A Mostly British Obsession
The current lineup of mouldering hulks
Let’s see: Current projects include trying to eliminate the dent on the nose of the XJ6, which once again has demonstrated I don’t know much about bodywork. I also have been slowly working on the E-Type, but it has not been the focus of my attention. And the shot above shows the BSA slumbering in the shop. I need to get it sorted on the cold/hot start front so I end up riding it more this year!
My poor XJ6 is, indeed, a daily driver. Roads around here accumulate a lot of muck, and a lot of it sticks to the car! Thankfully it is very rare for it to snow, and hence no salt (car does not go out in the snow in any case). Other shots I liked after the jump.
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Today I completed a straight-across trade–my c.1890 FE Reed wood-turning lathe for this bike, a 1969 BSA 441 Victor Special. This machine hasn’t run in a long time, but is in generally good condition–I’m hoping a bit of fettling may bring her back to life. Of course, machines sometimes are taken off the road for very good mechanical reasons, so I may discover something ‘orrible inside.
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Just finished this poster for the upcoming All British in Bellevue. That’s my XJ6 (oddly enough!) and my good friend Paul’s very original Bugeye. Both are used regularly and neither has been restored…the theme this year is “Drivers & Survivors”. (I hope to have the E-Type done to take to the show, but that will be a challenge!)
Nothing too exciting here, just a few shots of the XJ6 on a foggy night.
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[flickr id=”8377982327″ thumbnail=”original” overlay=”false” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”]Just a few shots of the XJ6 on a cold afternoon. Excuse the photo quality, my phone isn’t too great at low light stuff!
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Happy new year! Sorry for the lack of new posts, but as usual the end of the year was busy busy busy. Took Goldie out today to grab some cedar for garden gates I’m building…sadly, I think it now costs me about a dollar per mile to drive the old warhorse, so I don’t take it out much. Mind, clear cedar is even costlier!
It was only a month ago that I was happily riding down to Crater Lake with my pal Jack, he on his Harley, me on the Sprint. We had a great ride, though in retrospect we tried to cover too much distance on the coast the second day…and the coast was overcast, cold and still crawling with RVs. But once we turned inland at Reedport, Oregon, the skies cleared, we had fabulous roads to ourselves, and it was some of the best riding I’ve done in my life.
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Reg the MGB is still trundling along–as it always has under my regimen of benign neglect. I’ve owned this car for at least a decade now, and I am still very pleased to be its caretaker. All of the cosmetic issues it had when I bought it are largely still in need of attention, but none of them make any difference when driving. I’m incredibly reluctant to take this car off the road and potentially lose the great patina it has.
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I’m definitely enjoying the new bike! I’m trying to get the remedial repairs from the previous owner’s tenure done before the Crater Lake trip; these include replacing the foot pegs (the right one is broken off halfway along and makes for an uncomfortable ride) and replacing the battery. The latter is a disappointment, if only because I asked if it had a decent battery and the seller said yes. I mean, just tell me it sucks, and I’ll get a new one.
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