Moto Guzzi Roadster

Last weekend I finally got my bike, that I refer to as my Black Guzzi Roadster, back on the road after part dismantling half of the engine just before Christmas.
    There had been a light tapping noise,which sounded like it could have been a worn cam follower, rocker spindle,worn valve guide or some other not too serious a problem.
   As it turned out it was a lot more serious when I found what looks like corroded but not worn Big End Shells on the right hand side. I also found the r/h Piston gudgeon pin tight in the small end and a pair of left hand side cam followers that did not want to be removed - they were free moving lower down but very very tight at the top edge and had to be prised out.
   I have just replaced the big end shells on the one side including new con rod bolts. The Small End was only tight for a few millimeters at one edge so that was dressed and similarly the cam follower tunnels.
   The noise has gone and the engine once again sounds very sweet !

The beauty of a Guzzi engine and all this can be done while still in the frame

Spruced up a large part of the engine casing's and decided to have a change -after 8 years-
and leave the barrels silver

 

Guy Martin

Just last weekend Madelyn and I discovered that our niece,Holly, worked as a Production Co Ordinator  with Guy Martin whilst he was filming 'Speed with Guy Martin'
  What is odd about this fact is that we see her fairly regularly and know that she worked at Aardman - Shaun the Sheep, with Tony Robinson on the first series of 'Walking Through History' and was last year based in Birmingham with a series of 'Fifth Gear' amongst a number of other productions. It turns out that before Fifth Gear was 'Speed'
  Obviously she know's I love bikes etc so you'd think........................Oh well maybe not !
  Apparently, and as you'd expect, Guy is a very nice and down to earth man.
  Anyway, for part of her Nan's birthday present from Holly, Guy signed a photo of himself which she also took a picture of him holding, to later make into a birthday card for the same Nan  - Yvonne (Nan) is actually a fan of course

Moto Guzzi USA Trip continued.........

.............. from Chickasha,Oklahoma into Texas and New Mexico

On the 6th day of being on the road we had reached Texas

Our Lunchtime stop was directly opposite
the Jail / Prison pictured below

This inmate was watering the grass

Our very first bit of Route 66 and still in Texas.
We'd not long passed Amarillo and had also gone passed
the famous 'Cadillac Ranch' 

Still on Route 66 and we're heading that a way !

Our  nights stop in New Mexico -'Blue Swallow' Motel
at Tucumcari.
Each double room with it's own garage and a free 1st beer from the outside fridge. 

Oh what a beautiful sign !
The owner is restoring the car too.
All this for $80 a night which at the time was £40

The next morning at approximately 8 am the skies were clearing after a night of torrential
rain,thunder and lightening .
It was our third and last experience (luckily all 3 happened at night) of bad weather

It must have already been 70 degrees plus

On the road again and I try making my phone call home.
Just after here Route 66 halted abruptly  and we were back
on Interstate Highway 40 which runs right alongside a lot anyway 

After a little way on Highway 40 we saw a sign showing Route 66 again,which was
also the turn off for Santa Rosa that we were taking to start heading up into
Northern New Mexico.
Just off the Highway was this privately owned museum

Well worth popping in for the princely sum of $5

Next time......................... up into the corner of Colorado, Arizona - Monument Valley / Grand Canyon

Martin's new / old Milling machine

My friend Martin wanted a navigator and a extra pair of hands (and my exceptionally pleasant company) with collection of his latest Ebay purchase - a very large (3/4 ton) - Milling Machine. He already has a one  but this will be better,that is of course  if he can actually make room for it ? 
He hired a van and off we trundled............. actually trundle isn't a word I should use to describe Martin's driving...........Off we sped to do a approx round trip of 300 + miles into the the depths of East Sussex.
  We arrived safely....PHEW !......... and it then took us approximately 2 hours to take it apart,

All 3/4 ton of it !
The cast iron base that has a pump and a sump inside was the heaviest  and to unload it
the two of us had to push it down a couple of  planks and slip improvised rollers underneath
to get it the 40ft into his garage
Oh how we laughed ,while doing our Back's in at the same time !

Starting to come apart and we ended up with 4 or 5 main items

The cutters - they might look rusty but all the Tips / Edges? looked in excellent condition

as much as we could into manageable pieces........Luckily the seller had a engine hoist to load a few of the heavier parts.
  Martin is already in the process of stripping it down further as he is going to restore it all before assembling it into a space in his workshop...............then his old one will be up For Sale !