Gearing Up – the work involved in stepping up from a 19 to 21 tooth front sprocket required some notching to be done to the case so the larger diameter gear could be slotted into the primary drive axle. 21 equally spaced grooves. Whilst I was in there the clutch was renewed which gives an very noticeable grab when throttle is applied. The gearing give about 12% extra wheel revolutions for the same engine speed.
Swarfega! – working on old motorcycles can be filthy work. I always find myself with oil ingrained hands even after a minor fuss of the bike. When doing the sprocket there was two chains to deal with, a road crud encrusted underside, some aluminum filings, and general grubbiness.
Rather terrific weather today. Though a chill in the air under motion, the sun was warm with a crisp light and the roads clear. Taking back road that offered more than a few stretches, to let the newly geared engine stretch its legs, I can confidently announce that there’s a hefty bit more grunt in the parallel twin. She lowped along comfortable at 60 with more to spare.
Climate Change – with an unseasonable warm-up over this February weekend, where the mid sixties are being reached, I’ve had to work this last week in getting the Bonnie ready for at least one days riding. I’ve changed the front sprocket from a 19 tooth to a 21 so I can squeeze a little more speed out of the engine. The work necessitated removing the clutch and making alterations to a sprocket access hole in the back of the primary case. I’ll show that work in a blog post later this week. I put in new clutch friction plates for renewed ‘bite’, and installed a new clutch basket as the current one had notches in the tang grooves.
Big Opposing Twins – whether from Springfield MA, Milwaukee WI, Berlin Germany, or Mandello del Lario in Italy; these beauties all have a pair of cylinders in flat or vee form, longitudinal or transverse. But, the all make good power and each have individualistic looks, sounds, and heritage. Dang! This is all good stuff! Current motorcycle models on offer make the prospective owners spoilt for choice.
Customs Officer – there were some superlative one-off builds at the show. Here are a couple of period Triumph bobbers in similar style yet very different execution. One has a brushed finish, luscious tank paint, open primary case, and a Jow Hunt magneto for spark. The other was polished to a mirrored finish – nearly to the point of distraction- with a sublime red flake frame paint job. All great work though.
Black ‘Gin – after the ‘new’ Cub we saw yesterday here’s another approach. A well sorted trials with a plethora of goodies from J&M Enterprises. Mostly engine parts: 250cc piston with matching barrels and other lightweight components.
A New Wave – what a gen of a motorcycle: this seriously upgraded Triumph Cub looks like it breezed off a designers screen and rolled off the assembly line. Big able tires for sure underfootedness, disc brake up front to screech the rubber to a stop. Good suspension, and brown leather upholstered saddle. Blinkers let other know where you’re going.
Ten out of Ten for this one!
Neon – 102 years ago today French inventor Georges Claude patented the gas discharge tube, more commonly known as a Neon Tube. Formed into pictographs and writing they herald a company’s identity or message.
Giant Scarab – I spotted this patina-rich coffee & doughnut van scuttling about the City recently. Elegant hand painted script cheerily advertising a morning refreshment for construction and office worker alike. It’s a doughty International Harvester Metro Van, produced between 1938 and 1975 keeping its distinctive flowing form well into the sixties when its edges were squared off to meet a demand for something new. The flowing gumdrop lines were created by the capable hand of Mr Streamline himself, Raymond Loewy.
Sixty Eight – a pair of freshly minted Bonneville’s with their owners under the delicately suspended span of the Mount Hope Bridge between Bristol & Portsmouth on Rhode Island across Narragansett Bay. Engineering marvel is a backdrop to a motorcycle marvel. The bridge opened in 1929 a decade or so before Ed Turners development of the parallel twin engined machines that would culminate in the classic 60’s Bonnie’s.
Serpents Kick – brass pedal and hoof: some brutally ornate bobbers have bespoke components such as this well wrought kick-start lever. Something quite sinuously pleasing about it.
Ski Do! Some danged northern State inventive motorcycle mechanic has adapted this current model 800 Tiger into a mean snow bike. Hefty ski up front with stout damper and a sharp spiked rear tire for traction across the icy wastes of Wisconsin trails or frozen Minnesotan lakes.
Winter Projects – as the warm weather recedes into a distant memory now is the time to figure out the tasks to undertake on the bikes. Still some sorting of the Cub; cables, wiring, a timing cover seal, a little more carb fettling. The the Bonnie is getting a new front sprocket; two teeth up for a little more top speed, then fresh clutch plates for bite… some oil line work…. it never ends keeping these running!
Light Emitting Diode – swapped out my incandescent bulbs for low wattage high output LEDs today. Nice and bright with less draw off the battery; so now I can put a brighter halogen main beam in.
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