Upgrade mode.

The Apline White GS is resplendent in the winter sun, and gets a couple of neat upgrades all the way from the North Pole: thanks Santa!

First is an extension for the rear brake pedal: better purchase, safer braking:

Then this clever bracket, which should address a problem common to all Paralever models, i.e. the left pillion footrest is bolted directly to the exhaust silencer and supported only by the luggage subframe. It transmits an awful lot of vibration through the exhaust, making for an unpleasant ride for the passenger. With this mod, the footrest should have much more support and be bolted to the frame rather than the exhaust. However, it may require some modification to the bracket itself as we're also rocking non-standard footrests... we'll see.

A whole loada nothin'...

Well, hello everybody!

Look, I know. What the hell happened to the blog?! The simple truth is that I have not been to the garage in a very long time. 

Things have piled up there, figuratively and literally. There is so much to do, on all the bikes, but I don't know when I'll get around to it all. This situation is also felt by the others at the moment, with virtually all bikes laid up for the winter and in need of maintenance at the very least.

Take the Sportster for example. Badass though it is, it is waaay past time I serviced it. The brakes are shot, the suspension has become so vague it's not even funny. The transmission is screaming bloody murder and the whole thing could use a wash and a polish. I actually have all the spares, tools and chemicals I need to get to work, all I'm missing is some time to do it.

After that, here's what should be coming up:

1) the Rising Star gets its exhausts back, as they were before. We had them looked at by a specialist to see if they could be silenced but he said there's just no room for baffles or insulation. I've also rebuilt a 30mm Amal and will be fitting that. Finally, a fairly major repair is needed to the rear of the fuel tank/frame attachment.

2) I have to take the cylinder head off the Norton again and find out what went wrong. I suspect a dodgy valve guide but there's only one way to find out. Whatever happened, I'm inclined to send the whole thing off to SRM and have them rebuild it this time around. Partly to secure a properly executed job, partly to save some precious time.

3) I've been gathering a few parts for my Honda, I would like to change a few things and make it into more of a scrambler, but that's probably for next winter, we'll see.

4) Dad is working on the Yamaha Tricker and has made some progress there: the frame has been sanded and touched up in those spots that were starting to rust. The bodywork, mudguards, airbox and carburetter are off the bike, inspected and cleaned. There was something amiss with the carburetter: some new spares and it's good to go.

5) the Interstate needs a new rear sprocket/brake drum and a chain, I need to get a few spares.

And to top it all off, the others have plenty to do on their bikes so we really need to win the lottery so we can spend a few 12-hour days in the garage and get things done. And what about next year's trip? Where will we go? Will I be able to go?

So much to do...