Kaptains Log – The story of my B1

[Kaptainkwak]

As some of you know during the Covid19 lockdown I decided to utilise my time at home by refurbishing my B1. She is a UK registered B1 that I have owned no less than 4 times. When I have sold her it has always been with 1st refusal if selling on and as a sucker for these bikes I could never refuse. I last bought her back on 29th March 2014 and this time she is going nowhere. She had been sat in my garage for 6 years so not before time I decided to start.

[Kaptainkwak]

As you can see she was very tired and in desperate need of some serious TLC. I did attempt a makeover a couple of years ago and although she did run I soon realised she need the full works.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Kaptainkwak.

[Kaptainkwak]

Let’s go then . . .

She was so run down both inside and out but I got the engine stripped and out then the frame stripped bare.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Kaptainkwak.

[Kaptainkwak]

Stuff was sent off for Powder Coating, Zinc plating and the wheels sent away for rebuilding. While waiting for them to return I set about polishing the Aluminium parts

 

[Kaptainkwak]

Then stuff started to come back in.

Zinc Plating

Rebuilt wheels

And the powder Coating

[coleighf]

A true labour of love! I know the feeling.

[Kaptainkwak]

So the work starts here. We need to refurb

[Kaptainkwak]

And now we can start to reassemble

[Kaptainkwak]

I sent the barrels and head away to be blasted

 

The cut stud in the crankcases was put to one side for now

and I started the Rolling Chassis build

[marksav]

Very nice work ! Good to see a lot being done at home instead of “contracting “ it all out .

[Kaptainkwak]

Next I addressed the brakes

Usual offenders were present

But finally fully stripped and cleaned down to bare metal

Then we plant them

And look what a bit of sun can do

[Kaptainkwak]

The wiring harness wanted some attention. A few connectors were replace as well as these repairs

Resulting in a healthy wiring harness

[coleighf]

I was wondering what fertiliser you used in that plant box? When I tried that with Tomorite everything came out red!
The wiring refurb is interesting. The only time that my B1 stopped on me was in France. A fuse had blown, I replaced and it went again. What had happened was that when I fitted the Oxford cockpit fairing, I had to remove the headlight unit, disconnect it, fit it into the fairing and then re-connect. That meant that the wires were pulled forward a few inches and one of them was rubbing on the edge of the hole that the loom passed through in the back of the headlamp shell. It had chafed through the insulation and shorted out. Some insulation tape fixed it. I hadn’t previously noticed that there was no rubber grommet in this hole as there has been on every British bike that I’ve ever owned. If there had been it would never have happened. It had never occurred to me to look there when I fitted the (excellent) Cockpit fairing, which was similar to that fitted to the BMW R90S.

[Kaptainkwak]

That is a trade secret Coleighf . . .

Cylinderhead and barrels had returned from the blasters so now time to attack the engine starting with the cut stud. I took to 2 engineering firms who both failed to remove the stud. I was looking at spark erosion when my son-in-law offered to do it. He assured me he had the skills and even came to my house with hand tools and demonstrated his expertise. 2 1/2 hours later . . .

New stud fitted and spare barrels and head were fitted ready for me to try my soda blasting

 

[Kaptainkwak]

It is a messy job with dust and drifts getting everywhere but I certainly does get rid of all the muck and corrosion

 

[Author]

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