Bit of progress

Managed to get a bit done over the bank holiday weekend, the tubing hasn't appeared yet due to technological cock up, I sent a text which definitely sent and definitely didn't arrive.
First up was helping Craig D get the engine out of his Vento, it took longer than planned but we won in the end, RESULT.
Next up was starting to make a new rear Light/indicator/number plate bracket for the new monkey light, I'd already done some prep and had a card template cut out with some markings on for sizes and where to drill holes to fit the light. The indicators haven't arrived yet so completion will have to wait until then, its easier to drill holes in a flat plate.

Finally got the tank pretty much finished 

 Unwanted side tabs chopped off 

 Original tap mounting point chopped of and patch welded in 

Braised over the patched area once I'd ground it back just to make sure it was all properly sealed, then braised on a strengthening plate for re mounting the tap tube that I've re attached with braise again.




















Tunnel heated and beaten to get rid of the cable recess so it will sit low enough on the frame





















Also made up a little wooden stand to lift the bike up off the ground and its on a little dolly so it can be moved about easily. Front wheel is off and all the fork bolts loosened ready for removing from the bike so I can do the fork seals.

 


 

Managed some more progress after work on Friday. Lots of cutting of metal and grinding as well as fighting the wiring loom and removing all the insulation tape from the main loom before cutting out the indicator wiring and the flasher relay. There's still quite a lot of work to do with the loom at some wires will need to be extended and some shortened, then there's the clutch in to start element to be removed, and now the clocks are gone all the associated wiring for the idiot lights can be gotten rid of as well.

Before

After - removed wires at top of pic

Oh, an I chopped the rear subframe off to :0), no turning back now. I was going to use a good chunk of the original subframe and just extend the diagonal lower subframe tubes up to meet the original seat frame tubes with the bits I didn't need chopped off, but after some discussions with Kris at the unit I agree that it might look neater to just make a new subframe seat rail up with a nice hoop out of one fresh piece of tube. So I'll see him this week and get that ordered, in the mean time there's a good bit of cleaning up to do on the frame and a load of measuring to work out sizes for the new subframe. Not to mention continuing to beat the crap out of the under side of the tank to make it sit low enough and finish moving the petrol tap position.

Before

Now much cleaner

</

Before the chop, tank roughly in place.

As it stands now post chop

New Project

As with many of us project nuts, one is simply not enough, I've been lusting after some sort of street tracker for a while now, but buying is not an option, and not nearly as much fun. After trying and failing to buy an Aprilia Pegaso I've gone for a much better option of the old Honda Dominator, which has no complicated cooling system or ugly radiators to deal with, spurred on massively by the work of Andrew on http://nx650elsinore.blogspot.co.uk/ I am hoping to replicate his work albeit with a slight twist of my own. I'm going for no plastic side panels but a larger tail unit to hide the battery and electrics.

This is the look I'm going for

This is what I started out with

and 40 minutes later after me and H had set about it with spanners and allen keys it looked like this

And after a night at the unit its now minus the rear pegs, front hand guards and indicators, oh and I ground off the petrol tank mounts so there's no turning back now.

   

Been a while

Well moving house over the summer has slowed me down but I've had a little progress on a few things over the last few months, with Tuesday night becoming workshop night.

I got the rear wheel into the lil Honda so its now a roller and is much easier to get in and out of the large cupboard it lives in at the unit.

The tube and tyre will need replacing and I'll probably go for new brake shoes before I try taking it on the road.

The tank has moved on a bit too, I finally finished cleaning up what will be the filler neck and cap, I cut it out of an old BSA oil tank I got cheap on ebay, and its taken ages to properly clean up and remove all the brass from where it was brazed into the oil tank.

I used my trusty dremel to cut out the hole for the filler, great little tool for the job, easy to control, didn't run away with me and fairly neat. I finished off the hole slowly and labouriously with a hand file as I want to be sure to keep it round.

If anyone out there in blog land can tell me how to make these pics sit side by side I'd appreciate it, I cant figure out how and its doing my head in.

The Trip Out 2012

What blew me away the most, was that literally every bike there was awesome and would of been happy to have it in my garage. The bikes in the bike show were all really cool and it was amazing to see Toddys Triumph in the flesh, (what an immaculate work of art) but even a walk around the camping field had me reaching for my camera at every other step.

The cars totally blew me away too, all shapes and sizes but every one of them an awesome vehicle I would of been happy to take home. The size of some of those cars in real life is just mental, they are absolutely huge and must be real pain in the ass to manoeuvre around on out british roads.

Add to that the skateboarding, superb atmosphere, great merch stalls, a free copy of the new issue of Dice, two great nights of bands, reasonable beer prices, and the sun cracking the flags all weekend long it was an great event, and one that I'll be heading to next year for sure if I can.

New Project

Well, inspite of the board tracker bike not being properly finished, and being right in the middle of moving house away from my workshop and working flat out on my old house to get it ready to rent, I thought it would be a good idea to sidle myself with another project.

So here in all its errrrr glory? is the little Honda C200 I've just bought.

Current plan is to leave it rough as guts and just get it functioning properly with fresh brakes and bearings etc where needed, lob a chinese pit bike engine in it and get it on the road. Once thats done, it'll get a bobbed rear end, some phater rims and tyres and possibly a different front end with a disc brake.

Rear wheel pretty much  finished, spokes could probably do with another quarter turn and I've not checked the dish but I just wanted to see how fucking phat the new tyre rim combo is. I'm pretty pleased