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.
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