Chapter 19 Excitement builds

By now quite a few of us will have been back into Brooklands. I’m very lucky in that I’ve stayed fit and well, and I’m not quite into the vulnerable age category, so I’ve taken advantage of what’s been on offer. As I said last week I did some gardening duties on the start – finish straight (hopefully that’s it for the year) and this week I attended one of the Volunteer Induction days. On the survey that was sent round I was enthusiastic about this approach and felt it was worth supporting the initiative as well as familiarising myself with the new set-up.

We will all have views on the organisational upheavals that have taken place, often with sad consequences, but I have to say that all the staff I met with were extremely positive and helpful. For our Motor Cycle Team it must be in our best interests to do our best to help to make the museum re-opening successful as the alternatives are not good. From a simple self-interested point of view, a lot of emphasis seems to be placed on the daily vehicle demonstrations, so I’ve signed up for the rota being organised by Martin.

For those who haven’t been in yet, the changes seem eminently sensible in the circumstances. First impressions are that the whole place has been given a thorough clean, and boy does it make a difference. The pic above for example shows the roof trusses which now look like new, a small detail but worthwhile. I spoke with one of the volunteers who had been doing this work and he said it is now going to be an annual operation.

Obviously there is a one way system in all the sheds and this is clearly marked. We can do several “laps” around the bikes in the Campbell shed however, numbers permitting. The exhibits in the room where the Napier Railton is situated have been thinned out, and for my money it looks a whole lot better, although the RAC Combo has been moved. Graham and Martin are on the case and hopefully it can be paraded during the demos. Other sheds have had similar treatment and all those I visited are looking good. There are hand sanitizers on entry and exit from each building and visitors are recommended to wear face masks. I understand there is some discussion as to whether stewards wear them, since it may make communication harder. The Aircraft Factory and Flight Shed are a little more complex as the one-way system goes in at the lower entrance and exits up at the top door next to the Finishing Straight. With my penchant for never reading instructions I of course tried to go round the wrong way. I didn’t go into the Café or Stratosphere Chamber as these were still being worked on.

Back in the workshop; one problem I’ve had with my BSA B31-2 build is not being able to go and look at our bikes and check up on period details. I was able to do this during the early stages of my project and I guess took it for granted. It’s surprising how often I’ve had to wing it and go with my best guess of what looks right. This week I was able to take some close-up shots of the rear brake linkages, and also the foot gear change mechanisms (for Phase 2 of the build). The good news for me is that every one seems different and definitely of the “cobbled together in a shed” school of design, so hopefully what I’ve done will be in the same vein.

Painting the tin-ware produced mixed results. I am using Hammerite throughout and the smooth black spray went on really well, although I owe this in part to watching others, not least the specialists on one of my favourite TV programmes, The Repair Shop. It has also helped painting at this time of year with a warmer ambient temperature and the opportunity to spray outside. The brush applied paint is not so good, but as its mainly confined to levers, studs and spacers it doesn’t impact the overall appearance too much.

Although I did a dry build there have been a few last minute hitches in the final assembly. The only way I could get the requisite battery size to fit and have my preferred design of battery box (oil tank) was to have the clutch cable pass through the front of the fabricated box. I was quite pleased the way this worked out with suitable entry and exit holes and protective grommets. I belatedly realised though that this prevented the gearbox being moved backwards and forwards to adjust the primary chain tension. The box is a real b*****r to fit and I then had to remove it and open out the exit hole to a slot. I have also discovered that the rear hub must be slightly eccentric and there is slightly more than the usual variance in rear chain tension through a wheel rotation. The primary chain adjustment mechanism I designed works well however and is probably easier than most of my other bikes. All I have to do now is hook the battery up to my shed-built electronic magneto, cover the seat and we should be ready to go.

On Thursday this week I’ve actually booked one of the free Volunteer admission tickets as we’re well up on numbers for the first day the MotorCycle Team puts on a show. Just remember guys, as you tear up and down the start-finish straight I was on my hands and knees last week doing the weeding, so no dropped oil please.

Stay safe and well.

Gareth