Chronicle # 2 November 2009

There has been a good response to the idea of the Britbike website and Chronicles. It seems to be evolving in its own way and we will keep you informed. It is hoped to provide a link and communication between most of the clubs and we have now been in touch with some of the clubs in Zim and Zambia. It’s interesting to hear that they are pretty active up there. Bike racing in Lusaka is alive and well and the bunch up there are fundraising to improve the race track. Well done.

My Triumph I have just started re-building a 1960 Triumph Trophy – at present the frame has been stripped and undercoated, the engine has been bored, sleeved, bearings done, valves done but all lying in a million bits on a special bench made from an old door on trestles in my garage, to keep everything together.
Our friend Vic Sawyer, who does the most incredible machine work on his lathe, has made new stainless fork legs and stainless fittings. Cost of that was R1800 but money well-spent. I will keep you informed of progress as a matter of interest.

For those who require the old type of hard rubber Exide battery cases to complete a renovation, I have had a batch made in black polyeurathane. They are available at R350. They can be viewed on the website at www.britbikerenovation.com There is also an article which explains how you can fit Cyclon cells which are sealed lead-acid batteries into these battery cases. I will be using one for my Vincent Comet which has the exposed battery.

I have recently bought four shelves of old bike spare and once sorted and identified, they will be offered to you to hopefully assist with a restoration. Lots of heads, barrels, casings, tanks, wheels, etc etc. from Ariel, BSA, Triumph and other British makes.

If anyone needs any hard-to-find spares, please let me know and I can circulate this to the mailing list. There are currently about 90 on the mailing list (including Steve Wilson from UK – welcome Steve!) I would be happy to put people together to help their restorations. This is of course a free service and mainly for South Africa but of course, you never know…..

I went to the press launch of the Toy Run which takes place in Cape Town on Sunday 29th November. It was held at, and hosted by Castle Breweries (naturally). Seeing all the old reprobates there took me right back to the sixties when I was young and reckless. Go to their website here: http://www.toyrun.co.za/ to check for your area. It’s a most worthy cause and nothing beats the site of macho guys on their Harleys, Fireblades and Ducatis clutching teddy bears and dollies and riding en mass through the streets of Cape Town. Well-done to the organisers.

Lets finish with some silly uses for tools in your workshop

Common Tools and Their Uses Part 1
DRILL PRESS:
A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted vertical stabilser which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.
WIRE WHEEL:
Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned callouses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, "Oh shi$#%..."
ELECTRIC HAND DRILL:
Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.
SKILL SAW:
A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.
PLIERS:
Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.
BELT SANDER:
An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.
HACKSAW:
One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

Be safe!
Eddie