When the moto gets all ‘hacky-dorty’ the you need a can if this! Scrub off the old road grime and polish ‘er up. The bike always look refreshed with a bit if elbow grease and a stack of rags. Best done on a sunny day with a beer to whet your whistle.
A quick degreasing and oily rag polish sees the Bonnie’s engine looking a little more respectable. No it’s not a shiny mirror-like surface but the grimy oil surface was wiped off to a roadworthy patina.
After yesterdays outing the Bonnie required some much needed maintenance: fork legs drained and refilled. Which necessitated the handlebars to be removed, and the speedo and tach, as well as a readjustment of the steering head bearings to tighten up the proceedings. Also Bob Goodpastor noticed one of
my carb cables was routed a little tightly at the cap; so off came the tank and spun that… Just need to adjust the chain, oil levels in the frame/tank, primary case and gearbox and she’s good for the road again.
Here’s some more photos from Expert Motorcycle Works… Workbench, tools and ‘cycle display all!
Rows of British two wheeled history awaits a willing rider.
Likewise rows of cylinder heads await lapping, guides, valves and rocker arms… As well as a reciprocating cylinder clad piston.
A fabulous long ride around the south part of Lake Michigan through the Indiana State Dunes Park to New Buffalo Michigan. Cool bright morning turning into a warm day suitable to be called May 31st. We stopped in at Bob Goodpastors ‘shop in Hobart.
Benches lined with engines: race and road both. The floor with half built chassis such as featherbed, and Goldstar. Shelves packed to the gunwales with boxes of parts, cylinder heads, gearboxes, hubs. A veritable Aladdin’s Cave!
Wheels overhead hang with miles recorded in the tension of their singing spokes. Tools bedeck the wall ready for plenty of action the old machines require. A back shed if filled further with plentiful supplies of cycle components awaiting projects needing donor parts.
And of course in the center of it all is the friendly and gracious Bob, more than willing to show us the nooks and crannies if his world. Pup was super friendly too!
Old tools have an age-worn oil-rubbed torque-nicked patina to them that makes them the best tool to have in the hand for the job. An energy of mechanics past glows from their softened edges; but hard true faces ready to bite a bolthead or twist a nut free lies in wait.
This collection of BSA wrenches look ready for action! Rust requiring an oily hand with intent and a vintage motorcycle project replete with Whitworth fastenings gets underway
An outing today saw Morrie’s Place in Ringwood IL as the destination. Run by British Bike master Ed Zender it is an Aladdin’s Cave of old motorcycles, endless parts shelves, a well tooled workshop and knowledgeable help.
BSA’s, Triumphs, Norton’s, AJS’s, Vincents… Bonneville’s, Tigers, Thunderbolts, Gold stars, Black Lightning, Rocket 3’s. Clean examples, oily well ridden ones, custom racers, correct restorations.
There is always someone passing through for a part, a chat, dropping off or picking up. The ‘phone rings often. Ed’s encyclopedic ken is great when working on a project. It’s great that there are resources like this for keeping these classic machines on the road.
Lovely big Ford F350 hauling vehicle with appropriately sign painted bed panels.
Yesterdays jaunt was certainly a good ‘feather-winded’ trip to loosen overwintering riding skills as well as the bikes awakening leg-stretching. One electrical fault from a hibernating gremlin who had decided to sabotage the negative wire at the fuse. A quick roadside repair and an engine fires up again.
TALE OF THE GREMLINS
This is the tale of the Gremlins
Told by the P.R.U.
The incredible tale of the Gremlins
But believe me, you slobs, it’s true.
When you’re seven miles up in the heavens,
(That’s a hell of a lonely spot)
And it’s fifty degrees below zero
Which isn’t exactly hot.
When you’re frozen blue like your Spitfire
And you’re scared a Mosquito pink,
When you’re thousands of miles from nowhere
And there’s nothing below but the drink
It’s then you will see the Gremlins,
Green and gamboge and gold,
Male and female and neuter
Gremlins both young and old.
It’s no good trying to dodge them,
The lessons you learned on the Link
Won’t help you evade a Gremlin,
Though you boost and you dive and you fink.
White ones will wiggle your wingtips,
Male ones will muddle your maps,
Green ones will guzzle your Glycol,
Females will flutter your flaps.
Pink ones will perch on your perspex,
And dance pirouettes on your prop;
There’s a spherical, middle-aged Gremlin
who’ll spin on your stick like a top.
They’ll freeze up your camera shutters,
They’ll bite through your aileron wires,
They’ll bend and they’ll break and they’ll batter,
They’ll insert toasting forks in your tyres.
That is the tale of the Gremlins,
Told by the P.R.U.,
(P)retty (R)uddy (U)nlikely to many
But fact, none the less, to the few.
I need me this instruction manual for the reassembly…. A step-by-step photographic explanation of the strip-down and bolt-together of this diminutive power plant.
I decided to bring the Bonnie out of hibernation today. Well a little paw around the block and stretch if the kegs down to the Lake. I did have to fit a new battery carrier too. And some gremlins had decided to take residence over the brutal winter in its electrics. A main lead from The battery had a hidden wire disconnect. Once that was sorted she fired right up a settled quickly into a heart beat.
The fog enveloped the lakefront in atmospheric style.
She ran like a champ. A few dropped gears, but I had the wrong boots on to engage stoutly. I do need to change gear oil though.
Like yesterdays image; but better, ‘cos it’s mine!
Roll on Spring!
Make sure you scrub behind the ears! The oily finish old British moto engines can get sometimes need a wash down to let it sparkle. A period can of degreaser shows off a bath bound Triumph getting brushed down. Nice two color print graphic.
Here’s a gal enjoying a little repair needs on her Triumph Cub and getting a drag from a cig off her riding pal.
A few tweaks to adjust the chain tension, oily mitts, and before you can say ‘Bob’s yer uncle”, she will get ‘er back on the trail.
Any self respecting vintage Triumph owner never leaves home without one! Here’s a near original set in aged patina ready to be rolled up, packed in the toolbox and taken on the road. Spanners? Check; Whitworth both open-ended and closed. Spark Plug wrench? Check. Tire irons? Some call ’em spoons, others levers but yep, check! Tappet spanner and feeler gauges? Check; tickety-tackety goes the engine in purring state! Spoke wrench? Check. Can’t be having wobbly wheels after the bumpy cobbles of Dent or the rutted tracks of the New Forest! Air gauge? Check! Pump is on the frame too lest a flat be had! Puncture kit? Check; complete with crayon, glue and vulcanized rubber patch. Grease gun? Grease gun? Yup, grease gun! Check! A small travel sized one should do, gotta keep ’em wheels a-rollin’! And finally screwdriver and pliers? Check, check. They’ll come in handy for something I’m sure…
What about electrics? Lucas? Uhuh! Well, three Hail Mary’s and a How’s your Father should do for that – good luck on that one old chap.
(This kit is currently available on EBay for $200.)
A Winter Weather Advisory: drifting snow and plummeting temperatures here in the Midwest allow alternate moto activities to be planned and undertaken.
Winterize your ride! Don’t let a salty ice crust build up or an errant plough tip it into the road side snowbank. Take it into a dry indoors where the typical preparations, maintenance and upgrades could be undertaken. Plenty have written about the furlough storage needs so I’ll not go into them here.
Or you could put studs on your tires, dress in weather appropriate hard and whizz around a frozen lake oval. Here’s a Tiger being put through such paces. It looks fun!
Tomorrow morning temperatures are expected to be -20 Fahrenheit… With won’t chill reaching fifty below…. Stay Warm! Me? I have my Cub Project to plan!
Just what you need to get into the top end so that the tappets can be adjusted: Little Fingers! This little feller is quite interested in this propped-up pre-unit Triumph engine; better than a pile of blocks or soft toys. I believe there are photos of me with such a cap and similar ‘harness’. As a lad I would have been into this thing quicker than you can pick up a screwdriver and monkey wrench.
The 150cc Triumph Terrier T15 was the smaller precursor to the Tiger Cub, a very similar layout and details with the odd crossover part. Here’s an aged cutaway demonstration engine with innards exposed to see how parts mesh into a machine for go. It take a mechanical understanding of the machine at hand to chop it into an assembled whole with holes…
This is fairly handy for my ensuing needs while reassembling the Cub. This grubby, ‘shelved’ display sure could use a good restoration. Itcsold on the UK eBay for £1,000.
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