{"id":767,"date":"2026-05-06T21:08:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/?p=767"},"modified":"2026-05-06T22:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T02:00:00","slug":"and-im-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/2026\/05\/06\/and-im-back\/","title":{"rendered":"And I’m back….."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Winter\u2019s finally over, and I\u2019ve emerged from hibernation like a confused Scottish bear wondering who drank all the good whisky. I\u2019ve been \u201cplanning\u201d all winter\u2014which is to say, staring at my bike bits and muttering things like \u201caye, I\u2019ll get to that soon\u201d while accomplishing absolutely hee\u2011haw. The Fall Frame hangs still in my garage from when it was painted.. well cured. Likely some slight touchup when the sun hits it soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My garage is now so full that if I drop a spanner, I need a search party and possibly a priest. Three other bikes, woodworking tools, and whatever else I\u2019ve hoarded over the years. The basement wasn\u2019t an option either\u2014my wife\u2019s office is down there, and disturbing that would\u2019ve been a tactical error of historic proportions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But enough excuses. Time to get back at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Spring Swap Sales kicked off May 2nd at the Paris Fair Grounds. As a member of the Ontario BSA Owners Group, we\u2019d planned a noon meetup. The swap itself? Smaller than expected. English motorcycle parts were rarer than a Scotsman turning down free whisky. Even Mario Abela\u2014who can sniff out a BSA part like a bloodhound\u2014found next to nothing. Mostly Harley and Japanese bits, which I suppose are now \u201cvintage,\u201d though that still feels like calling a teenager \u201cwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I saw a set of shocks like my originals (see above), but since I built the special tool to strip mine down, I\u2019m committed to restoring them. They\u2019ll be Version 1.0\u2014functional, slightly rough, and full of character. Just like most of us. Good enough to ride, questionable enough to keep me humble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I attacked the rust with my 3M wheel, and it chewed through it like a Scotsman through shortbread. Primer\u2019s on, Chrome\u2011ish paint is coming, and the collets are looking surprisingly respectable. The shocks are primed too and will soon be black like the frame and my mood when someone calls my BSA \u201ccute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Left: Collets laying primed and curing for the Chrom-ish paint… coming soon to a cheap paint booth near you.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Left: Shocks hanging in my home-made paint booth after a good initial spray (primer).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Not much else for now, but the 2026 journey has begun, and I hope you\u2019ve missed the updates like a Scotsman misses his favourite dram. Swap meets continue, but finding BSA parts these days is like finding a unicorn wearing a sporran. So I\u2019ll be prowling eBay next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s where I\u2019ll leave it for now\u2014shocks primed, tools scattered, and me standing in the garage like a proud Scottish warrior who\u2019s just survived round one with a rusty chrome beast. The next chapter promises more action, more parts, and probably more swearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So grab your favourite dram and stay tuned. The next post might just be the moment where the old BSA roars back to life\u2026 or tries to set itself on fire again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way, it\u2019ll be worth the read (me hopes).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter\u2019s finally over, and I\u2019ve emerged from hibernation like a confused Scottish bear wondering who drank all the good whisky. I\u2019ve been \u201cplanning\u201d all winter\u2014which is to say, staring at my bike bits and muttering things like \u201caye, I\u2019ll get … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=767"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":778,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767\/revisions\/778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.brainwalkers.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}