First Stampings of the ‘Star’

Yep, the day has arrived, when I can see the results of my first ‘remote’ job being completed. As an industrial pattern-maker, my main line is making ‘wooden’ patterns for castings (not always really wooden and these days I’m working hard on some CAD to get stuff CNC’d). Due to a change in family circumstances,…


New 8″ Headlamp Brackets

Yes, that’s right! Just a quicky! Well, today was a good day… I picked up the initial batch of Headlamp-Brackets (or stays as some will still insist on calling them!) for the WEBB forks and Miller 8″ headlamp, so good for Velocette, Norton, Triumph and other manufacturers also on their pre-war Girders. NOT, I might…


Slow Wake-Up after Christmas

The Koalas in our garden are still sleeping, though! Down here in South Australia, it has been difficult to get anything done (by anyone else, that is!) since about the end of October…all the run up to Christmas was a chore, everyone is ‘flat out like a lizard drinking’ to get all the orders out…


Summer Doldrums

35˚C yesterday and into 40˚C today … and not even January yet! Pretty warm for the time of year, even down here, where everything is moving at snails-pace (except for last minute Christmas shopping!) Christmas down here is, of course, the main summer-holiday season, so everything stops from about a week ago until somewhere at…


8-inch Miller Headlamp

How good are the copies? Well, I have the undoubted pleasure of owning an original Miller lamp shell, with an original ammeter and switch, (the ammeter pictured above is a cheap pattern which doesn’t fit…) although the switch is a later, three-position job, as available now ‘everywhere’ in pattern form; where from I don’t know…probably…


Lucas Altette? (+ some Chrome)

Honk if you’re horny! Old car-bumper stickers are the hit! (Again?) Remember the photos of the Altette I bought a while back? Just to jog your memory, that’s it in the picture above. This is what it looks like now!! Quite a transformation, considering. I disassembled it as far as I could go (the main…


Miller Rear Light Update

A Much Better Rear Light – From Taiwan Not that anyone would (not) notice the difference in the quality of these two parts, without me saying anything about them, but here goes anyway!! Unless you see them side-by-side, how would you know? The one on the right, needless to say, is the one of Indian…


Going (not so) cheap

I can’t afford to buy rubbish! I wonder what it is (apart from sheer profiteering) that makes people continue to produce absolute trash and why others will fall for it, time and again?? Where does the cycle end? Surely there is a limit reached (à la 100 monkeys), where the charlatans and their dirty dealings…


The Wheel Truth

Untruth #1: Only a magician can true wheels! What a load of rubbish! Could do with a bit of time: Yes, could have something to do with WANTING to true them (yourself): Yes. Untruth #2 PATIENCE of Job* required, No, I don’t need it and nor do you. Patience, my friend, is something you only…


Be-Spoke Wire-Wheel Lace-Up

Wheels within wheels… Ever thought of spoking your own wheels up? Look at the cost of getting someone else to do it (not that difficult to find, most Bikeshops or Motocross-oriented dealers as well as some tyre-places can do it for you). Don’t forget, though, they are probably earning on the rim and spokes as…