Duke Blackwood

anglia4 and myself are intending to participate but haven't signed up yet as we're still building our bikes. We'll camp if we have too.

Gone machine-in'...

Forks are rebuilt now, but not installed, pending the manufacture of my heavy duty triple trees. Front pads and rear shoes replaced. Brakes bled. Hub dressed. Now it's time to make a start on the tank restoration.... I had to shank it open with dads good flathead screwdriver (no key) and was greeted with a combination of varnished rotten fuel and rust.... she's in pretty bad nick. I watched a YouTube video that said to fill the tank with aquarium gravel, wrap it in a blanket and chuck it in the dryer... that would work brilliantly I'm sure, but the old lady would never allow it, and with my recent track record of comical accidents I would no doubt Chernobyl my shed with a fume based explosion. So I filled it with meths and turps and fuel and 60 odd zinc washers and took it behind the shed and gave it hell.... it seemed to work ok. Next step rust converter soak, followed by possibly lining the tank with a fibreglass additive as a sealant? Thoughts?

These are sooo cool. You should make it your goal to have it rideable for the Urewera undertaking and let strangers like me do jumps on it

Stripped more off it over the last week, forks and brakes are completely disassembled, forks are funny, one side is the spring and one side the shock, like an old Buell. I had to make a special spanner to get the steering nut off. It has pushbike style bearings which I'll be replacing with something more heavy duty and I'll make my own triple trees from 20mm Ali, top and bottom functional, not just the bottom as it is currently. Just waiting on fork seals from CHINA and I'll have it all back together. Might have the front brake disc skimmmed.

Hey man are you still out for parts for one of these? I know of a ‘complete’ bike spread over 100m radius, engine is disassembled and hasn’t been soaking in oil... but the chrome guards look mint and all the tins were primered waiting for top coat and bubble wrapped so they’re like new. There’s a frame and wheels and exhaust. Boxes of oxidised engine cases etc. The engine is fucked. Lady wanted $350 for it here in Taranaki. Let me know if you;re interested. She’ll only sell the lot (late husbands old bike).

I like working on hover bikes because the swinging reminds me of Mad Max 2, beyond thunder dome, and that fight scene with master blaster (how hot was Janet Jackson...).

Anyway, wheel bearings are all so chooched I can't believe they spun, steering head bearings the same, lock washer comically fucked, larger drive sprocket has been beaver chewing the shifter shaft.. fork seals shagged... top triple tree is tinfoil... front tyre split like a piece of old timber. But in positive news, big carb from China fits good, and the new pads and shoes look to be a good fit too.

Got distracted at shed night, was supposed to be working on the pole smoker but wound up making more helmet racks since I was so happy with the first one. Welded up some go kart chains in a plywood jig and then welded them to some ‘Harley-esque’ non-copyright waterjet cut mounting plates. Lay some brass over one to make it a bit different. 

I’ll be working on the pole smoker again tonight and will have an appropriate update. Otherwise I’ll change the thread name to ‘Helmet Storage Chat’.

As it sits, behind anglia4's Austin

To avoid this, I've made up some frame gussets and doubler plates. She has also had a test idle and a stable voltage has been achieved.

Alarmingly the bike is already showing evidence that it intends to reject its new engine; by breaking in half and letting it fall out

I'll be starting my build thread this Thursday... hoping to have the biggest little bike, glides right over gravel.