Category: 1954 BSA A10 (Page 2 of 4)

If it’s restored, why isn’t it better than it is?

BSA Victory…and Defeat, Of Course

August 18, 2012 / Roger

I finally have sussed what was wrong with the Amal 276 on the BSA: The float was set too high (mind you, straight from the maker, but that’s not much of an excuse). Imagine my excitement when I kicked the machine to life and it idled, stone cold–which it has never done. The carb was absolutely full of crud, too, which I suspect is the remains of the old cork fuel taps. (I’ll check it again in a couple hundred miles, but the tank itself was sealed when it was restored.)

Alas. Back from a short “victory” ride, I discovered I was leaving a trail of oil. The photo above shows why: the return line from the cylinder head decided enough was enough.
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Family Snapshot

June 10, 2012 / Roger

This may be the dorkiest thing I’ve done for awhile, but my life is essentially a string of dorky endeavors. I washed my wife’s car, which made me think I should wash the XJ6, which led to me washing a seagull bomb off the MG, which had me thinking the truck hadn’t been washed since last year…so everything got hosed down. (The bikes were out because I was moving stuff around in the shop.) Why not roll out the E-Type? Somewhere in that sequence it passed from “understandable” to “dorky”; in any case, this was the result.

Winter Beeza

February 12, 2012 / Roger

Had the BSA out last week–nothing really new to report. But she started first kick after sitting for a few months (as we struggle through the rainy and occasionally snowy winter here).
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In the Shop, November 2011

November 20, 2011 / Roger

Here’s the inside of the shop, as you can see I haven’t done a whole lot with the organization of the space. (You can click for a larger image.)

I hope to build in some cabinets and what-not this winter, mainly on the wall where I have a couple of ancient Ferrari posters tacked up (I found a stash from ages ago…anyone for a 1980’s Testarossa poster? I managed to put that one back in the tube). I did get casters onto the metal work tables, they’re now handy for moving close to the action or allowing access to all sides of an unwieldy project.
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ABFM 2011

July 26, 2011 / Roger

[flickr id=”5976930245″ thumbnail=”original” overlay=”false” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”] My friend Brent came over early Saturday morning to drive the GT to the All British Field Meet in Bellevue, and I rode the BSA down in convoy with him. The trip was relatively uneventful–only a couple of easily retrieved pieces fell off the BSA and the MGB seeped some oil from the oil cooler, but that was the extent of it.

The BSA took first place…out of two bikes. Can’t say I’m proud of that one. The GT, which took third last year when entered in the wrong category (MGB roadsters), this year was entered in the right category–and failed to place, out of eight GTs entered. It’s the curse of “shiny primer” and red wheels, by gum.

A Bit Soggy

May 22, 2011 / Roger

The shot above–featuring a slightly disgusted Your Correspondent–was taken by Peter Laurence (check out his photostream for great shots of the Vancouver ABFM) as I waited for my entry packet in the pouring rain…I had only ridden four miles from the hotel to the gardens, but I was as soaked as I’ve ever been. Friday was gorgeous, and I didn’t even think about packing leathers or rain gear. I didn’t dry out from this 9AM ride until I got back home 12 hours later!
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Pushed Up by Flowers

November 23, 2010 / Roger

Did what I could to salvage a cruddy low-light shot of the Beezer, taken this past summer. The Casio Exilim is really awful at low-light–hoping to get a new pocket camera soon.

Leaky Side of the Shop

November 2, 2010 / Roger

It’s fairly surprising that there isn’t a contiguous pool of oil covering the floor entirely on this side of the new shop building, especially from the prodigiously leaking pair comprising the SD1 and Reg the MGB roadster. (The BSA leaks, but that doesn’t count; the GT doesn’t leak at all.)
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2010 Isle of Vashon

September 12, 2010 / Roger

It’s been a couple of weeks (!) Since the Isle of Vashon ride. I’ve got to dig through my photos and see if I got anything decent…but someone else (user DoctorWatson on flickr) took this shot of my bike parked up on the main street. It was a good day out, and we didn’t even get rained on!

Summer 2010

June 28, 2010 / Roger

Sigh…still no shop (or even a garage) and many, many things with wheels (not all pictured). I’m thinking of selling the Ferguson–it seems pretty unlikely at this point that I’ll have a use for it…and it’s overkill for even an acre of lawn. Especially one you don’t want field-tire tracks in.