A Virtual Anniversary Celebration.

 Covid19 lockdown easing...but big parties still not allowed unless you were a part of the recent world summit in Cornwall, then hey party party...get down to the beach bar-b-que. Rock'n'Surf with Boris...Anyway it has been noticed that today (which is 27/06/21) is exactly 12 years since The Mighty Picklington Precision conquered Park Rash. The date not only etched forever in a tiny corner of all Oilyracers frontal lobes but should we forget then it's also etched on our 'Oilyracer' tankards. A memory jogger for whence we pass to our final years and memories fade...Now what was I writing? Oh yes I remember..

So, a virtual raising of 'Jugglingtons'  No disclosure from either team player regarding beer choice till 8.00p.m sharp.  

Synchronising watches and clocks......Ready?  Yes my lord the church bells hath rung 8 times....The hours ist on us !

In the blue corner we have Basil K. Splutterpipe. Drinking Hobgoblin Ruby Ale... Big frothy head in a highly polished Pewter tankard

Opposing in the red corner yours truly. Tonight I'm 100% supporting 'The Shire'. Starting with a Black Sheep Amber Ale then quoffing a few of 'The Old Sidevalve Bar's specials. All in a somewhat stained and dented tankard. 

Beers poured? Then it's Jugglingtons skywards and I give you cheers to The Picklington Precision. May one day in the future the vibrating beast will again smell of hot brasso and spit nuggets of red hot carbon and the occasional cobweb through it's rear pointing trumpet. Bap Bap Baaaa!

All the above was virtually performed on trust and time punctuality. No Zoom. Proper Old Skool

The Restoration of The Picklington Precision Part 1 By Basil K. Splutterpipe.

 

As fans of this Oilyracer blog page, you will have read - many moons ago - of yours truly, and the Almost Legendary Albert Crackleport’s trip to Belgium, to take part in a bike building competition.

Back in the dark days of 2009, yes, that long ago, before the words “ pandemic “ and Covid were even thought of, we took a sailing ship across to Belgium, to a place routed in legend and also in Balen (somewhere in the middle of Belgium) Here we were plied with much Belgian ale and in a secret place known as “ the arcade”, we undertook the building of a motorcycle - ok pretty basic - within 3 days.

Albert supplied the forks, wheels, engine and gearbox - our Belgian hosts, the steel tubing and welding equipment, sandwiches and pop.

The result was the famed Picklington Precision and again readers of this blog will - after a triumphant return to U.K. shores - mayhap also remember tales of daring do up the slope of Park Rash, in the Yorkshire Dales, back in 2010 - when Albert allowed myself and a couple of fellow gentleman racers, the privilege of riding said machine up said slope. What a day that was - recorded on film, and I believe still available somewhere on the dark web.

That day took a vicious toll on our beloved machine - oil was lost and the gearbox casing broke under the huge stresses and strains of flat out racing - don’t let the formula 1 guys tell you that they know all about g-forces, PAH !!!, they know nothing - it was uphill after all.

The Picklington was brought back to its home - now in Yorkshire - where it’s damage was assessed and remedies commenced, but unfortunately as with all things like this, time passed, it’s glory day almost forgotten, the Picklington ended up under a floor in a cellar in darkest Pudsey - history and time moved on.

Eleven years later - it may have been home brew or over a slice of pork pie and a dripping sandwich - in any case the Picklington once again came up in discussions and memories harking back to those long forgotten days were stirred. Could she be resurrected.

Now, Albert has many fine machines deserving of his huge skills both in preservation and oily racing, and sadly the old lad can only handle so many, thus a suggestion was made - would you like the Picklington to restore as a task in your retirement - which is how we came to be standing in a freezing garden in darkest Pudsey in April 2021 (masked and socially distanced - of course) to retrieve this historical artefact. Thanks Albert, I am truly humbled by your generosity. Pictures are attached hereabouts, which provide evidence of the great day, when the Picklington was brought back into the light.

 

 Awoken from it's slumbers the Picklington is hauled up the cellar steps.

 

 

 

 

 

Cobwebs - and spiders - removed it's time for a swift cuppa out 'o flask. Cheers!

 

 

and the motorcycle began a short trip back to a new home, a comfortable dry garage, where a strip down, clean, paint and re-assembly will begin.

Over the next few months I hope to be able to provide a bit of a story and pictures to accompany my musings on the restoration of my part of oily racing history.

 

Bye for now Splut !!

UK Lockdown2

Oilyracers..keep ya motor running..  Maybe one day we will head out on the highway. Looking for adventure....

Not so fast 'Boy Wonder' the Covid19 still rages in the breath of the 'spreaders'. As yet us mere mortals have no protection against this invisible killer only carbolic soap and Listerine mouthwash. Armpits and breath smell wonderful but UK government still advise Locking Down - Unlocking- Locking Down again. The new normal way of life. Name any country it's all the same yo yo. The whole world is in hiding from a dasterdly uncontrollable germ let loose by an as yet unknown master of evil. The Joker? The Riddler? Nah, some sort of chinese Ernst Stavro Blofeld hiding somewhere in Ying Tong Wuhan City. 

Holy catastrophic bat droppings Robin -  

Only MI6 Special Agent 007(and a bit) Boris Bond can save Blighty now...

Can I suggest we move quickly to the Batcave for safety ....and as a special treat I think Alfred has tea and piping hot buttery crumpets ready.

Deep in the Batcave (The Old Sidevalve Bar) work continues on the Belgium Honda. The crank. Now here's a tale if you have the time. Your Uncle Albert isn't one to fall into believing what's written on facebook forums on the old internettywilly. BUT hang on there's always a first time. - The CB72 Owners forum (of which Belgium Honda is one of) is busting with knowledgeable wafflers and zingy shed trained advisers. Sounds familiar? I don't encourage such strays near 'The Old Sidevalve Bar'  They'll drink ya ale store dry in a flash!!! Only kidding,  the topic of that particular day was discussing the crud caught in the sludge traps of old honda flywheels. Eeek I thought, how very very interesting. Could my own sludge traps be harbouring such nastyness?. Now it's not a case of just undoing a conveniently placed screw to peek inside. No sir! Bungs have to be drilled out.....commitment to really really wanna know is crutial. And the ability to re-bung an educational requirement.

Aluminium bung drilled out and behold...the very much feared blocker of oil ways. I have lots too.

Much pocking and broddling followed with strong wire, squirting of WD40 and high pressure blasting with compressed air. Oilways now appear free. (I think...I hope.....) A crank strip would be the 100% way but.....sometimes a leap of faith is required..

 Never Broddled? You may have....click here to find out. 

Old crud don't half make ya thirsty...POSH!!!  Take the ex 'Elvis' CB72 and see if ya can't fill a bottle or 2 of that local refreshing mountain spring water. Hey, I ain't tea total ! But it's nay but 10 in't morning!

 

It is I!!! Albert Crackleport. Oilyracer blogger, Vintafake Blogger, Locked down and now unlocking slowly. Pocking head out of the door to check no neighbours near..Then run at speed towards the shed. Hoping no nasty germs land on me....The Covid19 has upset the world bias for sure.....nothing is spinning in the same direction. Except of course your scribs in the Oilyracer workshop. Never ever will we change our allegiance to the Vintafake cause. .
Looking through some old vehicle papers I came across correspondance to a certain Horace Tomkinson who lived in Ellesmere Port. South Wirral. UK. Very much doubt the old boy is still with us. He was probably 70 then.!!The year was 1993. Horace was a pensioner then!!!!That would make him over 100 years old !!!!Thank goodness I wrote and procured the treasure.
All transactions by letter, ink on paper, posted in an envelope with a 1st class stamp....(must have taken weeks)
I bought 2 x J.A.P. engines for £50....
Here's the transcript...

One of the engines I built into the almost legendary 'FB J.A.P. Stubble Tracker' The other which I considered the better one of the 2 still awaits awakening....sleeping in a cardboard box in the cellar.
Ain't life brilliant?

Hey, stay safe, out of virus harm and we will meet on the road somewhere, sometime, somehow.

Beer'o'clock. Time Mrs Crackleport fired up the beast and went in search of a flagon or 2.

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!