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I’ve been looking at engines I could strip down, just for fun practice. That invariably leads me to looking at cheap bikes because I would want to get it running again afterwards to prove I’ve not broken it. This has been going on for some time. The cycle often leads to me stressing out so much I literally lose sleep over it. I’m not sure how, but suddenly I made the jump to wanting a more expensive, but really cool project bike. I saw a 1958 BSA A10 for sale for £2,750 and was going to get that. But then the doubts crept in, getting parts, whether it was what I really wanted, and as it was all ready running, if I would be able to replace my bulletproof VFR with a bike older than I am. And a Brit relic, at that. Then I saw a site selling “cheap” (relative term) imported project Harleys. I was very tempted. But they are still asking a lot for a pig-in-a-poke bike. One I liked was a 1971 1000cc, 4 gear engine, it had no wiring harness, no starter motor, was thought to be not seized but not guaranteed, wasn’t registered in the UK, and they wanted £2,000 for it. While I was looking I came across this: It’s a bog standard (apart from the headlight) 1991 883 Sportster. It’s been stood for 20 years so it’s a complete restoration project, but it’s a complete bike, UK registered, 2 owners from new, a 5 speed gearbox and the (more modern, more reliable) Evolution engine. It was up for auction, the starting bid was for £2,000. The auction was nearly over and nobody had bid on it. I put in a bid sniper for £2,055. If I got it for a bargain then fine, if not look for something else. I won! £2,000! It’s going to need a lot of work, but all the bits are there. I’ve ordered a new battery and a workshop manual. I’m picking it up on Tuesday. Of course it’s the arse end of beyond. Reading. Right down south. Ho hum, all part of the joy of motorcycling. I can’t wait to start playing with it. I hope it’s not seized but if it is it’s getting big bored to the 1200cc conversion. Fun times.

Some bikey goodness this week. My saddle finally arrived. It’s supposed to be gel padded and the ultimate in comfort for long distance riding. I popped it on. It certainly looks the business. Before, plain ol’ Betty Monroe: After, Mrs Ralph Hapshatt: I had my first 5 day week in absolutely ages at work so I had to wait until my day’s off to try and fit the new exhaust system. Update, this week I’ve had 4 shifts, next week I’ve got 4. Finally making some decent money again. It turned into a proper big job. Fairings off, seat off, top box off, centre stand off, tank off, battery, battery box and mudguard assembly off, rear shock absorber off, coils moved, just to get access to the exhaust. To add to the not inconsiderable degree of difficulty the bike needed to be propped upright, with the centre stand removed. It’s a single sided swing arm to I couldn’t just raise it up on a paddock stand. Improvise, adapt, overcome. That was in no way fun. It took me all day. Then I had to pop for some jubilee clips to finish the job (hold the down pipes securely into the collector box) today. There is very little overlap on the pipes. Assuming they stay put, that is job done. As I was fastening the jubilee clip I did notice one downer. One of the downpipes runs over the oil sump plug. So I’m going to have to take the front pipe off every time I need to change the oil. Irritating, but not a massive job. Poor design though. I had another go at that snapped bolt. I can drill but I still can’t get any purchase to turn the extractor. I may be on to something. I’ve seen and ordered a drill bit extractor set. If I can get them to work in my impact wrench I should be able to make short work of it. Fingers crossed. Bit of an update. The exhaust system is a blowing a little bit from the pipe joins but overall it’s really quiet. It came with a hi-level link pipe and aftermarket end can. As it’s so quiet I’ve weakened and ordered a baffle insert and a hi-level hanger bar. I’m going to try it, if it’s not too noisy it’s a serious upgrade to the look of the bike. I’m still waiting on the hanger to arrive. The other thing is the snapped bolt. I still haven’t been able to get it out, but now I’ve drilled so far that I managed to tap a new thread in the hole in and fit a shortened bolt. That should hold it. I’ll put locktite on when I fit it, just to be on the safe side. Whilst mocking it up I noticed another flaw with this new exhaust system, when you put the centre stand down it rubs against the exhaust to the extent it moves the pipes. It’s not a huge […]

I had a week off work due to that bump. I had to go out with the driver trainer and now I’m back at work. One thing from it : the trainer pointed out there is no way I could have caused that tiny bit of damage. If I’d have been coming in at an angle the leading edge of the trailer would have hit the other side of the shutter door. I’d have had to have run right over the guide bars and my trailer would have missed the bay by about 7 feet to have hit on that side. They heard me reversing and making a clatter, came out, and blamed me for the damage they saw. I didn’t think to question it so went along with it. Work have said they can’t call the company liars, but basically they are writing the incident off as ‘no driver fault’. Cool. Way better than I was hoping for. It does explain why I was stood at the back of my truck, unable to understand how I could have hit the shutter. I didn’t. That might prove a valuable judgement call from the management. The trainer said they will be advertising more full time jobs shortly. Fingers crossed. Other mixed blessing good news; I was obsessing over bikes again. Doing dozens of searches every day looking for the donor VFR750 bike (with a stainless steel exhaust and a whole bike of spares). Then I noticed an advert for a complete stainless exhaust system for £160. They only gave the model letter, I emailed for confirmation it was my year, they said “it’s in the text what it is”. Less than helpful. It is my model letter (Vfr750 F-R, -it’s the final letter that changes with each year model-) so if they are right I’ve got a cheap exhaust system. The downside is the only way I’m going to know if they are right about the letter is by fitting it. I want to keep the standard system on until it starts blowing, so I’m going to have to take off the standard, fit the stainless, remove the stainless and refit the standard. It’s a bit of a beast of a job. Made worse by the fact everything (I ordered the new gaskets I’m going to need as well) should have been arriving today, my day off. But as it’s a bank holiday (which I totally didn’t realise) it will all be coming tomorrow, when we are both working. Super. I started to do some preparation. Cleaning the bolts and spraying penetrating oil on them to hopefully loosen them. Then I tried to remove the centre stand. It’s got to come off, so it’s one less job. That turned into a nightmare. The workshop manual was useless on this one, probably thought it was too obvious to mention. Like all riddles it’s simple when you know the answer. I spent ages freeing a bolt and getting pushing it through the frame […]

His last day on Earth was the longest. He had booked two days off from work, one for Summer Solstice and one for his birthday the following day. He was going to be thirty. The realisation had been growing in him. While he knew it was an arbitrary number in his life, thirty felt like a milestone. The party years were past, the close knit band of friends were slowly separating into their own lives. Now each meet up required planning, and there were always absences. He’d been clinging on to the past but over the last year or two the restlessness had been growing in him. At first he had been just wanted to patch up the relationships with his friends and rebuild the past, but as the itch of restlessness grew so did his clarity. His friends were absorbed in relationships and families and careers, they, he felt, had their lives together, while he was just going through the motions. They were only going to drift further apart. He would have to move on, things couldn’t go back. Admitting his ties to the past were fraying he started to examine the present. He wasn’t in a romantic relationship, his family and friends were becoming more estranged, he was renting, he was working in a warehouse. In other words, there was nothing keep him here. His restlessness had moved up several gears. For the past year he’d been window shopping jobs and accommodation in Cornwall or Scotland, as well as looking into the possibility of emigrating. He didn’t know where he wanted to go, he just knew he couldn’t stay where he was. It had grown from an itch of discontent into a frantic obsession. The approach of thirty had brought it all to a head. He felt if he was to let another year pass he would still be here in another decade, and by then he’d have gone mad with impotent wanderlust. He’d arranged a meet with his friends for the night time. He felt sure most of his friends would attend. They were going to go an old haunt, a bunch of rocks on a hilltop that they had, with youthful imagination, decided was a Stone Circle. It all felt fitting. Watching the longest day end in the Stone Circle with his friends. A last hurrah. Then before midnight, before his thirtieth, he would tell them he was leaving. Tomorrow he was going to number his destination options and roll a die. Thirty year old him was going to start a new life. Knowing this was all happening, that he’d finally committed and was going to be actively pursuing his escape plan within a day, he slept soundly for what felt like the first time in years. He awoke just before 10 am. He came awake with a start, instantly aware today was the day this life ended. As he got ready he checked his mobile for messages. Nothing of import. His friends would be at […]

I’ve had an eventful couple of days. I was in work yesterday, I got to a drop in Liverpool and reversed onto the bay. The truck was a bit slow to turn so I went in at a bit of an angle, but still well within the guide rails. I missed the bumper on the loading bay, but let it slowly reverse anyway (there are bumpers on the back of the trailer) suddenly I heard a clatter. I got out and somehow I’d manged to hit the shutter door. That’s it. The third panel down from the top right on the first picture (not the concrete, that was nowt do with me) but it slightly buckled the hinge thing on the inside of the shutter. I just couldn’t understand it. It’s what you do. Reverse, then pull forward to straighten up. You just can’t hit the shutter, it’s a foot inside the edge of the concrete wall. It took one of their people to work it out. Because their loading bays are on such a steep angle, the top corner of the trailer had lent over the lip of the bay and hit the door. I got back to the yard and they took my truck off me. I had to do a statement and such and now I’m stood down pending the outcome of their review. When they told me to hand my keys in I thought I was sacked for sure. The agency lad reckons it will probably be a day out with the driver trainer then back on shift. If not, if they do sack me, Sainsbury’s are taking on on the agency. Bummer start times, but stacks of money. Seeing as I’m off I did shock absorber. The one that was on it had leaked all of it’s fluid and I was pogo-ing over every bump. Bloody horrible to ride. It was a pain in the arse of a job, but I got it done. Swapped the crappy aftermarket shock for the original one that came as a spare with the bike. While I had everything off I took the opportunity to refit the original height things, to lower it back to standard height. A good day’s work. I’m happy with that. I took it for a spin and the shock works fine, I can get me feet down at the lights now it’s standard height, nothing fell off and I didn’t die. Oh, and it totally was the shock that had blown, not an engine oil leak, so, a good result. Now I just have some concerns about the clutch. Nothing pressing, but the clutch plates sticking on start up is a worry. For now the tip to free them up (a few blips of the throttle) is working, but I would like to sort it. Hmmm, just re-read the fault finding article fully. There is still something to test before I start cracking open the engine. It could just be down to low clutch […]