One more done, 5 more to go.

Well, well, well well well. Looking back at the photos I took of my MZ Skorpion swinging arm strip down, I noticed that the date on them was....yes....wait for it....July 2010. I left it so long because I thought I'd like the challenge of trying to remember how it went together. A Grumpy club member kindly patched up and painted the old swingy, but when one in much better nick came up on Ebay I thought there'd be no harm in having two. The new one was powder coated and looks 'proper good', and seeing as the swingys are a bit hard to come by, I might try and get the old one reinforced or patched up some more and keep it as a spare. Or maybe I'll find someone to make me a brand new one using that as a pattern.

Anyway, over the last few days I've been messing around painting a few more bits that came off the bike - the dog bones from the suspension linkage, the footrest hangers, gear change lever and brake pedal. The search to find a spray can of silver Hammerite in Fraserburgh was epic, but that's another story all on its own. Did you know, that the Skorpion was fitted with an adjustable shock absorber? I'd forgotten, and mine was so caked in oil and mud that the adjuster couldn't be seen! So it was on with the shock, and all the linkage bits, then off again when I realised that the swing arm should really have gone on first!

Next up was my favourite bit - the fitment of a nice, shiny new chain, in gold, with O rings and ooooh it does look good, I could sit and look at that for a long time. To keep the chain in tip top condition, I thought the Scotoiler ought to be brought back into service. All the bits were there (or thereabouts, in a drawer) but the reservoir had a hole in it where it had been rubbing on the mudguard (ok ok so it's a hugger really, I know) so I nicked a reservoir from a box I found in the shed, and hooked it all up and stuck some blue gooey oil in it. A couple of cable ties sorted out the question of how and where to run the feed pipe to the back sprocket.

The brake caliper had a clean up, took out the pin that holds the pads, copper slipped everything I could find to copper slip, stuck it all back together and then had much fun trying to recall how the spring / washers / no washers / little thing on the bottom that pushes the piston into the rubber thing went. Tip: when you take pics of a strip down, try and clean the parts first so you can see what you're taking a picture of. Hmmm. Bled the brake and then time for a tea cake. Back out to the shed, changed oil and filter and cleaned the gauze filter in the junction above the back of the engine, almost lost a washer in the Cubbie Towers oil recycling bin. Finally got around to the gear change lever, which compared to the brake was a piece of cake.

The battery, which had been left on the bike over winter (errrrr, three winters) had been lovingly tended to over a few days with a top up of distilled water and a good charge, and on the third crank of the button (after a carb drain), bingo! Thump thump thump. Skorpy lives again! Not bad after standing for three years, yes, THREE years with no love or thought given to laying the bike up properly. A quick spin down the private lane just to check everything and the back brake is rubbish so that'll have to be bled again, and then I'll be on the phone to the MOT man. The sad thing is, after getting it back together, I'm not sure it'll be going on the long jaunt to Italy this year. Having costed it out properly, it would cost over a thousand great British pounds just for the fuel and camping. Then add to that food and fun for a week (I fancied a day trip to Corsica but the ferry is about £100+) and I dread to think what the total would be. Plus I really need to do some miles and re-acquaint myself with the potential oil consumption issue - does it really need to be topped up every 100 miles or was I imagining it? And yes, when the internet stops dropping the connection every couple of mins, I'll pop some pics on for you. Mind you, British Telecomedy estimate it will be Thursday before they can fix it.

Anyway, you'll be glad to hear that Skorpy is 17 years old now, so I can get away with writing about it on this here mostly classic blog. Hey, it'll make a change, and Cubbie ain't going nowhere, no Sireeee, I've got the primary chain case off and my spanners at the ready to give the clutch a strip and find out if all is ok in there - a chance glance at it a few weeks back revealed that the whole clutch basket moves in directions that don't look all that healthy. Then if you want more of a Brit bike fix, hang around, and with a bit of luck I'll be working on Terry the Terrier again sooooooooon.

Gotta go bleed that brake again.

PS, if you're wondering what the title means, 5 is the number of projects left to finish!!!