairly straight forward as the right one was a simple thing to remove.

But nooooooooo.....

Whereas the right side was simply undo a RIGHT HANDED thread nut, pull the hanger bit off and remove the bolt from the frame lug, the left side had to be a little more complex.

Seems that some not so bright spark decided that this had to be designed to be as complicated as possible.

In order to get at this a little easier, I found it necessary to disconnect the rear brake rod from the rear brake so the brake pedal drops down out of the way.

Then the nut that keeps everything tight and in place is a LEFT HAND type which came off OK. However the fun part is about to start.

It seems thaat not only did some eejit decide to use Satans invention with the left hand thread, they also made it so that the footrest itself is "locked" in place on a splined stud with a "locking plate" or a washer with serrations on the inside that lock the footrest into place to stop it from rotating.

Perhaps this was an early attempt at adjustable footrest circa 1968, but it still is diabolical. In order to get this little monster of a washer off, wedges inserted between the footrest and the washer must be used.

As I have no actually wedges, long common screwdrivers had to be employed. I tapped one in from one side and then from the other side in order to keep everything as even a possible and to prevent any type of binding.

After a few minutes of tapping on each side, lo and behold, the locking plate came off as well as the footrest itself. Next the stud is unscrewed from the frame lug...left handed as well!

Due to some unintentional damage to the threads of this stud, it has to be replaced, hence the work stoppage for right now.

A couple of days ago I had to order the double threaded splined stud from British Cycle Supply in Canada. They also have an office in New Jersey.

For the low price of $27.05 I got a new stud on order. hard to believe that a stud that is about 1 1/4" long at the most can cost so much. But I guess when it's threaded at both ends and with a splined portion in the middle, if ya want it ya have to pay the price.

So right now I'm having to wait on it to come in before putting it into place.

The footrest hanger I keep wondering about, heat it up and straighten it or leave it alone. I'll figure it out when the time comes.

Update
The stud came in a few days ago along with a mighty fine looking t-shirt that I ordered with it. In the shed for a few minutes while doing the laundry and screw the stud into place as well as making sure the other bits go on with no aggro. Results in a few minutes......

Results are....everything went together as required and I decided to put the footrest hanger back on as is wihtout trying to straighten it out. As they appear to be "adjustable", I decided to lave them alone and adjust them to me and. That way I still keep it's previous character and can ride it without too much bother as far a settings.   

Oils well that ends well

While working on the wee one I removed the oil tank to get it cleaned of of any sludge that may have been laying in the bottom.

All went well after removing the oil lines, the fastening bolts and the mesh filter in the tank itself.

Sprayed massive amounts of penetrating fluid inside the tank and let it work into the sludge before using the air line on it. Also snaked a length of wire up through the oil return fitting so it came up inside the tank. Nothing on the wire so it was pretty clean.

Went to put the tank back in place and ran into a couple of teeny problems. First, the two bolts that hold the top of the tank to the frame decided to self destruct on me. One snapped off while tightening the nut and bolt  and the other bolt bent while being tightened. So instead of worrying about originality on a couple of unseen bolts, I got a couple of stainless ones from the local DIY place that worked perfectly. Also used some washers on them as the origianls seemed to have done a runner

The other problem was getting the bottom bolt started into the bottom of the tank. As I couldn't see as well as I wanted, I was worried that it'd get cross threaded in the tank.

But all turned out well and is back in place now

Part 3, it's getting there

Continuing on with the work, I managed to get it pretty well cleaned up and damaged parts replaced.

The motor was as mentioned before, covered in grime, oil and about 20 odd years of caked on whatever as it sat unloved.

As cleaning grote by hand is tedious and MESSY, needless to say I didn't take pictures during that phase. You can refer back to the beginning scribblings to get an idea what it looked like when I first started this.

The actual cleaning is messy and time consuming but to make it easier on myself I used a toothbrush (an old one my dear), some wire wool and Autosol, carb cleaner or WD40 in combination. The results were pretty good, even in the hard to get to places such as between the fins on the cylinder barrel on on the head itself.

Judging by the amount that I saw and had to deal with, there might be a leak somewhere between the cylinder and the head. But I decided against an engine strip down as I wanted to see if the wee beastie would run and also to see, after it was all cleaned up and running, if I could detect the source.

It was amazing the places all this gunge could get to; all over the back of the engine, the rear mudguard, the swingarm pivot, the rear hub, the frame rails, and the oil tank.

It all eventually was cleaned up and parts that needed replacing got replaced. A couple things that were replaced were the drive chain which was covered in rust and I suspect the rust had gotten down into the rollers and pins, the overflow pipe from the oil tank was missing so a length of clear tubing was cut to size and added.

I at this time also installed a chainguard as well. The original had gone walkabout years ago for some reason and I discovered that chainguards for B25 Starfires were as rare a frog lips, even on eBay. So I improvised by installing one off a BSA B50 in it's place. The mounting brackets had to be re-positioned a little and some fasteners from my oddment tin were used, but in the end it worked out OK and really doesn't look out of place.

To finish off the engine work, the carb was cleaned up, a brand new silencer was ordered from Lightnening Spares in Sale, Cheshire along with all the rubber bits for the footrests and the gear lever and kick starter.

Here's a picture of it still on the bench just to show what it looks like at present:

And no, I know what you're thinking, the pan of oil underneath isn't coz it's leaking oil. It's after I drained the crankcase and any run-off from using cleaning fluids.

Part 2

A lot of the work that has been done already, and it was pretty much just clean-up of all the grunge that was covering the bike.

And as this was a tedious as well as dirty task, no pictures were taken except for a few times. But in the meaantime, I'll list what I did to make the wee Starfire look more like a motorcycle instead of a field to plant spuds.

Starting at the front end, I remove the front wheel and then the front fender/mudguard. I cleaned the fender/mudguard up and other than an old scrape at the front end, it was in good nick. I sanded the braces down, primed them with some spray paint and then used some black paint from rattle cans.

After that I took the wheel and brakes apart and gave them a good cleaning. The inside of the brake drum I attacked with some sandpaper to get rid of the very light surface rust that was there as well as to rough up the brake lining on the shoes.

With a small wirebrush attachment for the Dremel, I managed to clean up the ribbed hub so it looked a little more presntable than a travelling rust farm. The spokes and wheel got the WD40/Solvol/wirewool treatment.

The wheel hub beaings I drifted out and took to the local bearing warehouse to get replaced. They were actually in great condition, but I felt that after sitting for roughly twenty (20) years a new set was called for.

Aftr dealing with all that, a bigger job came to hand....the forks. Those actually weren't as hard as I thought. After loosening the pinch bolts & top nuts and giving th etop each leg a good wack with a lump hammer and bit of wood, each leg dropped out.

As I didn't have all the tools needed, I didn't replace the seals in the stanchions, but did do everything else that could be done.

The headlight brackets along with the upper and lower crowns were sanded, primed and repainted, the boots were replaced due to dry rot and all the bearings were replaced as well.

The biggest hurdle was getting the stanchions back into the trees and secured. This would be alot easier on two counts; 1) if the fork damping springs were internal instead of external and 2) I had the fork-leg puller upper tool  used to pull the legs up into place.

As th elocation of the damper springs couldn't changed, I was forced to deal with the tool issue which wasn't that hard after all.

I got a pair of fork top nuts, some threaded rod and an asssortment of nuts, bolts and large washers and proceeded to fabricate my own puller upper tool.

I did need a little assistance from Frank Ceeko who drilleed a hole down the center of the nut with his drill press and then using his bench grinder we ground off the flats on the nut so it would fit down through the fork crown.

Then by putting everything together and then screwing into the top of the fork tube, I was able to draw everything up into place. Yeah buddy!!!!

With all that done, and put back together it was time to work on the engine area. That comes in Part 3, which is next.

The work begins....Part 1

As you can see from the last post, I've figured out how to stick piccies on here so all going well, I'll be putting them on here to show what the wee Starfire looked like at the start, progressing up to the finished, and running (hopefully) item.

Anyway, here we go...

When I bought her, she looked in a right state. She was 99% there, but looking kinda manky from some possible oil leaks or needing a good cleaning.

Here she is from both sides:

As you can see, not looking her best. Also included in the picture is one of the active, roaming alarms that are at Thrash 'em Motorcycles. The others aren't shown to keep ne'er do wells from knowing their whereabouts.

A couple of other shots of the wee one in a less than glorious state:

As can be seen from both shots, there is a fairly good amount of grease and grim everywhere, along with some corrosion. And for some reason that's beyond my comprehension, the chainguard is missing, but then it does give a really good view of the condition of the chain itself.

The petcock taps on both the main and reserve sides were gummed up to the point that they would not budge. After liberal soakings in WD40, they finally can be moved, but still with a small amount of stiffness in both which may be a good thing overall.

The following shots are of the engine area to give an idea of how badly they looked:

Gawd what a mess this all is!!!!!!!!! I have no idea why the sidecovers were painted black, they just were. This took a lot a large packet of wire wool, WD40, Solvol AND a huge vat of elbow grease, some green srubbing pads and water to remove the paint from the panels.

I know some people will say that they prefer to leave the patina of age on a bike as it shows character and all, and to a small extent I go along with that.

However in this case, the patina, along with the oil, grease and other muck had to come off. I figured all this may very well be covering small cracks or breaks and they'll never see the light of day if hidden away. Plus, with any leaks that there may be, it'd be easier to spot them if the areas were clean as well as making it easier for me to do work if I didn't get covered in a layer of grime each time I got close enough with a spanner.

Where all the magic takes place!?

Besides having the tools an a bike to work on, it's a good idea to have a place to do it, namely a shed. Sheds come in a shapes and sizes such as the ons that are just big enough for the bike, tools, you and a cat to swing around to the absolutley I can't believe how much room I have in here type shed.

This is the exterior of mine; the small building to the right is the original shed and to the left is where the wee Starfire and HD live now, slong with all the other flootsam that make up the contents of my shed .

As you can see the "new" shed is of a metal construction with a roll up garage door that can be locked with a padlock or two. Up in the corner where the two shed roofs meet is a spotlight for night time illumination and there's even a waterproof outlet box just outside the roll up door to plug in extensions for outdoor work.

There's also an active and roaming alarm system in the form of the brown beast in the picture and two others that run around the property untethered.

The interior has the bikes of course as well as a wooden bench that I constructed for working on the BSA, a couple of roll around tool chests with typical tools needed, one of which is dedicated to Whitworth tools and items needed strictly for British bikes.

There's also a file cabinet that has some power equipment in as well some files and the all important tea fixings. A recommended item that I have on my bench is a gooseneck lamp that was given me by the bloke that I got the BSA from. It clamps to the back of the bench and reaches to the front putting light just where I need it.

Along the walls are powere outlets so there's never a need to look for one as well as outlets overhead for when tools such as a Dremel or heat gun is needed right at the worksite. I even put strip outlets on the main workbench itself, one at the front and one at one end.

Other equipment items in the shed are a lift jack for the Harley, an air compressor, small shelf unit for my small library with a microwave, some glasses, mugs and a spirits optic dispenser  for an occasional wee dram as well as a CD collection and boom box.

Before I forget, the old original shed is going to become the Piston Broke Pub at a later date. It will be stocked with the finest of Scottish ales a I prefer them as well as Newcastle Brown Ale as it's my particular favorite. But until then, it's the odd beer in the shed for now.

I didn't do it!!!!!

For the eagle eyes, the last posting is actually the very first posting made. Modern technology got the better of me.

Anyway, I mentioned a trip up to Scotchland previously. I had the loan of a BMW K100 from a mate on a classic bike forum while I was home visiting the family. The idea was to take in a few places of interest and the main on was Oop Norf to Scotchland.

I set off around 5am on a Friday morn, steadly at around 70mph due to not being familiar with the bike, the route and the traffic, I was in no particular hurry as Scotchland was gonna be there when I got there.

Once past the built up areas and actually getting to see some countryside was nice as it had been some years since I had enjoyed English scenery. Stopping at services gave me a chance to stretch and loosen up old arthritic bones and joints.

Getting up into Cumbria, I could see the countryside starting to change a little, looking a little more desolate, and bleak. Just south of the border I stopped and talked to some blokes and I mentioned that I was going to Glasgow and then taking the M8 across to Edinburgh.

They told me that I'd have a better journey by taking the A72 at Carlisle and following it up to Edinburgh. Possibly a little longer, but more worthwhile. So that's what I did.

I stopped in a layby for a quick snack once I got onto the A72. It was also a good time to whip out the camera and take a picture or two of the road signs welcoming all to Scotland and also the one for England.

Going through small towns was an experience that filled me with a greater sense of ethnic pride. It seemed that just about every doorway had a Saltire flag flying from it.


After getting checked into my digs in Edinburgh and unpacking a few things, I used the cell phone to call Rick Parkington who I've previously mentioned. A shortwhile later he returned the call. He had been in his shed working on a project Triton for Classic Bike magazine and didn't hear the phone.

A few minutes later Rick and his famous pooch Finbar came by to collect me from my digs. Turns out that he and his wife lived just around the corner which made it easy. So off to his house we went. We had a chat and then the three of us went off to the pub for a few pints and something to eat.
Next day I made a trip into town to the Harley dealer to get a couple of things. Rick gave me directions and some how I got myself slightly lost so started taking streets at random eventually finding the place.

Back to the B&B and then off to see the Castle which I enjoyed but didn't have time to explore like I wanted due to meeting up for dinner later on which we did at Viva Mexico on Cockburn Street. They served surprisingly good Mexican food there. A few more aes were consumed at a pub near Viva Mexico.

Next day, Sunday, I was due to head back down South. But first I followed Rick and his mate Peter Barclay to Peebles for an autojumble at the Drill Hall. Rick took his 1929 (I think) Sunbeam Model 9 (90?) and Peter was on his 52 Ariel Red Hunter.

A putter around taking a few pictures and visiting the vendors, it was time to leave. Rick gave me directions to Biggar and then on to the A1(M) and homeward. Except there was a slight detour in Biggar and somehow got on the wrong road. But a few miles on I got back on the right one and finally on the way.

A few hours of riding, getting caught in the rain between Preston and Penrith, heavy traffic congestion in a few places and finally I was back home.

The point to this rambling is that you can't just rely on books to learn. You have to get out and talk with other people about their experiences, get their opinions, advice and any ideas they may have. And also to see places you've never been to or have always wanted to go to. I did and I'm glad I did. Now get yerself out and do it for yerself. 

Up and going!!!!

Here's the first posting on what is the start of a new adventure...sort of. Actually this is really two firsts; the first first is the fixing up of an old British BSA motorcycle and the other first is the start of doing this here blog thingy.

Once I get the hang of doing all this nonsense, I'll get some pics posted of the wee bike from when I first got it until the present time since I've been working on it.

A little history: I got this bike about two years ago off a guy (Miguel) I know who also ride motorcycles. He rides a Kawasaki W650 parallel twin which is sort of a clone of an old BSA 650 or Triumph 500 or 650.

Anyway, we got to talking one day an he tells me that he's got a BSA 350 Shooting Star in his shed. Yes, yes I know that there isn't a  "350 Shooting Star" so bear with me here.

I didn't get to see it but I was intrigued so when I got home I did some research on the 'net and discovered what I thought he might be referring to, which was a BSA 441 B44 Shooting Star.

So I did further research and saw som pictures, specs, etc and armed with this info, the next time I saw my friend, I asked him if there was a possibility of having a look at the beast in question.

So he opens up the shed and lo and behold, there sitting in a metal shed was a BSA as described. It still had the original Dunlop tires on it and there was 7077 miles showing on the speedometer which I was told appeared to be real miles.

After seeing this little beauty sitting there, I decided that I wanted it if   it was available. So I did some more checking around on a forum I belonged to to get the pros and con of this bike and everything sounded pretty good. Then by chance, I came across a tiny nugget of info that changed what I thought I knew.

It seems that the small difference of a color scheme made a difference on what model it may be. Seems that B44s had a red and off white color scheme and it's smaller brother, the B25 250 Starfire had a blue and off white scheme. the bike in the shed was blue and off white.

While this made a small difference, I still wanted it, so I made an offer of $500 and it was accepted. But then Miguel lowered it to $300 due to there being no registration papers with the the bike.

Bonus!!!!!!!!

Money was paid, bike loaded into the back of my Ranger pickup and away it went to a new home.

Having and knowing things is good!!

Before we get too far ahead in this restoration business, there are a few things that are needed such as a good, secure shed.

Luckily I had that came with the house and property when bought a few years back. It came with a concrete foundation, power, a locking door and windows, aswell as some nice big built in shelves and most important, a good sturdy work bench.

However, as good as this shed is, it is a little cramped to have two bikes, the bench, tools and various bits of equipment in there. So a as the framework was already thee,  bigger shed was constructed with metal siding, a couple of windows and a roll-up garage door.

Having a mate from work who in a former life was an electrician helpsed as we tapped into the current power supply (sorry, couldn't help it) and installed, overhead lights and outlets along the walls and overhead as well.

Yeaaaa!!!!, now were n business.

But none of this is any good without..........knowledge.

To be specific, more knowledge. This was done by obtaining the printed word when it was applicable to the task at hand as well as seeking it from those in the know.

In this case, while on a trip home in the south, I made a visit to Edinburgh in Haggis country first of to visit he Castle which is beautiful and has magnificent views of the city, but also to see and get advice from one Rick Parkington.

Over a few pints of Duechars and Ossian ales, we talked and discussed things. More like Rick talked and I listened trying to absorb it all.

Rick is very knowledgeable about motorcycle related stuff ad has a wealth of tips and hints to help keep classics on the road.

His advice can be read in "Classic Bike"   magazine as well as on Classic Bikes forum, see the link over on the side.

Armed with advice from Rick and others as well as the printed word, I'm well prepared to continue even when difficultes arise.

Oh Jeez...now I need some tools

After getting the Starfire home and into the shed it was noticed that I'd need a few things in order to do the work on it, namely Whitworth sockets and spanners as well as workshop and parts manuals.

So a look on eBay was in order and said items purchased. In the meantie I got the loan of some tools from Frank Ceeko who is a car nut and likes bikes as well.

But before ANY type of work could be done at all, a good going over and making a list of things that were visually wrong, parts missing and things that looked like they needed correcting was in order.

Surprisingly, only the chainguard was missing that I could see, but a few things did need replacing such as the muffler/silencer, all the rubber parts and it need a good cleaning up.

Now I know that some people like to have their bikes with a patina on them as it gives them "character" , and as I do sort of agree in principle, I also feel that it does need to be clean looking.

Plus, as this wee Starfire had caked on oil and grease all over, I felt that a good clean up was a good idea in order to check for leaks, cracks and any other problems that may be hidden.

It took a while, a few weeks of cleaning really, but I got it cleaned up and it turned out to be in really good shape for a bike that had been sitting for a good twenty years from the looks of it.

A start on checking thing out began in earnest.

Over the span of the next few months or so, I had replaced both sets of wheel bearings, looked at the brake shoes, eliminated most of the surface rust, got the tickler on the carb and the petcocks working again, repainted a few things, replaced the fork gaiteers and improvised a fork puller tool.

Bear in mind that as I'm not a mechanic or all that handy, some of this work took place at a snails pace to get to this point in time. I also had to go to my actual job as well.

But the work did continue and the wee bike was looking better as time went on.