Nose repairs done.- finally getting back in the workshop -

Was in town today to see the surgeon that did my nose cancer surgery, for my follow up, and get stitches removed.

Have had to take about two months off, getting a bit of maintenance done on my nose. My sinus surgery done first, recovery from it, followed by my nose cancer surgery. 

All good now, and looking forward to getting back in the workshop.

Recovering from nose cancer surgery

 Had my nose cancer surgery on Friday the 25th.  . I was able to keep my nose, but needed a good size chunk of skin and flesh removed, then remainder pulled together to fill the gap and then all stitched back tightly together, closing the hole. Am on light duty again for a week,

Latest bit of 'Tune & Service' - to keep my 69 year old body going -

 Progress report on my sinus surgery - opening up the airways that had gradually blocked up with growths, causing me not to be able to breathe through my nose - for years.

When I woke up Tuesday morning - one week after the packing from the surgery had been removed, no hiccups and choking seizures of my esophagus - both had stopped -, and haven't needed, or taken meds to control them since, as the drug is ' as needed ' . - Smiles All Around !!!!! -

Have been tidying up the workshop a bit, and trying to finish up several projects that I had to slow up on , while I recovered from that 'after effect' of the surgery. All good now - and am feeling 40 years younger -

1970s Schwinn

My friend , and fellow Velocetteer Will Perry, from up in Seattle, gifted me this awesome 1970s Schwinn, a while back. A couple weeks ago was out and put on more upright bars at my request, & new tires and brake cables, and did a bit of maintenance, like cleaning & repacking the front wheel bearing that was feeling a bit notchy, readying it for more  'on road ' use. Then I had him take this photo of me on the steed. 

  My recovery from my prostate cancer surgery three years ago has been a slow process, and have been using the Schwinn in the driveway doing slow figure eights to help regain my balance, and stamina, and a change from my indoor stationary bike set up, when I have it mounted on a 'trainer'. 

My Isle of Man 'Manx Tweed' cap

 I still have and wear the Manx tweed cap, I got on my 1978 trip to the Isle of Man, though it is getting a bit moth eaten.

Oil Pump Tool used on Dave L 's MSS engine work

 I have been working on Dave L 's  1954 MSS motor bottom half, and thought photos of the oil pump tool  used might be of interest. 

The design is based on the drawing of the factory service tool in the Workshop manual. Geoff Blanthorn made up the tool for my workshop about thirty years ago, and Geoff added threaded holes so that hose connections could be made to be able to do flow testing.  The bolts in the tool are set up that one is used to slightly spread the legs allowing the oil pump to slip in, and the other bolt is tightened to clamp it down onto the body. The tool is used to align the oil pump body when re-assembling. The flow test holes are drilled offset , to align with either an early oil pump like a rigid bike uses, when the pump is inserted from one side, or if you flip the tool over, the longer Venom / Viper/ Thruxton size pumps fit and align with the flow testing holes in the tool. 

Dave L 's 1954 MSS rear mudguard

The rear mudguard on Dave L's 1954 MSS had been powder coated when it arrived with the kit of parts to assemble his bike. The rear mudguard had some sort of staining on it, that looked like something had been spilled on it, and had eaten into the powder coat finish. When I contacted him about it, thinking it must have happened when in the workshop, he said the rear fender and battery platform had been subjected to a bad battery acid attack, and probably had not been properly prepared before being powder coated. I decided a baking soda treatment to attempt to neutralize the lasting residual effects of the battery acid corrosion -

Last year, when my friend Dave Smith was over for a few months looking to help out in the shed, I asked him if he could grind off all the powder coating finish from the outside of the mudguard for me, leaving bright bare metal. 

This Memorial Holiday weekend, I treated Dave L's MSS rear mudguard to a bit of love. I unbolted it off his bike, here I had been test fitting it. Next was to mix up a solution of one part baking soda, to three parts water, and brush the solution all over the mudguard. then I mixed a one to one baking soda and water mix to make a thin past, and panted the whole mudguard - then let it sit for the day. . Next I washed off the mudguard with water, and used compressed air to blow it off and dry it. Next I gave it a good wash down with contact cleaner and and wiped it down to ready it for paint. Lastly I coated the battery platform and rear mudguard with POR 15 black paint / sealant.  This will leave me a nice base for top coating with black enamel. The POR 15 is brushed on heavy, and will have dust and bug spots, as it is a little slow drying, and I want to apply a nice spray paint finish on all the parts, so all the black matches - 

Recovering from covid . & a peek in at Mark's #1 Thruxton project.

 I am recovering from being down sick with covid for the last week,  Decided to use this down time to review &  take a look back on the various projects in the workshop.

This is a look at Mark's blue and silver 1966 Thruxton # VMT 198 -

Some of what I saw on inspection -

When I removed the tank, there was a load of foam pads, and when I took the cover off the toolbox - jammed full with wiring.

Next when I pulled the primary chain case off - found it contained a slurry of oil and water - not a good sign. I pulled the gearbox gear set out, and checked the clearance on the gearbox main shaft. The main shaft itself had .010" taper where it runs in the sleeve gear, and the sleeve gear bush had .008" clearance. - which is too much - Removing the mudguards and stays, found they were attached with a combination of US and Metric fasteners, as are a few of the engine bolts. When I removed the timing cover, I always check to see if Thruxton's have their correct special followers - and this one does ! - but - they were installed reversed with the inlet rocker in where the exhaust rocker lives - With the seat removed , another set of mounting holes could be seen, that the rear mudguard came off another bike, and the extra holes never filled -

Just a few of the items that I noticed and made notes of when I was taking the bike down, of areas that will require a bit of extra attention -

Bob Strode and his track bike he built -

 

Velocetteer Bob Strode has passed away.

 Lost another of my long time friends -

Bob Strode passed away yesterday morning just before 5 AM.

Bob is the one who in 1987 , sold me his Velocette parts and service business. The business was the ex- Lou Branch Velocette Motorcycle Sales shop from California, who was the US importer for Velocette in 1950 , and before that was Jack Frodsham Velocette in the late 1930s.

Bob was a great friend and will be missed. I phoned & talked with him just a few days ago. We talked about the great times we had together. A friendship that started through a common interest in Velocette motorcycles.

Making the impossible to find parts -

 In my workshop I need all the parts, to bring a customers bike back to life, even the parts you can't find anywhere.

The impossible to find stuff I make myself, by getting castings made by a foundry in Tacoma -Creative Castings, - off of an original, then machining them up in my workshop.

My stationary

 When my cousin from Amsterdam Holland, Wim Giebels, was over staying with us for a time,  he did the artwork for my shops stationary. My riding buddy Geoff Blanthorn, who does magic with his computer, just updated the phone number's area code. Our old area code was ( 206),  and our current area code is (253) .

I have always been interested in taking photos --

 Historic Races at Westwood Raceway , British Columbia Canada

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I always wore a face covering - not a cloth mask like today, but my face was covered instead by my trusty 35mm Olympus OM1 film camera… Photography has always been very much an important hobby of mine, & tried to record my life's adventures onto film.

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Here is a photo someone took and gave me, when I had my face covering down - I always tried to enjoy life - in real time, as well as from behind the camera viewfinder.

That is me on the far right - with camera in hand -

Looking forward to Spring

 Photo of the side of my shed - the Velocette workshop,  with the rose bush in bloom -

Looking forward to Spring and warmer weather. 

My life in the shed -

 My life in the shed -

Photo from January 2020 of Pierre's Dick Mann TriBsa 500 flanked by two of Mark's Velocette Thruxton 500s at my workshop door here in Lakebay Washington USA. All in for service work. Mark's 1969 with fairing has a bent frame and blown head gasket, and his 1967 is having it's electric start removed and restored back to original. Lots of bikes in the shed waiting in line for me to get to them. Looks like my retirement will not be happening any time soon !