Motorshed Thunderbird part II.
“Here was an utterly beautiful engine, lithe, angular and a metallic onomatopoeia for power (Frank Melling, Motorcycle USA).” Written 82 years ago, when onomatopoeia was a still a thing, Mr Frank Melling had just sampled Triumph's 500 cc Speed Twin and was clearly...
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Motorshed Mustang update number V.
With the Mustang body well on its way to being straight and true, it was time for me to turn my attention to the heart of the beast, a 289 cubic inch Windsor V8. The Windsor story is a fascinating one so grab a cup of tea and we’ll talk a tale of two cities. In 1904,...
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Norton M50 project, part II
There has been some major progress on the Norton this week. The frame has been repaired, likewise the oil tank and the whole lot has been bundled off to Perth for powder and paint. For a time, during the formative years of the motorcycle, the gearbox and engine were...
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Norton M50 project
A new project arrived in the shed this week in the form of a lovely little 1956 Norton 350 single. To be honest, the bike’s not so lovely - but she will be again soon. This machine is a valuable heirloom that belongs to a local family who have been beset by health...
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Rebuilding the Ariel part II
Rebuilding the Ariel Part II This is the second instalment from “Rebuilding the Ariel,” available on this site in eBook format. Given this is only our second excerpt from Rebuilding the Ariel it is perhaps timely to have a brief discussion around the origins of...
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BSA Rocket 3 rebuild part II
1971 BSA Rocket 3 Things are moving slowly forward with the Rocket rebuild. Since we last discussed this project I’ve received a few bits and pieces back and suffered a bit of a shock where I was least expecting it. Let’s look and the shiny new bits first. Having...
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Mustang Rebuild Part IV
In Part III of the Mustang rebuild we left off with the floor welded into the skeletal remains of our 66 Mustang coupe. I saw this as a major step forward. The body was braced, the floor was in, what could possibly go wrong? It was time to get cutting. Recall one does...
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Egli Project Part II
Recently we tracked down a stunning example of an Egli Vincent and, for your author, there was a special treat in store. In Part I of the Egli Trident project, we touched upon the exclusivity of the original Egli Vincent motorcycles and the growing market for replicas...
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The Motor Shed Mustang Rebuild, part III
Taking up from where we put the torch down, the Mustang had panel after panel peeled off until it has hardly recognisable. The floor was the first to go with the new single piece, front and rear, going in. A ‘new’ floor is exactly that. Pressed from a single sheet...
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Going Commando – The Motor Shed Norton
The Norton Commando emerges from the shed, liberated at last. As a motorcycle journeyman I have, for most of my, life been chasing maximum power from my machines, I still vividly remember the first time I cracked 100 horsepower. It was the year 2000 and my new...
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