Wrench'n Ride'n

 For many years now I have had very "clicky" joints in my fingers. Both hands. Many years ago I did my trade as a sheetmetal worker. We used to hand cut stainless steel with tin snips. 18 and 20 gauge sheet. I have known for sometime that this might all catch up with me. Sure enough it has, Around 2 years ago I thought I had broken a thumb. The pain was so bad. X-Rays showed no break. It did show that the joints of my fingers are riddled with Osteoarthritis. This is the most common form of arthritis, occurring when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones gradually wears away. It is a chronic, degenerative joint disease primarily affecting the hands, knees, hips, and spine. The damage is irreversible. I take rosehip powder in table form. This helps greatly with the swelling and pain.  The last 2 days of my ride home from the Royal Enfield Rally in June hurt my hands. I was using a set of replica BSA handlebars. These bars had me grip the handlers with...

 

 

 

 I did not like the light green I had painted the rear guard of Little Dug. So the guard came off. Coat of a darker green on. Also added my Pa's rank and name to the right hand cover above the sticker of him on an army RE 350 in WW2. Stencilled tyre pressure markings on both guards. From my research these are added to the left side only. Made a lifting handle from a a pillion foot peg to help lift bike onto centre stand. All the new paint and the shocks sprayed with a 2pac matt clear coat.

 Who knew that RE have a Signals Goan Classic 350?  Hahahahaha they don't. I do. Little Dug is now a Signals Goan.  After the 1766kms ride at the start of this month my osteoarthritic hands revolted against me. They start to play up and hurt second last day of riding home. The replica BSA M20 bars I had fitted had my hands too low. This meant I had a far bit of pressure on them. So much so that last day riding home it was hard to pull the clutch in. The tall Pro-Taper bars I have went back on. They are like mini-ape bars. No pressure on my hands.  At the Royal Enfield Australia Winter Rally  it was suggested to me that the way I had my number plate mounted may cause me some grief with those that patrol our roads. Because of the mud guard I was using the number plate was flatter on the horizontal and is legal. Thank you Hugh Jnr for pointing this out. The solution to the number plate problem? Make a new mount for the guard I was using. Nah that's too easy.  ...

 A selection of my photos from my trip to Boorowa.  Was a round trip of 1766 kms the way I went. Trying to avoid big fast highways and dirt roads. Dirt does not worry me just slows me down. 110km/h zones on a 350 is no fun. I got both of those. One of the photos below shows Little Dug on a wet dirt road. This was the good part of the 22kms through the Goulburn River National Park. This road is transited by many 4x4 for the works of the solar farm located on this dirt section. The road became very corrugated with many deep pot holes. So much mud. Thankful I did not drop little Dug.  When i left home on Friday and rode to Uralla it was super cold and light rain. Conditions so bad i could hardly see the road ahead. I pulled into Uralla thinking I can't see so how can I ride. My visor was coated in the rain that had turned to ice.  I spent first night in Mudgee. Then next day onto Oberon to meet up with the Sydney crew.  Then onto Boorowa.  The Rally was awesom...

 Heading to the RE Owners rally in Boorowa today.  6 degrees and wet. 

  My sister, Sarah, sent me our Pa's WW2 Army caps. She had them in storage. The first photo shows Pa in Palestine on a Army Royal Enfield 350. Notice the cap he is wearing in that photo. Same cap with my modern Army style Royal Enfield 350 which I have made into a tribute to him. The other hat is his slouch hat. Missing the band that has his unit badge on it. The Rising Sun badge I added to it but its smaller than what was originally on their. The passage of time may have meant that when i removed that badge when i was a kid it has gone missing.

DugDug my 2011 C5 Classic 500 has been ignored since I put it into to storage just before we moved from Narrabri over 2 years ago. It has sat in my garage here in Armidale for nearly 18 months. Pushed to one side. Sad really hey. Well not anymore. The recommissioning and makeover has started. It needs new steering head bearing. Front brake fluid replaced. A makeover/restyling. Firstly though will it start after sitting for this long? Some Start Ya Bastard and some fuel and bingo we have DugDug noises.   If it did not start the makeover would be put on hold. This is what DugDug looked like when I bought it about 4 years ago. The makeover is going to keep the essence of what the previous owner has done. I will just add a bit of my madness to it. Staring at the back and working forwards we have a very old small British mudguard now mounted. Don't mind my welding. It is done with my TIG welder. I had to fight the gal coating on the plate and I forgot to take the black paint off the cur...