Happy New Year and for those north of the Border, Happy Hogmany

As 2010 slowly leaves, I wish a Happy New Year and Hogmany to one and all.

Hopefully the new year will be better than this one has been in all ways. Not that there was anything wrong with it, just saying.

A few of the highlights from the Bodger:

The good: A trip home to Ingiliterre with a vist to the NMM and a met up with Kawa, getting Vicky my Victor Special, good mates from a couple of forums'sss and of course Blogs

The bad: The loss of a couple of forum mates, Pooh, Classic McNut and Dig. No matter thier age, they've left us to early.

So lift a glass and toast in the New Year with a dram of your favorite brand.

Something for Kawa

As my mate Kawa has thrown in several BSA related items in recent blog postings, thought it only fair to return the favor.

In a fairly recent post, this past week I think, Kawa talked about the Indian Rally this past summer in Scotland where Indian enthusiasts (the motorcycles, not the people) from worldwide converged to ride, discuss, and do whatever else tht came to mind about Indian motorcycles from Sprinfield, Massachuesettes.

Digging into my vast (OK, OK I can but dream can't I?) archives, I brought up these three beauts that are in lovely nick.

   

These three fine looking machines are at present living at the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum (http://www.lonestarmotorcyclemuseum.com/) in Vanderpool, Texas. If the linky thing doesn't work, try the linky thing on the home page of this electronic fishwrap.

I've mentioned the museum, a collection really, in a past posting. It's not quite as good as the National Motorycle Museum that Kawa and myself visited back during my trip home, but it does have a nice little selection of motorcycles there.

Getting back to the Indian rally; though V-twins and American motorcycles really aren't my thing, it would've nice to attend that one just to see these old bikes actully being used as intended. Other than the three pictured, I've only seen four, yes, four in my lifetime.

Two were actual Indian Chiefs, another was a "retro" Chief made in Gilroy, California and the other was one that looked similar to a HD Dyna Super Glide or Low Rider.

Kawa, feel free to acquire these pics if you want as I took them so they're not copywrited. Personally I like the Indian Four as it looks nice as well as being made years before the "groundbreaking" Honda 750/4 of the late 60s.

The Big C strikes again

Just learned today that two old boys that I know from two different classic bike forums have passed away  the last two days due to cancer.

Classic  McNut from UK on Classic Bike Forum and Dig(less) from New Zealand on Classic Motorbike Forum both had different forms of cancer that didn't get them down even though they knew the odds.

Even though I never met either one, they both had a great sense of humor from what I do know and real gents.

It's always hard to lose a mate, even harder when it's through a diease such as cancer.

RIP McNut (Don) and Dig (Doug), you'll both be missed.

Bah Humbug time again

Well boys and girls, it's that time of year again...yes, yes, it's Bah Humbug time again, just like the title says :).

Once again it's time to spend loads of yer hard earned sheckles and ruppees on things for people, listen to Yuletide music 'til yer ears bleed, and for some an excuse to overeat and over indulge in wee drams, eggnog laced (hopefully) with rum and of course some ale, preferably Newcastle Brown Ale.

Lest you think me a Grinch, I'll partake in the seasons festivities by giving everyone a sneak peek of my list to give the jolly fat man who swans about with some reindeer and a sleigh.

My Bah Humbug list is as follows:

A wee Triumph Tiger Cub (longed for one when I was a younger sprog)
A Triumph X75 Hurricane (beautiful looking machine)
A BSA Rocket 3 (with bread bin tank and ray gun silencers)
A Harley Davidson XLCR Cafe Racer (loved the look, even if it wasn't the best there was)
A Triumph T100SS (a mate had one and a certain gorgeous girly tested one for a week)
A BSA B44 Shooting Star (to go with Amelia and Vicky)
A Greeves Scottish trials machine (just want one)
A Laverda 1000/3 (jsut oozes sex appeal))
A Royal Enfield Continental GT (first factory made cafe racer especially for the boy racers of the time)

Also a pair of Buffalo Action winter gloves, a pair of waxed cotton trews, a plane ticket to attend the Manx GP as well as the Haggis and lastly, a nice digital camera to taking some great biking piccies and of course a bigger shed to house them all in.

That should do it me thinks. Wonder if there's any chance of the fat man pulling that one off????? Is there anything I forgot??? Of course a good classic bike mag or book is always good too :)!

Buyer Beware...sorta!

I was looking at the messages on forum when I ran across one that was sorta bizarre.

Without naming names, Clubs, etc the gist of the posting was that this old boy was dying of cancer and decided to give away his considerable collection of motorcycles, which were all dismantled and in boxes.

He had everything lined up and before he could get it finalized he died. So, the people who were supposed to "inherite" these "gifts" did.

Now here it gets bizarre; two guys for whatever reason decided to call this all into question as being a little shady and made this known to all who would listen to include the authorities.

Anyway, this has caused a huge uproar with mudslinging going on back and forth with accusations being levelled at all involved from the looks of it.

So this got me wondering on this; if something were to happen to the owner of something of value whether it's motorcycles, buttons or a ball of string, prior to a will or other legal form of instruction in place, what should happen to the collection?

Should it be divided up according to the wishes at the time of the owner; let the legal beagles do their thing (and at considerable cost to the estate perhaps); everyone get their "gift" and all keep mum on the subject or do nothing as there is nothing that can be done without legal paperwork to give clear instructions?

Personally I would get with the owner of the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum not to far away and see if he would like to have Amelia and Vicky donated for permanent display as he doesn't have either of these. If so, I would have it done all legal like and made sure that everyone and his dog knew this so someone doesn't try and pull a fast one ala the many "authentic" copies of Howard Hughes' will.

If not I'd ask some of my mates from the 'net if they would and if so they'd get them. They're in the UK, so then the bikes get to go home where they were from originally. Only thing is they'd have to make arrangements for shipping. If in the US, they can come and collect them.

Hopefully none of this every has to happen within the next day or two, but it did get me to thinking about it. But I don't plan on leaving anytime soon so it's a long time off just yet!!!!

Now for a musical interlude

To follow on from adventures in the shed, whenever I'm in the shed I listen to some type of CD that can get the  heart started and a pumping whether it's Rush "Working Man", Ronnie James Dio "Holy Diver, AC/DC "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) or even Courtney Love's "Violet" She's a silly tart I know, but I love this tune.

This one, by Alice Bowie,  (I know they're not a "real" band), is a great one. For the uninitiated, Cheech&Chong were a couple of dozy geezers from back in the 70s who made some albums and movies that were funny as he-double toothpicks, most notibly "Up In Smoke", a stoner movie that was a riot.

This is a song from that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bwEy8BQBfk

So click on it, sit back and enjoy for a few minutes, and then go into yer shed and play some good tunes while a spannering on yer ride.

STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!

I've just discovered something that I had saved on my Favorites section and forgot about that is a must for good tunes for in the shed.

It's this: www.radiocaroline.co.uk   a pirate radio station outta the UK that's been on the air for years and plays some GOOD tunes, better than some of the drivel that's on the radio hereabouts.

Disaster area

Today I decided to tackle the disaster area more commonly known as my shed.

Had to do some tidying as it was looking more like a storage area than anything else. Boxed up some odds and ends, straightened out the library area some by consolidating the binders that have info in them, putting books/manuals away, same with the CDs and other bits.

However, I still need to store/pack up more stuff in order to have more space. More boxes are needed along with some trash bags for the junk. Need some for the larger parts off Vicky to keep everything inn one place instead of them going walkabout. But's it's slowly getting there.

So now instead of a disaster area, it's looking more like a small tip.

All the while I was doing this, the weather has been cool for here, somewhere in the 50s I'm guessing. Very enjoyable......

A Day to Remember

Today, November 11, is a day for rememberance for most whether it's called Veteran's Day or Rememberance Day.

For some it's a day off work, for most it's a day to give thanks and appreciation to the men and women of the military who have served and in some cases gave heir lives and also for the ones serving today.

If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have the freedoms that we all have today to enjoy the things we have such as swanning about on old motorcycles and other things.

So today, remember those who have served and are presently serving in the military, no matter country it may be.

Slow is the word for the noo!

For the past week my laptop has been running slow as treacle/molasses and I don't like it one bit!

I went on line to check my email and my provider took close to 10mins just to load and after another 10mins or so to get to the email page it timed out. "What the b*ggery b*llcks" to quote Pats and Eddie (yer homework is to find out who they are) was my initial thoughts about it.

So being the computer challenged person I is, I took it to the local 'puter geeks to have them check it out. Prognosis is that it had some Malware and some other poxy stuff on it and for the princely sum of more than a couple of goats, they could "fix" it.

So after a few days in their "loving" care, all is well according to them. If I had high speed 'net it probably would be just dandy, but I don't and it isn't. Still can't get to the email stuff unless I use someone elses 'puter, and it takes donkeys ages to get to anything else, but at least I can still get on.

I got an email with a link on it, not the cause of all this BTW, that showed B25s and B44s for sale in a US mag. An nice looking B25 such as my little Amelia had an asking price of $5,0000! Are they insane??????
Not even on a good day would I pay that for a B25.

I've had time to ponder on things while without this box of wires and have decided that the year 2011 will be spent on working on Vicky and Amelia both in order to get them on the road or at least close to it AND to save enough scratch for my next trip to the UK which will be to Aberdeenland in order to take part in the Haggis Run in 2012.

After that, a little jaunt around the Highlands to Inverness, Culloden, Loch Ness, Inverary and Falkirk along with Stirling. All in the comfort of a tin box I'm afraid.

Oh, and Kawa, an frequent contributor has his Blog up and running and is looking pretty good so check it out.

Toodle pip 'til the next time...if the box of wires co-operates and lets me do it!!!!

Let's give it another go shall we&*^*%&$^&????

OK, seeing how I botched it up doing the cut-n-paste thing in the last posting, here's a linky thing that has ALL the piccies that I was gonna post on here.

So, if you clicky on here, (fingers crossed), it'll show up this time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/850norton/sets/72157625024911995/


Actually I just did a test run and, hold on to yer hats, it @#$%*&%$#@ WORKED!!!!!

Who woulda thunk it! Cheers to Kawa for sending me the "Cut-n-Paste Instructions for Dummies" via cyberland.

Oh, and there is a movemet afoot to save, as in not destroy, the old BSA building(s). If you go to http://www.bsatrust.org/, hit the link for email and send one in to show your support.

This is important.....the once great British motorcycle industry may have withered away and died, but the buildings can at least be saved  for historical purposes at least to let future generations know about the industry.

As the caretaker of two of Small Heaths finest, it's the very least I can do and so can YOU!

The NMM

I'm gonna give this a try as Hairy Larry wants pics and it's taking soooooooooooo long to upload the little buggers one at a time, so clicky on the linky thing                                                                       http://s165.photobucket.com/u52/850norton/nationalmotorcyclemuseum and it should show some piccies for you to gander at.

I'll keep adding to it until they're all  there.

Here's one that Kawa emailed from the recent Stafford show:

In one of the posts I said that IMHO this was one of the most beautiful machine ever assembled and this is a good example of why I think so. It just shouts raw power and good looks.

In a more serious vein, this was carved on the back of a headstone in the village cemetery where my Dad is buried :

Speaking of Stafford, I've heard tell that it was a good do for those who went.....congrats to Kawa for getting a wee trophy for one of his Kawa's and GBC who met up with some of Bodger's online acquinatances.

Been there, blah blah, blah,...Part Zwei

In the last exciting installment, I told of trips off to Bicester, Newbury, Daventry, and the chippy. In this edition we're off to Solihull, the home of the National Motorcycle Museum or to make it easier on arthritic fingers, the NMM.

Upon leaving home for Brum, due care and attention was required for a couple of reasons, the main one being that it was foggy as all get out, as well as not being familiar with the route though I did  have a good idea where I was going.

Anyway, back to the plot (if there ever was one), once on the M40 heading North it was fairly foggy....that is until I crossed the county line into Warwickshire from Oxfordshire and then the fog lifted and then it was plain sailing.

After a short bit, it was time to take to the M42 which goes to Solihull. Then it was a case of waiting for the exit to come into view, which it did. After getting off the motorway, a trip around the roundabout was made and of course muggins took the WRONG exit which he discovered as he went onto a slip road while seeing the sign to the NMM at the NEXT exit.

So after doubling back and taking the RIGHT exit at the roundabout, I pulls into the parking lot roughly 45 minutes after leaving the hoose. And about 15 minutes after that Kawa pulls in and parks up near my ride.

After exchanging pleasantries, we enter the NMM and start to have a poke around before paying our admission into the exhibit halls. A point of information for future reference, they knock off a bit if you are a member of the VCMCC, which were both are, so that makes it even better.

We both took pictures of some of the finest examples of British craftsmanship that were produced during the last century, all the while having a natter aboot stuff.

To start off I got piccies of the ones I really wanted such as the Triumph/BSA DOHC 350s, Triumph 1000 Quadrent, The Texas Cigar Triumph streamline operated by Johnny Allen as well as a X75 Hurricane that IMO was the finest looking machine ever put out by a motorcycle company, ever.

There were also some examples of some that were prototypes of some machines that should've been put into production such as a Norton 900cc Trisolastic which was a Norton with a Triumph/BSA triple basically as as a BSA 750 Gold Star II triple and a BSA B50 in an isolastic frame.

After a bit it was time to have a bite of food so we got ticket thingies that got us back into the exhibit halls an went upstairs to the eating area. After some bacon and sausage butties and tea, back we went for some more looking and drooling  (on my part anyway).

All of these could've extended the life of the British motorcycle companies for a few more years while newer, fresher designs and concepts were thought of, assembles, tested and put into production. But it was not to be as we all know.

I took several piccies of the racing triples piloted by my hero's of the day, Ray Pickrell, John Cooper, Percy Tait and Gene Romero. Also several of the John Player Nortons raced by Peter Williams, Mick Grant and Dave Croxford. And not to forget one that was a legend in it's own time, "Slippery Sam".

In the next posting after I get the pics all sized smaller for easier uploading will be all these mentioned as well as the "Copper Knob", "Flying Banana", "Hog Slayer", and a few others.

After spending a couple of hours, Kawa and myself both had to leave. But prior to that I had to make a stop in he gift shop on premises to pick up a few trinkets such as a book on BSA Unit Singles and a few postcards. Then it was back on to the motorways for the two of us to our respective destinations; back to Banbury and Kings Sutton for me and Stafford and Squires Cafe for Kawa.

The rest of the trip home was spent relaxing, driving about and seeing old friends here and there. Did pick up a few necessities such as a Campbell Cooper waxed cotton jacket similar to a Belstaff/Barbour from F2 Motorcycles in Middleton Cheney, a call to the VCMCC got an order placed for a book on the TT as well as a mug for supping tea from, a tube of Solvol, Chocolate Digestives, shortbread, Mars bars, teabags and for some of the women at work some huge bars of Cadburys Dairy Milk and Roasted Nut. All of which I managed to pack into the already cramped bags I had.

I now it's been 30 years since I left and two years since I had last been back, but things had changed quite a bit. Towns and villages themselves are still as they were for the most part, the roadways have expanded due to the volume of traffic which seems to have exploded and the same with consumer prices.

A good example was the price of fuel; I rented a small Ford Fiesta car and had to completely fill it up once. Fuel was GBP1.16 a liter/roughly $2 a quart or about $8 a US gallon and as I put in 34 liters, it came out to about $70 for 13 gallons. And people here in the US complain about paying $2.50 a gallon. An order for cod and chips from the chippy was nearly GBP7.00, that's nearly $12 or so.

I think the next trip will be just for a week and that'll be for a Haggis Run along with a tour of the Highlands and Inverary.

The next posting will have a few pictures once I can get them re-sized for easier uploading. Until then....keep on keeping on.

Been there, done that and now back Part Uno

Well then, now that I'm back from a fortnights hols back home, it's time to record this for prosterity, or at least so I can remember 5 years from now what I did.

It started with a flight from San Antonio to Houston and the fun and games that are involved with airline security checks, long lines and all the other nonsense that takes place.

From Houston it was an 8 hour or so flight to Londonium and Heathrow Airport. Getting off the plane in order to go through Customs and Immigration is always a chore but this time I was surprised. The usual 30 minute wait to clear through Immigration Control wasn't to bad wich was followed by finding luggage that has been stowed within the plane for the journey. Bags were located without much fuss due to having a distinctive looking bag which made it easy to spot.

Next came the part that a lot of peopple dread adn that's going through HM Customs. The last time I did this trip was two years ago and me being the (ahem) law abiding that I is, went into the "Nothing to Declare" line as I had nothing to declare. As I was walking along minding my own business wanting to get out and get home I was accosted by a strange young woman which came as a shock as I'm never accosted by any woman but that's another story.

Anyway, this young person turns out to be a member of HM Customs and wondered if she might look into my bags which I of course obliged her.

She then proceeded to pull the contents out, commenting on the heavy leather jacket and asking i I wouldn't mind if they x-rayed my crash helmet. I naturally agreed to that request as I was curious to know if there were any cracks in it that might be of concern.

A few minutes later I was given the go ahead to depart and enjoy my stay in the UK.

Back to the present time and I was expecting the same experience, but no, there was only one of these protectors of the UK and this person had already fixed their sights on a victim and it was clear saailing for the Bodger out into the airport concourse to look for my sister who was to be there to provide transportation home.

Slight problem, the palne arrived 30 minutes early and she hadn't arrived herself. Not a problem though, as a few minutes later as herself and her hubby arrived. The next bit is the leaving Londonium for the Midlands and home.

Traffic out of the airport as well as in  is a nightmare to behold. You can get lost without even trying. But all was well as we all made it out and home safely within an hour where a pot of tea was brewed and waiting.

After getting home and settling in, it was time for a walkabout to see what if anything had changed. Things looked  pretty much normal except the roads all seemed to be smaller, probably due to the number of cars that were now parked everywhere.

The next day brought a trip into Banbury to have a nosey about and to buy two very important items, A-Zs for Banbury/Brackley/Bicester and one for Birmingham. The B/B/B one was to make a trip to Bicester in order to patronize a Starbucks to get some coffee thaat I'm partial to as well as to pick up something for a co-worker.

The Birmingham map was so I had clear directions to the National Motorcycle Museum in the Solihull area and I wanted to make sure that I ahd no problems getting there.

The next day, Monday, saw the obtaining of a rental car and the trip to Bicester. After driving around Bicester for eons, the Starbucks was  found.

I know you're wondering, so what happened to the map book that you had just gotten the day before ya Wozzick and why didn't ya use it? Good question and the answer is that I had forgotten the bloody thing..

 Any road, the coffee was bought, drank and enjoyed as well as the gift for the co-worker so it turned out OK.

The next day brought a farther excursion done to the Newbury area. Following the A34 from Banbury towards Oxford is relatively easy enough, and then follow it south to Newbury by following the signs. All went well until arriving in Kidlington which is part on Oxford which meant I had gone to far towards Oxford.

So after getting directions, it began to go to plan. While ging towards the target destination, the plan was to exit near Wantage and then proceed towards a remote military base in the country where I haad enjoyed four years of my early military life.

So towards Wantage I went and arrived there without a hitch. However, I had either missed a sign, some thug had stolen it, it got misplaced or some ohteer explanation exists, but after leaving Wantage, the short 15 minute trip to the base turned into a Magical Mystery Tour of epic proportions involving a unscheduled tour of the Berkshire countryside. But finally by chance did I get to where I needed to be.

I expected things to change a little over 30 years and they had....where there used to be a small little sentry gate shack at the top of a small hill, there was now a larger building with massive gates, there were new buildings and a telephone to call for access to the base, which I had to use.

Talked to a nice MOD chappie and explained what I was up and after a ten minute wait, he comes out to tell me that there wasn't anyone to sho me around the base. Didn't need that as the base itself isn't that big, can be walked around in less tha ten minutes. But it was a no go. If I left my particulars with them, they might be able to arrange somehing for a later time. Decided to pass on it.

So the it was a trip off into Newbury. The town changed a little, the surrounding area alot due to new roads being put in over the years. So after a couple of hours there, it was back to home base.

On the Friday I took a wee trip over to Daventry to take some pictures over to Sue who is the widpw of Cliff or "Pooh" who I mentioned in an obit posting a few months back. I had a few pictures of a BMW K100 that belonged to Pooh which he loaned ot me to use on my last trip back. As she didn't have any of that bike, she asked if I could get her some which was not a problem.

Also helped her drain the tank on his BMW R80 called "Wobble". It's been parked up in the shed since Pooh died and had some fuel in the tank which needed to be drained so the inside wouldn't rust.

After all that it was time to head home after making a trip into Banbury for some grub at the local chippy. A nice helping of steak and kidney pie and chips was called for as it had been drizzling all day.

In the next installment, a trip to Solihull and the NMM. Stay tuned.    

Coming down to the wire

Well.....just a few more days and myself along with SWMBO will be getting on a plane to make the trip back home.

Due to a slight change in plans/itinerary/schedule/whatever you want to call it, going up Aberdeen way participation in the Haggis Run had to be put off. As much as I wanted to take part, 'fraid this year is not going to be the time.

Tis a pity as I very much wanted to get up to Scotland, especially at this time of year, to experience a good organized club run by the GCMCC and GBC, fine Scottish weather and hospitality as well as meeting some fine folk.

But from the sounds of it Kawa may be down Midlands way while I'm over so we may be able to meet up somewhere such as the National Motorcycle Museum in Brum. If so, then that'll be great.

But in the meantime, there's a little thing of work that has to be done, making sure that my youngest sprog will be dropping by to feed the three roving alarms (the dogs), getting the mail picked up and this wee outpost called Casa Caimbeul doesn't disappear as well as getting up to the airport.

So, until then I should be gone for a bit unless I can get access to my sisters computer while there.  

It figures

After all this time with high heat, a little thing called Tropical Depression Hermine comes outta the Gulf of Mexico and hits NE Mexico yesterday.

So with this little storm comes the rains and winds and they hit this area pretty good. Loads of rain, winds of up to 35 miles/hour, tree branches broke off from trees (where else?) like matchsticks and in some cases trees uprooted.

And the biggest hazard or problem associated with this is the people out driving. For some reason the mentality is that once it starts to rain, people will drive faster  which of course results in numerous accidents around the city and other areas.

And to top this all off, the head of the city postal service decried that the day after a holiday, all mail would be delivered within eight hours.

Typically that means A LOT of mail that has to be sorted into delivery order along with parcels and other bits that are part of the daily routine.

Now this, along with the weather, kamakazi drivers and trying to keep the mail along with ourselves dry makes that a little hard to do. But we do what we have to.

The job got done using extra time, though dryness didn't occur for some.

Just glad that the Bodgers stable of heaps are not in commision right now as riding in that sort of weather is a very good way of being certified as a loony. Like I need help in that department.

Been awhile

Well, it has been awhile since I've posted anything...sorry about that...as noted in the last (?) posting about the weather, it's been as hot as H E double toothpicks here, up over 100F daily with the heat index figured in. At the end of the day, even though I don't have to work any overtime like my co-workers do, it's energy draining and all ya want to do is get home, take a shower and unwind.

Though we did have some rain showers a few time and it cooled things down a bit, down to the mid 90s, it crept back up again.

I did get a swing arm pivot off eBay for Vicky. The original needed to be taken off for painting in the future and I had a feeling that it would be a major fight doing that. As Vicky had been sitting outside for donkeys years no telling if the swing arm was froze in place or what, hence the replacement if needed.

So yesterday I spent a few minutes in the shed while it was coolish. Armed with a 1/2" drive socket, a 32mm socket (I know, I know) and a long pipe for additional leverage if needed, I went to work.

As Vicky is suspended from the overhead beams it made it slightly awkward but with some patience and the pipe, the nut at the end of the spindle started to turn and loosen. Another minute or so and the nut was off and using a small block of wood and lump hammer, the spindle was knocked out and the swing arm came out.

Next step is to get the rubber bushes out of the swing arm. But that's for after me holiday vacation.

Speaking of which, due to some circumstances that came up, the trip to the UK is still on in less than three weeks, however attending the Haggis Run has been put off.

I've already sent GBC an email partially explaining the reasons. I didn't go into full detail as that will be for a later date when things have settled down. But hopefully I'll be invited to attend at a later date.

And yes, a box of choccies I promised. will be mailing then on.

Until the next time....

It's an oven

Or at least that's what it feels like of late.

According to the weather wallies on the boob tube, we've entered the dog days of summer. All I know is that it's HOT, HOT, HOT out there.

The beginning of the week it actually got up to 100F while the rest has been cooler at 95-99F and with the humidity it makes it feel hotter.

As my shed is of metal construction it's like a sauna in there even with fans blowing. Ten minutes or so of even light work leaves you dripping sweat.

And as enjoyable as a summer ride would be, the temperature of the air, the engine heat and the roads combined makes it less than bearable at times.

So I can't wait for the autumn to get here so it cools down things and aren't so HOT, HOT, HOT anymore....until next year.

The countdown has begun

In less than 60 days, I'll be getting on a plane to make the trip back home and then up to Aberdoon for the Haggis Run.

To say I'm excited and anxious would be an understatement; I always enjoy returning home for obvious reasons such as seeing the family, old mates, seeing how things have changed and all the other stuff. But I'm  anxious due to a dislike of flying.

That in itself is a little ironic as I was in the Air Force and spent most of my time in overseas which involved a flight of some sort to get to the destination. Glutton for punisment maybe????

Anyway, I've gone over the packing of the bag several times to make sure everythings OK. It's a habit from the military of taking the immediate essentials with you.

Apart from the usual stuff like t-shirts and other clothes etc, riding gear such as a Barbour waxed cotton jacket and Belstaff pants and a helmet which are necessities, there's a couple of other things as well such as the digital camera for recording the Run, visits to the National Motorcyle Museum in Birmingham (NMM) and to RAF Welford near Newbury in Berkshire where I spent the first four years of my military life. There is one other thing that goes in the travel bag but that's a surprise for someone

RAF Welford was a fantabulous place to play, I mean, work at. Besides the actual work, we also chased rabbits that numbered in the thousands there, got up to mischief such as having forklift races, aand hiding from the bosses when we could.

The NMM is a place that I didn't get a chance to see last time, but this time I will. A few years back there was a terrible fire that damaged or destroyed some of the exhibits. For the most part they have been restored back to exhibition condition.

Kawa who has commented on here in the past has sent me some pictures from there via the 'net. Due to that I am making every effort to get to the NMM this time around to see the bikes that came from the once great British motorcycling industry. The BSA/Triumph Bandit/Fury, Slippery Sam, Triumph Quadrant and other machines.

While there I'll pick up a few of lifes necessities such as PG Tips, Shepards Pie mix, Cadburys chocolate and a few other bits and bobs. I'll also join the Grampian Classic Motorcycle Club while oop Norf.

So for now, the clock is ticking, but waaaaaaay to slowly for my liking.

Motorcycle clubs

Recently I decided to join the Vintage Motorcycle Club or the  VMCC.

This was done mainly so I could avail myself of their services such as researching the date a motorcycle was made and any records that may be on hand, technical advise by both marque specialists and general expertise, and also for the excellent worldwide information available such as the monthly club magaazine.

Normally I'm not a club joiner as I have a real dislike for "politics" and games played by individuals who try to make a name for themselves, have agendas that they want in effect or side taking over issues.

But from what I've seen to date, the VMCC is dedicated to the preservation and use of the old nails...sorry...old bikes that we ride and love and that's what I consider important as well.

There are a few clubs here in the local area, but they are the type that wear back patches and revolve around the lifestyle of the Wisconsin V-twins. Nothing wrong with these clubs and members, but just not what interests me personally.

The British Motorcycle Owners Association (BMOA) in Houston, Texas seems to be a good choice so I may have to check into them. For those in this State, Texas not confusion in case you're wondering, they're at http://www.bmoaonline.net/ I think. There should be  linky thing on the front page of the bloggy just in case. If I'm wrong on both counts, Google it. The BMOA is the mob that organizes the annual New Ulm Rallye in New Ulm which I've mentioned in a couple of postings.

There are a few clubs in Scotland that look like they are very good, judging by what I've read on the 'net. One is the Grampian Classic Motorcycle Club, GCMCC, http://www.gcmcc.co.uk/  which is in North East Scotland. They hold several runs, talks and special events throughout the year.

The other is the Scottish Classic Motorcycle Club, SCMC,
http://www.scottishclassicmotorcycleclub.moonfruit.com/ which has similar events as well as a very good 'net Forum.

The last is the Lothian and Borders Classic and Vintage Motorcycle Club if I got the full title correct. They're based down Edinburgh way and have a good following as well I believe. They sponsor a small classsic bike show with autojumble/swapmeet a the Drill Hall in Peebles in May. I went to this two years ago my first trip to Scotland and even though small, I liked it very much.

Anyways, the point to all this drivel and waffling....though I'm not much of a club joiner-inner, if I was ever to consider or was asked to join a club such as these, I believe I would as they all have very good members, activities/events, don't seem to have any of the politics nonsense mentioned earlier and all work towards the same goal, namely, mutual support and camaraderie.

So, with all this said, are you a member of a classic motorcycle club or not and for what reasons? Here's your chance to to voice your opinion.

Adios for now  

Catching up

Been a hectic past week...had July 4th weekend off, four days in a row, can't beat it with a stick,  Hurricane Alex out in the Gulf the other week that hit Mexico and is causing flooding along the border with the US and Mexico as well as Tropical Depression in th eGulf that's causing more rain.

In between these rained filled couple of days, it's been Africa HOT with high humidity to boot. For those who love saunas, that's how it felt these last few days.

In the last post I mentioned that Andy, he who owns this motorcycle consignment place on my mail route had gotten himself a 60s vintage H*nda and a BSA single. Have to check with either the the BSAOC or the VMCC as to what model the BSA is.

We're guessing it's a B40, possibly a SS90 version. If so Andy got himself a bargan at $275. Now he just has to rebuild it.

As I'm saving my hard earned ruppees, drachmas and various notes and coppers for the trip home and the Haggis Run in October, not to much has been happening at Thrash 'em Motorcycles as far as any spanner work on Vicky.

However, I had made a couple lists of parts needed for the rebuild as well as joining the VMCC in order to avail myself of the knowledge and expertise that they have if the need arises.

Now it's time to get back to the catching up part.

Until the next time........

Closing down and a discovery

A few days ago while delivering the mail to one of my businesses, I spied in a pick up there a couple of old relics. One was a mid 60ish Honda CB72 or CB77, not really sure which. It was in a bit of a state but recoginizeable. The other was a BSA which was in a bad way was well. From the looks of it it could have been either a C15 or a B40 as it had a distributor on it  and was from the early to mid 60s before Amelia the Starfire was made. Haven't had a chance to talk to Andy, the owner, to find out about the BSA.

The closure was of a bike knackers warehouse in the local area. I heard through word of mouth that the place was closing as the building had been sold so everything had to go.

Too bad I didn't have the money as there may have been a few things such as helmets or whatever to be had at a good price. I also didn't find out abou tthis until after the fact so it was too late.

The last time I was there was about a month or so back to check on something trivial. As they had mainly bikes from the Orient there, I didn't even bother about parts for Amelia or Vicky. But I did see a couple of Yamahas and Hondas that were from the time I started riding, back in the days of the dinosaurs, the 70s.

Oh well, there's still the bike shows such as New Ulm and eBay to get stuff.

A rainy day

Today started out quite wet and it looks like it'll end that way too. As I was off today from the salt mines, I didn't get wet which is always a good thing.

But I did go into the shed for a bit. As I have run out of wet-n-dry paper to sand the frame some more and to get rid of any gunge I decided to do sommit else that didn't require any sanding.

I attacked the rear wheel, specifically the hub and bearings. Started out, after getting the wheel on the bench, I went to take off the plate that the speedo drive sits on while in the swing arm. This is an easy thing to do, just unscrew it from the hub.

This is even easier when you turn it in the right direction, which in this case is to the right as it is a reverse thread. However Muggins here knew to do this but insisted on turning it to the left as per normal threading. It took a minute or two before I realized what a daft twit I am and then proceeded to do it right.

The plate came off, as well as the sandwich of three large flat washer type seals, one of which is made of felt. Very high tech these classsic machines!

Then it was a couple of quick blows using a small lump hammer and suitable drifts and both the wheel bearings came out.

Even though I used drifts to get them out without damaging the races, I'm still gonna replace them as "Great Britain" is stamped into the outer edge of the bearings which tells me that they are the originals and even though still may be servicable, they need to be updated.

Unfortunately there isn't a local BSA agent nearabouts, so that means a trip down to the local bearing distributor for the replacement items. As they cost about $10 or about a Fiver each in hometown money, it's a good deal.

Later on, I'll put it all back together and the wheel will be good as new, especially after cleaning the rim up and replacing the tire. This also will apply to the front as well when I get to that one.

And seeing how I've gone through the experience with Amelia, I'll be in familiar territory and know what I'm doing.

Until next time.....toodle pip!     

A frame up....get it???

Today to take a wee break after cutting the grass I went into the shed for a spot of work on Vicky.

OK it was just to take a few pictures of her for future reference when putting her back together at a later date.

Until recently I had the frame balancing on top of a milk crate which isn't a great platform to say the least, while on the bench.

 Then I hit upon using the overhead beams liike I had before when the front end was out of Amelia.

But this time it was A LOT easier to deal with as there wasn't all the bits and bobs there such as a motor, etc. Just strung some tie-downs up and secured the frame to the tie-downs. Now the frame is at eye level. Brilliant!

Still have some sanding to do on the frame before priming and then painting and this is the perect height to do it. Only thing is any overspray containment but I think that I can cobble together a temporary paintbooth.

A good thing about having the frame at this height is that I can check the bottom of the frame easier and when I did, I found that there is still a little bit of gunge underneath. So more work with the wet-n-dry paper and a good going over for any pitting or dings that may need to be filled in.

If so, that'll  be next on the agenda after the sanding.

It never ends does it??

But before I forget, I got the rattle can out and put some spray primer on the oil tank.

Did notice a slight crease in the tank after spraying it, hopefully it won't be too noticeable after the top coat and clearcoat go on.

RIP Pooh

Cliff "Pooh" Gingell

Yesterday I lost a friend by the name of Pooh.

Cliff Gingell or Pooh as he was known was a bloke I knew from one of the forums I belong to. A few months back he started to complain of severe stomach problems and when he went to the doctor to get checked out, they "didn't know what was wrong".

This went on for quite a while until just recently when one doctor finally diagnosed him having pancreatic cancer.

Of course this was a terrible thing to find out, made even worse in my opinion by doctors who "couldn't find the problem" either through sheer stupidity or laziness.

Either way, he had limited time left even though these doctors gave him 8-9 months to go. Anyone with pancreatic cancer usally lasts for about 90 days and Pooh was nearly there when the diagnosis was made.

I met Pooh two years ago when I made a trip home. He lived in Daventry which is about 30 miles from the village I lived in.

Through correspondence on the forum Pooh offered me the loan of one of his BMWs for the time I was gonna be there and I took him up on it.

The BMW was a K100 model, this one in fact:

I used this bike to go to Scotland and to ride around the local Banbury area while home. A trip to London to the Ace Cafe was cancelled due to heavy rain that day. 

Pooh didn't know me from Adam at the time, but he trusted me with his bike. He and his wife Sue had me as a guest for the day prior to getting the bike. Pooh picked me up at home, we drove back to Daventry and spent the day talking. They also made a curry dinner for us all to eat.

There was one thing that Pooh did that made him stand out and that was his low tolerance for racial bigotry. Several times on the foum when some character used racial comments, Pooh would let the person know in no uncertain terms that it was not to be tolerated.

Pooh was one of the good 'uns and will be greatly missed. The world needs more bikers like him.

RIP Pooh. 

Pooh was buried today, June 7, 2010. From what I hear, there was a good turn out of members from the ClassicBikeForum who came from various parts of England to pay their respects. Rest easy mate and I'll have a dram in your memory.

                                                                             

Did some work

I finally broke down and did some work on Vicky. No, no....no need for the smelling salts, it's true.

Last weekend when I went to the New Ulm rally I picked up a skid/bash plate for Vicky for a lowly $20 as noted in the last posting.

So while I'm still on vacation 'til Monday morning I did a little of work on it. There was a small ding in the edge of one side so using a ballpeen hammer and placing the plate on the anvil portion of the bench vise, a small surgical blow was administered and the ding instantly is gone!

Before I forget, there was a small crack in the plate at the large hole in th picture. I got that welded up and then filed down the weld some.

Then with some sandpaper and a wire wheel in the electric drill to remove any rust, it was roughed up and prepped for some rattle can spray primer.

While I was in the spraying mood, a few other minor parts got the treatment as well such as the rear brake hub  anchor as well as the brake arm.

Here's the plate, before (L) and after (R):

                               

                                                      

The rear brake hub either came painted black or was painted at some time in it's life. I checked Amelia the Starfire and it was plain so I'm guessing that a previous owner got bored one afternoon and got the spray can out for some homebased artistry.

 Rear hub, before (L) and after (R):          

The after shot looks a lot cleaner than it actually is due to the flash from the camera, but it looks a lot better with all that paint off there.

I also did some cleaning up of the frame. A few months back I used some wet-n-dry paper on it to sand it down for prepping later on. This time I used a Dremel tool with a small wire brush/wheel to get to the nooks and crannies and get rid of any rust.

I've gotta tell ya that this is one useful wee tool to hve in your tool collection. It does a lot of work in hard to get to places that big fingers can't and it saves on joint pain for those who have arthritis. If you don't hae one, get on....now!

There's still more work to be done, and it will. But there's no point in rushing and doing a lousy job. I may be an amateur at this, but I plan on doing a good job of it.

The nxt couple of days I'll try and cataloge exactly what parts I need to get the work done. It'll be a long list from the looks ofit, but as it'll be broken down into sub-sections such as frame, forks, rear suspension, timing side, primary side of the motor, etc, it won't look quite the nightmare.  

26th Annual BMOA New Ulm Rallye

Well folks, the 2010 New Ulm Rallye has come and gone for another year.

To be honest I wan't even sure if it was going to be held or not due to the weather a it had been raining on Friday for most of the day and when I left for the drive there, which is about 155 miles, it was pouring down.

Anyway, I got there at around 9:30am and was greeted by this:

and upon entering the grounds saw that there were people there from the previous night. The registration table had a couple of blokes there so I asked if the show was still on or not. They told me they hoped so and would start registration when/if the rain let up so the papers wouldn't get soggy.

In the meantime they let me go fnd a place to park and set up base camp. By this time it was a light drizzle which was good as I didn't want to try and set up a tent in a gale force hurricane. Luckily I was wearing my Barbour jacket and newsboy cap to keep dry.

So while waiting for the registration to begin I went walkabout to see what was there. Tents, travel trailers, RVs, and trucks with bike loaded trailers were parked all about. I talked to a few people here and there about the rain and conditions.

Luckily around 11am the drizzle let up ad registration began. For the princely sum of $40, I got to spent the weekend in the company of other lovers of British motorcycles as well others from the Continent and even from the Land of the Rising Sun. This $40 also got me a ticket for drawings for door prizes, a token for dinner as well as a schedule of events for the weekend along with unrestricteded coming and going from the Rally site.

Between this and 1pm when the Field Events were to take place I decided it was time to have a bite to eat and a Coke. On this note I feel I have to make a statement; it seems someone has commented that they have never drank Coke and never will, like it is a hazardous chemical. Sacriledge!!!! Coke is one of the finest discoveries known to man.

After making a nice ham roll and relaxing for a bit, it was time to roam about  bit and check out the vendors. I got myelf a bashplate for Vicky the B44 for $20 from one guy and an old BSA poster off another for $20.

At another place I saw brand new AMAL 930 carbs, which I need for Vicky, for $199. Maybe later me thinks.

1pm and the Field Events begin. These consisted of a Cold Start Race, Slow Race, Ring Toss, Clothes Pin on the washline, Barrell Roll, Riding the Board and lastly the Dirt Drag race.

Entries for these events were varied from a little kid on a mini-bike to a T-160 Trident an even a tractor, sorry, a Harley. Participents, spectators and officials all had a good time.

7pm came rolling around and it was time for the dinner put on by the organizers. BBQ chicken and sausage with mash, BBQ beans, BBQ sauce , bread and ice tea was on the menu. Good thing the Rally site has a coverd pavillion attached to a clubhouse type building with a kitcen, tables and chairs. Due to the weather and lower participation, there was food left over for those who were interested.

I ate with some guys from McAllen which is on the Rio Grande border with Mexico down near the Gulf of Mexico. I tip my cap to Dave who is in his 60s rides an old BSA A65  from McAllen to the Rallye and back. From McAllen to San Antonio it's about 250 miles I think and then another 155 miles to the site.

This may not seem like much, but considering that he rides while people who live in Houston which is less than 100 miles trailer their bikes says quite a bit about Dave a well as him taking part in the field games on the bike.

After a long day it was time to turn in for the night. Except for a someone running a generator for the AC unit in the trailer they brought, some others who kept setting off fireworks and the train that came along with the horn blaring, I managed to get a little sleep.

After getting up,  around 6am and fixing myelf somthing to eat  went I got to talking with a guy out walking his Border Collie. He told me of a place nearby in  nearby town where this old boy has three storage barns filled with motorcycles and has an oval dirt track on his property.

Sounds like a destination for the future.

Went walkabout again as I saw something the night before but didn't have the camera. Went back to the area and saw these:

The Beardsmore Precision is a 250 from 1927 I think the owner said and had a VMCC history to it as he had paperwork stating that it was restored by a certain Charles "Titch" Allen of the VMCC.                    

  There is one other bike that I just happened to see by chance so got a couple of shots of it. It's this:

I decided to give the concours judging a pass and head home. Dave from McAllen had already left an hour before in fog I felt it may be a good idea to leave as well just it case.

All in all it wasn't too bad, but I think I'll just go for the day next time. Generators and trains are not my idea of things to listen to at night.

2010 New Um Rallye

This weekend the British Motorcycle Owners Association based in Houston, Texas in throwing it's 26th Annual New Ulm Rallye in, wait for it,.......NewUlm. It's mainly for British bikes but open to all.

So this weekend as I am on vacation I will go and spend the weekend  meandering around taking pictures, browsing through the trinkets/parts for sale, watching the "field games" or motorcycle Olympics and just generally having a good time and enjoying myself.

Now supposedly it might rain hard here in Cactus Land over the weekend so we'll see what transpires, so stay tuned for a update.

The latest

Actually there's not really much new here of late.

It's getting hot here, no surprise, but it does make it a bother when outside all day long doing the work thing.

Tomorrow, May 8, is the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) annual Food Drive, which is as it says on the tin, a food drive, which is done on a national level.

The idea is to inform the residents on postal delivery routes of the drive and to collect any food items that they wish to donate that is then collected, seperated and then transported to a community food bank for those in need.

With a recession going on and money being a little tight at times, some people are in desperate straits when it comes to having enough to eat.

So as Letter Carriers, of which I am one, have the most contact with people, it's easy for us to do the above.

Motorcycle wise, next weekend if all goes to plan, I'll be spending the weekend in New Ulm at the annual rally sponsered by the British Motorcyle Owners of America (BMOA) from Houston, Texas. A report and pictures will be forthcoming. This is of course if all goes to plan.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Riding gear

A couple of things have gotten me to ponder this subject.

First was the posting about rain and the other was from the other week while I was out and about. I'll start with the rain issue; even though I have ridden in the rain, I'm not a big fan of it. Besides the prats out there on suicide missions when it starts to rain, there's the thing of staying dry.

Getting caught out in the rain without raingear has happend on occasion and by the time I've gotten to my destination I ended up looking like a drown rat. But the idea is to have something to stay dry and if possible, warm.

With that, what are the choices? Is the new age textile stuff as good as advertised by keeping you dry, warm and stylish (if you're into that sort of thing)? Or do you go the other routes which are Belstaff/Barbour suits which will keep you dry and all that at a hefty price or go the cheap avenue and get an old storm coat, Wellies and hope for the best?

Personally I go for the Belstaff/Barbour gear made out of waxed cotton. It's been tested and proven over the decades.

The other thought was this: for everyday riding, depending on the weather of course, what's sensible and practical?

Do you wear just the bare minimum such as t-shirt, jeans, gloves and a helmet like Harley owners trying to look stylish or do you wear a leather/protective jacket as well even though it may be uncomfortable in high temperatures such as down here in Cactus Country? Or do you wear like some, t-shirts, shorts and sandals? These I see mainly on Japanese road scorchers.

To me even though it may be hotter than Africa during a heatwave, having the right gear on is the only right choice. Yes in extreme heat the jacket may get you hot and bothered (not like that my dear) but it's better than having severe road rash and scars for a while.

Plus, even on a hot day, there's always the chance of getting hypothermia while out riding without a jacket of some sort.

Sorry if this sounds like an editorial or promotional for some safety gurus, it's not, but it's something that I had been thinking about the past week or so.



  

It's on!!!!

The tickets are booked, a dry run of packing the bag has been done, now it's just two things to do....wait for the dates and get meself pysched for the trip.

What trip is that  he's rabbting about you is wondering. Why the trip home and up to sunny (?) Aberdeen area to take part in the 3rd Haggis Run of course.

This will all take place in the month of October when the weather will cooperate and be cool but sunny without any rain, gale force wnds or, and this is the big one, volcanic ash blowing around and being deposited on any and everything in sight.

This is the volcanic ash that's coming from some volcano in Iceland and wrecking havoc on airline travel in Europe.

Personally I think it's the Icelanders way of getting their ow back from the Cod Wars of the early 70s, but who can say for sure?

Anyway, the trip is on, I'll be home for a few days and then up for the Run to meet up with GBC, Kawa and whoever else. Hopefully Big Sid will be there with his AJS V-twin. I have got to see that.

A damp week

Been a wet and damp week of late. For the past few days it's been rain and the resulting chaos that results due to it.

I don't know what it is about the  people in this town, but for some reason, when it starts to rain, they get stupid. On the freeways and motorways they'll drive at 70mph (none of those metric speeds thank you) and then when it starts to get wettish, they go faster and start to tailgate.

And of course this leads to numerous accidents all over town. A good one happened near where I live; I have to take the motorway home, which is about 15 miles south of  town out in the country.

About a mile from my exit, it started tipping down for a few minutes and then I saw some vehicles on the shoulder of the central reservation. The rain let up and then I saw in the north bound lanes a school bus at the side of the roadway facing the opposite direction. Then the rest of the scene.

Here and there for about half a mile were cars and trucks at staggered intervals in various states of damage. The police and fire department was there along with a polic and news helicopters and both northbound lanes were blocked with a resulting tailback of traffic that stretched a good mile or more back.

It stayed like this for while I'm guessing as traffic was coming off the motorway and driving down the road where I live to bypass the accident.

As a result of the lunacy that's involved, I don't ride in the rain if I don't have to. It's not that I can't, it's that I prefer to stay in one piece AND alive for a little longer.

I'll leave it at this for now.

Choice of tires/tyres

While things are apart right now and before I get too carried away I'm gonna ask for your opinion on something.....when I rebuild Vicky, I'm split between using universal or trials/motocross tires and road tires.

As I live on 2 1/2 acres of sandy land with a few dips, loads of trees with a fallen one for good measure, the odd exposed tree roots the trials type tires would be the way to go so I could dabble a little at trials riding.

So an off road tire would be most suitable for that use. But which type?

However, as I'd also like to use her on the road and have the tread to grip it, road tires would be a more natural choice.

I'm very inclined towards the road tires so I can ride her on the road, in particular in the Hill Country west of here which has sme very nice twisty roads. My choice for tires would be Dunlop K81s (TT100s) but from 'net research, there's no such tire here in the Colonies.

And this is the reason for the opinions; which would YOU chose with the info just given?

So let's hear your opinions (keep it clean), no matter what they might be.

The beauty of the Interweb

Haven't really done too much work on Vicky lately. The other day I pulled one of the external springs off it's stanchion after a bit of working at it, while the other one fully resisted any efforts to loosen it's rusty grip.

Have gotten a couple things off eBay; a reprint of a 70s B44VS parts listing and a primary chain tensioner, both for around $20 each.

That's the beauty of this 'net thingy....even though there's no actual BSA dealers in existance here in cactus land, or anywhere else in the Colonies for that matter, ordering parts is easy enough by shopping on-line.

There's eBay of course, but there's also other sources worldwide that may have the parts, information, literature or whatever is needed at your fingertips.

I've found parts  for Amelia my Starfire in the UK, Australia, Canada and throughout the US and it's proving to be the same for Vicky as well.

This also applies to advice as well. I've gotten advice and information on a few forums I belong to as well as from researching websites

Some of it is BSA specific and so is more general info that is gleaned from discussion on a forum thread of some kind. And a really good thing is that any info from the web is gotten more or less right away versus having to wait days on end for any written word to arrive via the mail system. The only wait that invovled is when the mail service delivers an item to me that I've ordered.

So for now, I'll keep trawling eBay looking for parts.

Also, as my trip home has been postponed 'til possibly in October, I'll attend the '10 New Ulm Rallye next month, campping the weekend there. I'll try and get plenty of pictures of interesting bikes and write up a report to accompany.

Due to circumstances...

beyond belief, the trip home in May has been postponed until possibly October, which means that the British Singles Run may have to wait 'til next year.

The good thing (?) about that is that it'll give me the chance to get Amelia the Starfire on the road then and any gremlins put down.

Seems that the fuel pump on my truck has given up the ghost and the manny who is gonna do the work is charging equal to what my budget for the trip is gonna be. So basically it boils down to needing the truck and being in this situation 

as well as this:

   

But there is a silver lining in that the 2010 New Ulm rally is during that same time in May so I should be able to attend that one and for the entire three days as I can do the camping thing (no, not that type of camping) and can experience the whole tamale.

So let's see what transpires eh!?

Spring has sprung

Yeppers...it's Springtime here finally and how do we know this???? Well sir it's like this, about two weeks ago here in the Colonies we changed the clock settings and sprung forward do to all this Daylight Savings Time malarky.

Now I don't know if this was in step with the rest of the known world or not as our fearless leaders decided a few years back to change the time when we changed time for whatever reasons that only they can fully understand.

So we might've been in step or outta step, I'm not totally sure which.

Anyway, getting back to all this, along with the change in time, we've also had a change in seasons as well. It's now officially Springtime here and throughout the world, except or New Zealand and Australia and others down under.

And with the new season, there comes a seasonal nuisance that affects some but not all. That something is hayfever of which I suffer.

While living in and being stationed with the Air Force in the country that I consider home, England in case you're not up to speed, I discovered the hard way that pollen affects me in the worst way with the swollen eyes, sneezing, feeling miserable and all else that goes with it.

And these little beauties are just some of what can cause it as well as signs of Spring:

 

Don't pay any attention to the old shack, that's not my house in case you're wondering, it's a chicken coop, sans chickens..

Also, due to getting a nice Income Tax refund, and providing things go to plan, I'll be making a little trip back to Blighty in May to see the family and to go to a couple of places such as the National Motorcycle Museum in Brum, Sammy Miller's place to see his collection and to the Newbury area to visit the place I was stationed all those years ago, RAF Welford and Greenham Common.

Greenham will be recognized for the Peace Ladies that camped there back in the 80s, after I left. I'd like to see the place again after 30 years and see how it's changed.

That's the plan and providing there's no problems that crop up and the hayfever isn't too bad, it's trip on.

Modern vs non-modern.....a rant

I'm gonna go off on a rant today 'caue I can and I want to. The cause of this rant is the fact it isso much harder to work on modern machinery, stuff that has been made within the past 10 years, than it is to work on stuff that is around 40 years old.

Yes I understand that with all the pollution nonsense, computer thingamabobs, safety doodahs and whatever, it does tend to make things harder to deal with, repair and just plain fix and that has to do with complexity.

A good case in point is the difference between my project BSAs which are about 40 years old each and my pickup which is a 1999 Ford Ranger.

Though I admit to not being a full fledged, know everything about the stuff and can fix anything with a roll of duct tape and a Swiss Army knife kinda guy, I have a slight bit of knowledge that I have managed to pick up over the years throught the osmosis process.

I have stripped the frame of Vicky down to nada and have a really good idea where everything goes and can figure out which spanner to use if need be.

However, in order to change out a simple fuel filter on my truck, a degree in some type of mechanical enginerring is more or less needed as it requires a special little tool in order to release a garter spring that will uncouple the filter from the fuel line. I have the tool and did it work????? By heck it did NOT and the more I try, the more I get frustrated with the whole bloody mess.

Where as on Vicky, if I want to remove the gas tank, I jsut remove the rubber bung, undo the nut from the bolt, loosen th ehose clamp on the fuel line to the carb and pull it off, lift and the tank is sitting on my bench doing SFA until I decide to put it back on.

Easy peasy and simple as hell right??? So why isn't the Ford? Stupid engineering? A diabolical trick to make sure that peopl like me CAN'T learn anything about mechanical stuff or  conspiracy to keep the local garages rolling in the money with HIGH labor and parts charges for doing a simple job that most should be able to do themselves but are now forced to have some else do as it's too difficult to do now 'cause specialty equipment such as the diagnostic machine is needed?

So now I have to pay someone to do this simple task as well as possibly replace the fuel pump as it's located in the fuel tank and as it could be a "hazardous" job, someone who knows what they're doing should be doing it instead of muggins here who just wants to get it done so he can drive the truck to work,

Give me a simple machine made 40 years ago that has one or two cylinders, parts don't for the most part cost an arm and a leg for, has a beautiful throaty roar to it when running, is British  and I'll be happy.

OK rant over, carry on!!!!!

Nowt to speak of lately

Not to much been happening here in cactus country of late. For a few days the weather has been really nice until today when it was wet and rainy. Luckily it's a day off for me so I don't have to deal with it....yea!!!! Also allergens are floating around making things slightly miserable :(

Did get another oil tank for Vicky as the hex head on the filter has been rounded off way to bad that I can't get it out without any damage. Damage to the pocket book was about $31 with shipping. Not to shabby.

The hunt for parts is still ongoing and will be for quite a while. Good thing that there are several places worldwide that are available to obtain the necessary pieces

I also went to a pawn shop in town through a tip from a co-worker and got a nice little air fed spray gun for when it comes time to give Vicky a nice new coat of paint. With the dreaded tax it came out to just over $21 or about a tenner in the UK.

I'll have to keep on eye on some of these pawn shopsin town as these seem to have some good deals in them.

Until the next time.....

BTW, congrats to GBC on her newish 4x4 that she got up in Scotland, will definitely make life easier when it snows hard and heavy.

Dems da brakes...and forks...and frame

After using loads of penetrating fluid, removing the front wheel and mudguard and applied mayhem in the form of a 3lb lump hammer, I managed to get the stanchions out the fork yokes/trees and it was not a pretty sight.

I ahd to turn the forks upsidedown and give the yoke several good wacks with the hammer in order for the tubes to break free. In doing so, about a half pint of water came pouring out of each tube along with a good amount of rust flakes from the external springs and the tube surfaces.

See for yerself:

From the looks of it, there appears to be some pitting at the top and most of the length of the tubes. I seriously think a regrind would be worth the trouble here, replacement seems to be the best option I'm thinking.

There's also a couple of shots of the front brakes and the bare frame:

The frame has bee stripped right down to the swing arm and just needs to be removed. The front brake shoes look like they still have some lining left but will know more after a good clean up. From the looks of the entire front hub, it will take some cleaning to get it looking good again.

Until the next time....