Overlooking Godrevy in Cornwall UK

With a few more updates on the bike I took it out for a ride between Christmas and new years day to Godrevy, a couple of miles away from where I live. I took a camera along to take some decent pictures but the batteries died when I tried to take some. I ended up using my phone, hence the poorish picture quality. The top picture is looking back along the beach back to Hayle with surfers just behind the bike which are overexposed and don't show in the picture.

The lower picture has Godrevy lighthouse in the background

Carburetor refurb.

The carbs in the 1st 3 pictures are as they were when I pulled them off the engine.






One problem I found were these nozzles were blocked. I managed to clear them with one strand of a wire. This allowed me to attach a hose and flush through with carb cleaner.
The ball, weight and bore for the non return part of the nozzle were cleaned and polished.

All parts of one carb laid out, I changed all the screws to stainless cap heads. All parts cleaned and all bores checked for flow.
All seals have been checked and replaced where needed.

The brackets have been cleaned, wire brushed and spray with a rust inhibiting zinc spray.
All parts put back together with no left over parts.
Some hoses and hose clips were replaced due to perishing.

Front upgrade.

I had to buy another pair of forks from ebay as one of my stanchoins had a large rust spot halfway along the sliding stem.

Parts all stripped with the lowers stripped of paint and polished.
Springs checked and found to be correct for free length.
New seals, dust seals and fork oil were purchased and re-assembled as per the Haynes manual.

Forks rebuilt ready to go back on the bike.

Front and rear wheel got my attention next.
Rear wheel bearings were fine but the fronts still had the old one side open type.
A bit of heat applied and a gentle tap released the bearings.
A bit more heat and bearings in the freezer let the new bearings drop into place.

The wheels looked tired with the paint showing the aluminium through it and the aluminium having a bit of surface corrosion.
The aluminium was cleaned with a scotchbite pad and then polished with autosol.
I decided to brush paint the wheels with QD90 machine paint. An enamel paint which self levels and dries quickly.

Wheels nearly finished, just need new tyres, although there's plenty of tread on them, they've not been on the road for over 7 years and have hairline cracks in the side wall.

Petrol tank washer and wiring loom

Another rusty bit needing replacing, out with another bit of scrap stainless plate of the same thickness. Covered with permanent marker and scribe around the outside.

Holes drilled at various points.

Over to the cut off grinder and cut roughly into shape. Finish off on the bech grinder and smooth with the abrasive flap wheel. Bent the 2 tabs up in the vice with a bit of hammer force.

On te original there's a notch to stop it rotating when tightening it onto the tank.
I made a small raised dome with an M12 nut and a ball pein hammer in the vice.


A cut with the grinder through the raised dome gives me the anti-rotating edge.

And finally in place ( but without the tank )


The wiring loom had some modifications which didn't coincide with the original wiring diagram.
Everything was put back to standard except a new blade fuse box was used.
The loom was rewrapped with self amalgamating tape.


I put the loom back on the frame and attached with the same tape, the loom holders had mostly rusted away and were ground off before it was sandblasted on painted.


Picture of the frame after painting on a windy day when the shed was tilting over a bit :-)

Bike lift

Another project to help me with my Vision restoration.
I dismantled the trolley jack and turned some longer bars to put in the longer lifting arms.
The outside is currently made of wood which I expected to be too weak but I needed to develope the distances to make sure it lifts in a parrallel lotion.
It can lift around 100Kgs easily but as suspected the wood is starting to bend.
Pictures show front and back parts and is being designed to carry just one wheel and the centre stand. I will make a small ramp to push the bike onto the lift then put the centre stand down and lift the bike off the ramp.
I still have to make some extra bits like a hinged bar so I can relax the jack, a front wheel holder and some eye bolts on the frame to tie the handle bars down to.
I will get some long metal lengths now to replace the wood so it''ll be strong enough to lift the bike.

I've replaced the wood with lengths of metal and was tested lifting the familly on it a total of over 27 stone/380lb or 171Kg.
I still have the extras to make, but now with a weeks holiday I should get this finish and back to work on the Vision with it lifted off the floor and save wearing my knees out.

More before and after pictures

Fan and housing stripped and repainted and all screws replaced with stainless ones.
Radiator has just been cleaned and lots of fins straightened.


Footrest bracket, with new stainless steel brake stop screw.



Footrest plate painted metalic silver. I was just going to polish these up and leave the aluminium,but I've done this in the past and you have to keep polishing it to keep up a decent finish.
The silver paint looks the same and lasts well on aluminium without the need for constant polishing

Swinging arm before and after painting

Pictures of the rear swinging arm before and after stripping and painting.
I stripped it with paint stripper rather than getting it shot blast, as I could leave all the shaft drive internals in place. The swinging arm is steel and the hub aluminium so all was stripped and cleaned with all sorts of abrasives to get it all back to bare metal. The arm was then sprayed with zinc galanising spray and then finished with a metalic silver colour similar to the original.
I am trying to get the bike to look ok but more importantly to be corrosion resistant.
I use a bike most days all year round for work so with living in Cornwall not far from the sea and our mild/damp winters rust is always a big enemy.

Bike at the start of the stripdown

I took a multiple pictures of the bike as it was and while stripping it down.
All loaded onto my netbook for reference during the rebuild.