Author Archives: brian

Feels like a properly momentous moment this one — the rings have finally landed here in Canada, safe and sound, unlike their poor cousins sent off to Scotland who appear to have vanished into the mist, presumably last seen heading … Continue reading →

I was hoping I’d get back to see Mario by now to try again with the 2nd compression ring, but seems they got lost. CoxandTurner.co.uk confirmed their thoughts that they were lost in the post over the holidays when they … Continue reading →

You may remember the wee chunk missing from one of the head fins, previously documented for the avoidance of doubt and future embarrassment. Fortunately, my neighbour is a career welder and—either out of kindness or curiosity—agreed to patch it up … Continue reading →

Ontario briefly remembered how to be civilised today, scraping its way up to a balmy +10 °C, which of course meant it was perfect weather to work in Mario’s workshop — a space that treats heating as more of a … Continue reading →

Fresh back from the cleaning folks—who somehow didn’t lose or ruin anything, a small miracle—I had a couple of things to sort out before meeting up with Mario (a.k.a. The Master Mechanic, and trust me, he reminds you of the … Continue reading →

Holly (my wonderfully obliging daughter) did the Uber Pickup for me—mainly because Monarch Rebuilding Inc. had the parts ready and, naturally, the transaction was CASH ONLY. ((Thank you John Johnson for the contact—clearly a man who still lives in the … Continue reading →

Wanted to get the engine’s top end cleaned up before putting the whole puzzle back together again. The Barrel will be getting a fresh coat of VHT high-temp paint—because nothing says “I tried” like paint that can actually survive a … Continue reading →

I’ve finally gathered every last bit needed to rebuild the top end again—miracles do happen, apparently—but the barrel’s still sitting there looking like it lost a fight with time itself. I was hoping to give it a good going-over with … Continue reading →

Garage Gymnastics – Scottish Edition LEFT Garage Bay! RIGHT Garage Bay! Not technically progress on the BSA, mind you — but certainly progress toward the work that’ll eventually be done on the BSA. Aye, it’s a process… like a good … Continue reading →

“The Great Scottish Chipboard Revival” Right — so first off, I’ve been carefully preserving (read: tripping over) the chipboard panels used to ship the bike all the way from Scotland to Canada. I was tempted to say London just to … Continue reading →