Summer is nearly here !

Back in the shop after lots of 'life' getting in the way, but am recovering, and getting stronger everyday. Loads of work in the shop, that I would like to get cleared out this summer - 90 percent of the work I do, tends to get done in May and June - helped by the warmer weather, and the long daylight hours. Love this image from an old Velo sales brochure -

Amal carb jetting chart

I recently had an email, requesting info on what the jetting should be on a late Velocette Thruxton fitted with the Amal 1036 carb. Here is a scan of an Amal jetting chart, that I use in my workshop.

Rick's MSS

I posted this earlier - but worth re-visiting, as it reminds me it is not just me , that makes it all happen. That lots of outside services and suppliers team up, to get through a project. - Rick's 1937 MSS 500 - Rick Wallace in Montana has had us do a few of his bikes. This is his 1937 MSS 500, that he purchased with KSS cycle gear, Rick had a friend do all the paintwork and plating, We did the frame repair, rebuild the Webb front forks, build the wheels with Devon stainless steel rims from the UK, with painted centers and pin stripping accent (including the side car wheel ) ,have the tanks undented and pressure tested, and full engine, gearbox and primary rebuild. Stainless steel exhaust from Overlander in Australia, Smiths speedometer , speedo drive , and cable, rebuilt by Dennis Quinlan/ KTT Service in Australia. Rick sourced new springs for sidecar chassis locally, Chassis powdercoated by Ken's Powdercoating. . Sidecar was in very good condition and was left as was. Jack Callinski's Jack's Custom Machine in Tacoma did the engine's specialty machine shop work including - cylinder sleeving, cylinder head combustion chamber repair, and new valve seats Rubber parts were sourced from Jeff Hunter in the UK. Avon Sidecar tires on the bike's back end, and on the sidecar, Avon Speedmaster ribbed on front from Hap Jones in California, The list goes on - - - It takes a small community of outside service providers to make it all happen -

Workshop

Lots of projects on the go, in the workshop.

1929 Model A Ford

A high school friend contacted me, if I was interested in his grandfathers 1929 Model A Ford, that has been stored in a barn since 1968. The price was good and my brother fronted the funds. We should have it in our big boat shed toward the end of April. We plan on rebuilding the chassis, and my brother - the 'wood butcher'- building a station wagon body to period specs, to use on the chassis, and saving the original four door body for restoring later, then when the body is restored, re-uniting it with the chassis, as the body will be quite a project to do right. Photos of the barn find 1929 Model A Ford, and an image of what we have in mind for the new wooden station wagon body -

Back in hospital for five days

Was back in the hospital for five days, for choking hiccups- that lasted a total of eleven days. Turns out the hiccups were caused by a post op complication - kidney issue ! Back home now for about seven days. Still very weak and a bit unsteady on my legs, and have a weak voice from having the hiccups for so long. But getting stronger - and happy to be able to get back into the workshop, and back to work on customers bikes. I will be restocking my inventory of new spares, available from David Holder's Velocette Motor Cycle Company, as well as organizing my available used spares.

My BMW's

A few folks have asked about my BMW's. - The first BMW I had was a 1960 R69S - that I purchased from Fred Terbeck- Owner of BMW Center in Seattle, back around 1975. I sold it to a friend in Yakima Washington, to fund the Velocette Viper/Venom I was purchasing and collecting in the UK in 1979. Then the last BMWs - R60/5s- I had were from John Dolber in Boston, Mass. - sent out in trade against an engine rebuild I had done on his MSS, and other bits for Velo projects. The black R60/5 was sold to a lady in Port Townsend - who was thrilled with it, and the white R60/5 was sold to Allyn Smith, who later traded it to his Dad, my long time friend John Smith, who we also helped with his many Velo projects - All the BMWs I had were great bikes - In the end though, I did not hang onto them - as I prefer a Velo.

Recovering post - op

Good News ! 🙂 Am in 'Depends' absorbent menswear following having my catheter removed a couple days ago - from my cancer surgery prostate removal a week ago. Now am in penis training to not wet myself, with special 'kegal' exercises - and - - No radiation or chemo required !!- Just check back in three months - - Not so bad - and my penis has never had so much attention ! 🙂

Back Home following surgery -

Greetings from Lakebay, My cancer operation for prostate removal went well on Tuesday, back home on Wednesday late afternoon. Very tender down in those parts now ! , and will be wearing a Foley catheter and leg bag for a week or so, while healing. Getting stronger everyday, and was able to walk - just - the evening after surgery. A couple things I wanted to do, I might be able to get a chance to now during this healing process. -Years ago Don Holton in Florida sent me his KTT Mk8 engine for rebuild, and at that time, I contacted Ivan Rhodes about my project, and Ivan freely advised, sent drawings and info. About that same time I was given a copy of the KTT MK8 Spares list as well. Don Holton's wife then had health issues, and he decided to sell off his collection, and the KTT as well as other bikes were purchased by Randy Baxter in Iowa. Randy sent me what he had of the KTT project and I worked on it as I had time. Then family health issues of my own had crept in , and I had to pause the work and sent the unfinished project back to Randy. While the bike was here, I was able to do quite a lot of work on it, and Ivan, though half a world away, was always ' at my side ' with help and guidance. This 'down time' during my recovery, is the perfect time for me to scan all the KTT info I have collected up. - The second thing that I wanted to do, that I don't believe has been done, is showcase the cartoons that have been in Fishtail. Geoff Blanthorn was friendly with the cartoonists that contributed during the early years of the club. My Fishtail VOC Club magazine goes back to 1971 when I first joined the group, and Geoff's collection goes back a bit further -

Prostate Cancer Surgery

Hi Guys, I want to give everyone a bit of notice that I am going into hospital next week Tuesday,March 9th, for my prostate cancer, prostate removal , and biopsies taken of surroundings. I will be a bit slower then usual on filling parts orders and work in the shed. My neighbor / riding / walkies buddy - Geoff , will be assisting me a bit more during these times. As I do my computer work on a laptop, will be using this down time to catch up a bit on paper work, and do postings on this blog and on my photo blog -Black Coffee- https://edgilkisonvelocetteworkshop.blogspot.com

Improved sealing at the pushrod tube gland nut

My friend Jack Hogan, when visiting from Australia showed me how to convert the two piece pushrod tube to be far better, and using an o-ring. instead of the packing string. The really clever thing that Jack showed me, and not done by anyone else that I am aware of, is to make a small ring to go against the o-ring - as o-rings do not like sliding - only direct compression, and can often jam the big center gland nut. By dropping a compressing ring in first into the recess opened up for the o-ring , then the o-ring, on assembly, the o-ring is back to only compression -the gland nut slides on the compressing ring, and not directly on the o-ring. The o-ring is now back to compression only - what it was designed for. - This method he said is used in commercial applications like steam piping, etc

Rear Hub Spacers

Jim S. is slowly working at finishing a Clubman project built from bits from my shed - that I had started with Mike A. many years earlier. This one has been years in 'the process' - but is gradually creeping along. Jim ran across a fitting problem, with a good used correct speedo gearbox I had posted him for the project. It turns out I had set the bike up with spacers for the early type Smiths drive gearbox, and the only good one I recently sourced was a late one ! - & confirmed by Jim's measurements. I carry a pretty extensive parts supply and pulled out the correct set to send him, and the set used when fitting the narrow hard to find gearbox - to compare .

Vincenzo's MSS

Some years ago I got my long time friend Vincenzo Gustavo Murphy interested in building up from spares, a rigid MSS hot rod project. We had seen the photos of a sprint bike, that was well written up, and both fell in love with it's looks - As I am at last back in the shed, after helping my folks for the last several years, in their 'twilight years' , until both of their passing's, I can once again attack my upstairs Velocette wrecking yard and get back to digging out parts - - the image is what we are using as our ' go by '

Arturo's timing disc

This image was just posted on the Velocette Motorcycles fb page by Arturo Sipca in Uruguay. My buddy Geoff Blanthorn did the artwork for a shop timing disc , and had posted it some years ago on our old web site as a 'make your own timing disc' with our down loadable disc's image -

Steve's Clock

My customer Steve, back in Red Bluff IL, emailed me that the parts package got there ok. His email had an attachment of this image of the Velo theme clock he made from the large decal I sent him in his last order - made from Mac's old clutch chainwheel and rear wheel sprocket -

Current images of my office / bedroom

Allen Dow Venom

Greg McBride recently posted this photo on Velocette Motorcycles Facebook page, and I recall the bike as one Allen Dow from California asked me to rebuild for him many years ago - - - Unfortunately - I have suffered and live with mental issues, for most of my adult life, bipolar , ADD, and terrible depression bouts, that I have been taking treatments and meds for many years to combat it the best I can - but it still occasionally rears up and swings it's axe - a true demon from within. - As I was nearing the completion on Allen's bike, I had a massive attack / breakdown- forcing me to call Allen to take his bike away. He had someone collect it immediately, and found Paul Zell in San Francisco to finish it. I do warranty all my work, so if you are reading this Greg, and find anything terribly amiss - do let me know -. I believe I have the original workshop notes and file on the bike, letters between Allen and me, etc, somewhere in my records -

Branch Motorcycle Sales

My shop - Ed Gilkison Velocette was back in the 1950s through 1975 - Branch Motorcycle Sales - when Lou retired and sold out to Ellis Taylor, who moved the inventory to Ellie's home in Montecito, California -just south of Santa Barbara. Ellie had the Velo business for a couple years, then when he had a nasty divorce, was forced to sell, and sold the Velo business to my long time friend Bob Strode in Woodinville Washington, in about 1978. I helped Bob move the inventory, along with or friend Charlie Cravens, loading it into a huge rental truck, and driving it up the I-5 . I then spent a week at Bob's and erected all the shelving and reloaded all the little parts boxes in Bob's basement, until he could get a proper little separate workshop / garage built. - I purchased the Velo business from Bob Strode in 1987 and have had it ever since - 33 years , and hope to continue on for many more, concentrating on repairs, and obsolete and used spares. I can't compete with the super fast suppliers of new spares in the UK , as I am dealing now with my health & taking care of 'me' - heart and cancer issues is now my main daytime job- ( I am having prostate removal surgery in a couple weeks ) required exercising, physical therapy and doctor appointments during the daytime hours take much of my time, and I do the Velo work in the very early mornings, and late evenings and weekends. Here is a scan of an bit of Lou Branch's printed paper box tape - and a crop scan of just the bike - a 1948 Dowty fork , rigid MAC 350

Jim's Clubman

Jim's Clubman project, photographed while in the shed here in Lakebay. This particular project was one we started with Mike A. in New Jersey. Mike wanted a kit of used parts that could be assembled into a little Cafe' Velo as a 'built from bits from the attic' budget bike. I have done a bunch of these for my friends over the 33 years I have had my shop, as it offered a way for me to move dead inventory, and used stock from my attic Velocette motor cycle wrecking yard. Like building a giant - 3000 part, full scale model kit that you can actually ride when you get done. This particular one has many miles on it , as it has been shipped back and forth from Lakebay to New Jersey a couple of times, as Mike would do a bit of work on it in New Jersey, then I would some in Lakebay, etc. After about twenty five years of hit and miss building, Mike decided it was time to sell his interest in our project on to another giant scale modeler, and found Jim S. willing to take it on, hopefully seeing it into it's final assembly, running and riding it. Jim has our project in his shed at the moment - working on the last leg of the build - and of late I have been helping Jim with parts for the building of the engine.

Rick's MSS

We have done three bikes for Rick in Montana. This one, his rigid MSS, was one we did several years ago. It came to us as a MSS in KSS cycle gear, in that it had a KSS oil tank, 21 inch front tire, and skinny mudguards, etc. I have not found yet the beginning photos of what we started with, but Rick did send me these photos of it when completed. Rick had a friend local to him in Montana do the painting of the mudguards, fuel and oil tanks, and we had the hard parts powder-coated in gloss black by Ken's Powder Coating in Tacoma ( Spanaway ). The sidecar was in excellent original finish, and we left it that way. We sourced new mudguards from Armour in the UK, fabricated new hand bent front and rear mudguard stays here in the shed to fit. Wheel rims on the bike and sidecar we custom ordered in from Devon Rim Company in the UK, and are stainless steel, with painted black centers and boarders done in gold pin stripe. In all the bike turned out very nice-

No Time -

I have decided it best for me at this time - or lack of it ( time ), to drasticly cut back on both my Facebook, and Instagram social media accounts. I want to be concentrating on this blog, my Ed Gilkison Velocette blog and my Ed Gilkison Workshop - BLACK COFFEE - photo and image blog - to get them up to speed, and more useful in both my business, and personal use. - I love and charish my actual hands on workshop time, and prefer to spend much more of what time I have, - to being in the shed, rather then on my 'puter - Email is the best way to reach me : veloguru1@yahoo.com, or leave a message on my house phone (253) 884-2319

Peter Small's Lakebay Special

 Peter Small's  - Lakebay Special -

The Red Special we built for Idaho jewelry artist -  Peter Small many years ago. 

Peter had dropped off an old Scrambler model and asked me to build him a Clubman or Cafe' Special and gave me free hand at designing and building his bike. 

I could not easily see how to put rear set footrest controls on the scrambler frame, so as I had a nice road frame,  I switched his type /35 bolt together scrambler frame, for a standard RS type frame with rear dampener adjustment slots.  For the rear dampeners I used Works Performance units that were custom ordered to Peters riding style and weight.

The alloy fuel tank was from Peter Kyte sourced from the Velocette Owners Club UK, .& the bikes Smiths instruments and drive gearboxes I had custom made and supplied by Dennis Quinlan 's KTT Services - in Australia.

The custom alloy oil tank, flip-up seat to access the oil tanks top filler, Mikuni carb & manifold, and toolbox were all in my shops used - 'second handy department ', remains of a bike that was built up custom by Bob Strode for the US Velo Club's Canada 'Rain Ride' Rally. These bits were from the bike that Bob rode himself - borrowed from his friend Charley Cravens. Charley did not care for the custom treatment done to his bike by Bob, so Bob stripped off the custom bits , and returned Charley's MSS back to him in stock configuration. All these bits were in the spares stock, when I purchased the Velocette spares and repair business from Bob, when he retired, and moved to Yakima. I used a 'Bates style simple folded stainless steel rear number plate/ stop light holder, and a Honda CR motocross style aftermarket 90 degree alloy throttle housing . Front brake is standard single leading shoe, but I had Bob Strode fabricate up & weld on a massive air scoop to the brake plate, and then I made up a simple lever system with the operating lever reversed & slightly longer.

 Frame and hard parts I had powder coat finished by Ken's Powder Coating in Spanaway Washington, in  ' Little Red Wagon ' bright cherry Red. I had Pete's Autobody Supply in Tacoma custom mix me a quart of Dupont Centari enamel, to match the chassis powder coating, for me to spray the front forks sliders, as the powder coating process can damage the soft solder joints that hold the fork sliders together. 

I set up the engine, gearbox and clutch/ primary drive to standard Venom specs, to make it easier for Peter to do any maintenance , or obtain spare parts, as they were all catalog standard items. 

My friend, and neighbor Geoff Blanthorn, who lives next door, and helps me in the workshop, designed up the spin on oil filter mount bracket. Peter and I both wanted the oil filter to be easy access, and we agreed Geoff's 'KISS' mounting ( Keep It Simple Stupid )  - was perfect fit for the project. The oil filter and filter base I sourced from Williams Oil Filter Service in Tacoma.  

When Peter passed away, his good friend Kevin Neary in Canada bought the bike from his estate - 

Snow Day today -

With 12 plus inches of snow overnight - called it a Snow Day. 

Got out my RedFeather Vapor's and wore the 'hand me down' Wolverine lace up leather boots from my brother John, and trekked down the drive to check on my neighbor Geoff Blanthorn -. 

 Amazing what having the right gear makes ! 

 

Steve Kesey Clubman

My long time friend Steve Kesey, brought his Clubman over a while back, to have a custom center stand installed, an oil leak checked, and a charging system check- 

His bike is my old original Viper 500, that I had ridden well over 250,000 miles since acquiring it in 1979 on my visit to see my friend Geoff Blanthorn in the UK, and to watch the Isle of Man TT, and be my mount to tour around on.

After riding it for years and many, many rebuilds, I had parked it, and one day Steve asked if I might consider selling.  -Yes - but only if I could run it through my shop rebuild process first, with Steve covering parts costs, and I would donate my labor. Giving my old Viper 500 a fresh lease on life was the best gift to both it, and to Steve, that I could offer. - -

above image is Steve's Viper 500 - fresh from my workshop 

and image below is of me with it in 1979 when I purchased it. Photo taken by my cousin Wim, when visiting him in Amsterdam Holland on our tour of Amsterdam's  famed 'red light district '

Viper 500, as it is a Viper 350 , but has had a Venom 500 top end fitted ( barrel, piston and cylinder head ) 

Will Perry Viper 350

Will Perry had bought his Viper in Bangkok China , when he was in the service. Over the years had been in storage until several years ago, when we helped him get it back on the road. Lots was needed to get it sorted, even though it was 'a runner', it had many little jobs done in Bangkok to keep it on the roads, that were not as sound as we like and could do here in the shed - 

After initial work, and he has been riding it around Seattle, and he brought it back for more funds to be thrown at it, to see if we could fix an on going issue - a lack of power.  This run-ability issue has been evading us for the whole time, and we have yet to discover why the bike can't up and go, running out of steam at a bit over 55, when Viper 350s , are nearly as fast as their big brothers - the Venom 500, but require more revs to get their optimum power output.  This time it is getting a fresh bore, new forged Arias piston, fully reconditioned cylinder head with new valves & guides, and valve springs - 

Recent snow has slowed work a bit on it, but it should be out on test in a couple weeks - 

 

The Mark Sheppard Quartet

 British actor Mark Sheppard,  has four of his Velo's in the shed here in Lakebay for service work. A Clubman and a Thruxton was first sent up from his home in Studio City California. both having issues to sort out. 

Mark has quite a Ducati collection, but growing up in the UK remembers seeing Velos and always has had a lust to have one. The first bike he got was Clubman , a 'Frankenstein of a collection bits that needed work to really make it an enjoyable rider. Then he finally found a Thruxton, also shipped over from the UK, and found it had run -ability issues , not restarting when out on a ride. 

When two more Thruxton's came up,  advertised in the UK's Velocette Owners Club magazine 'Fishtail, he immediately jumped at the opportunity  - and acquired them as well, and having them shipped directly into Seattle, for me to collect and check over, before they got into his hands this time. 

Photo of Mark's acquisitions, when we collected them from bonded shipper's warehouse in Seattle a year ago - a pair of Thruxtons from the UK. We will be bringing them to 'showroom fresh' finish,  bringing them back to as close to correct and original as we can. Fortunately, with the bikes came, came a box of the original bits that were removed, when one of them was 'updated'. Both bikes look nice from a distance, but with my quick initial walk around, I noticed both have tape pin stripes on their fuel tanks, and not painted on, and on both bikes -on the right side of the fuel tank - perfectly in line with the clip-on bars - a magnet would not stick to the tank. This is a quick test I do to see if the bike has ever been down, and when repaired, the tank's dent - the impression of the right side clip-on bar , was not properly repaired, where the tank is un-dented, then repainted, and a proper painted pin stripe applied. 

If  previous owners did this type of economy of a tank repair - to a high end Velo model like the Thruxton,  always begs me to do a full strip down and inspection,  as it show me the attention to detail was lacking  -