On A Snowy Day…

I find myself confined to the warmth of my Barge here on the river, so I started looking through eBay at the classic bikes for sale, and came across this…

 “1948 Velocette mac road racer it is up and running and on the road last year original reg with current v5c oily rag original condition mechanically perfect. It has air over oil Dowty forks that hold air fine and work well with double damping 4 speed gear box twin leading shoe front break rear set foot rests and is very fast and reliable. The engine is very special all alloy top end with hairpin valve springs lightend and polished valve gear ported cylinder head TT carb BTH mag special crank conrod/big end and rev counter would be a great sprint or track bike well sorted it is geared up and also has 500 cc chain pitch and sprockets as it will break 350cc pitch chain alloy wheel rims 20” front wheel and 19” rear fitted and in as new condition Avon speed master tyre on the front Dunlop TT 100 tyre on the rear”.

1949 Velocette racer.

Velocette Mac Racer on eBay

 

1959 Velocette MAC 350cc…

I have had most of the bikes I have wanted to own now, but there are still a few left on the list that I have never owned or ridden. One of this is the magnificent Velocette.

I would like any of the main sprung frame models, a MAC, Viper, Venom, and of course the fantastic Thruxton, but most are sadly out of my price range. During the week I called round to see Mick at his shop in Farnborough, and in the shed was an old project Velo MAC 350, so I asked Mick if I could have a look, and hear it run.

Mick, Jim, and the Velocette MAC

Matching numbers, but not totally original

1959 350 MAC

I must admit to being tempted, although I have an old friend returning to my little lockup next week, so we shall see.

My Norton Clubman Project…

Just a quick update … as of yesterday (Saturday) the Norton was pretty much all bolted together, except for the top end that is. The rear end is all complete, rear wheel, brake, speedo drive all in and working, lower engine, gearbox, primary cases and chains all bolted together and changing gear, foot rests and pedals all on and connected,

I have had two problems of my own making, through choices I have made on how I want the finished bike to look, and go! the first headache has been the choice of BSA B50 piston and Norton model 50 alloy head. even with a 3/16th spacer under the barrel, the piston still hits the head. But the barrel is bored out to 84mm, so I either needed to find a piston with a flatter crown, or get the barrel sleeved down to standard again, and use a normal Norton flat top.

After digging around and talking to a few friends, I managed to get a Vincent piston of the right size, it only has a very shallow dome, so cleared the head, but the skirt hit the flywheel, so it has had to be shortened just a little, but it does now all fit. but that is not the end of the issue, now I need to find or make some new barrel studs, because these are now too short!

Norton oil Tank as found

The other problem is that damn oil tank!
Again this all comes down to the “look” that I am after, but now the whole engine gearbox assembly is bolted in the frame, I find that the main oil outlet at the bottom of the tank is obscured by the gearbox adjuster bracket, so I now have to risk ruining the new paint by getting a new outlet tig welded in. my fault again, because you should always do a dry build first before getting the paint done!

Norton oil tank now..

So now I am waiting on some studs, valves, and my magneto, and it may well be fired up.

It will be five years in the making next month!!

Talmag Norton…

In the carpark at the Talmag trial back in January, there was a nice girder ridgid Norton single for sale …

Norton for Sale

Norton

Girder/Rigid

Girder front brake

P&M Panther’s….

I love big single motorcycles, the way they sound, the way they look, everything, but the king of the pile in my mind at least is the Panther M120. So when a friend in the US asked if I could help locate some tank badges for his one, I thought hey, why not. I never realised at that time just how hard it would be, and if it is hard for me here in the home of the Panther, then it must be hell locating parts on another continent.

But all good things come to those who wait, and having put the word out that I was looking, a call came in from another friend that he had a set of original parts sitting in his workshop, if I wanted to buy them, so I did.

Mikes American Panther M120…

Panther M120

Panther Big Single

And here are the badges as found, as you can see one will need a little restoring, but they are in good solid condition.

Panther Tank Badge

Needs work

P&M Panther M120

Velocette, Norton’s & Plungers…

Today was a good day, today was the first “build” day,  I now have a few parts, and today they started going together

I had the rear plunger rods machined, and so today I took the frame, plunger rods, springs, and covers, over to Mick’s place to get some help fitting them on the frame, Mick has a homemade spring compressor just for doing the plungers, a job that would be tough to do without the use of a spring compession tool.

Norton Plunger Suspension

 

Garden Gate Suspension

 

And when I got back home I fitted the headstock assembly with the new bearings that turned up this week. I also have the parts needed to put the Roadholder forks together, so things are moving in the right direction.

There was a nice Velocette there while I was getting the rear suspension fitted, and a Norton on the bench too.

 

Velocette 500

 

Norton Single

 

 

 

The New Year Starts….

A dry day at Jack’s Cafe, and some new video in the Cutting Room.

Nice Lambretta,

Lambretta

Nice, early, but not quite what it seems…

Scooter

Also there was this sweet Triumph single…

Triumph