Hello to all on the forum. I joined the forum back in December and although I have posted a few topics I failed to properly introduce myself for which I apologise. First of all thanks to all the members who have offered advice ? the site is an absolute gold mine of information and just following some of the topics is an education in itself.
I am retired and after living in London and working for BT as an engineer for most of my working life, I have recently moved to Kent. (South of England near the coast for all international members).
My biking experience started when I was fourteen and someone gave me a Phillips Panda moped which I rode around the garden and local footpaths until it fell apart. Then came an AJS 500 which cost me £12 back in 1965 and being too young for a licence I rode it off road.
My first road legal bike was a plunger M21 with a double adult sidecar which I passed my test on. I bought a Zundapp 200 next and when the engine packed up I fitted an Ariel Arrow engine, managed to get it through an MOT and rode it for a while. Then came a Super Flash with a Steib snub nosed Sports sidecar. Next was a Norton Dominator 650SS café racer which to my eternal regret, I traded in for a Mini.
There used to be a rather interesting bike shop in Greenwich, London called Pratts and when I was looking round there I saw a rather unusual special tucked away at the back of the shop? two Ariel Arrow engines grafted together and fitted in a Royal Enfield Bullet frame using the RE box. I had to have it and rebuilt it with new paint, rims and tyres. One of the engines had the crankshaft ends reversed and ran backwards (good old two strokes) but unfortunately the crankshaft reassembly was not as good as it might have been and after a few months use when winding up the engine the crank decided to fall apart so I lost interest after that.
Next was a 750 Norton Commando Interstate Combat which unfortunately I traded for a new Suzuki 750 triple (kettle).
Then came the house and kids and the bike was sold in favour of a ?family car? and the only biking I did over the next twenty years was on a Yamaha DT 175 to work and back.
Last November in an attempt to regain some lost youth I bought a 1959 Super Rocket which has just been rebuilt with a JB conversions engine with end feed conversion and thick flange barrels. Also belt drive 12v leccies and loads of new and reconditioned parts.
The bike was not registered but came with a dating certificate from BSAOC and a folder full of receipts. I MOTd the bike and applied for an age related plate and after the bike was inspected at the local DVLA office I received a call saying that they had found the original registration matching the frame number. The plates are now made up and I am waiting for the salt to wash off the roads before I give the bike its first run.
All I have done since I bought the bike is to fit a pair of goldie silencers - I know they are not original but they sound awesome! It was not the easy job I thought it would be because although it is possible to buy a pair of the smaller bore goldies, they will not fit straight on to stock pipes. As far as I know the RGS had a Siamese system with just one goldie on the right. The silencers need brackets to set them about 1 ½ inches further back and a bit shaved off the end on the pipes due to the kink at the end of the drive side pipe. I ended up using new pipes too so I have a complete stock system spare if I want to change it back sometime.
The only work left to do is change the oils and then ride it to see what falls off! I would like to fit a Craven rack and top box but they are few and far between ? perhaps a mission when the bike jumbles start in the Spring. I have been in touch with Renntec and it looks like their Bonneville carrier could be adapted but it would be nicer to have a 60s rack to match the age of the bike.
I have attached a few pics of the bike ? is the front brake original or is it from an Ariel?
Safe riding
Jim