More AMAL wonderfulness.

Highly recommended reading right here folks.
This will answer pretty much any questions you might have regarding the Mk1 Concentric (A.K.A. the best carburetter in the world) as well as provide information that's otherwise impossible to come by - reliably - to do with jet stampings, changes by year, etc.
Detailed and very clear photos, step by step instructions, everything you need.
GO! read it now!

Cold over there...

Man, this winter is really kicking my ass...

I'll bounce back, just you wait.

More A50 literature.

There's something about period brochures that just makes me happy.

quarter incher

Get yourselves one of these 1/4 inch Whitworth spanners and keep it in your "don't-leave-home-without" tool kit. For one, you need it to undo the banjo bolt on the Amal carburetter.

Rear wheel: quick update.

The gorgeous conical hub and its brake plate have gone off to the machine shop to be sandblasted clean.

Should look pretty good when done.
I took the rim, spokes and nipples to the workshop. The rim cleaned up real nice with a brillo pad and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the chrome plating is in much better shape than I had thought at first. There are only a couple of spots where iron oxide has bitten hard but not enough to warrant having the whole thing re-chromed. There's something else to be said regarding re-chroming rims: very often, if you see a lot of oxidation on the rim, chances are it will have built up inside the rolled edges (where the tire sits) and there is no way to really get in there and get rid of the rust. So you could have a perfectly shiny rim and a bunch of rust on the inside.... would you like that on your bike? Thought not.
The rear wheel will be built up pretty soon. Things have started to happen, it's exciting at this stage because although it's small things that go slowly, you know they'll lead to progress (and it's exciting because we still haven't run into any problems so we're not jaded yet - but give that time). From now on, parts will fit together to make a machine that moves. How cool is that, really?