The waiting game

Could this be the day? Some sunshine is, at long last, forecast. There’s no excuse not to push her out of the  garage for some photos, at least. 

Because the beast is very nearly complete. Since last time, I have found and fitted a nice new timing side cover, reset the contact breaker timing and this time screwed in the correct oil pressure switch. 

I’ve fixed ALL the oil leaks, making this a rare beast indeed — a classic Triumph that you can safely park on your favourite carpet. 

I have refitted the nicely polished exhaust system, with brand new fin clamps and balancer pipe up front. 

I’ve replaced the bushes in the shock absorbers. 

I’ve painted the rear light cluster to the original grey and fitted it with the new indicators. 

I’ve even splashed out on a ready-painted glossy black chain guard.

Now I simply refit the fuel tank and give it a polish and, while I am at it, fit the new fuel lines and clamps too. Bagheera is complete and looking... well judge for yourself...

That’s quite a superb heap of classic British metal gleaming in the weak winter sun. I wonder if it will — you know — start?

[If the video does not work, try this link]

Huzzah, it lives!

The clutch works, all four gears select OK, lights, indicators, brakes, everything works! Well, except the rev counter, as I suspected. I celebrate with a short ride.10 metres back up the drive into the garage.

Because unfortunately that’s as far as I am allowed to go. The DVLA have still not issued a registration. After sitting on my initial application for six weeks, they spotted a couple of ‘errors’ (only one of which was real, and that was insignificant.) So rather than contact me to sort it out, they rejected the entire application. I have submitted it again with additional documents so I can rejoin the back of the eight-week long queue.

Hopefully next time, there will be a good old black-and-silver number plate bolted in the empty space on the mudguard and I can enjoy the next challenge, which is trying to ride the bike, which has the odd 'foible'.

Back in 1923, the Austin 7 was launched. Why am I telling you this? Well, Austin very sensibly decided to take all the confusing engine controls off the steering wheel, and make it just for steering. They then fitted a clutch pedal on the left, and accelerator pedal on the right and the brake pedal in the middle. Everyone thought this was a great idea, and it's been the same on almost every car designed in the last 98 years.

Not so with motorbikes. All sorts of control layouts have been tried, including hand-shift gears, foot clutches (how do you pull away on a side slope without falling over? No idea). It was not until the mid-seventees that the layout was standardised, but even now European bicycles and some scooters have the front brake on the left hand lever, and the rear brake on the right hand, which clearly everyone knows is the wrong way around.

This bike is from 1971, so all bets are off. Actually it is not too bad, the only different between this one and the more modern bikes is that the gear lever is on the right where the back brake pedal should be, and visa versa. Still, having ridden the standard layout for the last 20 years and probably 100,000 miles, I am not sure whether my brain is up to the challenge. We shall see.

Eventually.

What I am used to.

What I have got.

TOTALS TO DATE: Hours: 90. Cost: £5900