And Jim said, let there be light.

Don't worry, you're not seeing double. You might be seeing triple, but not double. Picked Cubbie up from Doctor Jim yesterday but didn't have time to go for a test ride when I got home. Oooh did you hear that? That was Mrs BC sneezing. Yikes. So after the farm duties this morning (catching Ditzie, Debbie McGee, baby Frank's sister (she does have a name but I can't remember it right now) and Boudicca / Boadicea MkII and trimming their feet, then catching the boys and trimming their feet, then putting the girls up in the boys field, and stuff like that) I finally got a chance to go for a spin. Twas quite an exciting moment really. Jim had started Cubbie up when I collected it, so I knew it still worked, but I was still a tad apprehensive. Petrol on, key (complete with Rolls Royce fob) in the reconditioned ignition switch, turn it on, big tickle of the carby, Cubbies a thirsty beast and needs a good drink to get going - no choke y'see, then....kickeddy kick broooom broooom. Oh yes. New ammeter (or is is an amp meter? Is there a difference?) is a thing to behold, look at the needle, hehe, its actually in the + side and showing a healthy charge. The old one that the Doc removed would only move once the bike was in motion, and even then it was usually only from side to side like a metronome, or more recently, way over on the negative side. Looking good so far, lights on and its still on the + side, and this was with just a small amount of revs. Checked oil flow, gurgling back into the tank nicely, check petrol, just enough in there for a lap of the test track....

Helmet and gubbins on, waterproofs too...cold...brrrrrrr....off we go. Half way down the lane and the steering feels a little light....oh gosh, thats ice I'm riding on. Solid ice. Sheet ice. Fun. Make it to the main road, cruising along with lights on full and that shiny new ammeter is still showing a nice lotta charge, stable and consistent. Beautiful. Awwwww listen to that Cubbie!!! Had to stop off at the neighbours on the way home to pick up a parcel that Wimpy White Van Man hadn't been able to deliver, because our road is too bumpy. Assumed it would just be the usual A4 plastic envelope full of paperwork, so took a rucksack to sling it in. Reggie had a good chuckle when he presented me with 2 huge plastic envelopes bursting at the brims, plus a box full of yet more paperwork. Soon fixed it all on the back of Cubbie though, such a versatile little thing. You can just make it out in the pic - if the headlight doesn't blind you.

Soooo, apart from re-wiring the ignition switch 'cos all of the wires in and out were corroded rather badly, and re-doing all the earths to one central location, and fitting my original stator back on (with nice new bullet connections) and sorting out a slight confusion between a couple of green wires (I'm sure theres a nasty little elf around who comes along at night and moves things around. Ahem.) and lining the battery box with rubber, and making up a nice little bit of pipe and bracket from the oil tank overflow/breather so that rather than spray the wiring loom with oil, it now goes on the chain, and fitting new bulbs front and rear, and insisting that I have one of his spare dry cell batteries so that it can sit any way up and any way round in the box (my other one used to spill fluid with the bike on the side stand, so great is the angle of lean) and fixing the rear light (I had it taped up with insulating tape to hold it in place, but the Doc is a man who does things properly!) and fitting the new ammeter and a new tax disc holder (nothing wrong with a jam jar lid, cardboard and sellotape, is there?) and a new gear lever rubber, there wasn't much wrong. I have learnt a lesson though. And thats gotta be good. Don't always fear the worst. Start with the simple things. Check it all carefully, even if you think you have already checked it carefully 16 dozen times. Maybe the best lesson is that a fresh pair of eyes (and a good few years experience) can see what you can't.

Huge big Cubbie Thank Yous go to Jim for his help and insistence that I take the bike to him, and of course to everybody else who has suggested fixes and helped or offered to help in one way or another. You're all such loverly blog readers, even if one or two of you do prefer BSAs, hehe, ooops, now I've done it!


And now, in other news....had 260 hits since Friday PM. Coincidence? Or are you all Old Bike Mart readers who've dropped by to look at the Moto Piston Rally slide show? Welcome aboard, feel free to click on the "comments" bit under this post and say hello. Could post a lot more of my pics from the Scottish rallies and events I go to if you'd be interested....