Tag: bsa c15 restoration

Part Seven – Close and I’m having the cigar anyway!

I can’t believe that 3 months have gone by. Apologies for the lack of an article in the last 2 editions. Firstly, I was waiting for the tinware to come back, and then, I was ill with the plague – or a ‘viral infection’ as the doctor told me (the run-to condition when doctors haven’t got a clue what’s wrong with you – apologies to the doctors out there). It wasn’t Covid, but it was definitely some form of absolutely debilitating man-flu/plague/wrath of the Gods that had me flopped on the sofa for 2 weeks. This didn’t give me enough to write about in July and then the August edition was already full.

So, let’s catch up. The engine was back in the frame and I was waiting for the tinware to come back from Mike at Triple C. I had bits I could do whilst waiting for the tinware, but not much. Assuming there weren’t too many tasks that I had to take apart and re-do, that is.

The engine was nearly complete. I needed to do the valve clearances, the piston rods, the distributor and the carburettor. On the assumption that the valve clearances are correct, they were remarkably easy to do. The piston rods? I have heard of people buying an endoscope to do these before, and I can understand why. I don’t have one and it took about three hours of loosening the rockerbox, swearing, moving things around, swearing, resetting the rockerbox and trying again before it was eventually correct. People reading these articles must think my language is terrible. I can assure you it isn’t. Working on a classic bike just makes you swear! The two go together like Kirk and Spock.

The end can and the battery were ordered. Thinking of the electrics made me look closely at the point where the three wires from the stator connect to the loom. I was not convinced I had connected the three of them correctly. Research and advice soon yielded the information that these needed to be connected in a very specific and complicated (for me) way. And, yes, you’ve guessed it. The only way to check this was to take the primary chaincase cover off and remove the stator. I refer you to the penultimate sentence of the previous paragraph!

I tightened up the Allen bolt to hold the distributor in the selected position……and the thread on the distributor clamp gave way! Nooooooo. This clamp is buried in the depths of the engine. The thread on it had been fine when I put it in place two or three months ago. This was panic inducing – potentially a major setback on up to three months’ worth of work. I hit the internet and my advice gurus to find out if there was a way around this. Unfortunately not, I needed to buy a new distributor clamp and replace the existing one in the middle of the engine. That was enough for that day. I’d had enough. I packed up, and went and sulked inside!

I had discovered another of the wonders of BSA design. The clamp that holds the distributor in position is in the depths of the engine next to the gears (an early part of the assembly), yet the retaining screw goes in through the outer timing cover – one of the last pieces to go in place. This makes distributor adjustments easy but causes problems if the clamp fails. As I said, I’d even checked the clamp before putting it in place, but obviously not thoroughly enough. So, to replace it I had to take off the newly-installed exhaust system, the pegs, the gear shift and kickstart pedals, remove the outer cover, dismantle the kickstart and gear change mechanisms, and remove the inner cover. Removing the inner cover obviously meant that one of my nemeses – the gearbox – came apart as well. I even had to loosen the engine in its frame mounts. There were very nearly tears at this point. To do all that assembly work on the engine had taken me weeks and weeks. I had to take apart 1/3 of the engine to get at that one part. Surely this could have been designed better?

On the positive side of things though, what had previously taken me weeks took me an afternoon this time. It brought home to me how much I’ve learned and what a difference it makes when you actually know something about what you are doing.

Of course, things couldn’t go completely smoothly though. That would be too easy. Upon re-re-re-re-re-assembly another thread went on the bottom engine mount and the kickstart cotter pin broke.  Both fortunately external parts. I got the relevant parts from Dave (Mr. R) and quickly had the bike back to where it had been, but with an installed (and hopefully correctly adjusted) distributor.

I could now start putting these parts on, but before I did I wanted to dismantle and inspect the carburettor.  To that end I took half a day to read about and carefully examine all the individual components. I’m glad I took the time to do the reading as I needed some new parts that I wouldn’t have got without the research, like a float bowl cover. A previous owner had over tightened this cover and distorted it. This would have most likely have led to a fuel leak in the future, not something you want really! Carburettor parts were ordered as well as numberplates. I also ordered something that would probably be very useful in the future, something that we couldn’t find when collecting the bike – keys!

While waiting for these parts I assembled the petrol tank and the rear lighting / numberplate holder on the rear mudguard. And, again, marvelled at how fantastic the tinware looked.

The numberplates arrived and were put on to their relevant mudguards (being an old fart I refuse to call them fenders!). I then quickly had the centre panel and the rear mudguard on the bike. The carburettor parts arrived, and the carb was assembled and attached to the bike in its initial setup. This will need to be altered later as modern fuels are different to the ones used at the time the instructions were written.

The next parts were the final ones and I was starting to get excited as the end of the restoration was in sight. Or was it fear at the thought of trying to start the bike after all this time, effort and learning (and swearing).

That was by-the-by though, as at this point I came down with a severe case of the plague, and lay moaning and groaning on the sofa for 10 days without the slightest bit of sympathy. What a heartless family I have! All I got were quips about man-flu and being a wimp.

Once recovered swift progress was made. The oil tank was fitted and connected, the remaining decal was done, and the front mudguard went on.

At this point I decided to wire up the battery and check all the electrics.  This could be interesting! But overall I was pleased with my electrical efforts. I needed a new bulb for the rear light as the existing one was a 12V bulb and the bike is 6V. I also discovered that the ignition coil was dead. Like the distributor clamp I had checked this when it came off the bike and I thought it was okay, but it obviously wasn’t. Two other bulbs did not work, but I realised that this was because they weren’t earthed – I told you I knew nothing about wiring! That was soon sorted and once the new bulb and ignition coil arrived all the electrics worked correctly.

Only two things were left to go on the bike – the petrol tank and the seat (which I had resprayed underneath for protection).

They went on and that was it. The restoration part was complete.

Now it was time to get it running and roadworthy, so some oil went into the bike and I waited to see how much came straight back out. Three parts of the bike have oil, so I did this over three nights. This would allow me to trace any leaks. First in was the chaincase – no leaks. Next was the gearbox and, again, there were no leaks.

Finally, I needed to get oil into the oil tank and use the kickstart to move this oil all around the engine. 400 kicks or so later no oil was coming back into the oil tank. Some slight disassembly showed that oil was going all round the engine but simply not managing that final bit back to the tank and the scavenger to the rockerbox. There were no blockages. I finally decided that this was because the insides of these pipes were both very clean and very narrow.  Due to the viscosity of the oil I thought that liquid to surface friction might be causing this. I removed the necessary pipes and forced oil through them. Once reattached this initial friction had been overcome and the oil came through nicely. Again, I left this overnight and there were no leaks. 

Finally, fuel. I put a small amount of petrol into the tank and it came straight out again at the bottom! Some quick action with a cup collected most of this and then I had to do some cleaning up and let things evaporate. Investigation led me to something I had heard about but hadn’t twigged was applicable to my bike. I discovered a cork in the petrol tap under the tank which had dried out and shrunk over the years. Boiling it in a pan of water for half an hour and then leaving it to soak overnight in petrol and it was back to its proper dimensions. Petrol went back into the tank and the tap worked nicely. And the petrol came straight back out via the carb! This leaking from the carb was my first encounter with something that would become a recurring theme for me – I hadn’t tightened things up enough. In my fear of damaging parts by overtightening them I had gone to the other extreme. Carb parts tightened and no leaks. That meant that the next stage was…….first start!

All was set. I had the bike nicely positioned. Sharon and my daughter Emily, were there to watch and film things. I gave the bike its first kickstart – nothing. Many kicks later we switched off the video as I wasn’t getting anything, not even a hint of the engine starting. It was disheartening. It was at this point I remembered to turn on the ignition! 10 kicks later and the bike burst into life. Glorious, fantastic, amazing. The bike lived.

Okay I had to have the throttle fully open and oil seemed to be coming from everywhere, but the bike ran. What a feeling. And what a lovely sound.

I had expected the bike not to run for long. That was because I was going to have to do all the necessary alterations to the timing and the carb to get a sweet running engine. But I wasn’t expecting oil to come out so much, especially after it not leaking earlier. The pressure of the engine running was obviously forcing the oil out. Repeatedly starting the engine led me to three leaks – the primary chaincase cover, the sump plate and most worryingly the outer timing cover. This was worrying because there shouldn’t be sufficient oil in that area for a leak to occur.

New sump plate parts sorted that leak. I’d tried to get away with not replacing them and it hadn’t worked. The Primary Chaincase needed a new gasket due to the number of times it had been taken off and put back on.

The outer timing cover leak was traced to the camshaft breather. Initial thoughts and advice led me to the oil pump which might need lapping. So, I did this (for a first ever time) and managed to completely overdo it and killed the oil pump (I might have sworn at this point). A new oil pump was bought from Mr. R and all was reassembled, but still the leak was there. I also noticed that oil was coming out of a drain hole in the wrong direction. The pressure is too high in the engine. Investigations into this are continuing, it appears to have people stumped at the moment.

So, we’re at a kind of a weird place now. I just need to get this leak sorted then do the carb settings. Then the bike is on the road. But I’ve also just got Covid. Fortunately, I’m not too ill (mainly fatigue and breathlessness) as I’ve had both jabs but work on the bike has stopped. Realistically I need someone in the know to come and look at this leak for me before I can progress. And help me with the carb. I’ve reached the end of what I can learn by myself and need someone to teach me.

The restoration has been a journey. So many things – I’ve learned a stunning amount and done something I never thought I would be capable of, spent more on the bike than it’s actually worth (without having to even buy it), found great craftspeople who I would highly recommend, received great advice and even written articles about it. But the two most important things? I’ve made new friends (especially Dave and Lisa Smith, to whom I owe a big thank you) and I’ve had fun.

Getting supplies has been interesting. In our emails something Dave said brought home the dangers of buying modern pattern parts. To quote: “The original thread on the kickstart cotter is 9/32″ 26tpi cycle thread. Modern replacements are often 1/4″ or even 6mm!! Horrors. As producing that size is easier and cheaper.” So, you really need to be careful and buy from somewhere with a good reputation for supplying quality parts that are fit for purpose. At least a couple of hundred pounds has been spent on parts that didn’t fit. Again, to quote Dave: “the old boys in the past actually knew what they were doing and made decisions based on good engineering principles.” I would agree – except when it comes to chainguards and distributor clamps that is!

The bike isn’t roadworthy, but it runs, and I can keep the engine going. I could take it out tomorrow, but I wouldn’t get far at all, it would probably cause damage to the engine and it wouldn’t be safe – so that’s a no. I won’t have enough to write another article. All another article would say is that the leak is fixed, the carb is sorted and it’s on the road. There will always be other problems that need sorting as well, after all it’s a vintage motorbike! So, I’ll leave it here with a promise that I’ll send Salli a picture of me on the bike on the road as soon as I can. Thank you all for reading my ramblings, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Stay shiny side up.

Jon Case

First published in Slipstream September 2021

Part Six – It’s Starting to look like a Motorbike!

Last we spoke the bike was slowly starting to come together. So how much would I get done this month? Loads! Partly down to taking a week’s holiday, but also due to the prep and planning I had in place. However, you may remember from last month that there was an elephant in the room. So – first of all……

The gearbox. Oh Gawd. It was time to man up and get it done. My excuses had finally run out. I was convinced that it wasn’t right, and in the end I was correct. I did lots of reading, got advice and finally went for it. I took it apart and started again. Nope, it still didn’t work. Repeat a couple of times and it was sorted, so I sealed it all up. And then there was nothing again. Argh. It took me three days (with initial research, emails, cleaning, exasperation breaks, etc. etc.), but it was time well spent and quite an education. It ended up with all the individual components being laid out and closely examined for defects. They appeared to be in good order, hence it was down to my assembly.

Well at least I knew who the problem was! I started yet again, having been given a specific order in which to assemble. The partially completed whole was working correctly as each individual part was installed. I was being more methodical and taking more time with my assembly, testing the mechanism after each component went in. The final piece went in and it all seemed good. I was now convinced it was assembled correctly, but it still didn’t change gear smoothly. Then a final bit of advice from Mr R did the trick – rotating the mainshaft as I moved the gear change lever. This facilitated the inner workings moving into place. Blindingly obvious when you think about it! When you change gear the engine is running, things are moving and allow the gears to slip into place easily. I was trying to do this without the engine running.

Whilst finishing the wiring the primary chain arrived, so I was now able to re-re-assemble the clutch and stator. Okay, maybe the old primary chain was too loose. I connected the clutch cable up and the clutch worked – remarkable. Stator wiring was soldered in place. Goo and gasket on, and the drive side was finished. I must add that any future owner of this bike who opens the drive side and looks at my soldering on the stator will wonder what muppet worked on the bike previously. Let’s just say that I’m not very good at soldering!

With the piston in and the barrel on, it was time to finish off the timing side by putting on the kickstart and gear change levers. Now the timing side, drive side and barrel were finished and I could see if the engine turned over. And joy of joys, it did! The rear wheel went round, the gears changed and the piston went up and down. This building a motorbike lark might actually work!

Now I could move on to the final part of the engine – the head which included the valves, valve springs and the part I had questioned the existence of in part 1, the rocker box. The valves themselves were black with carbon, but a good soak in petrol and some gentle persuasion gradually removed it all and they were okay. They fitted nicely in the valve guides, (which was a mighty relief), as needing to redo these would have been a major issue for me. I did need some new springs, as the old ones were too compressed, but everything else was in good order.  Dave, of Rupert Ratio fame, supplied me with some NOS (New Old Stock) springs, still in their 50-odd year-old grease. He also suggested that I grind in the valves regardless so that I was confident of a good seal. This needed a new tool, which always holds a bit of excitement. Then I discovered that this expensive piece of equipment was actually a rubber sucker on the end of a stick. Phew!

So, the valves were ground in and fitted, along with the springs and the rest of the cylinder head parts. The rockers were taken out of the rocker box to be cleaned and once they were put back in the two parts could be put together and inserted into the frame with the rest of the engine. The engine block was complete.

The final thing I managed to do this month was a nice bit of bling. The bike had an empty tax disc holder, but obviously tax discs are a thing of the past. I found somewhere that can reproduce year accurate tax discs. So I got a tax disc for 1961, the year the bike was first sold and the issuing stamp to be Bradford. When I first bought the bike and gave the engine and frame numbers to the BSA Owners Club, they had told me that the bike was originally sent to a dealer in Bradford from the Small Heath factory. Although I did find out that the bike has probably been re-registered at some stage, as its registration number is an Isle of Bute number, these historically unused numbers are often used as age-related re-issues.

And that’s you up to date. I’m going to leave it open as to whether I write anything next month. The fact is that I made so much progress on the engine this month that I only have the valve clearances, distributor and carburettor left to do engine-wise, which is not enough to fill an article. And I can’t really do any more on the frame until I have the tinware back and I don’t think that will be this month.

So, I’ll leave it open. If the tinware comes back earlier than I expect, I’ll be here next month. If not, I’ll see you in a couple of months. Keep safe.

Jon Case

First published in Slipstream June 2021

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.

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

Part Four- Things Start to Come Together

Blimey, has another month gone already? Time flies when you’re having fun. I think I’ll go all Hollywood for the start of this month’s article. (- cue deep, manly voice) Previously on Confessions of a First Time Restorer – the speedo had been restored, the engine casings were being vapour blasted, the petrol tank was in to be treated, the wheels had been restored, a painter had been chosen, the frame had been powder coated, I had started some DIY painting on small bits, the chrome had gone in and most importantly, I had survived my heater confession.

The month got off to a good start as I collected the engine casings from RD Cox in Reading and the beautifully treated petrol tank from Jeep in Waterlooville. There had been a delay on the engine casings as one of Doug’s people was off work with Covid. Thankfully, they made a full recovery and I was able to collect the engine parts on the 2nd. Getting these back was key to progress. I couldn’t start on the frame as I needed the chrome back to be able to do that. The first parts required on the frame both had chrome components. With hindsight I should have got the chrome in earlier, but there we go. Getting the engine casings back did mean that I could start on the engine though. And they looked great. What a difference to before.

Back to the engine though.  An important part of the process was cleaning out the sludge trap. This removed all old particles of muck and debris that had accumulated in the depths of the engine. You may also remember that I got a new crank sleeve – (from Austria of all places)? I had to get this fitted before I could put the crankcase halves together.  This was a loose fit, whereas I had to battle to remove the original it was so tight. So, on advice from Mr. R I used Loctite to fix it in place. I could then put the crankcase halves together but trying this highlighted another issue that I had not considered. The bush that this sleeve went into was now too small for the new sleeve. Upon investigation I discovered that this meant I needed to do some ‘reaming’. I’d read that word lots of times but didn’t have a clue what it meant. For those with my level of knowledge it means increasing the internal diameter of an object so that another object will fit into it snugly. For engines, the objects going into the bush need to be an exact and very snug fit so that rotation within the bush can occur but there is no unwanted lateral movement.

Now this needed equipment that I did not have access to (I have found some proper tools since) lateral thinking time again. I came up with a method that I think will work. Again, time will tell. If I’m wrong it’s going mean a lot more work. Basically, I horizontally secured my drill in place and used an abrasive attachment on the drill to carefully increase the internal diameter of the bushes. I did this very slowly, one circuit of the bush at a time so not to go wrong. I then polished the bronze so it was smooth. They fit snugly, rotate very nicely and there is no give in them. Back to that worry part. I think it is okay, but don’t know for sure yet. There are potentially many people out there shaking their heads in disgust.

Doing this reaming allowed me to put the crankcase halves together and start work on the timing side of the engine. I have previously mentioned that the distributor drive shaft and drive pinion both had teeth missing. I now believe this was because the drive shaft bush had not been inserted correctly allowing the shaft to move up and down instead of staying vertically in position and resultantly break against the pinion. I needed new of both. They also needed to be a matched pair. I found the shaft in the Netherlands but couldn’t find the pinion anywhere. As for a matched pair, nothing! I also came up with two part numbers for the shaft. Mr R to the rescue again. He told me that upgraded shafts and pinions had been introduced in 1960 because of excessive wear and tear, hence the two part numbers old and new. He also said that he had a matched pair he could sell me. Result! Ordered and installed. Then came the oil pump, sump plate and the trickiness of the gears, camplate and quadrant, etc. I think I have put the gears in as per the books and schematics, but my gut tells me they are not quite right yet. I’m hoping Jim Bates will be able to come over next month as we start to exit lockdown. I’m going to ruthlessly use his knowledge and see what he thinks. It may well involve some disassembly but so be it.

The next part was the engine casings which needed to be vapour blasted. Recommendations on BSA Facebook groups led me to RD Cox in Reading. For the petrol and oil tanks, Andy Kennett at Dynotech in Bramley (where I take my Yamaha), recommended a gentleman called Jeep in Waterlooville. Only the petrol tank needed work, the oil tank is fine – some money saved! The shiny bits have gone off to AK Moto in Goring – more on that in a sec. Small privately-owned businesses whose work is their calling card and their future business, apart from Jeep, who I assume does it as a hobby during his retirement. I am eagerly anticipating the return of all these items as I will then be able to start re-assembly.

I had another ‘spreadsheet’ moment when it came to the chrome parts. I was quite shocked when I got the quote through. It was significantly more than I expected. Some parts were excellent value, others way more than I thought. It was actually cheaper to buy new for several parts. This was disappointing as it would have been nice to use the original parts, but sense had to prevail – first time for everything.

You’ll note from the background of the photo that I have gained an assistant, Murphy one of our dogs. He has taken to lying outside the shed keeping me company. Nothing to do with the supply of dog treats I have in the shed. I get regular nudges reminding me it is time for his next treat. Usually at a particularly trick moment of course.

The other things that have been completed this month are my painting of parts that I could not get powder coated. I did numerous layers of primer and plenty of coats of black. They have come out looking lovely. I have also repaired the battery holder which had an arm missing. It would have been nice to have welded another arm on, but, once again I do not have access to that type of equipment and improvised. I did coat and spray the parts I used, so I am pleased with the result.

So the timing side was in place and it was time to get the outer timing cover on. Gasket goo done and cover on. When I first started reassembling I had decided to print out copies of the schematics so that I could tick off each part as it went back in or on. There were various reasons for doing this. Not only did it mean that I was assembling in the correct order, but it also meant I could ensure I used all parts I had taken off. And alert me to missing parts. The only problem being when the piece you’re scratching your head over is on a different schematic to the one you would expect and is meant to be on the other side of the cover you’ve just gooed into place! Darn. Cover off, goo cleaned off, part inserted, goo reapplied and cover reinstalled. Annoying, but it immediately proved the worth of the system.

This was as far as I wanted to go on the engine without it being in the frame. As mentioned, I couldn’t put the engine back in the frame until I had a rolling chassis (due to bits of the engine protruding outside of the frame). And I couldn’t have a rolling chassis until I got the chrome back. I am stuck until I get the chrome back, which is not only taking longer than I anticipated it has also had an additional delay.

Only one more thing I could potentially do this month. As I had the petrol tank back from Jeep, I could get the tinware to Mike at Triple C if he was ready for it. He was, so it has gone in.  There will be some additional work to the front mudguard though, as when I picked it up (correctly, I hasten to add) to take it in one of the stays just snapped off. I was quite annoyed until I realised that this was probably the ideal time for this to happen if it had to.

So on the last weekend in February I ground to a halt. I still couldn’t start on the frame and I didn’t want to do any more to the engine. I was assured that I would be able to collect the chrome a week and a half later. We’ll see.

To that end I’m signing off until the next instalment. I have plenty of non-motorbike things that need catching up on now lockdown measures are going to be easing. I will try to get some bike stuff done but can’t guarantee it.

I hope you are getting your jab dates through. Maybe we’ll have a St. Crispin’s Sunday before too long?

Jon Case

First published in Slipstream April 2021

Part Three – The Expensive Bit

First things first – I’m still here to carry on. I was in the room when my wife read last month’s article and it was hilarious when she suddenly stopped reading, walked directly to the conservatory, immediately came back and said, ‘You’ve got my heater, you git’! I was laughing for at least a couple of hours. She then gave me ‘the look’ when she got to the part about the oven. One hundred lines – ‘I must act like a mature adult’.

When I signed off last, I’d completed the stripdown and I needed to get restoration work done before I could start reassembly. Lots needed doing – January was going to be expensive. Therefore, the rest of this article could just be two words long, but I’m hoping you’d want more information than that. Those two words? BUDGET SMUDGET.

I’d given myself a ‘finger in the air’ budget of £2k. To be fair to myself the £2k was a total guess based on zero knowledge, so I’m not surprised that it was wrong. I now think about £3k..ish. This is more than the actual value of the bike. But, as it is in memory of Peter, my Father-in-Law, I don’t really mind. When it comes to the second bike I’m going to see how good I can get it for as little as possible. I will be able to get costs down with new skills that I have learned.

The first visit was an eye opener in a couple of respects. One – it wasn’t the original paintwork. It was the same colour, but a not-very-good-quality repaint. No point, nor a good idea, in keeping this paint. Two – two pack was flaming expensive. The quote from the first place was over £3k just for the frame and tinware. I knew from their website that this place was going to be expensive but £3k was a non-starter. That wasn’t happening. I felt disappointed about the paint not being original, however it did mean that I didn’t need to two pack and could consider methods that are modern and less expensive yet also yield great results. It also meant I could powder coat the frame and other relevant parts which was a lot cheaper.

The second person I visited was Mike at Triple C Paintwork in Burghfield. I had been recommended Mike by a couple of people in different Facebook groups (and have also since found out that he advertised in Slipstream last year). It was one of those situations where you just feel it is right. Mike was open and engaging, answering all my questions (even the dopey ones) without any hint of an agenda. He showed me examples of his work at various stages and explained my options, both traditional and modern. I came away feeling Mike wasn’t doing a hard sell, he wanted what was best for me and my bike. I decided to go with Triple C using modern methods at a much more reasonable rate. The only negatives were that it would be March before the work could be done and they don’t powder coat. However, I could see the positives in the wait. His work must be good to have to wait that long and these parts of the bike would be the last to go back on. Regarding powder coating – Mike recommended Tadley Powder Coaters. I called in on them the next day and they took most of the parts there and then. They couldn’t take the shock absorbers as I had not been able to take the chrome collets off, nor the footrests as the rubbers were still on. A week later I had the frame and parts back. They looked lovely. It was starting to get very real!

The next part was the engine casings which needed to be vapour blasted. Recommendations on BSA Facebook groups led me to RD Cox in Reading. For the petrol and oil tanks, Andy Kennett at Dynotech in Bramley (where I take my Yamaha), recommended a gentleman called Jeep in Waterlooville. Only the petrol tank needed work, the oil tank is fine – some money saved! The shiny bits have gone off to AK Moto in Goring – more on that in a sec. Small privately-owned businesses whose work is their calling card and their future business, apart from Jeep, who I assume does it as a hobby during his retirement. I am eagerly anticipating the return of all these items as I will then be able to start re-assembly.

I had another ‘spreadsheet’ moment when it came to the chrome parts. I was quite shocked when I got the quote through. It was significantly more than I expected. Some parts were excellent value, others way more than I thought. It was actually cheaper to buy new for several parts. This was disappointing as it would have been nice to use the original parts, but sense had to prevail – first time for everything.

Then there were the bits that I couldn’t leave at the powder coaters as they weren’t fully taken apart, the shocks and the footrests. The shocks had chrome collets holding the spring in place and a special BSA tool was required to remove them. Of course, this tool was not to be found anywhere and is no longer manufactured. I needed the collets off to get them re-chromed and the shocks powder coated. Fortunately the beauty and generosity of those on the Facebook BSA C15 Restoration Group came to the rescue. A guy called Steve had made this tool himself and offered to loan it to me…… without knowing me from Adam – how cool is that? Steve posted it to me and off came the collets just like that. As soon as I get the re-chromed collets back I will get the shocks put back together and post it back to him. Thanks Steve.

So the collets were off the shocks, the rubbers removed from the footrests and these parts needed re-painting. I considered taking them to Tadley Powder Coaters, but as there were only seven bits I decided to try re-painting them myself. Earlier I had bought a can of chrome spray to ‘chrome’ bare metal parts, but to be frank, this looked pants. I bought some new attachments for my drill so I could polish up bare metal parts, even screw heads and washers (OCD, I greet you!). I could also remove old paint back to metal, hence me getting the idea to re-paint myself. I have primed and coated all these parts, and in my personal opinion they look fantastic. The light fixture in the lounge came in really handy.

Jon Case

First published in Slipstream March2021

Part Two – The Stripdown

So, where did we leave it last month? Oh yes, me standing in front of two 1960s BSA C15 Stars in the back garden and thinking ‘Oh, Good God. What have I done?’ I had the outlines of a basic plan of attack in my mind. For starters I was going to do one bike at a time, the red 1961 bike being the first victim. Surely that being the older bike, it would be the simpler bike? I still don’t know on that one, I’ll let you know in a year or so after I’ve tackled both.

I had been planning in advance though, and even before the bikes arrived, I did know several things for sure – I had bought and built my Mancave, I needed to be methodical and meticulous, I needed new tools, I needed a subscription to Amazon Prime for the tool deliveries, I needed good reference and information sources, and I needed good people for good advice.

Some of these had already been put in place. Whitman tools – bought. Amazon Prime – subscribed. BSA Owners Club membership – sorted. BSA C15 Restoration Group on Facebook – joined. Space for computer and Wi-Fi in Mancave – done. Raiding of my wife’s old crafting storage for empty containers – check.

Therefore, an intricately planned, and painstakingly executed, military style operation was carried out. In other words, whilst my wife was out, I nicked the heater from the conservatory. At the time of writing, it is 6 weeks and counting that I have got away with this. I guess this being published will tell how closely Sharon does read my ramblings! My progress may be about to slow considerably due to the injuries I’m going to sustain.

But I am, at present, able to work in a nice warm Mancave. Please also note in the photo above, on the floor next to the heater, that most vital piece of equipment when dealing with a vintage motorbike – the club hammer! And yes, the toolbox is fine on top of the heater. The heater is designed to allow things to be put on it. I can see people shaking their heads in disgust.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Anyway, back to the engine. In the end I was very pleased with how the engine came apart. I learned a huge amount. There was the odd time that I had to resort to the blowtorch I’d nicked from the kitchen (oh Gawd, now I’m in more trouble) and rubber mallet but in general it came apart well. Again, things were very dirty though. I am glad that I have taken it apart.  There were several things in the depths of the engine that will need attending to. A previous owner had filled up an internal gap with red hematite. This hematite fell out of the gap when I reached that area of the engine. I thought that the casing was falling apart, so asked advice only to be told that the gap was meant to be there to allow oil to move around. That was a relief but made me wary that a previous owner may have had a similar level of knowledge to me and done some things wrong. Several components will need replacing. The distributor drive shaft and the distributor drive pinion both have teeth missing from them (that may sound all knowledgeable, but I had to look up their names to write this!). Coincidentally these are right next to the hole that was filled in. Other parts such as bushes, springs and bearings will need replacing as a matter of course.

Another carefully planned sneak attack also had to be enacted. When it came to removing the aforementioned bushes and bearings the advice I received was unanimous – put the casings in the oven at 150 degrees. Really? Did people actually want me to live through this? Regardless, one day, when my kind, beautiful and adorable, better half (she might get this far in the article) was out, several engine casings went into the oven. And out came the bushes and bearings exactly as they were meant to – success!! Along with copious amounts of very smelly oily smoke. My survival was in the balance here. Kitchen door shut, extractor fan on, windows open, all Gods prayed to. Fortunately, the smell was 90% gone by the time Sharon got home, but my speciality hangdog look and some shameless emotional bribery of ‘well, it was for your Dad’s bike’ had to be employed. I made it – just! Tip – make sure you have the parts thoroughly wrapped in foil when they go in the oven. It takes longer to heat them through but keeps all noxious odours out of the kitchen.

I am always aware that I still have a lot to learn. Jim Bates came over one day in between lockdowns for an outside, socially distanced check up on my progress. I proudly showed him my work. On the desk were the flywheels. ‘Those will need replacing’ says he pointing at the crank sleeves (had to look that one up too). ‘Eh? What?’ says I. And the same with some bearings. Oh bugger. A good lesson though. I really need to check these engine components properly before they go back in. Fortunately, the Rupert Ratio books, and the internet, are gold mines of information, and I know that many very helpful people are just a post away.

So, the bike is now all apart and it’s time to move on to Stage 2 – cleaning and restoration.  Which makes it time to sign off for this month. The many bits and pieces need a really good clean, they’re filthy. The parts washer and ultrasonic cleaner are going to be well used. The frame is going away to be painted. The tinware needs to go somewhere for the paint to be restored, or redone if necessary. I don’t know which yet. The shiny bits need doing. The wheels need rebuilding (the rear potentially needing a new hub thanks to my mistake). The petrol tank and oil tanks need to have their internals checked over. So, whilst I might not be in the shed as much, I’ve still got plenty to be doing. This, I will update you on next month.

In the meantime, keep healthy and stay safe out there, both on and off road.

Jon Case

First published in Slipstream February 2021

Part One – How it all Began

Firstly, let’s get the introductions out of the way. My name is Jon Case and I’ve been riding for just over 3 years, and a member of TVAM for 2 years. A few years ago I reached that mid-life crisis moment. I’d had enough of the career lark, the kids were in their teens, my wife had her hobbies, and I had some personal issues that were in the process of being sorted. To that end, and thankfully with the support of my family, I packed the career in and decided to start again. I handed back the company car, gave up the sales job and went working stacking shelves in a supermarket. This turned out to be the best thing I had ever done career wise. I re-discovered happiness.

A few months into this I found myself thinking about motorbikes one day. I’d always wanted to ride a motorbike but had never learned. My father had been a surgeon in the era when helmets were not compulsory and protective gear was not a priority. He was very anti-bikes due to the number, variety and seriousness of the bike injuries he saw. So there was no chance of me being allowed to learn to ride, and then I never got round to it when I was older.

Roll on a year and I was very happy with my bike, and I still am. She’s gorgeous. Whenever there is something wrong with her I end up a nervous wreck. ‘What’s wrong with her? Is she okay?’ I worry more about her being ill than the kids, but I never said that. And I’d lay money on that there’s a good few of you nodding in agreement. She has that lowdown torque, just the right amount of power for me (okay, it’s a measly 55BHP, but that does me fine, and she keeps up with more powerful bikes without the slightest problem), the wonderful sound I achieved with a new exhaust and hypercharger, the look with the removal of the pillion seat and a few carefully chosen bits of chrome bling.

The simplicity of the bike, not even a fuel gauge after having a car full of toys. A re-modelled seat to make it comfortable after more than 100 miles. The removal of the screen for non-motorway trips. The feeling and the image! I defy anyone to say they haven’t admired themselves in a shop window as they ride past! I was a happy chappy. To quote one of my colleagues at the time – ‘I’m not interested in motorbikes and I don’t like smoking, but you looked cool as **** when you rode out of work yesterday with a fag in your gob’. I can see all the heads shaking in disgust at smoking while riding, but if you position that ciggy just right, there is no ash issue!!

Anyway, I had always planned on getting an advanced riding qualification but wanted some time in the seat first. Starting to ride at my age I was extremely conscious of not having a big metal cage around me. I was also conscious that whilst I had nearly 30 years of driving experience under my belt, and knew how to handle roads and traffic, I was pretty pants at riding a motorbike. I wanted to be a lot better. A friend, John Stevens, who was a member of TVAM until he sadly died earlier this year suggested I join TVAM, so that was what I did.

I was fortunate enough to be allocated Jim Bates as my Observer. He patiently guided me and taught me a huge amount. I’d always thought I was a good driver – not great, just good, but the amount I learned from Jim was astounding, and can be credited to having saved me from one accident that I know of. I didn’t rush it as I worked weekends so it had to be fit in when I could, but in November last year I passed my Advanced test. I just missed out on a F1RST by riding too slowly! But that’s me, and I rode as fast as I personally felt comfortable doing in the pretty grotty November conditions. I’m a much better rider now (and driver actually), but still have plenty I can learn.

So, we finally arrive at the joys of 2020, and me actually getting to the point. I had recently changed jobs and was looking forward to getting more involved in TVAM. Doing various additional courses, going on trips and finally being able to attend St. Crispin’s Sunday. Then 2020 really kicked into gear and all plans went out the window.

I am fortunate enough to be a critical worker and in no danger of losing my job or being furloughed, but we were, and continue to be, affected by Covid. My wife’s business has suffered. My son missed college and had to have assessed BTEC grades. My daughter continues to suffer. She missed a quarter of her GCSE syllabus and still doesn’t really know if her GCSEs are going to happen. My wife’s uncle and our neighbour died of Covid, my friend John Stevens died, and then to top it all my Father-in-Law, Peter, unexpectedly died in his sleep in May.

Peter had numerous vintage bikes in his garage that had not been touched or used for years. My Sister-in-Law decided to take a BSA Bantam and a Triumph Tiger Cub, and my wife asked if I wanted two others. This kind of threw me – I knew nothing about bikes apart from how to ride them. The mysteries of an engine are exactly that to me – mysteries. They would need restoring, they hadn’t been started in at least 20 years, probably more like 25. But they’d been kept inside. Could I do it? Would I have the skills to do it? What on earth is a Rockerbox? Where would I do it? How would I learn? Ultimately, what the hell is a BSA C15 when it’s at home? The questions and doubts kept coming. But the seed had been sown.

Yes, you’ve guessed it, there were two BSA C15s available if I wanted them, a 1961 and a 1967. Time to ask the experts. I joined the BSA C15 Restoration Facebook page. I got, and continue to get, amazing advice from these people. Things like buying the bible according to BSA C15 owners – the Rupert Ratio books which look at the C15 in minute detail. Which tools I would need to get, i.e., Whitworth. I asked advice of the BSA Owners Club and found out that C15s are good bikes for a first restoration as they are relatively simple. Both bikes have matching frame and engine numbers, the 1961 still with its original paint. A couple of posts on the TVAM Facebook page yielded good advice. I picked Jim Bates’s mind on a ride out to the Sammy Miller Museum. It’s really worth a visit, a fantastic place, and if anyone wants to buy me a bike, I’ll have a Zundapp K800 please – I’d love to read Nick Tasker’s take on that bike.

All this was answering questions, quashing doubts and pushing me more and more towards giving it a go. In the end I decided to go for it. A shed/mancave was purchased, a van was hired and then on the 1st November the bikes came to their new home.

On my first day off after bringing them home I got the bikes out of the shed, looked at them, and thought ‘Oh Good God, what have I done?’

But I have dived in there, am making good progress and learning a huge amount. I now know what a rockerbox is. So you can find out what that progress is, I will write some follow ups to this over the next few months to let you know how I’m doing, what adventures I’m having, my successes and my failures. It won’t necessarily be every month as I do have to earn the money I’m spending on them, and it’s a slow process being my first restoration. I am having a thoroughly enjoyable time though and hope you will enjoy reading about it. The strip down of the first bike is well progressed, so next month I’ll give you an update. Bye for now, and stay safe.

Jon Case

First published in Slipstream January 2021