1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Wednesday 28 October 2009

Pressy in the post

Postie brought the replacement swingarm for Lucy today.


Not a bad buy really. I'll spray it black with hammerite this weekend and order all the other parts ready to swap it over. Should stand a winter or two. I'll repair the original and get it powder coated at some point, then swap it back and sell this one on.

Oh the joy of owning older bikes.

Monday 26 October 2009

The misery of Lucy

Just as you get things sorted to your liking, fate comes along and kicks you in the knackers! After Lucy's photo shoot I gave her a bit of a scrub. Now I've known about the rust blister on the swingarm for a while, but thought I'd sort it out another day. NOT ANY MORE!!! Bloody thing has put a hole right through the swingarm.


MOT's due in three weeks too! Found a second hand one (for £70!) which hopefully won't be too bad. Plan is to fit the replacement, fix the original, replace the original, re-sell the replacement. I'll keep the blog posted.

The joy of Lucy

After much wishing and a stroke of luck on youtube, I've managed to get my mitts on a rack and backrest for Lucy.

My apologies for the poor quality of the picture, but you can get the gist.

This latest aquisition completes the bike in my opinion. I've already sorted out the front to my liking, so until such a time as I am a wealthy man Lucy will not be fettled anymore.

That said, I do have a cunning plan for a trailer.....


Sunday 25 October 2009

Started the rotor casing

Turned my attention to the rotor side casings today. Started in the usual way with sand papers of various grades to shift the worst, then onto wet'n'dry to get the sanding marks out. Next step is over to the felt polishing mops and soaps and finally good ol' Autosol and elbow grease. Anywho this is what I started with.
Lots of interuptions today, but I did manage to finish off the starter motor drive cover.
Really don't want Abigail any shinier than that otherwise she will end up looking like a model bike. I think the pitting on the main casing is going to be a toughie. I need to clean it up but not remove it altogether. That's the job for this week.

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Weekend away

Been away with Lucy for another great weekend trip, this time to Dent in Cumbria. The meet-up was losely based around the Cossack Owners Club meet with the XT Owners Club and the Thumperclub joining in.

I've been to Dent many times and never tire of the scenery. The only ball breaker is that industrial band across the country that is a nightmare to navigate through without going on motorways. This trip was no exception. The ride up through the Cotswolds and on into the Derbyshire Dales was all I could have wished for but my attempt to pass on into Yorkshire and on into Cumbria was a mess. I planned to head for Stockport to pick up the M60 and cut through, but this proved troublesome. I hit the evening commute and to add to my woes my lack of any sense of direction had me in the centre of Rochdale! A stop to check the map and it was off toward Hebdon Bridge, Haworth, Kiethley then Skipton heading for Kendal. A quick pasty at the last petrol before Dent and I was away over the moors passed the Ribble Viaduct and into the campsite.

As you can see from the picture, the afternoon was fast disappearing by the time I was clear of the towns and it was dark when I finally arrived at the site. It was gone 8pm before camp was made and I was entering the pub. "Where the hell have you been?" was the cry. "We thought you might have crashed!" Charming! I told my tales for the price of a pint and had the pub in fits of laughter.

Next morning my mate and I set off on a hill hike planned to last all day. We covered about 18 miles and every topic of conversation (mainly bikey), building up a quite considerable thirst by the time we returned to base at 6pm. The views are just breath taking and no photo can do them justice, but I've added one as some sort of attempt.

Another cracking night of booze and banter followed in the pub until closing time then continued under the shelter of the campsite marque with braziers glowing and the whiskey doing the rounds. Met some great guys who I will no doubt bump into again at similar events or at the Dragon rally in February.

Sunday morning was damp and lazy. I broke camp after several restoritive cups of tea, a bowl of porridge and a hot shower. My hill walking mate and I decided to travel back together and as I had the map (for all the good it does!) I lead the first leg. I usually take a more direct route for the home run and chose to stick to my regular exit strategy. Over the Dales to Preston, down the M6, briefly onto the M56 then south through Wales on the A49. A cracking road which allows a fast pace without hauling arse down a motorway. Steve took over the lead after lunch as we started down the A49 and set a spirited pace. Not one for hanging around is our Steve. Our route split at Hereford, so we said our goodbyes and I headed for Monmouth. From there, its Chepstow down the B roads, then Usk and Caerleon before heading to the M4 at Newport for the final 20 miles.

Got off Lucy after over 8 hours in the saddle as fresh as I started out. She is truely a great bike for this kind of stuff. She carries the wieght very well never strains even when hauling some serious A road riding speeds. Love her to bits.

Finished clutch casing

Phew! That was tough.
Many hours spent with the polishing mops and soaps and I'm reasonably chuffed with the results. I haven't got every scratch and blemish out but as I've said before, I don't want too. This is supposed to look like a 50 year old bike thats been used as well as cherished by its owner. Anywho, here's my handywork.


You can just make out my reflection. I think I'll paint in the HONDA and spray the oil filter cover (missing) to match the fuel tank and seat hump. I'm not sure what that colour will be yet, but metallic grey keeps popping in my thoughts.
Next the rotor side casing.

Saturday 10 October 2009

Clutch case clean-up

I've been busy in the shed over the past few days and made a start on Abigails' clutch side outer casing. It was pretty badly corroded as you can see from the earlier post, so first step was to attack it with the wet 'n' dry. There is quite a bit of detail and awkward shapes on this casing, so getting into all the corners was a real pain. But I've done the best I can and I reckon it'll polish up OK. Remember, I don't want a 'mint' condition bike, I want one that looks like it was made in the 60's. With that in mind I haven't sanded out every scratch or dint. Those go to make up the history of the bike, like laughter lines on an old womans face. Anywho, this is what I've got now.


I put a lot of effort into the large circular section because I want that to look really good, but the rest I just want clean and bright.


Next, it's time to get busy with this lot! Wish me luck.