Still no sign of a camera

No joy yet at getting a working camera to photograph my projects. Things are moving a pace and I'm sad to admit a record is not being kept. This weekend will see the concrete floor laid in the extension. The drains are in [almost], the remaining site is cleared and the perimiter fencing posts are fixed and I haven't got any piccies!

Heyho.

News update

My apologies for the lack of entries. The reasons are; 1) flat out busy working on the extension. 2) my camera's broken!

So I thought I'd just type a few lines to keep anybody who's interested updated.

Extension.

Foundations done and block-work finished upto Damp Proof Course. I need the building inspector to sign off my efforts before I can proceed any further. Quite chuffed with my creation so far, it's straight and level and solid too. Actually starting to look quite big now. When it was just a hole it looked way too small for what we wanted.

Next jobs [after approval] will be a bit of house keeping. Perimeter fence needs sorting, site needs tidying, drains need laying and the wall of the house need to be prepped ready for the new block-work to link in.

Abigail.

Actually got round to ordering the stainless steel bolts to put the motor back together! Haven't got the gaskets yet, but this is still a major step forward. Just hope I can remember how it all came apart.

Poppy. (the XT)

I'll be working on Poppy today trying to grind out a drill bit from the cylinder head! Since I've owned her she has had a cronic back-fire problem which has been caused by the exhaust not bolting to the head correctly. The reason is two studs had been sheered off by a previous owner. One I've managed to fix, but the other has got a drill bit snapped off in it (not by me I hasten to add!) The best plan I can come up with that doesn't involve stripping down the head is to grind out the offending bit with a Dremell and some diamond coated needle grinders. To give this job the best chance of working I'm going to remove the front wheel, forks and mudguard. Wish me luck! As an aside, while trying to sort out the exhaust system I seem to have bought a set of stainless steel large bore down pipes. Lurvly.

Poppy is also getting a new back rack and set of pannier carriers ready for when I next go camping. Really looking forward to fitting them and finishing off the bike as I want her to be.

When I get a working camera I shall post some piccies. Report again soon.

Been busy

I have been a bit neglectful of this blog but there is a reason. This year is being handed over to building a kitchen extension on my house. There has been lots of 'behind the scenes' stuff to deal with but at last, construction has begun. Well, when I say construction I mean destruction! First job was to remove the original out house.

I cannot begin to describe how badly it was built. Whoever is responsible needs his trowel stuffed up his arse! As an example of the poor construction, the wall plate which supported the roof trusses was attached to the house by 6 x 4" wood screws! Looking for a positive in all this, at least it came down easily.

Next job was to dig the footings. Who is that handsome chap?

And this is what is left of my back garden.

As with all building projects, I had my share of problems, namely a main sewer pipe running right through the site! The building inspector insists it is exposed and bridged. Problem is it was 5' underground! Let me tell you, digging it out made one hell of a hole.

I have to form a shutter either side of the drain and concrete underneath it. Then I need to place lintels over it when building the blockwork up to DPC level.

Well the shutter is in and I've back filled to the level of the bottom of my excavation, next is to pour the rest of the footings before the inspector comes again. Only one other grief to contend with, and that's the mains power cable that supplies electricity to the house. (Oh and a gas main, but I might be able to doge that).

More to follow!

The Queen is dead...Long live the Queen!

After a hairy winter spell trying to ride around on the VX, I've taken the decision to go back to my first true love... Thumpers!

I loved cruising around in the summer and cannot deny it was good to arrive at a campsite with all my fillings in still place, but the fact remains the VX is one serious lump of a bike. 470lbs in wieght and as long as a barge, she is a nightmare to ride in grim conditions and that's most of the time in the UK. I thought I'd be taking the boys out more and a bigger bike would make that easier, but that didn't happen either. The fact is most of my miles are to and from work a trip of some 40 miles a day. Camping trips are limited to 2 or 3 a year and if I want to take my boys...well... we can all go by car.

So, I hear you ask, what have I bought?? Well Ive gone and got myself a XT600E!

Big enough to haul my sorry arse to work every day, but slight enough for a bit of green laning should I take a fancy. I'll need to sort out some kind of luggage rack on the back and something to stop the panniers touching the exhaust, but apart from that she's good to go!

Her first major trip will be the Dragon rally in about 3 weeks time and that's when I'll find out how I cope with the bike/rider interface.

What's going on!

I can't believe I haven't done anything on either bike for over a month! I've loads of good excuses, but still.

Finances heading toward Christmas were always going to be tight, and that tends to slow up progress at the best of times. But at this point in Abigails' development, lack of money has proved a killer. I have not been able to buy the gaskets and stainless steel bolts needed to bolt the engine back together. I'm hoping that my new job which I'll be starting in January and the re-shuffle of family finances will free up cash to continue the project.

Pippa has also kept me out of the shed. It's like having a baby around the house! She is settling down now and the boys are getting better at walking her without fighting so I might be able to sneak out for an hour or two in the new year.

The last stumbling block is a biggy. Planning permission for the kitchen extension has been approved. Good news indeed, but time will tighten up again once I start knocking walls down and building them back up again.

Heyho! But all that is for the new year, for now I admit defeat and shall sit back and enjoy Christmas. 10 days off, at home with my pooch and the family. Brill.

Happy Santa to anyone out there.

A new member of the family

Please put your hands together for.....

.....Pip!

Full name Pippa, she is a four and a half year old ex-race dog that joins the dray from the Dogs Trust. So far so good with her house training, though she is a little fretful at bed time. But she seems to be a very happy, soppy pooch and a welcome member of the family.

More stories to follow, I'm sure.

Weekend's work

I set about the little jobs that came out of Lucy's MOT on the weekend. First one on the list was the front wheel bearings. With the bike on a jack and the front wheel off the ground, it took all of a minute to whip the wheel off. I knew that was going to be the easiest part of the job and I was right. Trying to get a drift behind the bearings to knock them out was a right mare. But eventually one bearing was teased out, and with the centre spacer removed, the other baring was a doddle. As you can see, the old ones were rusted with little grease left. The replacement ones are the double sealed type and should hold out better than the originals. Knowing the wheels have open slots in the castings that allow water out (and in!), it's amazing that Suzuki use open sided bearings. I mean, what did they expect??

Next was the rear disc. No need to remove the rear wheel for this, just withdraw the spindle enough to allow the calliper to slip off, then an allen key can remove the 5 screws and release the disc. Piccie shows the replacement disc ready for bolting down. I picked this up from a scrappy delivered for less than half the cost of a new item. Plenty of metal (and life) left in it, in fact, according to the vernier callipers, it's nearly new. Result.

Once everything was bolted back on it was time for a quick spin around the block to make sure everything was running smoothly. That done, a quick cuppa to celebrate my hard work and good fortune. All in all, a successful day in the shed.