Tuesday 12 February 2019

Greenford Police LE Update 5




Greenford Police LE Update 5.

It was so close to being finished then trying to put the rubber around the fuel filler neck catastrophe with a few scratches and then I saw a dent in the rear mudguard and in a place that just drew your eye. You may not notice it but I kept seeing it to the point of having to do something about it. A few minor dings can be ignored, but not this one. 




So where have I got to? I laid out all the bits I needed to fit, took a photo and then started to put bits back on. I found that I was not strong enough to pull the 3/16 stainless pop rivet and bought a stronger gun with more leverage to finally get these things to pull. This took about week to arrive from an E-bay purchase as did the rubber grommets for the filler neck and as I was about to fit the number plate bracket the rubber fitting strip disintegrated and I had to get a new one. It is 6mm diameter with a 1mm slot just right for going over sheet metal and around curves. Again waiting a few days for it to arrive and then ran out of 2BA stainless bolts to fit that with more delays in the assembly. I have knocked the dent out and prepared the area for repainting and now the weather is intervening and it is too cold, even for two pack to cure with heat in my garage and until the paint goes on I’ll not be fitting the tail light bracket. 



I did fit the side strips and touch up the stainless rivets so they were no longer shiny. I’ll do the same with the other rivets when I crack the last can of aerosol 2K. I have spent more time sitting at my computer than I have in the garage and the house needs decorating so while waiting for the weather to get warmer I’m decorating living room, kitchen and about to start the stairs to fill in the time. I have a car project on the go as well and that has meant trips up and down the M4. I have the urge to finish off this LE but things are just getting in the way. 




I had planned to get way at the end of February but have not managed to book anything so I’m at the Museum every Monday enjoying the international feel of people visiting from the far flung corners of the earth and this last Monday was no exception with visitors from China and later in the day from France enjoying the Fabrique en Angleterre. The Home of Triumph is freezing as the heater is broken and there doesn’t seem to be a replacement part for it. The Minter Cafe is toasty when I remember to put the heater on. At some point during the day all us volunteers congregate to discus the woes of the world and a motorcycling history lesson. Two threads to this both looking at the BSA M20. I have had this comment before that I presented to the BSA owners club referring to the god “Gold Star” the starting point for this is the OHV version of the M20 the M23 in the late thirties. Suggested by the BSA owners club as the revered first “Goldie” the Empire Star being that origin. The M20 engine has a massively long stroke of some 106mm and the real Goldie was almost square 85mm bore 88 stroke. I’m sure you would never get the revs from the long stroke motor. 



The other conversation was about how successful the M20 was during World War two. We have the Germans to thank for that. Triumph was doing really well until one dark night in Coventry an incendiary fell and set fire to the Triumph works that adjoined Coventry Cathedral. Not only did Triumph get ablaze so did the Cathedral. Everyone remembers the Cathedral going up in smoke but there is no remorse for the Triumph factory going the same way. This got Triumph a new factory at Meriden and BSA had to build more bikes. Unlucky for some of the squaddies as the military recognised after the war the M20 was not really fit for the job and in 1947 when things settled down a trial for a new military bike was set up and all manufacturers were asked to submit machines for testing. The criteria was a 500cc side-valve twin with good ground clearance, light weight, reasonable speed and inaudible at 400 yards. The M20 was none of these. The trial was over three days with entries from BSA, Douglas and Triumph. The BSA was a look-alike Triumph the Douglas was the transverse twin the DV60 and Triumph had the TRW. Day one the BSA failed, Day two the DV60 failed with a gearbox problem and last man standing was the TRW and was in production from 1947 to 1964.