Polish on polish off, shiny engine bits installed...

Heads back together last Sunday

And this week finally on the bike. 

'Some people' always forget the rear rocker will not go on as there is no room under the frame.

And having installed the heads have the brain wave of removing the engine mounting bolts to the frame and moving and tilting the engine sideways to get the rear rocker on over the studs. Oh and don't forget  those two pesky head bolts you have to install in the barrels before tightening the cylinder base bolts earlier haha….

 Push rods adjusted and magneto in and timed.

A little thank you to my wife Ren for getting out the brass polish!

Oh and the front wheel has been re -built and on its way back to me!

two steps forward . one step back or is it one step forwards and…..

 The wheel saga continues, pick up disassembled wheel and send the short spokes and my original spoke to devon rim Co. to make some more to match my sample. 

Sean the owner @ Devon Rim Co. says his spokes are correct and to cut a long story short says to send rim and hub to him and he will check and build it. Which I would have done the in the first place except they no longer build wheels because its not cost effective!

Linkerts T shirt  to be saved from workshop Rag

and mounted on a board with the 1st Trip out T Shirt on Display 

Ratttlecan Sunday 

Sissy too 

Ahh - remember why I called her Christine 

Engine cleaned and waiting on assembly 

Heads Vapour blasted and cleaned 

Should have put the pistons in the barrels first as the bloody ring compressor too big and could not be disassembled to remove so we had to cut it up and Mark who helped me (did most of it!) join 2 jubilee clips together and bingo!

that she blows 

exhaust valves needed quite a bit of grinding but came out Ok

So on to the next Saga

Christine was living up to her name this week and pushed me very near the edge on friday...

Last year I asked Carl @ Fram motorcycles if he could build a wheel for me. He said yes if i could get the spokes and rim as he could not get the Harley rim. 

The only company able to supply in stainless steel is 

The Devon Rim Company. 

A stainless 21" rim (£260) and spokes (£120) to fit my hub and so I bit the bullet.

Last Saturday I took my old wheel to Jerry @ Fram motorcycles to check for spoke pattern before I take it apart.

He called it a 4 spoke pattern (4 holes between) 

 Then after the weekend took my disassembled hub, new spokes (£120)(£260) back to them and his son Carl took it in. We agreed I would send him the wheel pics for reference.

 and called in @ Andy Tiernans Classic Bikes to pick up some Oil

lovely Vee twin parked outside 

back in the day we called a combination 

Wednesday cut and reposition the front tank bracket 5mm lower so the back isn't trying to grind a hole against the frame. Had to weld another piece of bar to it. Not pretty and used the last of the gas. 

And so we come to Friday!

I drive to the wheel builders in Framlingham - they are shut for lunch so I drive fifty miles to Krazyhorse for some bits and pieces Ive ordered. Picking up my Cylinder heads on the way. Vapour blasted they look great and clean!

The parts haven't been delivered due to a fire at the port in Holland. So on to SoLow Choppers to pick up my Piston Rings. The first week Clive ordered the rings with the new Barrels and pistons but they were out of stock. The next week he ordered the wrong set. This week they are in and correct, all good and back to Framlingham wheel builders by 4.30pm.

Carl tells me there was a problem with the spokes

you can see the angle is wrong.

I am feeling pissed. I purchased the rim and spokes separately because their was no alternative and now the builder Carl has done his best but they are wrong.

No phone signal here and it turns out I don't have Devon Rims number so Home steaming.

I call them but its friday 5pm and they are shut!

Back to the wheel builder 9am Saturday morning

Carl is not there! but his father Jerry is.

We establish that if it had been laced to the correct spoke pattern the spokes were too long and not enough thread plus the angle on the short spoke is wrong. So Carl had laced it to a longer angle six spoke pattern.

I ask them to call the devon Rim Co. on Monday and explain the problem and hopefully get another set!

Leaving me in the invidious position of being in the middle of all this but having paid for it!

The picture is of a ££££ Brough Superior Wheel in for a respoke.