My bike had finally had all it’s paint work and damage repaired (See Part 1 and Part 2) after falling victim to storms some years ago and she was beginning to look awesome again.
But as shown in Part 2 the excitement of finally getting the bike looking good again was short lived after I dropped her down a slope shortly after having her resprayed. Gutted!
However not one to mope about and thus getting on with things, I was determined to get her sorted and wasn’t going to give up on the old girl just yet!
I couldn’t book in to get the fairing and paintwork fixed again yet as I had just paid out to get her done and pennies were a bit tight. Although I could crack on with other bits in the meantime. I decided to start with the engine where the paint had started flaking off. Quite a straight forward job of sanding it down and then applying the paint. I used a black heat resistant paint and it actually came out looking pretty neat! (Although a re-coat in 6 months or so would keep it looking tidy)
The next stage was to replace the crankcase that had got damaged in the fall. This was easily sourced on Ebay. I also needed to replace the levers and fit new rear brake pads. So what better opportunity to try my hand at a but of spannering, which quite truthfully (apart from the basics) I didn’t really have a clue. Luckily for me I knew the perfect place that could not only help me do the work myself but also provide all the tools needed. This was of course my lovely local bike cafe Chequered Flag SW who just so happen to do their very own DIY workshops. Now no laughing at my extremely amateur video antics (I’m still very new to YouTube and vlogging, lol). Subscribe to my channel to see future videos (which I promise, are slowly getting better!).
So we were back on track again, plus I had learnt a heap load of new spannering skills and the purple levers looked ace!
Now it was just a case of re-booking her in with Ricky at Rusty Hills Repair and Restoration to finish the job. It would take him a few days to do the work which meant I would have to consider other means of getting about with my friends in the meantime…
I have to say as much as a gent my mate Clive from The Ukeabillies is, it was rather strange be a pillion on the back of his bike and definitely not something I want to repeat too often. However he was great at making me feel at ease with this very strange and new experience especially 100 miles later!
Ricky soon got the job done, however the tiny chips on the tank meant many late nights and lots of pulling out hair on his part. But in his true spirit of exceptional workmanship, he managed to get the job done and the old girl was finally looking fab! Ricky had done a fantastic job of bringing this old girl back to life again.
I had finally got my perfect bike; reliable, my favourite colour, lowered for my height and looking every bit as I had always wanted for my dream bike.
However, now is time for us to move onto the next chapter of our lives and I can sadly not keep her. Our travel plans Make Your Own Pot of Gold… are going to be less travel and more trying to start fresh again so everything must go. But I am pleased to be handing her over looking so much better than she did.
Watch this space for my next blog on going ‘All In’ and how we are getting ready to potential start new lives on the other side of the world….
Donna May Photography 