Maryland Classic Motorcycle Day May 23, 2004 Butler’s orchard, Germantown, MD.

Triumph Come Home Rallye June 11th, 12th, & 13th, 2004, Spring Grove, PA –

VA British Motorcycle Club Rallye October 3rd 2004 – Leesburg, VA

I put the black and white tank on the bike and put some gas in it … and it actually fired a few times! It would fire and rev for 4 seconds, then die. I pulled the float bowl off the card and was surprised to see the plastic float jet still in there! I’d made a deal on eBay for some Norton owner’s carb parts just to get a viton tipped metal jet .. guess with all the projects I never got it installed, so I dug through the cartons of parts, found it, and put it in the carb. Tinkered for another hour or so and finally …. I had it running. Granted, I need to rev it to keep it running … but I popped the cap on the oil bottle and saw a healthy stream of oil from the return hose, so the oil pump is working. Jiggled the cable and got the tach working. The ammeter shows things are charging …
I went inside and I grabbed my license and helmet, then I headed up the driveway for a test drive!
I know I still have work to do – I need to fix the horn button and make sure it works. The original non-sealed beam headlight seems pretty iffy – I got a 6024 style Halogen headlight ready to go – but I need to get a 3 pin socket to wire it in. And I need to dial in the timing and get the card set better …
But its still daylight … its actually a nice day, 55 degrees, no wind and a bit of sun, and I’ve been working on this bike since I got it in July – I want to ride – at least a little!
So – off I roared to terrorize the neighbors! A quick stop and I tightened down the rear brake rod and off again …. Now, common sense prevails – I just ran around the block a few times – never got past 3rd gear and I can tell the clutch needs adjustment, the tires probably need more air, and I’m sure there are other things. But I’m riding a bike that I put together … what a feeling!
And what a long way from first seeing in Merrimack, NH mid-July http://www.thewebgal.com/blog/archives/000038.html

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Photo courtesy RealClassics website

I ran across a story on the RealClassics UK site about the Beezumph 12 rallye – a gathering of BSA and Triumph Triple bikes from the mid-70s. http://www.realclassic.co.uk/rides03071500.html ln the article they mentioned the fun that was had, how many of the bikes gathered for the event, and how they were luck to host the bike’s designer, Craig Vetter!

Craig Vetter – an American legend – I knew him as the wizard that redesigned the BSA/Triumph 750 Triple into the X75 Hurricane for the American market. And what a gorgeous design! Styling that was years ahead of its time, all I could do was dream about one when they were new in ’72-’73 … After that success he went on and created another legend with the Vetter Windjammer Fairings …

Now, he’s got a website at http://www.craigvetter.com/ I’ve always loved the style of the Hurricane – so when I saw he had a T shirt of the bike … I just had to have one!

I got a white t-shirt – and I’m sorry the image here doesn’t do the shirt justice, but it IS a gorgeous image of the bike! He’ll even autograph it if you ask nicely!

While ordering the shirt, I wound up having some conversations with Connie Vetter, and she is just the sweetest thing – very pleasant to deal with …honest – – go buy a shirt or photos or something from them – RIGHT NOW! (smile) …

As I posted last week, the Virginia British Motorcycle Club had their annual Show and Swap at the Fairgrounds in Leesburg.
As my bike still needs front-end parts, I drove the ’90 Civic Si (its a great parts chaser!) Lots of fine bikes, a really nice sunny warm day (not too hot, perfect!), and a number of great vendors.

I had a great time.

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Leesburg, VA – Sunday October 5 2003 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

See ya there!
http://www.virginiabritishmotorcycleclub.org/rally.htm

The bike project has been in a holding pattern for the last few weeks. I took the front end apart to replace the seals and bushings and found damage to one of the spring holders and a ding in the lower leg. So – I decided my best strategy was to get another frontend and rebuild that one, as needed. I decided if I could find the same year front end, I could pick and choose parts from 4 fork legs to make sure I had the best 2. So – I bid on a couple sets around Labour Day and got what I think is the best bet on a set from British Coumbia – its just taking a while to get here, what with the storm and all. While I was waiting I bought a pair of Dunlop K81 tires for the bike – the old K70s were dry rotted and cracking.
Then I had to stow away all the tools and loose parts for the expected hurricane
that fortunately never arrived as predicted.

Founded in Springfield, Mass., in 1901, Indian was once a rival to American icon Harley-Davidson. It lasted more than 50 years, and first went out of business in 1953. This time, it lasted five.
On Friday, Indian closed the factory in Gilroy where it made heavyweight cruisers and other motorcycles, telling its 380 employees that a deal with a new investor had fallen through.
The closing ends another chapter in the storied history of Indian Motorcycle.
Read more at
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/6818690.htm

According to a story from the BBC, fire has destroyed much of the National Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham, ruining 650 vintage machines and leaving 60% of the building a blackened shell. More than 120 firefighters tackled the fire which could be seen for 15 miles around.
Here’s a late September update on the story http://www.realclassic.co.uk/news03091910.html
Here’s a direct link to the museum’s website
http://www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk/

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The cool thing about having a bike is … Biker babe photos!!!

I’m still haunting eBay for various parts – got a new shifter and tailight mount on the way, as well as a proper headlight with ammeter (wouldn’t be a classic British bike without a bouncing needle on the headlight!) … I’ve got a new seatcover and trim, but I’ll have a professional redo that after everything else is sorted…just as I’ll probably pay a painter to do a proper gas tank for me, later …
I’ve even got the right exhaust pipes & footpegs
But its really getting close now … we even have our vanity plate!

click to enlarge