JerryThurston
bought hisfirst
vintagemotorcycle
when hewas17.
Foratimehe
wasTheClassic
MotorCycle
advertisingmanag er.
Now30yearson
from buyinghis
firstold bike,Jerry
still owns and
lovesthemand is
espe cially fond of
fast,noisy
flat-tank ers.What’syourfavourite part ofarestoration?Wheels in?Engine installed?Petrol
tank on?First fire-up?Whateveryourfavourite is, it’samoment to savour.hereisnogettingawayfrom
it –restorationscanbegargantuan
efforts.Sometimes days arespent,
for no visible headwayat all.You
knowwhatitislike, thetimes when
youarefacedwith theumpteenthseizednutandbolt
whichhaveto comeoutforyoutoget anyfurther.You
have appliedpenetrant, triedheat, thenmorepenetrant
and lots of time,but it’s still not shifting. It’s maddening.
Although longand bitter experience tells meabroken
bolt is far moreofanissue thanaseizedone,IamsureI
am not alone ineventuallyreachingthepointwherethe
temptation to giveitabig heavewith alongbar is almost
overwhelming. Ifind that havingmorethanone project
onthe goat onetime helpsenormouslywithresisting
the temptation togettoophysical. Instead,Icansquirta
bit morepenetratingoil on andwander offto something
elsethat will rewardmewith abit ofprogress.
Patience isavirtueand thejoywhen the stubborn
studfinally gives up thefightand unscrews is amazing.
It’s afleetingmomentadmittedly,butcertainly, for me,
it’s theselittle victories that givemethe impetus to plug
awaynightafter night.
It’s not allslog forminorrewards though–rebuilds
andrestoration projects alwayshavethose wonderful
timeswhenthejobreally feels likeit’sgoingsomewhere.
Thereare manybigger victories along theway. Ilovethe
excitementwhenIsuccessfully trackdownamissing
component orre-makesomethingthatfits perfectlyand
looks deadright. It’s thesewins that keep theproject and
Igoingastheymakeupforthehours ofoften boring,
unrelentingwork. I’mwritingthishavingjusthadone of
thosebig progress moments,becauseIhavecompleted
theengineformymostrecentrestoration.
Asmuch asIenjoybuildingengines,seeinga
completedmotor on thebench isn’t the biggest ‘ta-da’
momentsofar asIamconcerned.Forme, it’s about
gettingthefinishedenginebackintothe frame that is
alwaysone ofmybigpsychologicalboosts.Although
it is long-awaitedand alwaysexciting, it is alsooneof
thoseheart-in-the-mouth times.Transferringaheavy,
somewhat spikylumpintoafreshlyfinishedframe is
notwithoutjeopardy. Nomatterhow much protective
tapeyou apply, or howmanybits ofcardboardyouhave
strategically placedwherecontact mightbemade,there
is alwaystheworrythatyouaregoingtobumpone of
the framerailsand takeachunkoutofthe freshpaint.
It is alwaysaheckofarelief when the lastbolts areslid
through and the enginecan’tgo anywhere.
While manyrestorers citefittingthefinishedfueltank
as theirbest bitofarestoration,Iamalittledifferent.
Itotallyagreethat thetankisthe crowningglory,but
sofar asseeingprogressandreally feelinglikeIam
gettingsomewhere, for me it’s allabout the wheels.I
lovethemomentwhenamachinefinds its feet,soto
speak. Somehowgettingapair of freshlyrebuilt wheels,
completewith new tyres,intotheframeisalwaysmy
majorturningpoint. Onceabikecanbepushedabout
theworkshop once more, it alwaysfeels likemostofthe
hardwork is behindme.
Thebiggie,however,has to be startingthe motor for
thefirsttime. Idon’tknowhow manyfresh engines I
havefiredupinthe last40yearsorso, butInever fail
tofindit utterlyterrifying. Iknowtheyhavebeenbuilt
correctly and that Ihavebench-checkedeverything
what feelslikeathousand times,but,despite this,the
firsttime the fuel tapisopenedand thefloatbowl
fills, myheartstarts to thump. It’s not alwaysplain
sailing–IrememberaScottthatflatly refusedtofire
until Irememberedsomethingabout anowner whose
handkerchief alwayssmelledofpetrol becausehe
wouldstuffit into thecarbto chokeit. Ahandover the
bell-mouth did thesame job andIwasaway.
Only oncehasthereeverbeenanyreal drama. While
pullingamotorover usingtherear wheelinorder to
getsome oil circulating,Ifailedto noticeacarburettor
leakandthe plugwire dangling!Thefire wassmall and
nothingwas damaged,butIlearnedavaluable lesson
that day.
Thesedays, thecarbremainsdry untilthe sparking
plugisinandI’mready togo.Ialsohaveafire
extinguisherhandy, and useatinyauxiliarypetrol
supply, leavingthemain tankoffuntil I’mhappythat
themachineisleak-free.This did givememymost
perplexingmoment, amotorthat ranbeautifully on
theauxiliarysupplybutflatly refusedto goproperly
with the correct fueltankfitted. Ifinallytracked
downthe problem to almost zerofuelflowdue to a
three-positionfueltapthat hadbeenassembled
incorrectly. I, likeall of us,live andlearn.Tu rningpointsIt’s notall slog forminor rewardsthough–rebuildsandrestorationprojectsalwayshavethose wonderfultimeswherethe jobreallyfeels likeit’s goingsomewhere.EndOpinion |JerryThurston Classics
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