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 !