Ah, the sun....
I have vague recollections of how it felt to have you in my life; I remember the warmth of your embrace, your kisses on my cheek first thing in the morning. I am making it official, Winter: it's over. I am officially filing for divorce and going back to my true love!
After a long dreary winter I am ready to return to two wheeled glory and share some other (indoor) hobbies that I have picked up to stave off insanity. I have decided it best to document these things in separate blogs which I will share in the near future.
Plans for April involve (finally) putting the 175 back together into a roller, and hopefully finished by the end of the season. I also plan on getting Katie some progressive fork springs installed, oil changed and fresh sprocket and chain.
Looking outside today it all seems possible, let's just hope the bad weather doesn't come crashing in again to spoil the party!
Stay Tuned.....
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Sunday, September 29, 2013
The Tale of Katie B......
Back from Hiatus!
With fall approaching, I needed a little break organize my inventory (more on that next time) and think about this post, one I had been meaning to write but kept putting off. The reason for my hesitation was that this is a personal story, the most personal one I will ever share here.
I probably wrote it in my mind a hundred different ways, but kept hesitating to log in and type it out; I woke up today remembering that the only way to write, is to do just that. Write, talk, record, whichever.
This is the story of my Triumph Scrambler, how she became mine and the reason she will never be sold.
At the start of 2007, I had been away from bikes for six years. Away, but they were never far from my mind; I was still reeling from the regrettable decision to sell my '69 Triumph Daytona in order to finish the work on my 1971 MGB. The bike looked amazing but ran poorly (my fault, issues that I could have corrected if this were the here and now) I saw it go from box of parts to running machine. It was a dream realized and one that I should never have surrendered. The MGB was fun and it was to me a different dream, so perhaps I thought I was trading up at the time.
A scant two months after crating the Triumph up and sending it overseas (Norway) The MGB was hit by a truck and taken off the road. I was crestfallen. No Bike, no car and no money to replace either one with. The next few years were eaten up mostly by a stormy relationship which ended rather poorly, once again leaving my pockets empty. After packing up my worldly possessions into my Rabbit convertible, I set off on the road to recovery.
2006 was tumultuous, though not as bad as what was to come. My mother had a brain aneurysm which left her permanently disabled and confined to a nursing home; My father and my sister were sharing the family home and I moved closer to spend more time with them. Our family was relatively small, most of our relatives were in Britain and those that were here we had little contact with anymore.
My sister and I were very close, best friends really. We spent much time together, she couldn't drive so I took her across the border, to Toronto for concerts and to shop. We shared the same taste in music for the most part and had a very similar sense of humour. We also shared a longing to be in England, though for her that longing ran much deeper.
After Christmas that year, I decided it was time to get back on two wheels. Life was short and I felt time slipping through my hands. I had let my licence lapse and had to start from scratch again (thanks to the ridiculous graduated system we have in Ontario) This time I would take the course and start with a new bike, something cheap to insure with low payments.
After the nonsense of trying to get my hands on a then new CBR 125, I ended up with a new 250 Rebel that had been sitting in a warehouse unwanted for a couple years. Back on the road again, things were looking up and feeling right. The summer was moving along well and despite the small capacity, the little Honda proved to be a great bike to ride around on.
In late August, I went over to the family home to get my sister up for work. I called up to her room and there was no reply; typical, as she was never an early riser like me. I made us some coffee and went to knock on her door. She was lying on the floor, still, not breathing. She was gone. I called 911, but I knew she was gone. She was 29 years old.
I don't feel the need to elaborate on her personal history, or the details of what happened. I will tell you what was important. She was a beautiful girl with a big heart who was well loved by a great number of people. Though she claimed that she wanted to be left alone much of the time, she would go out of her way to deliver unsuspecting and thoughtful gifts to others. My father and I were devastated by the loss and I spent as much time at the house as I could over the next few years. We both did our best to move forward with things and in time things became better. I was recruited to work in a different industry and I jumped at the chance for change. My father kept working full time and I rode as much as possible.
Towards the end of 2008 I was walking by the window of the Triumph/Honda dealer where I bought my Rebel. I scarcely went in as I knew I couldn't afford what was on the showroom floor. I stuck to quick peeks inside and carrying on my path. On this particular day, there was a beautiful green and silver Scrambler that I had never seen inside before. It was taken by this beautiful machine, it stood out from the pack with lovely upswept side pipes and blacked out engine. It was a perfect combination of power and grace with a truly timeless style. That day I stood just that little bit longer and walked on.
Somewhere around Valentine's day of 2009, I was at the post office across the road from the dealer and found myself drawn inside.
By some miracle, she was still sitting there, looking as beautiful as Kate Beckinsale. (Google image that name and you will understand.)
This time, the price had dropped some since my last visit. Still outside of my range, I mentioned it casually to my father in conversation. Spring lazily rolled around and I got back on the road. Somewhere along the way I managed to lose the bar end weight from the Honda's bars.
This of course required a visit to the dealership. To my astonishment, that gorgeous machine was still sitting there, with even more money taken off.
The salesman who sold me my rebel saw me looking at her (again). 'She's been waiting for you.' He said casually.
I left with my bar end weight, thinking that it would probably be the last time I ever saw her.
Over dinner at the pub with my father, I mentioned the Triumph and how someone was going to get a tremendous deal. To my astonishment he offered to buy it on the condition that I paid him back of course. I was floored. Feeling guilty about such a large outlay of cash, I told him I would think about it.
I drove to the States the next day to pick up some stuff I bought on Ebay, My best friend tagged along and over the course of the day I decided to sell the Rebel, sacrifice any extra spending for the next year and get 'Katie' Home.
It was one of the best days of my life. Pulling out of the dealership on a brand new Triumph. It was raining, but that didn't dampen my spirits. It was the first of many glorious days I have spent aboard this wonderful machine, that has become part of the family. One of the first things I did on the bike was add a K&N air filter, I noticed a small sticker on the inside indicating December 9th, 2007. I thought it odd, as that would have been my sister's 30th birthday. After further research and contacting Triumph themselves it turned out that Katie was indeed completed on that date.
I felt a warmth come over me in that moment and knew, somehow that this was a gift from my late sister, a sign that she was happy wherever she went, that her spirit had gone on to peace. It is the greatest gift I have ever received and I treat each day of living and each ride with that gratitude.
Ailsa, thank you. You are forever loved and never, ever forgotten.
My sister and I were very close, best friends really. We spent much time together, she couldn't drive so I took her across the border, to Toronto for concerts and to shop. We shared the same taste in music for the most part and had a very similar sense of humour. We also shared a longing to be in England, though for her that longing ran much deeper.
After Christmas that year, I decided it was time to get back on two wheels. Life was short and I felt time slipping through my hands. I had let my licence lapse and had to start from scratch again (thanks to the ridiculous graduated system we have in Ontario) This time I would take the course and start with a new bike, something cheap to insure with low payments.
After the nonsense of trying to get my hands on a then new CBR 125, I ended up with a new 250 Rebel that had been sitting in a warehouse unwanted for a couple years. Back on the road again, things were looking up and feeling right. The summer was moving along well and despite the small capacity, the little Honda proved to be a great bike to ride around on.
In late August, I went over to the family home to get my sister up for work. I called up to her room and there was no reply; typical, as she was never an early riser like me. I made us some coffee and went to knock on her door. She was lying on the floor, still, not breathing. She was gone. I called 911, but I knew she was gone. She was 29 years old.
I don't feel the need to elaborate on her personal history, or the details of what happened. I will tell you what was important. She was a beautiful girl with a big heart who was well loved by a great number of people. Though she claimed that she wanted to be left alone much of the time, she would go out of her way to deliver unsuspecting and thoughtful gifts to others. My father and I were devastated by the loss and I spent as much time at the house as I could over the next few years. We both did our best to move forward with things and in time things became better. I was recruited to work in a different industry and I jumped at the chance for change. My father kept working full time and I rode as much as possible.
Towards the end of 2008 I was walking by the window of the Triumph/Honda dealer where I bought my Rebel. I scarcely went in as I knew I couldn't afford what was on the showroom floor. I stuck to quick peeks inside and carrying on my path. On this particular day, there was a beautiful green and silver Scrambler that I had never seen inside before. It was taken by this beautiful machine, it stood out from the pack with lovely upswept side pipes and blacked out engine. It was a perfect combination of power and grace with a truly timeless style. That day I stood just that little bit longer and walked on.
Somewhere around Valentine's day of 2009, I was at the post office across the road from the dealer and found myself drawn inside.
By some miracle, she was still sitting there, looking as beautiful as Kate Beckinsale. (Google image that name and you will understand.)
This time, the price had dropped some since my last visit. Still outside of my range, I mentioned it casually to my father in conversation. Spring lazily rolled around and I got back on the road. Somewhere along the way I managed to lose the bar end weight from the Honda's bars.
This of course required a visit to the dealership. To my astonishment, that gorgeous machine was still sitting there, with even more money taken off.
The salesman who sold me my rebel saw me looking at her (again). 'She's been waiting for you.' He said casually.
I left with my bar end weight, thinking that it would probably be the last time I ever saw her.
Over dinner at the pub with my father, I mentioned the Triumph and how someone was going to get a tremendous deal. To my astonishment he offered to buy it on the condition that I paid him back of course. I was floored. Feeling guilty about such a large outlay of cash, I told him I would think about it.
I drove to the States the next day to pick up some stuff I bought on Ebay, My best friend tagged along and over the course of the day I decided to sell the Rebel, sacrifice any extra spending for the next year and get 'Katie' Home.
 |
| My second to last day on the Honda. Pulled up at 6:00am on my way to work to check on Katie. |
It was one of the best days of my life. Pulling out of the dealership on a brand new Triumph. It was raining, but that didn't dampen my spirits. It was the first of many glorious days I have spent aboard this wonderful machine, that has become part of the family. One of the first things I did on the bike was add a K&N air filter, I noticed a small sticker on the inside indicating December 9th, 2007. I thought it odd, as that would have been my sister's 30th birthday. After further research and contacting Triumph themselves it turned out that Katie was indeed completed on that date.
I felt a warmth come over me in that moment and knew, somehow that this was a gift from my late sister, a sign that she was happy wherever she went, that her spirit had gone on to peace. It is the greatest gift I have ever received and I treat each day of living and each ride with that gratitude.
Ailsa, thank you. You are forever loved and never, ever forgotten.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Very cool finds....
A while ago, I purchased a vintage manual for the Bridgestone 90 and 175 on Ebay from a chap in Australia. It's no secret that I love old things. Sorry, I meant 'vintage' things. This includes bikes (obviously) clothes, books, music, etc. This is nothing new, I grew up excited to visit thrift stores and garage sales looking for undiscovered treasure.
As it turned out, this was an old Clymer manual from the late 60's in very nice shape. I didn't pay much, once again shipping being more than the item itself! I have every conceivable Bridgestone manual produced on PDF, however I need to have something in my hand when I am working. This is partially due to having a poor short term memory and also hauling a laptop around the garage seems like a recipe for disaster.
As I flipped through, I spied adverts for other manuals and books advertised in the back pages.
$8.95? Considering that contemporary manuals were around $3.95 or less, this was quite a sum for a book in 1969. My curiosity got the best of me so I started hunting for any existing copies. I found a few, mostly for ridiculous sums (in the stratosphere of $60.00 to $100.00!~) which left me unimpressed. I looked around a little more and found that Goodwill in the states has an incredible selection of used books online on Ebay. For a much more reasonable $4.00 (plus $11.00 shipping, naturally) I took the plunge.
Fast forward a week or so and.......
You have to love any book that has a picture of Dean Martin on the back riding a small Honda!
This is actually an excellent read, with thorough articles about how to teach someone how to ride, camping on two wheels and an exciting craze called 'Para-Kiting' . In case you were wondering, this involves riding in the desert while someone wearing a parachute is dragged behind!
Apart from the odd fads, this tome covers racing, scrambling lots and lots of history as well as models of bikes that are scarcely seen today (Parilla Wildcat Scrambler anyone?) It was evident that Floyd Clymer was deeply passionate about motorcycles, I would guess that this book was purely a labour of love. At the very least a love letter to motorcycling.
If you can find one, get it....I am saving the remaining chapters for winter reading.
In other news, I am waiting on my NOS Dual Twin cylinder to arrive in the mail. I hope it gets here soon so I can get this engine back together!
I also managed to find a suitable replacement battery for the Bridgestone(s). This was at www.batterystuff.com after getting very little help from local retailers.
One bike shop wouldn't even check for me unless I brought the old battery in! This, despite having the measurements on hand (what would he have said if I didn't still have an original battery? I should have hung up, called back and found out using a fake accent) Were his measurements somehow more accurate than mine? Did he possess some variety of magic tape measure only available to motorcycle shops?
I digress, however Gandalf won't be getting my business again anytime soon. For a mere $30.00 (plus $20.00 for shipping...less for once!) One can buy a sealed gel battery ready to run. I am expecting this shortly and will let you know how it works.
Stay Tuned!
As it turned out, this was an old Clymer manual from the late 60's in very nice shape. I didn't pay much, once again shipping being more than the item itself! I have every conceivable Bridgestone manual produced on PDF, however I need to have something in my hand when I am working. This is partially due to having a poor short term memory and also hauling a laptop around the garage seems like a recipe for disaster.
As I flipped through, I spied adverts for other manuals and books advertised in the back pages.
$8.95? Considering that contemporary manuals were around $3.95 or less, this was quite a sum for a book in 1969. My curiosity got the best of me so I started hunting for any existing copies. I found a few, mostly for ridiculous sums (in the stratosphere of $60.00 to $100.00!~) which left me unimpressed. I looked around a little more and found that Goodwill in the states has an incredible selection of used books online on Ebay. For a much more reasonable $4.00 (plus $11.00 shipping, naturally) I took the plunge.
Fast forward a week or so and.......
You have to love any book that has a picture of Dean Martin on the back riding a small Honda!
This is actually an excellent read, with thorough articles about how to teach someone how to ride, camping on two wheels and an exciting craze called 'Para-Kiting' . In case you were wondering, this involves riding in the desert while someone wearing a parachute is dragged behind!
Apart from the odd fads, this tome covers racing, scrambling lots and lots of history as well as models of bikes that are scarcely seen today (Parilla Wildcat Scrambler anyone?) It was evident that Floyd Clymer was deeply passionate about motorcycles, I would guess that this book was purely a labour of love. At the very least a love letter to motorcycling.
If you can find one, get it....I am saving the remaining chapters for winter reading.
In other news, I am waiting on my NOS Dual Twin cylinder to arrive in the mail. I hope it gets here soon so I can get this engine back together!
I also managed to find a suitable replacement battery for the Bridgestone(s). This was at www.batterystuff.com after getting very little help from local retailers.
One bike shop wouldn't even check for me unless I brought the old battery in! This, despite having the measurements on hand (what would he have said if I didn't still have an original battery? I should have hung up, called back and found out using a fake accent) Were his measurements somehow more accurate than mine? Did he possess some variety of magic tape measure only available to motorcycle shops?
I digress, however Gandalf won't be getting my business again anytime soon. For a mere $30.00 (plus $20.00 for shipping...less for once!) One can buy a sealed gel battery ready to run. I am expecting this shortly and will let you know how it works.
Stay Tuned!
Monday, August 12, 2013
Rise of the Bridgestone Baron?
I'm not sure how it happened. A scant few months ago, the word 'Bridgestone' was hardly in my vocabulary, save for the tires I just had removed from my Triumph.
Fast forward 2 months and I am deep in the throes of bringing a 175cc Dual Twin back to life with a 90cc sport waiting in the wings. Over the weekend, my father and I left for a 7 hour round trip through scenic cottage country in Ontario to acquire this;
Yes, it is another Bridgestone...The big one, the most desirable one. An early GTR, 350cc the biggest bike the company ever made. When new, these were only $80.00 to a $100.00 less than a brand new Triumph Bonneville! It is estimated that fewer than 8,000 units were ever produced and at that buy in price, that's hardly surprising!
This all started innocently enough, I swear. I may have mentioned before that the most expensive aspect of restoring a bike these days is shipping costs. There have been items I've purchased that were more expensive for me to ship than buy!
I thought perhaps it might be best to reach out to the motorcycle community and see if anyone had any bits and pieces lying around. I got a response from a very nice gentleman who had this 350 collecting dust in his garage. He offered it at a price that I couldn't turn down, even when factoring in the purchase of gas and the cost of renting a van for a day. I had actually never seen one up close and personal before and they just don't seem to exist anywhere, let around these parts.
The seller was really a Honda guy at heart, he had about 7 of them! I wish I had taken a picture of his immaculate and unmolested 1971 CB350. It was a true survivor and a rolling time capsule. It didn't feel right to ask to take the pic, he seemed like a fairly private guy so I wanted to respect that.
In addition to the bike, he also threw in these goodies;
I haven't gone through the box yet, I did notice an NOS crank, spare tail light lens, extra carb and sprocket. The extra tank is in better shape than the one on it, so I will clean, polish and swap.
Here are some better shots after a bath in warm simple green (great product by the way) and a spray down. I have given some of the chrome a light polish with WD40 and steel wool to see what I am up against.
I haven't delved into this bike too deeply yet. I am inclined to believe that this could be a 5000 mile bike based on a few factors from my initial impression. The tires are matching Bridgestones, which could very well be original. It also appears as though everything is original and further to that in fairly good condition.
I won't be getting into this one too deeply yet, she has good compression and kicks over freely. My plan is to actually get it to run and clean up as much of the rust as I can. I really don't want to restore it, I prefer to have an intact original with some great patina. Also, it's unlikely that I will be able to afford to at this point!
Next post I will discover what year this gem was built in, catalog some parts and get back to some 175 business! Stay Tuned.....
Please enjoy the fantastic John Barry theme song from 'The Persuaders' one of my favorite shows of all time.
Fast forward 2 months and I am deep in the throes of bringing a 175cc Dual Twin back to life with a 90cc sport waiting in the wings. Over the weekend, my father and I left for a 7 hour round trip through scenic cottage country in Ontario to acquire this;
Yes, it is another Bridgestone...The big one, the most desirable one. An early GTR, 350cc the biggest bike the company ever made. When new, these were only $80.00 to a $100.00 less than a brand new Triumph Bonneville! It is estimated that fewer than 8,000 units were ever produced and at that buy in price, that's hardly surprising!
This all started innocently enough, I swear. I may have mentioned before that the most expensive aspect of restoring a bike these days is shipping costs. There have been items I've purchased that were more expensive for me to ship than buy!
I thought perhaps it might be best to reach out to the motorcycle community and see if anyone had any bits and pieces lying around. I got a response from a very nice gentleman who had this 350 collecting dust in his garage. He offered it at a price that I couldn't turn down, even when factoring in the purchase of gas and the cost of renting a van for a day. I had actually never seen one up close and personal before and they just don't seem to exist anywhere, let around these parts.
The seller was really a Honda guy at heart, he had about 7 of them! I wish I had taken a picture of his immaculate and unmolested 1971 CB350. It was a true survivor and a rolling time capsule. It didn't feel right to ask to take the pic, he seemed like a fairly private guy so I wanted to respect that.
In addition to the bike, he also threw in these goodies;
I haven't gone through the box yet, I did notice an NOS crank, spare tail light lens, extra carb and sprocket. The extra tank is in better shape than the one on it, so I will clean, polish and swap.
Here are some better shots after a bath in warm simple green (great product by the way) and a spray down. I have given some of the chrome a light polish with WD40 and steel wool to see what I am up against.
 |
| Could this be the actual mileage? |
I haven't delved into this bike too deeply yet. I am inclined to believe that this could be a 5000 mile bike based on a few factors from my initial impression. The tires are matching Bridgestones, which could very well be original. It also appears as though everything is original and further to that in fairly good condition.
I won't be getting into this one too deeply yet, she has good compression and kicks over freely. My plan is to actually get it to run and clean up as much of the rust as I can. I really don't want to restore it, I prefer to have an intact original with some great patina. Also, it's unlikely that I will be able to afford to at this point!
Next post I will discover what year this gem was built in, catalog some parts and get back to some 175 business! Stay Tuned.....
Please enjoy the fantastic John Barry theme song from 'The Persuaders' one of my favorite shows of all time.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Bearing the brunt...
I apologize for the delay in posts! I have managed to accomplish a few things in the last week or so, however not as much as I would have liked. I am very proud to present my first 'mock up' with the newly refinished seat.
This seat kit from Pit Replica was very easy to put on and is decent quality for the price. Once the foam was built up in the weaker sections (as seen in previous posts) it went right on, the material was flexible enough to get over the back and sides without stretching.
Next step is the wheels, I started cleaning these up in order to get this beast rolling.
I have a set of new bearings and new tires, Duros that are unfortunately made in China. Finding 2.75 x 18 is not the easiest thing to get in a street tire, however at $33.00 a piece I shouldn't complain. Why unfortunate? I won't start a whole symposium here on Chinese goods other than to say I don't trust the quality of their goods; I also resent the western reliance on such cheap goods, putting many jobs and the economic future of our young people in jeopardy.
This seat kit from Pit Replica was very easy to put on and is decent quality for the price. Once the foam was built up in the weaker sections (as seen in previous posts) it went right on, the material was flexible enough to get over the back and sides without stretching.
Next step is the wheels, I started cleaning these up in order to get this beast rolling.
 |
| before- front |
 |
| before- side view |
 |
| after- front |
I have a set of new bearings and new tires, Duros that are unfortunately made in China. Finding 2.75 x 18 is not the easiest thing to get in a street tire, however at $33.00 a piece I shouldn't complain. Why unfortunate? I won't start a whole symposium here on Chinese goods other than to say I don't trust the quality of their goods; I also resent the western reliance on such cheap goods, putting many jobs and the economic future of our young people in jeopardy.
This aside, one challenge I will face in this rebuild is the complete and utter unavailability of inner races or tapered bearings for the neck. Inner races are the pieces where the ball bearings sit and mate withe outer races in the neck. For some bizarre reason, outer races are available in abundance. I was taught that when rebuilding a bike always replace bearings and races as they are likely worn. In the case of tapered bearings there is not a single manufacturer that makes one to spec for any application. I suppose these are the vagaries of Bridgestone ownership. There is the joy of having boxes of NOS parts available but oddball pieces that are impossible to replace.
I will have some more photos in the coming days of my progress!
This weekend, my father and I are going on a little adventure......if all goes well I will have something very exciting to show you in the next post, stay tuned!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Pure West!
I am very happy to have my parts back from the powder coating shop!
While debating the colour scheme for a few weeks, I settled on a very lustrous dark blue that the shop just got in stock. I was thinking about the fact that this was a machine from 1966 and wanted to somehow incorporate a theme from that year into the bike. To me, there are few things that scream 1966 more than Batman. Like so many, I grew up watching Adam West as the caped crusader and loved every minute of it.
What better tribute than a paint scheme based on his costume? Should I add a yellow tool box to complete the look? Have to stay tuned on that one.
I am very pleased with how the seat is shaping up;
I shaped and cut the foam and used spray adhesive to hold it together. If you are attempting to do this yourself, get plenty of the little clamps as shown here. The adhesive should dry overnight or for at least 4-6 hours for best results. Make sure the mating surface is nice and clean as well, something I learned the hard way in having to redo the gluing more than once. I ended up stripping the whole surface with a wire brush.
Here is the the first fitting:
Pretty good so far! There are a couple areas that have to be built up with foam, but I am confident that this will be fairly easy. I picked up some very neat pieces to solve my trim dilemma that I think will look neater than original. more to come....
Last update and the one that I am least pleased about.......
The Soda Blasting shop did a fantastic job on these and they look better than new. They also did it for less than quoted and I will certainly use them again. However, it appears that the chrome bore in the right cylinder is damaged and has actually chipped. While it is minor wear, I am securing a back up set of jugs from a friend. I can't complain, as one should always expect some surprises when building a bike. I am going to get the forks done next and clean those wheels up. That way when the engine is ready, I can drop it right in the rolling chassis. Expect more progress soon!
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