Monday 29 April 2013

CBF Spring Clean - Part#3



Nearly there

Re-painted parts of the frame. Again Hammerite is a good match for the silver frame paint.
 

 



Re-painted the carrier
 





Now just bolt everything together.



The finished article. This is enough because the CBF is not a show bike it’s an everyday runabout.






Cute

A fox with a couple of cubs in my back garden this afternoon







Thursday 25 April 2013

Carcassonne





This week in Carcassone in SW France for no other reason that Ryanair flew us there for £48.


Nous sommes ici
Medieval city

At night


Canal du Midi - we had a pleasant walk along the banks
It was warm enough (just) to dine en plein air
These quaint houses were across from our apartment - about 6 feet wide each
Vineyards with the snow capped Pyrennes behind
Lightweight touring
The local dish is cassoulet
The grocer lists his wines





Friday 19 April 2013

CBF Spring Clean - Part#2



 
Engine casings cleaned and frame tubes re-painted
Hammerite is a perfect match for the original silver on the swing arm
The footrest hangers were cleaned with a pan scourer & sprayed with clear lacquer 
 
Front end back together


 

Tuesday 16 April 2013

CBF Spring Clean - Part#1





Now that the FJ is back on the road it gives me an opportunity to do some maintenance on the CBF. It was used exclusively over the last 6 months and 6,000 miles and was showing some deterioration from the ravages of winter.



The CBF before the spring cleaning


The silencer of the "winter exhaust" was painted with heat proof paint and had this has held up well. I gave it another coat

The engine bars were pretty rusty. They were cleaned and given a coat of zinc primer then a coat of gloss black.



Components re-sprayed.


The wheels got a good clean and some paint was touched up. I re-sprayed the disc centre with heat proof paint.



The fork legs had some stone chips so I re-sprayed them.

The CBF stripped.




Wednesday 10 April 2013

Two Memorials and an Unusual Bridge




 The coast road south of Ayr


Memorial to the Russian Cruiser "Varyag". This ship was built in Philadelphia in 1899 for the Imperial Russian Navy. The ship fought in the Russo-Japanese War and was scuttled by her crew at the Battle of Chemulpo Bay in 1905. The Japanese salvaged and repaired the ship. It was returned to the Russians in 1916 when it was sent to Britain for a refit. Because of the revolution Britain refused to return the ship. It sank off Lendalfoot in Ayrshire en route to Germany to be scapped in 1920.









In the village of Barr I came across this well maintained piece of Victoriana. A memorial drinking fountain to a local man killed in the Boer War.




Remains of the snow that fell last month.

 I passed this bridge near Kirkmichael. It may be an access into the lands of Cloncaird Castle. This is a Tudor arch - an unusual form for a bridge (the bridge isn't of the Tudor era - 19C I'm sure)

 
*** update***

It is Blairquhan Bridge, an access to Blairquhan Castle. The castle was built in 1824 and I guess the bridge is also from that date. The castle's architectural style is described as "Tudor Revival", thus the arch style. Historic Scotland describe it as a Gothic arch, but I think they're wrong.