Dave Landis MSS

 Dave Landis sent over his 1954 MSS project a few years ago, for me to re assemble. He had the powder coating already done, and his project should have been a fairly easy and quick one, but - it didn't quite work out that way. 

Dave had been looking for a Velocette and I suggested a 1954 MSS, as I had talked to the different dealers in the UK , Dodkin's, Seymour's etc, and they all said the same thing - the 1954 MSS was the best all around Velo, and as it was the first year production, all the tooling was still fresh, and the parts fitted better. 

Dave found this bike , sent me photos, and looked great to me - but we found it needed a bit more then planned. 

A couple of images of 1954 MSS  - 

a catalog 'artist deception' and a Lou Branch publicity photo

I have done quite a few Velos, but Dave's MSS will be the first 1954 MSS I have done, and I am bringing it to as 'correct as it left the works' as I can.  

First off was to check out the frame. I like to do them first, as it gives you someplace to start hanging the parts.  On Dave's MSS there were several items to tidy up. The powder coating at the steering head bearings had gotten blistered from heat when changing them, and required sanding out and touching up with a bit of paint. The steering stop stud location had been built up with weld, and needed grinding off and smoothing. 

Andrew Collins MAC and KSS

 Andrew Collins drove up from California and dropped off a couple of his bikes in need of a bit of service work a couple years ago. I have been slowly sorting out what they need, and working them through, to bring them back so they can be once again 'used as intended'. 

He brought up a new BTH electronic magneto set, and a Bronze Head for me to fit on the MAC and was to be a fast turn around project - but life got in the way, and I found the MAC was in need of a bit more unexpected work to bring it back. 

Previous owner had noted an excessive oiling issue, and installed an amazing piping system to drain the oil from the head's valve spring cups - rather then sort out the basic oiling problem -which is actually pretty simple, and an easy fix. - I am working out to do a little video to show how the rocker box oiling system works - as I am sure it will help others, that might run across similar problems.  

Bill Collings Velocette

Bill Collings, owner of Collings Guitars in Austin Texas, sent me his project Velo a few years back , not long before he passed away, to have me do a full rebuild to Thruxton spec. When completed his bike will be going to his daughter Sara. 

When I asked Bill what style and finish he was after, he said he wanted his bike finished like the one I had done some years earlier for another customer that he had seen photos of, that we built and was owned & ridden by Bill Maxwell for quite a number of years. 

Images of Bill Maxwell's Venom with full Thruxton kit, using 90 percent newly made,  post production parts - is Bill Collings vision of how his bike is to be built. 

The bike I started with - hanging in Bill's workshop at Collings Guitars in Austin Texas 

Take it apart Put it together

 

- Black Coffee -

 'Black Coffee' - is what I have named my Ed Gilkison Velocette Workshop Blog -

and will be using it for my image posting blog. I have thousands of images from postings that were deleted when I left Facebook,  and I will be slowly posting them on Black Coffee.

This will allow me to leave this blog - Ed Gilkison Velocette - to concentrate on workshop projects, and current activities.

 https://edgilkisonvelocetteworkshop.blogspot.com

I am still here, but no longer on Facebook-

I am still here, but have decided it best for me to leave Facebook.  

I have enjoyed Facebook, the many friends on board there, posting every image I could source to post onto the Facebook group Velocette Motorcycles,  as well as Facebook group The Velocette Workshop , By dropping off Facebook, all images I have posted will be automatically removed  - thousands I have posted over the years, together with the stories that accompanied the photos, drawings and images -  

Will be now be concentrating my efforts onto this blog - 

I have left the running of my Facebook group The Velocette Workshop, to my nephew Cade - and hopefully he will continue with it, if he decides to stay on the social media - Facebook  -

testing my new cell phone video capacity

 I recently had to replace my cell phone.  My new phone is an older Samsung 7 -

and took this video with it last Sunday - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riQ8pe8RLVw