May 2021 - TVAM

Confessions of a First Time Restorer – Part 5

Posted on May 12, 2021 | by Salli Griffith

Part Five – Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

If anyone ever tells you that restoring a classic motorbike is a rewarding experience, they are telling the truth. But what they are omitting is that it is also one of the most frustrating experiences known to humanity. Every time you make some progress, something else happens that makes you have to back track. This is even more true when you are learning as you go along because you lack certain basic skills and knowledge. I have taken to likening myself to a novice baking a cake!

However, what my cake recipe does not and simply cannot do is tell you how to perform the basic tasks. Or include a culinary dictionary. It would be 400 pages long if it did. It might say, ‘break 2 eggs into a bowl’ or ‘fold the ingredients together’. It does not tell you how to break those eggs, or how to ‘fold’. And how you break those eggs and stir the ingredients can make all the difference. The same goes for the ‘tablespoon’ amount, the quality and cocoa content of chocolate, etc, etc. The recipe must assume a basic level of knowledge, ability and quality of ingredient.

I have all the ingredients (the bike and its parts) and the recipe (Rupert Ratio and BSA Service Sheets). I really want a mouth-watering, moist, tasty cake at the end! But as well as learning how to do the complicated bits I’m having to learn how to break the eggs, sometimes by trial and error, sometimes by asking for help. I am lucky to have found the BSA C15 Facebook group, and in particular Dave and Lisa (Mr. and Mrs. Ratio) who are so utterly generous with their time and knowledge.

Completing individual tasks can also be further complicated by the issue of not knowing whether you have actually done it correctly. An experienced chef will know things are going well at all stages. Their experience and knowledge will tell them that. If it’s wrong, they can correct it then and there. The average novice (me) will not know that they have destroyed the mix and will carry on regardless, only to realise it is wrong when their cake looks and tastes like something you lost under a sofa cushion six months ago. There’s a lot of learning going on here. There are going to be teething problems at the end that need ironing out. I have no doubt that the second bike will be an easier process due to the amount I have learned from my work and mistakes on this first bike.

Anyway, the month started with a bit of a road trip. The chrome was finally ready, so I combined collecting this with a trip to Dynotech in Bramley to let Andy have a look at the front tyre I had waved the white flag at. Basically, my compressor wasn’t powerful enough! Andy removed the valve (useful tip, that) and blasted the air in a couple of times until the bead sat correctly. Sorted – cheers Andy. And a tip from a professional. Forget all the tyre soap and expensive tyre lubes – Fairy Liquid. Not supermarket own label, it has to be Fairy due to the lack of other nasty ingredients. Feeling all pleased with myself I then got home and realised I had left a couple of bits of chrome at AK Moto and had to go and collect those 2 weeks later.

This month was to be full of things that started getting the bike back together again. Now I had the chrome I could get on with my next goal of getting a rolling chassis. I assembled the shocks and posted Steve his tool back. I started to assemble the wheels and then realised I had ordered/had been sent the wrong size hub caps – fiddlesticks! The wrong hubs were returned and the correct ones ordered. In the meantime I assembled the forks which fought me every step of the way on a very physical and frustrating day, but I got there in the end. The correct hubs arrived and the wheels were assembled. Once I got the knack of getting in the brake shoes they went together very nicely.

One day, when I came out of work, a voicemail saying: ‘Got the parts back from the sandblasters. Would it be possible for you to pop in?’ Eek. This was from Mike at Triple C Paint. My wallet immediately came out in a cold sweat at the thought of this. I did ‘pop in’ to see Mike and it was going to hurt my wallet. Some schools of thought say that I shouldn’t have sandblasted the tinware, but I decided to on the premise that the aggressiveness of this method would show up any inherent weaknesses in the metal and it did exactly that. The broken stay mentioned last month showed that some of the tinware was not in the best of nick. Mike and I also knew that the rear mudguard had previously been repaired, but not very well. A crack across the centre of the mudguard had been bronzed and a plate riveted in rather than it being welded and repaired properly. General age-related corrosion also resulted in several other holes. There was minor stuff on the front mudguard (apart from the stay) and a couple of other parts needed attention. Fortunately, and most importantly for my wallet the oil tank and petrol tank were fine. The rear mudguard was not usable in its present state and would need to be repaired. The front mudguard stay would have to be repaired before it could be used as well. And I figured that I might as well get the other minor bits done also. Looking at a specialist business these repairs were heading on for £450. Ouch – not in the budget! I tried to source another rear mudguard instead, but these seem to be as rare as the proverbial rocking-horse droppings. I could not find an original one anywhere, even in America or India. So I’ve gone with my usual method and taken them to a local guy down the road – AIM Sheet Metal. Apart from supporting small local businesses, I find it is cheaper than a big company and the quality of the work often better. I prefer to send business the way of people whose work is their calling card. I’m looking forward to collecting these parts and getting them back to Mike.

So I was now able to crack on with getting a rolling chassis. Shocks, forks, wheels were all put on the frame. With wheels being on, I needed the bike to be able to stand up on its own, so the centre and side stands were added as well. My next goal of a rolling chassis had been achieved.

I could now get the engine back in the frame. This was an ideal stage to do this as the engine wasn’t too heavy or awkward, and once in the frame it would still allow me access to start work on the drive side and the top of the engine. However, I was reluctant and kept putting it off. This was because my gut was still telling me the gearbox wasn’t right. It was all assembled and sealed up, but I just felt that it wasn’t right. It felt rough and only 2 of the gears seemed to be engaging properly each and every time I tried. To be honest, I was avoiding dealing with this like the plague as I didn’t have a clue how to remedy it. I kept pushing it to the side and doing something else.

So, I ended up assembling other bits and bobs on the frame all the while putting off the inevitable. The handlebars went on, headlight shroud, battery box, foot pegs, rear brake pedal and brake mechanism were assembled (bit of a faff there – the placing of things needed tweaking as the nearside pillion footrest rubbed against the rear brake rod). I even ended up electrical testing and fitting the horn, rectifier and ignition coil as well. All to avoid dealing with the gearbox. Parts were ordered and received also. I received the decals and delivered them on to Mike. There is one decal I need to do myself as well. I’ve got the dreaded wiring loom. That alone will be an ‘adventure’. But that’s a little bit down the line. But the gears are still not sorted. I must get them done otherwise I am going to grind to a halt, both figuratively and literally!

Finally, there was a first that made me feel all pleased with myself. One day whilst flicking through the BSA C15 Facebook group someone asked a question about the number and orientation of the fork seals and the fork seal holders themselves. I knew the answer to that. I looked like a teenager using both hands speed typing on a phone for once, rather than a middle-aged bloke squinting at the screen and hitting it repeatedly with one finger. Boy, answering that question made me feel good. And then I hit the books and checked my messages from Mr and Mrs R to check that I had actually given the correct answer. Honestly, I hadn’t asked the same question myself 2 weeks earlier. I did sound all knowledgeable though, even if I say so myself. There was a definite strut to my step as I went to tell Sharon about this personal achievement!

Jon Case

First published in Slipstream May 2021

Moroccan Tour Part 1: Planning, preparation and dangerous roads

Posted on May 12, 2021 | by Salli Griffith

How it all came about

As explained in the February issue 2021 our ultimate plan was a big trip to New Zealand to see friends with no time frame which was meant to have kicked off in 2020 until Covid struck. Here we relate the second of our preparation shakedown trips. The first was in 2018, to Eastern Europe and the Balkans (see Slipstream Feb/Mar issues 2021) and then in 2019, this trip to Morocco.

Six, Five, Four, Three….. Go!

Bike insurance – check. AA breakdown cover – check, not that either would be valid for most of our upcoming trip. In fact, due to timing and Brexit we’d also need green cards and international driving permits. The UK was due to leave the EU on 31st March 2019 and we were planning to be in Morocco a week before then, returning a week after. This made for some interesting conversations with our UK insurers, as they wanted us to contact them the week before when they would be able to confirm if a green card was needed. How they thought they would get them to us I don’t know, but I’m sure we weren’t going to be the only people travelling abroad at that time. The potential penalty for not having one could be confiscation of our bikes, so pretty serious stuff. Most people under a certain age wouldn’t have even heard of green cards, Brexit was going to bring even more complexity than needing a separate piece of paper alongside your insurance for Europe, but that’s another story.

Planning for the trip had started several months ago with a group of six on a mix of bikes. The route would take us from Portsmouth to Santander on the ferry, south through Spain, ferry to Morocco then head south. The ferry would leave on Friday afternoon and we’d be in Morocco by Monday lunchtime. Much like our previous Balkans trip, we did very little pre-booking to give us flexibility on the road.

Once in Morocco we’d head south past Casablanca and Marrakesh, through the Tazi n Test pass before turning eastwards towards Ouarzazate, north into the High Atlas mountains via the Todra Gorge to Imilchil, then south again into the Dades gorge on the piste. Next, we’d head to Merzouga to ride the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, before turning north and homewards, stopping in the blue city of Chefchaouen before the ferry back to Spain.

I’d met Chris Scott and bought his book Morocco Overland at a Horizons Overland event, and it was invaluable for planning, showing a number of pistes over the Atlas and High Atlas mountains, graded by difficulty and bike size, which was pretty important as none of us were experienced off road riders. I had a Garmin Montana which is great for off road routes so I loaded them all, marking by difficulty so we could decide when we were close. I mounted it next to my TomTom SatNav on the bike so they could be used side by side.

The routes were often remote, many miles from the nearest villages, no breakdown or emergency services out here, so we’d be on our own. I had bought a Garmin InReach Mini in anticipation of our big trip, which would attach to my jacket. This little gadget communicated via a direct satellite link and featured an SOS button hidden under a small flap. You didn’t want to hit this by accident as it would signal a control centre to start a rescue with local emergency services wherever you were in the world. A bit overkill for Morocco but a great backup.

Researching the paperwork we’d need, we found we would need specialist travel insurance that would cover us riding large adventure bikes off road. Most insurers will only cover a 125cc abroad and then on road only. Navigator Travel Insurance would cover us and included emergency repatriation should the worst happen. Next up was motorcycle insurance. None of our existing policies would cover us and neither would any we could take out in the UK. Insurance would be available at the port in Tanger Med and would be 3rd party only. Two of the group dropped out due to this, not wanting to risk a complete loss in the event of an accident, which was understandable. Another dropped out as he decided his bike wasn’t up to riding any pistes. We were down to three – Marc, Marije and I, all riding Africa Twins.

The journey from the UK to Tarifa where we planned to cross was uneventful, Marc winning the Orca quiz challenge on the ferry and a pleasant overnight stop in Frómista. All the bikes had new tyres, Marije and I opting for road tyres and Marc going for knobblies. After dinner in Tarifa we found out that no ferries would run the following day so we aimed for an early start to get to Algeciras for the ferry, which would take longer to cross. We turned up at 7:30am, got our tickets and joined the queue. The next ferry was cancelled, the following we went through and lined up only for it to be cancelled, so we had to go back to the pre-check queue to wait, only for that to be cancelled. It looked like they would only sail when they had enough vehicles to make it worthwhile. We chatted to the other bikers in the queue, one being Rob, a fixer for Russian oligarchs in the UK, who was on an original Africa Twin he’d rebuilt himself.

*Breakfast at the Palm Auberge, Marrakech*

Finally the barrier went up and being at the front of the queue I shot through. Having been through and checked once already I didn’t even notice the raised hand of the customs officer. Marije came over the intercom. “Best come back, he looks really pissed off and he’s armed.” After circling the car park I backed up to the booth and sheepishly handed over my documents. He checked them, handed them back and smirked, “Now go.”

Once on the ferry we had our first taste of bureaucracy. Everyone had to complete a police form, queue up in a long line and once at the window the officials would take the details, stamp and return it. We had known this would happen so made sure we got in the queue quickly, as it wasn’t uncommon for it to take hours to process everyone, possibly even longer than the crossing. Off the ferry and as we rode towards a set of booths we were summoned aside to put the bikes through a giant x-ray machine, big enough to x-ray trucks. Once done, our universal translator Marije spoke to one of the port workers to find out where to go next.

It turned out the x-rays were for people leaving, we’d just paused to work out where to go next in exactly the wrong place! Once headed the right way we stopped again to have our paperwork processed. V5 ownership document, police slip from the ferry and passport details were all entered into the computer. Marc swore under his breath when he pulled his documents out. His original V5 was still on the copier at home and he only had the copy with him. In true comradery we wished him a good ride back to the UK, we’d send him pictures as we went. Miraculously the customs office accepted his copy and issued a temporary import slip which we’d need to hand back when we left the country.

The summer in Morocco can see temperatures north of forty Celsius, and the winters can be quite cold and wet. The best times to travel are early spring or early autumn and we’d chosen late March. As we headed to Marrakech we could see dark clouds on the horizon, then lightning, then torrential rain started. I asked Marc over the intercom if he wanted us to stop so he could put on waterproofs. “Too late, soaked through already,” came the reply. Marije and I had our Richa kit we’d used for the Balkans which kept us dry. It was pricey, but we were glad we’d invested in it.

I’d put a few places to stay in my SatNav, so we headed to the Palm Auberge on the south side of Marrakech, where the owner opened the gates so we could ride our bikes into the foyer. It was just big enough to get all three in and allow other guests to still walk through. After checking in and finding we could have food but no beer, I rode to a nearby supermarket to stock up, which was a good move as we wouldn’t find any more for days to come. Two pounds for a 330ml can, in case you’re wondering.

The rain continued all evening, the beer flowed, the tagine was excellent and Marc dried out.

schoolkids tizi n test — *Schoolkids on the way to the Tizi n Test pass*

The Tizi n Test

The following morning the sun was shining, a great time for a ride through the Tizi n Test pass, described on the Dangerous Roads website as one of the most spectacular drives in the country. Not for the faint-hearted.

We stopped for fuel near a large open air car park that had dozens of 4×4’s parked in it for tourists to be driven up the pass. It also meant it was a tourist trap and we spent more time saying no to souvenir salesmen who surrounded us at the pumps than we did fuelling up.

Earlier on in the day we had stopped for a quick brew next to a lake, only to find we had stopped next to a school. After the children had surrounded us, asking questions and skilfully extracting every snack bar all three of us possessed, I had pulled back onto the road only to find I was on the wrong side when I came face to face with a local driver.

Tizi Test n Pass Morocco — *The Tizi n Test pass on the way up in the sunshine*

As we headed up the pass, I kept reminding myself to keep right, there are no road markings and the edges are weathered and worn. There are few barriers and the ones that exist are more likely to flip you into the valleys below than save you. The road twists and winds with regular switchbacks and little traffic and stunning views across the valleys – a truly spectacular route.

Nearing the top of the pass we hit the clouds and drizzle. Visibility dropped to a few metres and the road surface broke up, not yet having been repaired after a wet winter and freezing temperatures. Now I was riding in the middle of the road, sheer rock face on one side and what looked like a steep drop on the other.

This is when I found out that Moroccans don’t use their lights in these weather conditions. They do use their hazard lights which allows you to see something through the mist, but as I made out the yellow flashers ahead I realised it doesn’t help with working out which way they are facing. I moved to the right just in case, but fortunately the car was heading the same way as us so we just followed, giving it as much space as we could without losing him.

The clouds cleared and the road opened up a bit, the surface improved and the local we’d been following accelerated. The road down was as spectacular as the route up but instead of mountains ahead, in the distance we could see desert stretching for miles. We turned eastwards onto the N10 and we rode across seemingly endless desert, only slowing for camels crossing the road.

The Todra gorge gave us a stunning entry into the Atlas Mountains, with steep cliffs up to five hundred feet high either side of the canyon, and a river running through it. As you look up, the upper portions of the cliffs look golden where the sun reaches down to illuminate them. Alongside it, the road runs, twisting and turning as we ascend. The gorge runs for about twenty five miles and once we got higher it gets colder and the roads crumble. Kids run out at the sound of the bikes trying to high five all three of us. At first it’s fun but after a while I got nervous about running them over as they dart out, or losing my glove as they hang on to the fingers of it.

We encountered a couple of sections of road which had been washed out, resulting in forty foot long fords to traverse, leaving us covered in water and muck. We looked a state when we arrived in Imilchil and pulled into the impressive looking Auberge Chez Bassou. The front doors were covered in stickers from previous two and four wheeled adventurers. We hadn’t pre-booked, but the owner stood outside as if expecting us.

owner of chez bassou — *The owner of Chez Battou was seemingly waiting for us*

In the evening as we were drinking the last of our beers over dinner, an American couple and their college-aged son arrived in the darkness. They were due to stay with a Moroccan family another couple of hours drive through the mountains and asked if they were heading in the right direction, and if it was safe. The owner recommended they wait for daylight as the roads were unlit and animals ran wild.

The father looked at our beers, smiled and asked the owner “Can I get beer here if we stay, or is there a store?” to which the owner pointed out of town and said “Beer about three hours that way, but if you have any you’re welcome to drink it here”. We shared our last cans.

As we looked over the maps the owner came over, so we asked what was the piste down to the Dades gorge like. “On your bikes it’s fine, as long as it’s dry.” That was it, tomorrow the piste.

Damien Murray

First published in Slipstream May 2021

From the Chair (May 2021)

Posted on May 12, 2021 | by Barrie Smith

The last 12 months have been incredibly difficult for all of us, with most of us unable to meet with family and friends and do the things that we label as ‘normal’ in our lives. Like many of you, motorcycling to me is not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle that when removed, leaves a huge void.

The TVAM year started in November and so we are now halfway through our current year. Realising that got me thinking about what we have been able to achieve in the first six months, given that much of that time has been spent in lockdown.

So I thought that I would share a few stats with you that will hopefully give you all a picture of how the Club is doing. At the time of writing this, we have a total membership of 1045, of which 237 are Associates. At the same point 12 months ago we had 1054 members so are slightly down, by 9 members. Between the beginning of November and the end of April, we have attracted 43 new members. 10 of these joined in March and another 15 in April.

Taster rides appear to be a very successful way of recruiting new members. There have been 35 taster ride requests since the beginning of November, 11 of those being in March and another 11 so far in April. Most of these have been allocated, and many completed, so a huge thanks to all the Observers that have found the time to take out members of the public and tell them more about the Club. Seven people that have completed taster rides since November have gone on to join the Club and this is a figure that we expect to increase from the latest group to go out. I have been lucky enough to meet a couple of our new members through the social group Zoom meetings that have been happening regularly whilst we have been unable to actually meet up.

Test passes so far this year sit at 7. Of these, 4 were in November and 3 in December. IAM RoadSmart suspended all tests between January and early April which is why figures are currently lower than usual.

The Events Team has been putting on regular seminars over Zoom. By the time you read this, we will have hosted three excellent seminars: One from Steph Jeavons, talking about her trip around the world on a motorcycle; Motolegends, talking about the different equipment that’s out there; and Kevin Williams, talking about the science of being seen on a motorcycle. These events have been extremely well attended by members and many more are planned throughout the remainder of the year.

Communications within the Club are extremely important. We have 1004 members registered on Groups.io and 541 messages were posted from 126 individual posters in March alone. Our new website, which is far more customer facing than the previous one, received 5,049 page views from 1,757 unique visitors. Our Social Media Team is also working hard on promoting the Club via Facebook and Instagram.

So, considering that for four out of the first six months of the TVAM year we have been in lockdown, the figures above would suggest that we’re still doing very well as a Club. In the next few weeks, we’re going to see far more of the ‘normal’ Club activities being allowed, like Observed Rides, Social Rides, X-Checks, Observer Assessments and it’s even rumoured that we may be able to meet in the not too distance future at St Crispin’s.

I really hope to be seeing many of you out on the road soon..

Barrie Smith

Chairman