It's the Little Things that Trip You Up.

Dear everybody who's been following this build blog,

I'm a miserable bastard for not keeping up to date, but truly nothing's happened for a few months...  Well, nothing's happened with the bike.  For me, I took a new job as a Creative Director/Designer, then quit after 2 months to take a different job as the Arts Director for the city of Indianapolis. (I felt really bad about dicking the ad agency around, but when the mayor asks you to be the executive arts guy, you say yes.)  I also broke it off with the wife, so I'm losing a big chunk of my immediate build budget, which blows.  Additionally, the focus is to get the motor finished before any other work, and my buddy Mark (engine god) has been swamped with work over the summer, so between the two of us, there has been zero time.

SO, that being the case, we're hopefully looking to get rolling again this month, but who the fuck knows.  I love my job, don't get me wrong, but it's seriously cutting into my fucking-around time.

Until then, I'll just leave you with a pic from the movie "Girl on a Motorcycle":

Glaciers Move at Slow Speeds Too

It's either as hot as the infernal bowels of hell, or raining in biblical proportions these days, so very little riding is getting done (not much garage time either).  On the other hand, it's ideal to make lots of phone calls, emails, and get plenty of research done and design ideas worked out.

For example, I've been toying around with a custom badge for the side cover of the bike, and I think this would look nice:

I thought it looked nice, so I made one for a CB350 for fun:

(The wife says no.  We'll see.)

I also finalized that Amal DOES INDEED make the 626 carb in the premier setup, but I've found most dealers to be complete pains in the ass when it comes to ordering one with my specs.  Apparently, there's basically only 1 or 2 distributors here in the states, and they haven't yet stocked them.  I'll get it eventually, even if I have to order it from the UK...

Additionally, I got in touch with Cliff Meyer, the sheet metal genius behind MeyerBuilt Metalworks, and if all the pieces fall into place, he'll hopefully be building my tank and tail.  Here's some of his work:

It looks like I'll also be getting the headlight from Benjis Cafe, since I want to eliminate the big clunky gear cluster, and do a speedo-in-headlight setup.  That means a tach delete plate, but I'm not planning on red-lining it, so I don't really NEED it.

Lastly, I'm still contemplating how I want to do a painted tank, and this version looks beautiful!

Although, I'm not sure about the 2-tone tail.  I love using the polished aluminum as a design aspect.  OOH!!!

Oh yeah, one last thing, I forgot to mention that I'm thinking very hard about clear anodization of the polished aluminum parts.  Awesome.

Y, Oh Y!!!

I've spent all day compiling research for the bike, and I've come to a realization about "Y" everything has been an uphill battle, as far as parts are concerned.  It has everything to do with the "Y".

Now, this isn't my motor, but is an example of a "Y" bike.  What does that mean?  It means that between 1967 and 1970, the BSA Motorcycle Co. was asleep at the wheel when it came to everything, including the VIN numbers, and even the model years of their bikes.  From what I've gathered:

a) BSA had thousands of 1967 model bikes, and they made updates to them and resold them as 1968, 69, and 70 models, while still retaining the original 1967 paperwork.  Some confusion occurs due to the extra stamping of the "Y" after the VIN on the engine cases.

or

b) The factory fucked up.

or

c)  Who the hell knows?

Bottom line: I'm not the only one with this issue, and I'm 99% certain that my '67 BSA A50 is actually a '69/'70 model that was confusingly titled as a '67... whatever.  What does that mean?

Well, it means that I'll be using the '69/'70 books as parts reference for one.  Other then that, very little is different between the years, so it's not as bad as it could be.  If I were going back to stock, I'd be in bad shape, but I'm not, so it's all good!

Doing Cart-Wheels

One of the toughest things that I've had to deal with is the rear axle.  The DPO (Damn Previous Owner) had rigged some ridiculous replacement axle bolt with some nonsense part and a big crappy stripped nut that wouldn't come off.  The wheel was wobbly, poorly attached and just plain boogered up.  It was something that I had tried to repair during bike build 1.0 in 2004, after putting in new wheel bearings, but never got right.

My dad, when he had the bike in Texas, started to tackle the issue and thankfully was able to track down the right axle part and bought it.  Of course, in true aftermarket style, it didn't fit with the new bearings, and got boxed up.  (Technically called a Fixed Spindle: 68-6121)

Last week, I took the wheel and axle over to Mark's garage, since I wasn't sure if I was supposed to press fit the axle into the bearing or not.  I was not.  He helped me set it up in the lathe, and we shaved a few thousandths off, and lo and behold, fit right in perfectly.  The wheel, including the speedo and everything, went together like a glove in about 10 minutes.

Yes, the rear brakes are fitted perfectly, the axle is straight as an arrow, the wheel is perfectly centered and I'm very happy!  If only the rest of the build would go the easily.

Amal Retentive

Let's talk about the carburetor.  Specifically, which one I'm going to use.

In 1967, the A50 was outfitted with a single Monobloc 376.  While that's a perfectly fine carb, BSA switched to the newer Amal MK.1 Concentric in 1969.  Specifically, the 626, which is what I assume came originally on my bike.  Of course, here's where it gets funky.

My bike (which I'm finding has had more and more half-assed fixes and weird modifications) came with a crappy chromed-out Amal 928.  It's a bigger carb that was used on the A65 Thunderbolt, and it's surprisingly rare, compared to the 930, which can be found everywhere.  Upon examination, it's so warped and boogered up that it's getting ditched for a brand new one, which are luckily still being made.

So, you might think, "Hey, just order the 626 like the factory says and be done with it." Fair enough... BUT, the new 928s are being made to awesome new specs, while the 626s are still being made the old fashioned way.  Is it a big difference?  YES!

The new slides are being made by completely machining them from an all new alloy that prevents the sticking issues with the old style (a big deal).  The fuel tickler (this was pre-choke era) is also redesigned so that it doesn't leak gas everywhere, and the body construction is much cleaner than the old versions.  All in all, it's a much better build that its' predecessor.

I'm no expert at this stuff, and there's a lot of details that have to be done just right, such as the needle jet, the needle position, the main jet, the pilot, ect.  Of course, there's also the option of switching to even newer type of carb, like a Mikuni or a Keihin, and getting features like a choke.  My current thought is to get the 928, but have all the jets set to the 626 specs, but I really don't want to set my new engine on fire.

**EDIT**  Upon further research and good f*cking timing, I've learned that the 626 carb IS INDEED being made to new premier quality now, and I can get one set up with my factory specs from the retailer.  Done deal.  So... basically ignore everything I've just said.

I'm a dirty, dirty slacker.

Okay.  It's been forever and a day since I last updated.  I apologize.  I started a new job, so that's soaked up some of my time, but the big fat hickey on the neck of the issue is that Indianapolis has experienced an unprecedented heat wave of biblical proportions.  I think it even rained frogs once.  Point being, is that if it's 100 degrees outside (which it has been) it's 130 in my garage.  Add the fact that the BSA motor genius who has been my Obi-Wan Kenobi, owns an industrial painting company and it's his busy season, so we have an understandable hiatus.

BUT...  I haven't been completely idle.  In fact, I traveled to Shit-Stain, Ohio for the AMA Vintage Days, where I purchased a handful of sexy parts at 1/4th their regular price.  Keen readers will remember that Vintage Days (circa 2004) is where I purchased the BSA in the first place.  For $400.  From an awesome guy named Steve, of whom I've kept in contact.

Sadly, Vintage Days is a shadow of its' former self, but I was fortunate to find 2 stock A65s that I could take reference photos and figure out the insane 2-piece, quick change rear axle.  That, plus the fact that I bought a replacement triple-tree for $25 made the trip worth while.

I did, however, get to renew my membership in the Ohio Valley BSA Owners Club, and I saw a sprinkling of amazing stuff.  For example, a fabulous Contessa:

Also, a Ducati Brio:

All in all, it was a good day.  But.  Not as good as today.

On Thursday, I went to Mark's garage and we put the new rear half-shaft on the lathe to trim it to fit the new bearings.  It's now a perfect fit.  Today, for the first time ever, I fitted the bits back together and the rear axle is finally complete.  I did some test fitting with a handful of other parts and was blown away.  It's actually starting to look like a motorcycle.  I plopped the old tank on there for fitting, and I'm very excited about the sexy "pitbull" stance that this little bike has... But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself:

Dear modern motorcycle manufacturers:  WAKE UP!!!  We want this.  No more plastic cowled nightmares.  Sex appeal is made of iron.

Today's big revelation is that I'm keeping the front fender.  Initially I thought it would look silly in the cafe/scrambler theme I'm going for, but I was wrong.  It's sexy as heck!  (PLUS, if I end up hating it, I can just take it off.)


I really can't stop looking at the mockup photo (above).  This bike has a bulldog flavor.  It's compact, thick, and nothing put punch.  Today was a good day.

Great Workspace

I got up early and re-organized and swept out the garage.  It needed it.

It's hard to tell, but there are 3 scooters on the left, two Hondas and a Schwinn on the right, and the BSA frame in the back.  So many tires!

Designing the Front End

One of the most important parts to make sure is completely mechanically correct is the front end, specifically, the forks and triple tree.  Since I'm angling for a slick cafe bike with a scrambler twist, I really want to keep the front forks with the gaters (rubber boots).

The whole thing bolted together fairly easily, and I'm getting some great ideas about how I want to rebuild the lamp holders using the slick new aluminum ones.

My biggest problem with the front end is the crusty old sleeves.  They're dented, cracked and ugly.

The problem is that if I want to use the gaters, I have to utilize the lip on the bottom the sleeve.  However, I found my solution:

 

All I need to do is cut sleeve right above the little ear flaps that it uses to connect to the bottom of the triple tree.  That way, the new headlight ears can fit easily onto the forks and the front end keeps its' scrambler look, but also looks a bit more beefy and sleek.  Win-win.

I am, however, considering a second sleeve that covers the fork tube between the top of the new ears and the top of the triple tree.  At the very least, I think I'll add on a few spacers and possible paint the tube tops.  That's something to worry about later.  For now, here is today's parts order:

Order Qty Part No Description Condition Price Total 2 01-47-5065 WASHER,FORK OIL SEAL,RUBBER OR CORK (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 5065) New: $4.19 $8.38 2 01-47-5064 WASHER,FORK OIL SEAL RETAINING (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 5064) New: $0.93 $1.86 4 01-68-5056 BOLT,5/16CEIX26X1-1/8 ,H/BAR,CHROME (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 5056) : New Only $7.40 $29.60 4 01-15-5155 WASHER,21/64X33/64X.048,PLAIN (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 5155) New: $0.79 $3.16 1 01-68-5050I LOCK,STEERING,A50,A65,(INDIA) (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 68-5050) New: $22.46 $22.46 1 01-27-5135 BOLT,3/8CEIX26X1-9/16 ,CLIP,FORK TOP (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 5135) New: $15.53 $15.53 20 01-01-4675 BEARING,BALL,1/4 HUB LH,STEERING (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 4675) New: $0.33 $6.60 2 01-14-0303 NUT,3/8UNFX24,PLAIN (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 14-303) New: $1.22 $2.44 1 01-40-5090 CLIP,BRAKE CABLE GUIDE (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 40-5090) New: $4.40 $4.40 2 01-21-0785 BOLT,3/8UNFX24X2-7/16 (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 21-0785) New: $5.03 $10.06 1 01-64-6016 NUT,3/8CEIX26,SLEEVE TYPE (Priced As Each) (Customer Searched For Part Number 64-6016) New: $11.87 $11.87 Sub Total:    $116.36 Shipping Type:    FREE DOMESTIC OR DISCOUNTED SHIPPING Shipping:    $0.00 Tax:    $0.00 Total:    $116.36

A Little Less Conversation...

Still on motor hiatus, due to a bizarre accident involving a dump truck, an old house and a chunk of plaster falling on my machinist's head.  So, in the interim, I've been doing research.  A lot of research.

Exhaust system:  While I have a perfectly good stock dual exhaust with mufflers, they're a bit rusty and crusty, and just don't have the best of lines.  In addition, they severely limit my options of what I want.  I could try to clean them up, but it's a lost cause.  I could blast them and have them painted or ceramic coated, but that's another $250 easy.  I could wrap them, but it would look silly with the crossover pipe, and just not sexy at all.

Solution: Left Side High Pipes from The Factory Metal Works.  At about $200, they give me a really great line to add to the tank/seat idea, and add a little scrambler flavor which looks great on a bike with no chrome and only polished aluminum.  The thought is to either paint them of have them ceramic coated in black, then custom build a sexy heatshield to make the whole thing pop.

Carb:  Mine's shot, and there's no fixing it, only replacing it.  After a tumultuous amount of ardor through online forums, I've found some interesting info.  My bike may NOT be a 1967, but instead a later version of the 67 resold in 68-70 and titled strangely.  From what I've read this isn't uncommon.  However...

Some of the attributes of a later version of my bike are there, but some of the important ones are missing.  Without going into too much detail, it seems that my bike is a little bit of a Frankenstein, and due to its racing background, I'm not surprised.  The frame and engine match, so that's a plus, and they are definitely from 1967.  However, the previous owners had made a lot of changes along the road, and updates and parts swaps happened, including a new race piston setup that they stamped in 1971.


Solution: It's obvious that I'm going to have to be careful with parts based on the year in the future, but for now, I'm replacing the MKI 626 carb with a new MKI 626 carb.  If it ain't broke...

Headlamp:  It's entirely possible that I'll wind up using my stock Lucas headlamp setup, but there's something sexy about pushing that piece a little further forward.  It's like exaggerating the crown on a king's head.


Solution: I still can't believe I was able to get these headlamp brackets for $17.  All aluminum, and they push the light out at least 3 more inches.  With a bit of luck, all I'll have to do is shim from the bottom and drill in a set screw to fit over the fork tops (with the old ears ground off, of course).

The Frame:  I'm 32 (+1) years old.  I've owned this BSA for 8+ years.  That's 1/4th of my entire life.  The way I look at it, is the first quarter was spent drooling.  The second quarter was spent in preparation for when I could drive.  The third quarter was spent chasing girls, finding a career and creating a home.  The last forth has been spent developing taste and culture, and has not been put towards fixing up this bike.

In my adolescence, I favored building the Beezer into a bobber.  With the little grace I had, I didn't build it into a hardtail, and I'm forever glad for that.  The huge cuts I made to the frame are exactly the cuts I would have had to make for this build, so everything is still awesome.  There are a lot of extra tabs and crap that I know I'm going to cut off, but for now I can wait.  I've grown patient in my old age.

Solution: The stupid low-rent powder-coating that I mistakenly did to it in 2004 is now gone.  I've given it a thin coat of primer to prevent rust and it's ready to be transformed into the gem it should be.  From my estimates, I spent almost $300 to bring it back full circle to where it should have been in the first place for $50.  Folly of youth, but back on track.  (In my defense, this wasn't a bid deal when I bought it.  It's only become a big deal because of media in the past decade.  It wasn't nearly as heartbreaking to cut up this frame back then.  Time opens all wounds.)

Please Forgive Me

I almost did this.  I was 24, and made a lot of rookie mistakes when I started building this bike.  This is my confession.

First and formost, (thank jebus,) while I cut the frame down, I didn't cut it so much that I ruined the rear suspension mounts, and the only cutting I did is exactly the cutting I'd have to do to put on a nice new seat, so I'm in the clear when it comes to major irreversible mistakes.

What I did, was to drill some holes to mount a cheap seat, have the whole thing powdercoated at a cut-rate industrial place, and add some tabs for a rear fender mount that I'm not going to use.  As I type this, the frame is at the blaster's, undoing most of my stupid youthful mistakes.  I did a lot of good work, by cleaning up old parts, but did a lot of damage, but doing stupid things to them.

I'm definitely paying for my sins via my pocketbook, but it's still cheaper than buying it all over again.

All Hail the Brat!

Now, this has nothing to do with the BSA, but I also own a '73 Honda CL350 and a '71 Honda CL175.  The 350 is stock, in beautiful shape, and is my wife's favorite.  She also lays claim to the CL175, which I've been fixing up a little for her.  It's pretty crusty, but I've done all the important stuff like rebuilding the carbs, replacing the chain, etc.  Right now, I'm just waiting for a replacement brake cable, and it's on the road.

But enough about that, I'm here to talk about what I want to do to it.  We've all heard of cafe bikes, choppers, bobbers, rat bikes - the list goes on.  What hasn't been talked about as much is the "brat" bike, and that needs to be rectified.

I've already put brand new trials tires on the bike, the tank is a stock Honda (which has good lines), and there's really nothing that has to be done except cutting out all the extra crap and build a flat seat.

The whole point is to strip the bike down to it's bare essentials, tweak the motor up a notch, and just have a clean, fast little vintage enduro.

The CL175 is the perfect bike for this project, and all I have to do is convince the wife to let me do it.  Of course, it'll have to wait until at least next summer, since the BSA takes priority... but it never hurts to start thinking early.  I already know the tank is going to be polished steel with some simple painted graphics.  Maybe a Honda logo or racing stripes.  We may never know.

Sears

Craftsman used to be great.  Lifetime warranty on all their tools, a major player in the racing world: they were top notch.  Now - they suck donkey balls.

Last year, I brought in a Craftsman drill to their tools department.  It belonged to my grandfather, and was probably purchased in the mid-70's.  Stamped to the side was a placard that stated "LIFETIME GUARANTEE".  Sadly, after 40+ years of service, the drill was dead, so, according to the unlimited warranty riveted to the side of the drill, I looked to get a replacement.  (In all honesty, I knew it was a ridiculous stretch, and hoped for a $10 coupon or something.)  Long story short, they flat out told me that Sears no longer honors ANY of its lifetime warranties, no matter if it was sold in 1935 or 2010.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I find that to be absolute bullshit.  Until this afternoon, I chose not to buy another Sears product again.  I don't like liars.  However, I needed a rivet gun, and the wife was returning a shirt on the other side of the mall, so I decided to just go and buy one while I was waiting.

The rivet gun was $20 and a pack of rivets was $5.  I brought it to the counter, and the sales lady (easily 80 years old) asked if I wanted to put it on my Sears card.   

no.

Do you want to sign up for a Sears card and save $15 blah, blah, blah.   

no.

Are you part of our loyalty program?

no.

Would you like to sign up and get special offers?

no.

Okay, what's your phone number?  

None of your business.

I have to put a phone number in to complete the transaction...

1-234-567-8910.

Would you like to purchase an additional warranty for the tool your buying?

no.

It's only half the cost of the whole tool, and extends the warranty by 12 months.

no.

Are you sure?

Lady, I'm buying the equivalent of a stapler.  If it stops working in the next 12 months, I'll probably throw it out so that I don't have to deal with you again.

Okay, I need your phone number again.  

Seriously?

Do you want to run it debit or credit?

Here's $30 in cash.  More than necessary to buy the rivet gun and the rivets.  I'm taking it, and walking out the door.

Sir, I need...

Bye.

I'm sorry, but I'm fucking DONE with Sears.  Where did I put that Snap-on catalog?

P.S.  I found out that Sears wouldn't uphold the lifetime warranty for its tool to Katrina victims, since they were guilty of flood damage.  http://consumerist.com/2007/03/the-softer-side-of-sears-craftsman-lifetime-warranty-doesnt-apply-to-katrina-victims.html  Fuck Sears.

P.P.S  I went to try it out for the first time, and all the nuts and bolts holding it together popped out and the tool won't even work.  Again, fuck Sears.

If God didn't want me to own a dozen motorcycles, he wouldn't give me great deals!

To be fair, I don't own a dozen bikes...only six.  In my defense, they're all incredibly different, and it's comparable to a woman having many shoes for any occasion.  At this very moment, I own a 1964 Lambretta LI 175, a 1971 Honda CL175, a 1973 Honda CL350, a 2003 Genuine Stella (Vespa PX copy), a 2008 Genuine Stella, and of course, the 1967 BSA A50. 

With the exception of the BSA, they're all running great, but being vintage, they're always needing minor maintenance. Today, I had to run out to the corner store for caffeine, and on the way back I pulled into my neighborhood hardware store to say hi.  There's an older lady and a young guy who always help me out, and are always eager to hear about the motorcycles I'm building, but they never get to see them.  Today I fixed that.

They came out to the sidewalk and were overjoyed, to say the least.  It was great to see them take pride in my little Honda 350, since I explained to them that from all their assistance at the store, they really did take an active part in helping me keep these great machines on the road.  I think it was a real high point of everyone's day.

I guess the moral of my story is that these bikes are more than just one guy in a garage.  There are tons of online message boards and resources, amazing retired mechanics and shops with endless advice.  It truly "takes a village" to keep these bikes going.

Damn you, Harbor Freight!

We all know that Harbor Freight sells crappy versions of decent tools, made by Asian children making twenty cents an hour, but they pass the savings onto YOU!  I'm in need of having some parts sand blasted, as I foresee my need over and over again in the next few months.  Each time I go in, it's at least twenty-five bucks, sometimes up to a hundred or more.  Due to a heck-of-a Memorial Day sale, I could get a bench-top sandblasting cabinet for a little over $100.  I checked on the internet and they all say the same thing:  The cabinet is great as long as you reseal it yourself, but the gun sucks.  Considering that similar cabinets are over $300, I bought the bullet and bought it.

While there, I couldn't help but pick up bungee cords for the wife's new Honda, magnetic parts dishes, organizers...  more than I should have.  I was a kid in a candy shoppe, and I got more than I should.

Specifically for the BSA, I happened to find a big bag of old-fashioned style, stainless steel wire bands, which will definitely be handy instead of silly zip-ties.

More than anything, the special machining, the late nights, the busy work schedule and doing work to the other bikes has been clogging up my fun-hose.  I guess I didn't mention that I have 2 Hondas that I've been working on as well.  Both are for the wife - a '73 CL350 and a '71 CL175.  The 350 needed the carbs redone (which is a bitch, because the scrambler exhaust has to come out to get to the carbs).  The 175 is getting all the cables replaced.  To do it right, it just takes time.

I've also been rebuilding the BSA's front forks, which I need the sandblast cabinet for...  So, it's just boring, boring, work.  Blah.

Even Stephen

My wife is the Jack Ripper of vehicles.

Well, that's mostly true.  With one exception, she has beaten, bruised, battered and befuddled every automobile she's ever owned into submission.  The sneaky survivor was a lemon of a VW Beetle that she had the good fortune to pawn off on a teenage suburbanite for the same cost she had into it.

Today, she bought her 6th car, a 2008 Honda Element with 47k miles on it.  The deal was as fair as they come, and as sneaky as used car salesmen are known to be, we found that as a power couple, we can be even sneakier.

She traded in a 2000 Merc Villager with 107k miles on it.  The suspension is shot.  The transmission is shot.  The brakes are shot.  The A/C is shot.  It's a basket case.  We were glad that it didn't catch fire when we  drove it in at an hour before the lot closed for the day.  If we had shown up earlier, they would have taken it for a test drive, but to our advantage, they didn't.  They wanted to go home and watch the series finale of House, M.D.

If I had to tell the truth, I'd say that the van's sad condition was due to 50% crappy manufacturing and 50% user abuse.  Regardless, we got about 500% of the real value on trade and peeled out of the parking lot in the new Honda like Bonnie and Clyde.

Most of all, the best thing to come out of this, is that the missus won't be borrowing my truck any time soon, and I'm good with that.

Oh yeah - this car shopping crap is part of the reason that I haven't done shit with the bike in a week or so.  The other reasons are: general laziness, a new videogame,  excessive napping and a few hangovers.

Time Travellin'

It's been a while since I've posted, since a hiatus was forced upon me due to a confusing quandary that a cavalcade of onlookers couldn't diagnose.  Therefore, a pilgrimage to the mecca of all that is Birmingham Small Arms, to the godfather of American BSA racing.  (Forgive the overzealous vocabulary, I've been driving most of the day and I haven't had much sleep.)

The day started at 5:30 am.  Up and out the door by 6:15.  Picked up Mark and his dad, and hit the road just after 7.  Breakfast at Waffle-Steak.  At around 11, we pulled into what can only be described as the last existing BSA dealership on the planet.  It's not a public place.  You have to wind down dirt roads in the middle of Nowhere, OH, and drive slowly into 1971.  You have to be a friend of a friend.  You have to know the secret handshake.

Just as Master Yoda was the Jedi who taught Obi-Wan Kenobi, Earl Bowlby is the racing legend who mentored Mark, who in turn is mentoring me.  For a solid month, we've been facing our own Darth Vader - a crank that won't turn.  We had tried everything, thought of everything, yelled at everything, but to no avail.  It became apparent that it was time to make a journey of our own to figure out how to conquer the forces against us.  (I think I'm Luke Skywalker in this analogy.)

Earl was a 10 time national title holder for hill-climb, and finished his career by winning climb racing's triple crown at the age of 51.  That was not a typo - he was FIFTY-ONE-YEARS-OLD, and not only competing with 20-somethings, but beating them all.  Today he's almost 80, and in better shape than Jack LaLane.  He sports the perfect old-guy uniform: New Balance shoes, black socks, polyester pants pulled up a little too high, a plaid, short sleeved shirt, and a pair of bifocals that went out of style in 1967, then came back into style 6 months ago.  His workspace in meticulous to the point of OCD.  Everything is labeled.  In pen.



I'd talked with Earl on the phone a few times before I met him.  He's the kind of guy that knows the size of a reamer for a 1967 A50 valve guide without having to look it up, and will explain the tolerances to the 1/1000th of an inch.  (The correct reamer is a .313, by the way.)  When explaining something, he's never talking down to you, he's wanting to share 60 years of experience.  He's straight out of 'Mad Men', an octogenarian who's quiet, patient, shy and methodical, with arms like a bear and a living room that looks like a trophy shop.

For many years, Earl owned a BSA/Suzuki shop in Ohio, and upon retirement, rather than selling off his inventory, he moved the shop closer to his home.  It now sits about 30 feet from his front door.  I'm not sure if it's an obsession gone wrong or religious devotion gone right, but Earl rebuilt his BSA dealership in an outbuilding next to his home, complete with parts counter, original dealership signage, a fully stocked shop in the back, and more original inventory than the factory in Birmingham, England.

Jesus wept.

I could extol the virtues of "he who is Earl" for many days to come, but we came to Mecca on a mission, and that was to find the answer as to why the wheel wouldn't turn.  Like the cavemen of yore, we hit it.  We applied fire.  We even prayed to the god of high octane fuel, but only found the same conclusions that we'd previously assessed.

In the end, after hundreds of measurements and tests with different bearings, cases, and even a little finger crossing, we figured it out, and it was wholly anticlimactic.  Basically, the machine shop honed the main bearing crooked.  That was it.  A slight rookie fuck-up, barely visible to the naked eye.

It's definitely taken WAY too long to assess a simple error, but we're laying new track, and great progress should be made very soon.  Looking on the bright side, I got to spend a lot of time with Mark and his Dad, and they're just as much as a font of knowledge and great stories as anyone.  I got to visit the BSA shrine.  I got some nice compliments on my truck.  All in all, it was a good day.

The word is "awe".  It wasn't until I got home that I fully comprehended the magnitude of the importance of Earl's little shop.  Not only are the bikes straight out of the 60's, the whole atmosphere, the attitude, and the mentality is no less than a time capsule.  Can anyone say that they love their job so much that they build a replica of their office cubicle in their garage?  I'm happy that we've solved our mystery, but even happier to know an 80-year-old man who's passion burns brighter than anyone I've ever met...even if he wears black socks with white sneakers.

Past Blasting and Shattering

My computer crashed.  As I was sifting through the remains, trying to reconstruct things that I lost, I came across these photos of the exact moment that I bought the BSA, in the exact condition it was in.

I had thought these photos were lost to the ages, and was amazed to find a photo of my dad writing the check on the bike's seat:

How perfect is that?  First, you can see that it was a rainy, dismal day.  The old man was wearing a raincoat, for pete's sake. Here's our campsite, if you don't believe me:

It was a crappy day, but it was the first day of a long weekend.  I remember telling my dad on our way in that I wanted a project bike.  I already had the beautiful Honda CB450 (seen above) and was looking for something to fix up.  He asked, "What's your preference?"  I told him that I really liked the Brit bikes, and I would thrilled to find a Triumph or a Norton.  Even better would be an AJS, a Matchless or a BSA, but I only had a $500 budget, so I knew that was out of the question.

We pulled in, set up our tent and settled in.  Right next to us was a really interesting guy from Canada, who had ridden his BMW over 1000 miles to get here, and we started talking and shared a few beers (see above photo).  After a while, I got up and started to wander the campgrounds.  No more than 50 yards away, I see a fella pushing 2 bikes out onto turf next to his campsite, and a "for sale" sign on one of them.  It's a Triumph and a BSA, so I start getting excited.  I say hello as ask what he's looking to get for each bike.  $1200 for the Triumph and $800 for the BSA.

In my head, I'm thinking, "Maybe I can get dad to float me a little, but I really need to show this to him, nonetheless."  I go bug him, and get him to come check it out.

INTERJECTION - Before I go any further, you need to know that this was 2004.  Nobody knew about cafe bikes.  I was buying vintage Hondas for $50.  Those fuckhead bike "builders" on TV had not yet been made public.  These beautiful bikes were cheap, and totally a value in the eye of the beholder.  As they should be.  I only brought $250 in cash with me.

Low and behold, dad came down to check out the bike.  To his credit, he was able to contain his excitement WAY better than I was.  I don't remember his exact words, but it probably went something like, "Stand back, son, I'll take it from here."  I heard phrases like, "Hard to find parts", and "Enthusiastic next generation", but before I knew it, dad was asking me if I wanted it for $400.

...uh, YES!  He wrote the check, and it was done.  I gave him the cash I had in hand and promised to send the rest ASAP.  We rolled the bike the short distance back to our campsite and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of cheap beers.

The rest of the weekend was a blur.  I didn't know enough about the bike to scavenge parts from the dealers, and my goal had already been accomplished.  I had a project bike that was insanely awesome.  Over the course of the weekend, every third person who passed the tent asked if the bike was for sale.  We had offers of up to $1200 for it, but I turned them all down.  This was my treasure, I'm the one who found it, It's MY win for the weekend.

I spent my last nickel on gas to get home, but I was able to get it into the ramshackle garage of my shitty rental house, and breathe a sigh of relief.  It was now a reality.

At work on Monday, I chatted with a work friend that was also into vintage bikes.  He, too, was at AMA vintage days, and went on to tell me a story that he'd heard about someone buying a BSA for $500.  Steal of the century, he said.  I told him that it was only $400, and it was all mine.  I'm not sure if he wanted to punch me or kiss me.

In the end, I feel bad that it's taken me 8 years to reinvigorate the bike build.  I did, however, buy my first house, get married, start a career, etc.  The Beezer sadly sat idly by in those years where it seemed important to go pants shopping.  The good news is that momentum (however slow) is being made.  It's time that a REAL cafe bike made an appearance.