Greetings. Crackleport here writing from an isolated 'Old Sidevalve Bar'. It all happened so quick, COVID-19 threatening the very world as we know it. Then Boris announces 'Tomorrow it's a Lock Down in UK'. Almost like being shipwrecked. What you have is what you have, can't go shopping now for project parts for the forseable future.
Let's see how far I can get on the treasure already stored.

Belgium Honda Handlebar Levers. - Original spec lever brackets are at least £35 each....eeekk. The new levers on sale in my opinion don't look like the originals anyway so plan is to make something acceptable and save a few £s
I purchased a universal set of levers on ebay for about £15 a set. Don't need the dog leg cafe racer style levers just the backets. The front brake bracket has a hole for a brake light switch, haven't decided if I'll use it or not at the moment. Other difference is the mirror mount thread is 10mm insdead if 8mm. Do I need mirrors?  Not decided that one either.  Vintage Honda style levers I bought direct from China. Beat the china man up on price and paid £4 for a pair including post. Bargain.
Ok let's vinafake, it's not like I haven't time on my hands at the moment.

 Original lever - Look how deliciously slim it is. Ok, I'll admit I've never seen anything with a ball as big as this one on the end so that will have to be lost in the passage of time on my repro
.

Attacked the square edges of the Chinese lever with a rasp until it looked like it was made 50 years ago. Smoothed with a strip of emery and gave it a jolly good buffing on the polishing mop. Rather a shame I'm in lock down as my chum Basil K Splutterpipe (who's one of the UKs leading polishing experts) and is also locked down over the valley from here would have been over in a flash to add the bling! Ah well, If we both come out of this Virus scare at some point in the future he's welcome to visit and add more shine.

New and old. Only major difference is 'ball size' now.   Ball size indeed!!!!!
I still have beer so......Beer time...Cheers everybody!

Wheels for Belgium Honda part 2

Albert here. Sending a missive from the Wheel building department at The Old Sidevalve Bar deep in Yorkshireshireshire.. Spokes were duly ordered and arrived within a few days of making a call to Hagon Shocks & Wheels. Had to let them know the diameter of the spoke hole in the rim, but the rest of the info relating to CB72 Honda wheels they already had. Daren't confess to having purchased the rims from Lim Tian Chuan at 'Vintage Avenue' in Bangkok. Doubt they would have sold me their top quality stainless spoke sets with nickel plated brass nipples would that information have been divulged. Alloy rims from Hagon, (admittedly Italian Borrani or similar) double money..

 

For the observant ones among you who do not recognise the interior of 'The Old Sidevalve Bar'
Correct !!!! I was given special permission by 'Posh' to bring the wonderfully clean parts indoors last Sunday afternoon.. As storm Dennis blew hurricane strength winds and lashed rain none stop against the kitchen window little did I know as I trued the rim, that 15 miles away in the village of Mytholmroyd things were very wet indeed........water half way up the houses and sheds afloat....

Rear wheel done, just to do a final tightening check then trim the spoke ends.
Front next... will keep you all posted.

Me thinks it's time for a beer, Hey Posh, get ya boots on and pop up the shop for a few cans..

Wheels for Belgium Honda part1

Greetings to all Oilyracer fans. Would you believe the first post of this blog was written in September 2008. Blimey, over 11 years ago. Hope life has been treating all you good readers well. That's a long time in this digital world  and the times are still a changing. It's a wonder all that 4G radiation hasn't burned our brains out by now. There's so much of it squirting from Smart phone these days. Kids at bus stops firing it off in any direction. All over the place...big dollops of gamma ray..... blooming dangerous...'How dare you'  Indeed, gonna have to get Greta Thunberg on the case. In the meantime I'm hoping I've fully protected my bonce by wearing an 'Ecky Thump cap', I'd advise all you readers to do likewise until the little Swede convinces the world this is a crisis as big as plastic waste.

By Eck....That be a proper Yorkshireshire safety cap!

Anyway, big news is I sent for some alloy rims for the Belgium Honda. A brand new set too !!! Proper posh...Yes, the very best. A missive all the way to Bangkok. Got in touch with a chap called Lim Tian Chuan.  Sells them on ebay. His shop is called Vintage Avenue. Lim replied to my email and confirmed the sizes were correct. Ok, I'll have a pair then. What could possibly go wrong. Nothing! Only hiccup, they got caught in customs and I had to pay the import duty. Not a big amount. £25 inc administration. 

Phuff - administration. Bullsh*t.....

Spokes to order now.
In the meantime let's get these rims unwrapped and give 'um a good lookin' at over a flagon of homebrew.

Below -  Hope my Belgium Honda gets the same attention to positioning of it's fuel cock.

The list of 2019..continued

Powering through the list.....got steam up now, there's no stopping the Oilyracer Team.
Chief Captain Koen was tasked to finally finish the keyway modifications on the 'braking cross shaft' to accept the revised pedal positioning. Well he does now own a mill and a couple of chinese cutting tools...which as luck would have it were the correct size.....amazing!

 Me? Started putting split pins through the Castle nuts....Blimey, theres hell of a lot of Castle nuts on a Chenard & Walcker....

Needed to be done though, race safety is everything.....we'll be thankful for this preparation some day
Is it nearly Beer o'clock?  Oh yes......turn the shop lights off old chap, we've done for another day.

The lack of beans on toast has had little effect on the brain efficency of Albertos CracklepoRtcullis. Indeed I seem to be as good as new....

So, what really did happen in those mystical days of Vintafaking in April 2019 at Oilyracer H.Q. Aaahh well, what happened in the Arcade stays in the Arcade...Top secret......

But I can tell you that as Oilyracer Chief Captain Koen was on the quarter deck riveting like his life depended on it I was down below in the hold...Stoking the boiler...Nay, more like fabricating a raucous exhaust system from an extremely valuable redundant XJ6 system. Cutting, twisting, bending, you name it I did it. All of it whilst lying on my back with no safety net.

No money spent, 'thankfully' because there was none in the budget to send the waste gasses from exhaust manifold to tail pipe.

Not bad eh? That pipework was wasted on a Jaguar...

Better wrap it with a bit of wood stove flue bandage and blackening for maximum effect , real proper vintage now.
 

What's next on the list for tomorrow old chap?

Warning

Remember boys and girls exhaust wrap gets everywhere. 

Very very dangerous......only for the experienced