Records are Made to be Broken

My record for latest motorcycle ride of the year is November 24th of 2009. Doesn't look like it will be broken any time soon:

Getting stoked for snowmobiling though, even if the snow isn't quite ready. Racing season begins late January, so I still have some time to get the 650 ready.

Winter. . .

I've been waiting for a reply from my parts dealer for a few days now. I recently ordered new center-stand bolts and a few other miscellaneous parts for the Norton, but they have yet to arrive. Then, after the head-bolt incident, I ordered a replacement, and while I was at it, and new nut for the fastening the head at the rear of the engine. This one is particularly nasty, as it lies in between the cylinders and is nearly impossible to loosen with a normal wrench. The only solution I could manage was to grind one to fit:

It worked well enough, but I noticed that tightening the nut was difficult as the wrench lost most of its integrity. But that's why God invented Red Loctite.

The snow is melting quite quickly around here, and I hope to take the Bonneville out for one last ride before the real snow comes. I vowed to start the Norton this year, so for now, it stays in the garage. The Bonneville, however, goes into storage.

I am getting excited for winter. We were finally able to track down a new crankshaft for the Arctic Cat EXT 650, or as my dad calls it "the six-and-a-half," which is rare as hen's teeth. The guy we got it from, whom my dad new from racing school in the 60s, actually makes them by pressing together two other shafts, and had two of them. So we bought them both.

The crank first broke before I was born and the guy who fixed it bodged the job and never got it quite right. A few years ago, during a race in the Vintage Snow-Drags, I could tell it was acting funny even before the race, but we decided to go with it regardless. I would hit the throttle, but the machine would take about a second and a half to actually move, but when it finally did, it seemed okay enough. So when it was my turn to race, I wanted to time my run by hitting the gas before the signal, but decided against it, just in case. So naturally, my opponent blew me off the line, but when I finally got out of the chute, I was catching up to him like he was standing still. Coming to the finish line, we were almost even when the crank broke at about 130 km/h. The track locked up and the back end began to slide out. I was now perpendicular to the track when the front ski caught on the snow and the machine rolled about three times. Luckily, the majority of the damage was limited to some dings in the expansion chamber, which pissed me off enough, and some cracks in the fiber-glass cowl.

But now we got the new crank, and the engine is almost ready to be put back in the sled except we need new piston rings and we can't buy them without a new set of pistons as well, which is more money than we're willing to spend right now. But we'll see. As snowmobiling season draws ever closer, I may relent and just buy .10 or .20 over pistons in anticipation of future re-builds.

Oh Snap!

Sometimes motorcycle work permeates into other facets of life. Robert Pirsig was, I think, one of the first to write about this phenomenon in a comprehensive way, or at least take the idea to a new level. The most recent book I've read about it is Matthew B. Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft. If you liked Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence, I suggest you give Crawford a try.

Recently, my attempts at starting the Norton for the first time have been thwarted by my lack of focus. First, after finally sorting the wiring, and mere minutes away from kicking the engine over, I stripped the sparkplug threads. Everything was in place for the big test, and, in my haste, I bodged one of the simplest things, which set me back two weeks.

Then, on Hallowe'en night, after buying a new torque wrench, I had the head back in place, and after dragging my dad over to help me line up the push-rods, I began to torque the head bolts. Two of them are partially blocked by the spindle covers, but are still accessable, so I went at it. I thought I felt the torque wrench give at 20 lbs, but couldn't be sure, so I kept going. This time, I felt nothing. So I kept going. Nothing. So I kept going. Then the bolt snapped.

I cooly set the wrench down, walked in the house, ate a miniature TOOTSIE-ROLL, pressed my thumb and index finger to the bridge of my noes and contemplated suicide.

Well, that may be stretching it just a tad, but my whole endeavor took on new meaning. When I stripped the spark-plug threads, I was infuriated with myself. This job really wasn't that difficult, and I couldn't understand why was I having so much trouble. Then the answer became clear: I lack focus. I have too many other things on my mind. My subconscious is constantly processing too many other things while I should be dedicated to my current task, whatever that may happen to be. This is the way of Zen, and this is the reason why I bought the Norton to begin with: it is an outlet where I can forget my daily obligations and focus on the bike, but it clearly doesn't seem to be working.

I should mention that I'm not a mechanic. I really don't know what I'm doing, and just when I think I do, I strip threads or break bolts. Most, if not all, of what I've learned is from my dad and from books. I have no real experience, hence my failures at applying my knowledge.

The broken bolt put my whole life into perspective. The bolt is everything; everything is the bolt. I need to focus, to listen to my instincts and slow down, otherwise I may snap, just like the bolt.

The worst part about both the stripped threads and the snapped bolt is that at some level, I knew that something was going wrong in both instances, but I was too distracted and didn't listen to those instincts and the result, both times, was disaster.

But this entire problem manifested from my constant haste. There is always something else I should be doing, something else that commands my attention, some future endeavour that I need to make time for. This is the mode of thinking that results in distraction and snapped bolts.

Now, this time, once I have the new parts I need, I will take the process slowly, methodically. Be one with the bike and forget everything else for those few hours in the garage.

Disaster!

Saturday was a high-speed race to prep the bike for Sunday's hare-scramble. There were two main things left to do: first was to sort out the shocks, second was to sort out the chain.  Now, these two things should have been a snap, but I'm slowly learning that finding suitable parts in this town is next to impossible.

Only one place sells metric nuts and bolts, and they're closed on Saturdays. Luckily I picked up some bits on Friday, namely some nuts and bolts that fit the shock mounting holes in the swing-arm. But to my surprise, the holes did not match the ones on the shocks themselves, which were 12mm rather than 10. Dad and I searched all over town to find some sort of insert to do the job, some sort of bushing or other small cylinder that had the proper outside diameter (then we could drill out the inside diameter to fit), but to no avail. Finally we hit the motorcycle salvage and managed some 10mm grommets off an old Suzuki in the yard, which the guy let me have for free! Note to self: next time go there first!

After that we searched for some chain. No motorcycle dealer in the city had 520 chain. Unreal. We were sent to John Deere by the Kawasaki dealer, but they didn't have any either, and the Suzuki dealer sold us a brand new, heavy-duty job for $150 that doesn't even fit. Finally we managed to find some links at Peavy Mart and splice together the chains from the '71 and the '74.

After some other bits and parts that needed sorting, I made an exhaust mount out of one of the grommets that we pressed out of the shocks, since the last owner had apparently lost the original and simply wrapped the bolt with what seemed like an entire roll of electrical tape.

 It was now 7:00: fifteen hours until the race. I got everything together, and loaded the bike in the truck and was off to the track for the first (and only) test run:

As you can see, the bike needs to be rev'ed quite high to take-off.

The chain broke soon after that and ate its way into the case. We were done.

I think it's time for a new dirtbike.

Good News and Bad News

The good news is that I was able to get the axel holes machined out (for another whopping bill--I'm beginning to think about switching shops next time), and yes, the axel nuts fit.

The bad news is that

1. The shock holes on the swing-arm are smaller than the holes on the shocks, which means I either have to drill out the holes on the swing arm or try to find new mounts for the shocks
2. Because the swing-arm is so thick, once the axel nuts are through and threaded, there won't be enough room for the adjusters (not that they fit anyway)
3. The brake cable seems like it may be... ahh who am I kidding, they are too short, but I'm hoping that once the wheel is on and the suspension takes up some weight and lowers the frame it will free up some of the cable.
4. Last time I ran the bike it wouldn't run for more than thirty seconds, but that may have been because I couldn't rev it high enough to ride it with any competency since I was in a residential neighborhood
5. I still don't know if the bloody wheel will even fit with the brake in place.
6. The race is on Sunday morning
7. The possibility that I may have to race the most dangerous motorbike ever built is quickly turning into a reality

Nothing's Ever Easy

Right, so the new swing-arm came back from the machinist today with a bill that almost made my eyeballs explode. The tab for the brake mount was nicely done as were the new bushings to accommodate the new swing-arm, but damn it was expensive! I mounted it on the bike after a trip to Princess Auto for some spacers ( read: washers) to fill the gap between the swing-arm and the frame, but I mistakenly sized them to the bushings rather than to the pivot arm, so after another trip to Princess Auto I finally fitted it. At first it was a bit loose, but tightening the pivot-arm nut cured it. I mocked it all up just to get a look at her after I repainted the fenders I bought off ebay, but that may have been wishful thinking...

I began to put wheel adjusters when I noticed that the new swing-arm was thicker than the old one, so the adjusters wouldn't fit onto the new, thicker, aluminum job! I muscled them on as best as I could, hoping that once the axel was tightened, they would come in line, which lead me to my next discovery.

The lengthy oval-like axel holes are smaller on the new swing-arm! This means that the old axel nuts won't fit. Now I'm screwed.

My first idea was a dawn-lit run to the Motorcycle Salvage to see if I could find workable parts, but further thought led me to conclude that the DR 500, the model from which this swing-arm comes, must have a smaller axel. So even if I got new axel nuts that fit, there was no way the old axel would fit through it.

I tested my theory, and sure enough, the axel barely even made it through the holes alone, never mind while shrouded by two axel-nuts. So there goes idea number one.

Idea number two was to use a smaller axel, but then it wouldn't fit my wheel, and there is no way I'm changing that, so that idea was gone as quickly as it came.

My last option is to take the swing-arm back to the machine shop and have the holes enlarged to match the old ones. I just hope he can do it tomorrow. The race is on Sunday and there is still a ton of stuff to do, like ensuring the bike will run for longer than 30 seconds.

I'm beginning to think I might have to run Dad's Bike. Heaven help me.

Swinger

Race day is coming up and I'm having doubts about whether or not Ricky's Bike will be ready in time. After calling around I managed to snag an aluminum, box-type swing-arm from B.C. to replace the original tubular steel one. The TMs are notorious for frame flex, although I've heard that with the frame modifications that came in '73 the major problems were cured. Nevertheless, I read that the swing-arm from a DR 500 is a bolt-on replacement that enhances the handling ten-fold. It's a bit longer, which shouldn't be a problem as I intend to replace the shocks anyway, but the big problem is that the bracket for the brake steady isn't on the swing-arm as it is for the TM. On the DR, the brake steady, which is just a tubular shaft that holds the brake-drum in place, is connected to the frame, whereas on the TM it is connected to the swing-arm. The other problem is that the swing-arm pivots, which are basically axels, are different sizes. The DR's has a larger Outside Diameter, which means it won't fit through the frame holes. I thought I could simply use the TM's pivot arm, but since it has a smaller OD, it creates play within the DR's swing-arm. Nothing's ever as simple as it seems when it comes to modifying motorcycles.

I thought of two solutions: the first option is to enlarge the frame holes so that the new pivot arm can fit, but I always operate under the assumption that one should avoid permanently modifying the frame as much as possible, so that is out. The second option, which is the one I'm going with, is to weld a tab onto the new swing-arm that would accommodate the old brake steady, but since it's aluminum and I don't have a TIG welder, I had to source it out, so hopefully it will be finished by Monday.

The other thing is that the bushings that hold the pivot in place are different sizes, so I'm getting some custom made that will have the OD of the DR and the ID of the TM. Sweet.

I'm not sure if I'll need to buy a new chain or add some links to the old one yet, and probably won't know until the swing-arm is mounted, but either way it shouldn't be a big deal. It's just more money; speaking of which, my new motocross gear came in this week: Thor "Rage" pants and jersey, a Thor clear chest protector, and Fly racing gloves. My ensemble is now complete except I was a bit optimistic when ordering the pants and they are too small, but new ones are on the way. If anyone is interest in a brand new pair of Thor Rage motocross pants, size 34, drop me an email.  $40 + Shipping.

I'm still crossing my fingers that everything will be ready come race-day. My back-up plan is to run Dad's Bike, the 1971 TM 400. It is a wild beast, a widow-maker, a shoulder-dislocator, and a bone-breaker, but it will be my only option.

 Mark Twain said that in twenty years, we will regret the things we didn't do more than the things we did. I'm trying to keep that in mind.

Same Difference

Bought a bunch of motocross equipment yesterday. Motorcycling can be an expensive way to live, but it's a small price to pay when considering the rewards. I purchased matching Thor "Rage"-style pants and jersey, a clear Thor chest protector, some cool white and brown gloves, and new cush-drive rubbers for Ricky's bike. The decision to purchase the chest protector wasn't made until Saturday, when I was finally able to take Dad's 400 out for a quick run in the field by my house, and even though it was by far the most expensive piece, I've no regrets.

The 400 wasn't as loud as I remembered it, but it is still louder than anything else you hear these days. I'd wager it's even louder than most straight-piped Harley-Davidsons. I started her up in front of the house, just to ensure that she'd start before walking her over to the field, and after that, ripped it up until I ran out of gas.

The other thing I'd forgotten was how out-of-control that bike really is. Riding it now, after the sweet-handling Bonneville for eight years, was a startling revelation. When I was 14, riding that thing down the gravel roads of Saskatchewan, I had no quality barometer. The 400 was the only thing I rode, so to me it was normal. That first run down the mud-clotted field reminded me why it assumed the name "Widowmaker."

My knuckles were white with the vise-like grip required just to keep myself from flying off at every little bump. The grips are just thin rubber tubes that do nothing to quell the engine vibrations, and if the revolutions drop below what I'm guessing to be around 3,000 RPM, it stalls, so to turn around, or even slow down, you have to keep the engine revved while pulling the clutch, which is murder on the hands.
On the second run I got into my groove and was able to handle the bike much better. That's what it takes sometimes. Every motorcycle has its own idiosyncrasies and personality. The 400 is like a wild stallion that can only be tamed through certain modifications. Some like to replace the CDI with one from a TS400, or the fly-wheel with a heavier one, or even the entire frame for a Cheney version. I suggested a few of these mods to my dad, and he refused, saying that he wanted me to ride it the way it was. I understood his reasoning then just as well as I understand it now: he wants me to get a feel for what it was like when he was racing. Besides, there are myriad well-handling and tame dirt-bikes available these days for anyone willing to pony up the dough, so any attempts to tame the TM 400 is to destroy a piece of motorcycling experience that cannot be gained through any other means.

On that note I managed to find an aluminum swing-arm for Ricky's bike. Since I'm planning to actually race this one against modern machines, I need all the help I can get. It is from a DR 500 and in rather nice shape. I haven't fitted it yet, but it looks like there should be no problems, except for the brake-drum mount. On the TM, the bracket, which looks like a smaller version of a one-sided swing-arm connects to the swing-arm itself. On the DR 500 it connects to the frame. So I'm in a bit of a bind. Do I weld a piece on the new swing-arm or on the frame? If I do the former, then I should be able to utilize the original bracket; the latter will require the fabrication of a new one. The Hare Scramble is less than three weeks away, and I'm planning to head to Moosomin this weekend for a test run, so I must decide soon.


I also managed to mount my new Metzler Tourances onto my Bonneville. Thankfully my dad had just bought a tire changer, which helped to break the beads, but it is meant for car and truck tires, so it isn't set up to mount tires onto bikes. A bit of dish-soap and some crowbars did the trick, and backing out of the garage I immediately felt the difference, mostly in the front end. The original Bridgestone lasted a good 23,000 kilometers, and in that time must have squared-off some. Riding today felt better though and it still feels different, yet is still the same old bike.

"New" Boots

Snagged these rad boots today. They are Torsten Hallman edition Sidi motocross boots. I had no idea who Torsten Hallman was, but Wikipedia says that he was a famous Swedish motocross racer in the 60s, which leads me to believe that the boots are also from that decade. Hallman eventually founded the Thor (Torsten Hallman Original Racewear) brand of motocross gear.

These boots saved me a ton of money, so it looks like the race in May is a go. I'm still hunting for some other equipment, mainly a helmet and chest protector, and if I'm lucky I just may find some more cheap vintage gear that will get the job done.

To Scramble, or Not to Scramble

Still on the fence about whether or not I should enter in the Hare Scramble in May. Originally, I was stoked for it, but after adding up the expenses, I'm a bit reluctant.

First, the only dirtbikes I have to ride are my dad's 1971 TM400 Cyclone, and Ricky's '74 TM400. Both of these motorbikes have a lot of sentimental value and history for me, as they belonged to my dad and uncle, yet have been dubbed by many as "the most dangerous motorcycles ever built," especially the '71.

My dad used to race motorbikes, snowmobiles, and cars in the 1960s and 70s, and the '71 is one of the bikes he kept. I learned how to ride on it when I was 14 or so, and my dad always kept a close eye on me whenever I tried to start it. The key word being "tried." Its compression is so high that on the compression stroke the kicker could actually hold my weight. Dad still tells stories about guys who used to try to start it and the bike would backfire, sending the kick-starter back round and snapping their shinbones like twigs.

My dad always named his machines by their engine capacities, so to him the TM is just "the four-hundred," but when I was too young to understand displacement, I always named them by the sounds they made: the TC90 was the "Put-put bike," and the TM was the "Hunninny bike" since its expansion chamber is almost completely resistance free, making it very, very loud and as a boy, the only way I could describe it was through onomatopoeia: HUN-IN-IN-IN-IN-IN!

Apparently, if we are to believe all the reviews of the '71 TM400 it was the most powerful, poorly handling dirtbike ever made. Just take a look at this article by Rick "Superhunky" Seiman. My dad thinks they're all wimps, and I'm inclined to agree. If was able to learn to ride on that thing when I was 14 years old, you'd think motocrossers in the 70's would be able to handle it.
So the '71 and '74 TM400s are my two options for the Hare Scramble. I'm leaning towards the '74, Ricky's bike, since it seems to handle a bit better due to slight frame modifications for that year, plus it seems to idle a bit better and I also don't want to tear up the '71.

My dad bought the '74 for his little brother, Ricky, the year it came out. Ricky eventually committed suicide before I was born for reasons that have never been make entirely clear to me, and after that, my dad sold the bike. A few years ago, the farmer he sold it to called him up and asked my dad if he wanted to buy it back, so he did, and it's now mine.

So I have a bike to race, and since it is 36 years old, I figure that just finishing the scramble in one piece would be an accomplishment. The trouble is that I don't have any of the proper equipment: motocross boots, helmet, etc. Actually, those two things are the only major pieces I need, but I just bought new tires for the Bonneville, and I have a ton of other expenses around the house that have higher priority than motocross equipment.

Still, I'm thinking about it.

Clutched

Made some decent progress clutch-wise on the Norton over the last few days. Sadly, both times I worked on it I forgot the cameras, but surely my vivid descriptions will suffice. After the initial rebuild, the clutch lever on the kicker side wouldn't budge, and I couldn't figure out why as it was my dad who rebuilt it. When I pulled the clutch lever, the clutch basket moved only very slightly, but as a whole unit, and clearly, not as it was supposed to. We thought something may have been wrong internally, but couldn't find out because we couldn't get the spring nuts off. The notch for the screwdriver is divided in half and between the halves is a hole for the rod that holds the springs underneath to go through. The rods were flush with the top of nuts, leaving no room for a screwdriver to undo them. I had made a special tool for this job out of an old chisel and a hack-saw, but it was in my toolbox at home.

So today I brought the tool over and loosened the springs which freed it up. It works great now, except I found that after tightening the adjuster nut until it touches the clutch rod, the cable adjustment doesn't seem to do anything at all. Tomorrow I'll put it in gear and use it a few times to see what happens.

Dual Purpose

Finally brought the two-fify home today, and, with a friend's help, the Bonneville. The two-fifty fired up on the fourth kick, which surprised me. I'm getting ready to license it and I regret not doing it today, but that wouldn't have left me enough time to bring the Triumph home.

Surfing around, I found a Hare Scramble event being held near by on May 16. I'm just sorting through the rules now, and they seem achievable. I plan to enter the Veterans "C" class, which is from 85 c.c. - open. I'm contemplating whether to use either the two-fifty or Ricky's four-hundred, but I need more details about the race to decide.

Loooking Goood

Finally got some work done on Project: Atlas 66. The loom is now labelled and ready to mount to the frame. First, dad and I sorted the original on the kitchen table, using Saturday's Leader Post as a table cloth. We ran into a snag trying to figure the multitude of dual red wires, but quickly overcame it. This time, I remembered to ask him why two six volt batteries were better than one twelve volt to which he replied that two sixes will have more plates and therefore more amps, but with the same voltage. His dad used to use that set-up on the farm with the tractors, but I'll have to do some more research on the subject before I run out and buy anything.

This week I am pretty busy, plus the Bristol race is on Sunday, but maybe afterwards I'll have a few hours to spend on her. Next on the list is to adjust the clutch lever in the gearbox, which shouldn't be too difficult if what my dad told me is true. After that comes the oil-lines. I'm planning to add a Commando oil filter via a bracket made by Dyno Dave at http://Atlanticgreen.com. He also makes a great "clutch rod seal" that prevents oil seepage through the primary case via the gaps between the clutch rod and its cylinder. Then comes determining the route from the pump to the filter, and from the filter to the oil tank without kinking the line. The other difficult part is that the dowels on the filter housing unit are smaller than those on the oil feed off the tank. Do they make tapered hoses?

I also need to address the centre-stand situation. I believe that I may be missing a couple small parts to make this thing work, but hopefully the package with the spring has what I need. My other fear is that the stand may not fit due to the fact that both it and the frame are powder-coated. I haven't actually measured the thickness of the powder-coating, but if I had to estimate, I would believe it to be anywhere from 0.5 -- 1 mm, which can be prove to be quite thick in small spaces.

The Smith's speedometer is broken, but I have no drive for it anyway. A speedo is necessary in order to register it for the Saskatchewan road, but I am still unsure whether the drive gear is supposed to be 1/2 or 8/15, and whether or not the ratio depends on the type of speedometer used or the size of the wheel and tire being used.

Things are looking up, and I think she may actually hit the road this spring.

My Theory

Growing up in Canada in the 1990s means that I wasn't alive when Norton Dominators and Triumph Bonnevilles roamed the streets. Therefore, all the information I have about either one is from external sources. The Triton was born from mating a Triumph 650 pre-unit engine (most likely the earliest versions were T110s) with a Norton (wideline) Featherbed frame. Up until the release of the 650SS, the Norton Dominator Featherbed series consisted of the Model 88 (500cc) and the Model 99 (600cc), which produced about 31 hp, so it seems no wonder why these weak engines were swapped for the superior Triumphs.

But once Norton produced the 650SS along with the new "slimline" version of the Featherbed frame, I imagine there was minimal performance gain from the engine swap, but that the prestige of the Triton had already been solidified, leading many a young man to continue the switch for reasons other than performance alone.

In the case of the Atlas, which was originally named the "750SS," the rumour is that the increased displacement caused excessive vibration. I spoke to Brian Chrichton, an editor of Classic Bike Magazine who owns an Atlas, about the vibrations. He said that his bike actually vibrates less than some other 650 twins that he's ridden throughout the years. I'm of the opinion that the "excessive" vibrations of the Norton Atlas were exaggerated, a mis-understanding that fueled the hasty transformation from Atlas and 650SS to Triton. But we shall see.

Phase One, Project: Atlas 66, Nears Completion

On the last leg of Project: Atlas 66, a rebuild of my 1966 Norton Atlas. Project: Atlas 66 is Phase One of Project: Atlas Verses Triton, my larger project that focuses on the difference between the Norton Atlas and the infamous Triton.

Working on the wiring loom, but it is slow going, mostly because I only have time to work on it about once a week, as it's not currently kept in my unheated garage. I vow to have it finished for Spring, but I've said that before. I especially need to finish it because the Bonneville may be leaking oil through the rings, and I need a bike to ride once the snow is gone. Before I put the Bonnie away for winter I noticed some splashes of oil down my side-cover, but lacked sufficient time to locate the true source. There was no apparent oil anywhere else on the bike, and my theory is that some oil is spurting through the breather, which leads into the airbox, which the side-covers cover. If that is the case, then I can reasonably deduce that some oil is getting past the piston rings and being blown out through the breather. However I just recently read on www.Bonnevilleperformance.com that their breather filter was the "PERFECT ANSWER TO WASTE OIL BEING DIVERTED DIRECTLY TO YOUR STOCK AIRBOX," which of course leads me to think that the waste oil may just be "waste oil," and not blowing past the oil rings. The Bonnie is in storage right now, as the temperature is currently minus eight degrees outside and the ice covering the roads is still six inches thick, so I've no way of investigating further until the weather breaks, which won't be for another month.

But the Atlas is in a nicely heated, carpeted garage, with an array of tools and my father's know-how. We rebuilt the two-fifty a few years ago, but most of his experience is in rebuilding two-stroke Kawasaki snowmobile engines. The loom has not yet proven to be insurmountable; I am still in the process of corresponding its wires to the original. I have replaced the original stator with the correct, three wire version, so hopefully there should be no problem there, but this is naive, for we all know that problems usually come up in the least expected places. I am, however, planning to implement Podtronics to replace the Zener Diode and Rectifier, so that may throw a Whitworth wrench into my plans. But I seriously doubt it, especially because I have a few contacts who I'm sure would help me out. I am also undecided as to whether to use a single twelve volt battery or the original two six-volt set-up. My dad says that two six-volts would be a better, but I've yet to understand why.

The T110 engine is approximately 2/3 complete. The major components I am missing are the camshafts and the head. There were a few nice ones on Ebay recently, but I couldn't justify the expense, as my motorcycle budget is currently committed to finishing the Atlas, fixing the oil leak on the Bonneville, and replacing her tires with some enduro-types. This last expense is necessary since the front tire is still original (it's never needed replacement since the tread is still decent, but cracks are now developing in the side-walls), and I definitely need to replace the rear since I noticed a crack when its wheel was being relaced last summer.

Come spring, the streets of Regina are covered with gravel from the city's attempts to add some traction to the icy roads. Eventually the street-sweepers do their job, but move more around than they actually remove. Sometimes ten-foot long patches of inch deep gravel line an intersection all year, which can make Regina's streets feel like the grid roads of LaFleche. So instead of complaining about it to the city and the Leader Post like I have in the past, I've decided to adapt the Bonneville to suit my riding conditions. There are two very capable tire sets out there that should do the job. The first, more expensive route are the Metzler "Tourances," and the second, cheaper route are the Avon "Distanzias." Guy at the shop said that the Metzlers would be better, but they cost a lot more than the Avons, and add to that the $45 dollars per tire installation (after I've removed the wheels from the bike myself of course), and the price adds up quickly. I must decide soon, although depending on the source of the oil leak, I may not be riding her for a while anyway.