All mechanical stuff here.
I had Friday off work, slighty ruined by not getting back from a work trip until 10.30 on Thursday but there you go, if you'll allow me to misquote Edward VII - *****r Basildon!
Friday I started with the Triumphs front end. Changed the fork oil, fitted gaitors, made a mud flap out of cut up 2-stroke bottle, then set to work on the front disk. Had the usual trouble with OEM bolts, heads of cheese somehow fused into diamond composite threads. Anyhow, three hours of drilling, grinding, heating, punching, chiseling, mole gripping and cursing the the things sorted except I only got one bolt from six out in one piece, so I'm now waiting for replacements. No worries, they can be fitted from the outside, so the semi-floating disk is now on along with the M&S tyre. I just can't ride until I get the bolts. I was on the IPA by four thirty!
Saturday we did 90% of our Christmas shopping, so the only bike activity was tightening the zeds exhaust nut.
Today I tackled the Trumphs other end. New rear pads, M&S tyre and another new mud flap knocked up with a slight interuption for a swearing break when having refitted both silencers I found the spacer out of the cush drive bearings on the garage floor. I've tested a Swedish army army cookset I bought years back and decided it'll work for sprint type winter trips, so that's another tick in a checklist box. 19 minutes to boil a pint of water isn't great, but honestly I hope I'm only to use it for the odd cuppa and it's way smaller than the Optimus plus pots and pans. All done in time to retire to the kitchen and start roasting chicken with a glass of pinot grigo in hand, so a rather productive three days IMHO. Pity I didn't get to the hand guards and heaters, but I guess that was a bit optimistic planning wise.
Andy
