Repair-Chat
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Upt'North ¹ said :-
I don't think so Rod, It was either 4 shillings or 48d. I think. Or 4 bob of course.
09/01/2026 15:56:07 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Sometime ago I was out in the boozer with me big brother, he arrived back at the table with pints in hand and two packets of crisps under his arm.
All he could say was, "15 Shilling for a packet of crisps"!
09/01/2026 15:58:39 UTC
nab301 said :-
@ Ian , the one thing I don't have in my Enfield tool kit is mole grips! I guess that's going to change ... Although I'd be afraid that if the mole grips let go they might end up in the rear wheel? I'm curious , is that the rear axle to the left of the photo and is it loose?
I ask because a couple of years ago I arrived home on my Enfield and sitting in the recess above the primary chain case was a bolt . After checking around I found the top mounting bolt was missing from the left hand shock absorber .. the bolt is fitted from the wheel side so it fell out and somehow was flicked forward from the rear wheel although there is no unobstructed direct path to where I found it!
@ Ren , sorry I did think of taking photos , but didn't! Not me but what would those who don't carry cash do for the 20p repair? I suppose they could clamp their phone or their credit card instead!
Nigel
11/01/2026 16:50:29 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Oh no! I hadn't thought of that nab301. If you wear a tin foil hat and your basement is filled with toilet paper and baked beans then the great "them" want a cashless society. In which case as you said - where will we find coinage for such things as repairs, spacers, and temporary screwdrivers? I'm liking the mental image of the phone in the mole grips, with a credit card over the screen to protect the screen. That'll work for sure... definitely... yip... perhaps.
As for pounds shillings and pence - I have no idea. According to Google's AI decimalisation was introduced into the UK 8 months before my birth. As such I can only count to 10. Unless I take my socks off.
12/01/2026 08:17:07 UTC
Glyn said :-
I was “involved “ in a repair this weekend! I didn’t weild the tools myself as I slept through the entire event. No molegrips or 10p coins were used in this particular fix.
12/01/2026 10:06:44 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Hi Nigel, yes that is the wheel spindle nut but no it isn't slack (maybe photo distortion?). The plunger rear suspension isn't the greatest design but does ameliorate the worst potholes at the expense of being a bit vague feeling when cranked over on bumpy roads. But better than the back end stepping out as it tends to on rigid frames.
That looks like an elbow Glyn - I understand they can be tricky. Sleeping through it - as I did with my hip op - is the better option in my experience. I had my knee done under local / epidural and it was an odd experience as I could hear the whacks of the lump hammer and smell the burning bone. I did survive however.
12/01/2026 10:16:27 UTC
Glyn said :-
Yes Ian it’s my right knee. I don’t think I’ve ever suffered prolonged pain like it. I’m only 4 days in and sure I’ll forget the worst of it with time.
12/01/2026 11:32:51 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Are you suffering Glyn? You have my sympathies although they'll do you no good at all. Hang in there, I'm wishing you a speedy recovery in the hope there'll be fewer 2 strokes in your future.
12/01/2026 12:50:50 UTC
Glyn said :-
I have to say Ren that the suffering is intense. Do you think it could be Devine retribution for my bringing the odd two stroke back upon the highways of the uk? If that is indeed the case , then I most actively repent and seek forgiveness for my waywardness.
12/01/2026 18:18:36 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Oh Glyn! I ought not laugh but I do believe your waywardness is the cause. However even those 2 stroke evildoers do not deserve prolonged and intense pain, just a minor twinge from time to time would be sufficient.
I wish I had wise words of wisdom for you like I wish someone had wise words of wisdom for me when I had my crash. I'm figuring you have a cocktail of painkillers... that make sod all difference and bung up your bowels?
12/01/2026 20:26:15 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The problem with replacement knees is the physio that's necessary to make sure you still have a decent range of movement. I know someone who had a replacement but refused all the physio. They ended up with a joint that would barely flex enough to walk let alone get aboard a bike.
Stck with it and the pain will go. Eventually........
13/01/2026 10:32:01 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian, Thanks for the explanations (plunger and joint replacement!)
@ Glyn, I've no idea what the usual recovery period is for knee replacement but hopefully you'll be back out in the garage over the coming months completely pain free. Keeping it politically correct Surely it can't be worse than childbirth ...!!
Nigel
14/01/2026 12:04:20 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I'm now starting to get an idea of the setup. This is the chassis in position with 9" sidecar wheel lead, but a bit further away from the bike than it will end up to allow adjustments. As I thought the forward mounting on the chassis is far too far forward to be of any use so will need to make more split clamps.
Mr Waitrose's grovery boxes are ideal for this job!
14/01/2026 12:40:26 UTC
nab301 said :-
Looking forward to the end result , although you still have your work cut out!
Nigel
14/01/2026 13:06:29 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The hard part as always is actually the thinking and going through umpteen scenarios before discovering flaws and having to reimagine. Of course once tool meets steel new issues raise their heads but nothing that can't be overcome. My little lathe is struggling a bit trying to face off 3" square blocks of mild steel. Aluminium alloy is no problem.
Once the attachments are finalised I then will have the problem of the nearside radiator which as far as I can see want to occupy the same space as one of the struts.
And then of course the body. I hope to have the basic attachments and alignments sorted out within a week or so, then to tackle the radiator issue before doing a dry fit of the body before it goes off for paint. But that isn't scheduled till the beginning of March.
15/01/2026 14:48:11 UTC
Glyn said :-
Theres a lot of knowledge on these pages. As mentioned by Ren, there are considerable financial savings to be made on toilet roll when one mixes anaesthetic, codean and liquid morphine. None of the tablets work very well, that includes painkillers and Senna pod derivatives. “Movement” is the watchword here for both of the situations I find myself in. The joint, when attached in the theatre, is pretty much full strength immediately as it’s stuck in with some epoxy type glue. The rehabilitation is generally to do with making the displaced muscles etc work again. I can achieve (close on) 90 degrees bend which is good going after 5 days but theres a long way to gg before I consider that the joint is flexible. I am definitely a determined sort of chap which I’m relying on. Thank you all for your well wishes.
15/01/2026 15:31:13 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Your body and your experience will be quite different to mine Glyn - but - coming off the painkillers was a good thing for me. They seemed to make little difference to the pain while simply bunging me up giving me another problem to deal with. 90 degrees is pretty good! Just think about all them muscles and tendons and nerves they'll have been shuffling around to get the joint in. I mean it's pretty complex (not as complex as getting to the tappets on a CB500X though).
16/01/2026 07:59:42 UTC
Glyn said :-
Ian, this sidecar build is brilliant, I can almost hear the cogs whirring in your head. I realise now the complexities of the set up. Being heavily into Trials riding , including outfits, in my younger years, I had no idea of how tricky they were set up. I do remember a local chap who got a Triumph 650 twin to fire on both cylinders at the same time. This was to make the engine “less smooth” to allow the rear wheel time to grip the terrain. There has always been clever buggers but, I fear, less of them per shed these days.
16/01/2026 13:53:47 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
It's certainly more challenging than I'd envisaged. I am lucky in that the sidecar is actually a new old stock one from a defunct dealer. I got it from David Angel of F2 motorcycles - he had planned to build it but didn't have the time. So I don't have the common problems of rust etc. He supplies fittings but at eye-watering prices - for example a simple frame clamp with clevis is £72 + VAT. My version costs around £12 and I think is actually superior. I attach a photo of his clamp below. A full fitting kit costs over £700 + VAT - more than I paid for the sidecar!
I do enjoy the challenge - as much the thought processes and research as the physical work of turning, boring, welding and tapping.
I'm having a short rest from machining etc. I have a split steel clamp which I bought as part of a job lot but needed to skim .060" (OK 1.5mm) from the inside face. This is easy with the alloy I've used for the other clamps but a bit tortuous with steel as I was limited to .010" cuts and even at that it was a clonky affair. I'd probably have been better off just making another new one.
Would you believe I've already used the whole of a 1 metre length of M14 HT studding and need to buy more?
16/01/2026 14:25:30 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
ps Glyn, I used to ride in pre-65 trials in the 1990s on my Royal Enfield Bullet. One of the blokes in the club (Midland Classic) rode a fire breathing 750 Triumph outfit with a very brave "passenger" - a misnomer if ever there was one as they do as much if not more work than the rider / driver. It was always advisable to stay well clear of the back wheel when he took off.
Even more so with the Norton Wasps and occasional big BMW long distance trial outfits I was lucky enough to get close to on occasion. These were real monsters and I did toy with the idea of using one on the road till sense and self-preservation took over.
17/01/2026 14:19:10 UTC
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