Back to the headlamp.....

Whilst Postman Pat does his stuff and delivers my very important manifesto to Blighty V.A.T. H.Q. I can do no more than wait..................wait...............and wait some more.
It could be the wait of waits....?
Life's too short to wait...let's Vintafake !

Thankfully the sky hooks holding the headlight were still connected and that gave me a chance to do a bit of measuring.....
Amazing !!!!! The fork centres when measured in Old Blighty inches have 7 1/2" centres. Even though they were created up the Shimanto River at the Viragoshizicota factory where measurement is generally by bamboometer to the nearest 尺貫法 shakkanhō

they match the BSA headlight centres exactly....

I want the mounting brackets to give the illusion that the headlight is suspended in mid-air from the side.....which dictates that the strength of the bracket will have to be in the horizontal plane rather than the vertical.....crikey that's pretty techi Alb...

Patterns were cut from a never ending supply of old Pizza boxes that regularly appear in my dustbin thanks to a character I know thats goes under the name of 'Bad Barty'.  (He knows who he is...a man of mystery and peperami toppings)
I like the 'Recycle me' message printed on the side cause that's exactly what I'm doing......turning scrap back into useful objects.....

Here's pizza box off-cut meeting BSA headlight for the first time......

That's enough creativity for tonight. Time for bed.

Albert over and out....

Big excitement - all for the price of a stamp

Today is a Big Day.
I feel sure many will look back on the 30th August 2012 and say - Albert (bless him) changed civilization as we know it.
I have worked tirelessly on my manifesto. Well to be honest, I did it between flagons and batches of flatchulence...~~
Hey - here's an interesting fact ~ Passing flatus, is an ordinary everyday event for most people. Normally, an average person passes approximately 400 to 2,000 milliliters of oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane gases every day without being noticed.
Well I bet there's plenty of flatchulence in the VAT refund office when my manifesto plops on the doormat.
Here it is ~

 

So, flatufart all you like V.A.T. Weasels - Albert is waiting for his money back !

Time for a flagon of falling down cider and a small flatchuwiffy to celebrate.

Phhhuuuuu !

Fully equiped

Albert tuning in.......is anyone there...........?????
No worries.....I'm used to talking to myself...
I've just returned from my holidays.........no beach for me.....oh no... spent the whole week  endulging in life enriching refreshments......(vital for the over 50s)  mmmmmmmm wonderful Belgium Beers !
My Mojo is now at super level............I'm near ready to explode............LOOK OUT ! I could pop my cork at any time....
Good job I'm ready for the next step because it's grade 2 level shed-engineering coming up now on the VBobber fabrication.  Amazingly I have the necessary tool. To be honest I don't know where this precious artifact came from but today is the day I'm gonna use it.

Hand's up those that have heard of  'Sky Hooks'... bet you've never seen one...
Da Da Daaaaa !

Here's one....holding the VBobber headlight shell firmly in place while I measure to the millimeter the bracket requirements
 

 Side view.....See how the design allows full adjustment once firmly clamped to a passing cloud.
 Bloody marvellous things if you as me....

So, that's enough secret technology shared tonight.
It's now time for bed my little Vintafakers.....sleep tight......
Albert over and out...

Toot Toot ! I can hear the Altette loud and clear Part 3

I've had a quiet day down in 'The Old Sidevalve Bar'  No Weasel War today. It can't be fire and brimstone all the time......Some days are best spent in overalls......
The Altette awaits......I'd mentioned previously that I thought it might be good to leave the scars of time showing. After stripping the paint on the main body the ancient casting was exposed. A coating of clear laquer was applied for preservation only.........Just look at the quality...........built to last.........
A light wire wheel soon took the surface rust off the chrome and the tin centre pressing was cleaned and also coated with clear laquer......
So, here the gorgeous hooter is after a bit of Vintafake Fettling.
 

Next on the hit list were the handlebars. Now, these little beaut's were once attached to the first bike I bought for racing. A Yamaha YDS7. ..Ah memories.......Waited 34 years they have......bit rusty, but lets see what we can do....

A good scrape with a file follower by wire wheeling and rubbing with emery cloth luckily removed not only the rust but the reamins of the chrome too.


Now.....I only have one gallon of nickel plating solution.......and a plastic box half the size of the handlebars but hey, this is 'The Old Sidevalve Can Do Bar'. A bit of selective dipping....(the plastic bottles for displacement purposes)

Now, I can't say it was easy.........in fact it took best part of the morning but I got a result.

A rub with Scotchpad followed by a wipe with WD40 and they are now officially VBobber bars.

Stay tuned. I'm signing off, Alb has a flagon that requires emptying....

Interluuuuuuude

Albertflagonallwaysreadius here...
Interupting the most exciting Altette saga ever written with a quick interluuuuuuuuuuuude.
A news update on the 'March Against The Weasels'.....
Last week a secret meeting took place under the patio umbrella in the dead of night at 'The Old Sidevalve Bar' and a strategy is now in place. A meeting of Yorkshireshireshires finest Bar Propers and Fire Bucket Polishers were eager to salute the Colours of  Sir Rodders Ticklebrush....and help me formulate a plan
 A Result -  I have held triumphantly in my hand a manifesto. For Basil K. a learned fellow in foreign object movements has the tactical knowledge to outflank those that have overstepped the mark of decency.

Hail the two fingers of Ticklebrush.................Hail Falling Down Cider....................Hail the Manifesto.......
and hail all those who sail in her....................
Albert over but not out............

Toot Toot ! I can hear the Altette loud and clear Part 2 with additional News Flash

Greetings to all 'Vintafaker Stalwarts.....and anyone else who knows me. Albert here.
Up early Saturday morning I was...oh yes, because before I could get back into 'The Old Sidevalve Bar' and continue correcting the design errors on the Virago a most important duty had to be performed.
Serious times these are ! I had promised to raise the family colours whilst the battle with The UK Border Bandits rages.....Luckily .I had inherited the aforementioned colours from my uncle Sir Rodders Ticklebrush. He had used then to good effect whilst fighting alongside Michael Caine in the film Zulu....(not a lot of people know that)

Strapped to the top of a turnip spade is where they will firmly remain. Because it's Govermental Turnips we are dealing with......with the occasional Mr Potato Head thrown in for good measure. 
Hoisted high above the battlements of 'The Old Sidevalve Pickling Belfry' for all Yorkshireshireshire to see flies 'The Ticklebrush V' 

Motto -  UNIS EST NUNQUAM SATIS - USQUEQUAQUE UTOR DUOS
              (ONE IS NEVER ENOUGH - ALWAYS USE TWO)


Ok, the line is drawn.  I shall pen a missive. Then await developments

In the meantime I made a bracket to mount the Altette onto the VBobber. I have the original bracket.......but I couldn't bring myself to modify such a valuable piece of motoring metalwork having owned it for many decades.

I like Speed holes .


That's all for now, it's Flagon Hour.
Albert over and out

News Flash........Crisis..You Bet !

We interupt Toot Toot ! I can hear the Altette loud and clear with an important News Flash...
I, 'Honest Albert' feel as if my country has deserted decency.........true Blightyness.......and above set up a whole bunch of Highway Robbers in a new goverment department......UK 'Chuffin' Border Control...
Hey Alb...what happened dude?
I fell foul of importing a tiny weeny tiddly fingy bitty for my ex Elvis CB72 motorcycle from over the pond.....ya know from that country of freedom.....!!!! Whatever !
Here's the offending article......a deliciously brand spanking new speedo drive..............45 years old and never been spun on a wheel......sweet.....

The aluminium curvatiousness...................only touched by one small Japanese person........an American residing in Kerrville Texas..............and me.....firmly located at  'The Old SidevalveBar' Yorkshireshireshire.

Anyways......as my little beaut came innocently into this green and pleasant land of 'Hope and Glory' a spotty faced goverment nerd spotted the package. CASH COW.....! CASH COW ! Went the warning buzzers. Charge every innocent Joe V.A.T. on vital antique motorcycle parts and then further inflict a sting by charging for the privilege !!!!

Total £13.95 !!!

What ya gonna do Alb ?
I'm going to make a stand on MY LAND............I shall raise my colours above 'The Old Sidevalve Bar' battlements...........
If you have colours you want raising too then send them to me and I will see that the wind blows freely through them............Stay tuned for part 2 of this News Flash.......
Corporal Albert of the Left Foot Forward Brigade over and out for now.