Wrench'n Ride'n

Three days ago I posted about my Dad passing and that my sister and I bought the exact same Triumph he used to own. We took delivery of this great looking bike this morning. I am totally stoked with it. Looks like someone started a restoration on it. There are new rubber boots on the rear plungers. New chrome on the plungers. Repo seat and springs. The engine does turn over. Just needs me to dance skyclad around a burning Honda to get the electrics right. One must always appease the spirit of Lucas and his possessed electrics that came fitted to all Brit bikes.

My Dad passed away this week. For over 12 months he had been fighting cancer. He went in his sleep on Wednesday morning. He was not a mad keen rider like me. Yet it was him who said I should get a bike when I first needed transport. He had previously sent me a photo of his bike. I had known for years that he had owned a little Trumpy. I had always thought it was a Tiger Cub. 2 weeks ago he told me it had a 150cc engine. So its a Terrier not a Cub. He took this photo of his bike in January 1955. Today on ebay my sister found a Terrier for sale.    So in memory of our Dad we have bought this bike. I shall get it going and my sister can own it and ride it.

Handlebarchangeitis has struck yet again. This time it is Biltwell Frisco bars.

One very nice chopped Trumpy.

Years ago Snoopy was fitted to the front of my sidecar. He has lain around doing nothing for awhile till today. Oh yeah put the leather saddle bags back on. They fit more stuff than the plastic panniers. 

Guernsey’s Auction House is listing it up, among many other items from Waylon Jennings's estate. It's limited edition 1958 Ariel Cyclone motorcycle that originally belonged to Jennings’ best friend and mentor Buddy Holly, and that was given to Jennings in 1979 after Holly’s death. The Ariel is beautifully preserved with just over 4,000 original miles, and has not been ridden in over twenty years, serving as a symbol of a pivotal time in American music history.

Finally got round to fitting the Biltwell Mushman pegs I have. They are for modern Triumphs. Yet I still had to grind down the mounting clevis a bit to get them to fit. No drama with a angle grinder and file. As with any Biltwell product that has Allen bolts you need an Imperial Allen Key to tighten up the bolts. Short ride and they feel sturdy. They don't bite into my instep like normal pegs do. There is no pie. 

The older I get the more I see that I am very much like my dear Dad. He was always fiddling with the cars to keep them in top running order. He would pull appliances to bits to try to fix them than buy a new one. Anything that he thought he could fix or improve he would be pulling it to bits. I too am a fiddler. There is no way I can stop this desire to change things. I can't leave my bike alone. Now I have fitted a set of hard bags. These came off my 1200 Bandit. Mono key 21ltr Kappa cases. As much as I love the look of the old leather bags I had fitted they are not secure. I park my bike at a train station week days. In a very large multi-story car park. So far nothing has walked from the leather panniers.The only thing stopping someone opening them is the buckles.