A run on the wee ZSB which as usual for me ended in disaster (47 miles).
The weather was fantastic. What better way to spend a day than out on my wee bike having an adventure. I meant to do an old favourite with a run out to Ballater taking in the Cabrach and returning via the Lecht and Grantown on Spey. However “the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray”.
I left home just before 9.00 and took my usual route through Evanton and down by Foulis Station to avoid as much of the A9 as possible. I had to cross the railway at Foulis.
And as usual I crossed the Black Isle via Culbokie and the other Knockbain. This is looking to Ben Wyvis. What a day!
The hills to the west.
I happily motored on to taking the road by Ardersier to avoid the A96. This is best when you are as slow as me. At Nairn I picked up petrol at Sainsbury’s and a picnic at Home Bargains. I had not a care in the world.
A wee bit beyond Kingsteps, again avoiding the A96, the handling of the bike changed. Yes a puncture. I knew a quiet entrance to a wood where I could try and carry out a repair. So I went on a mile or two to get there and stopped at about 10.40. I had something to eat and drink and then got down to work. I got the back wheel off fairly easily.
The previous owner had fitted a tubeless tyre with an inner tube in it. Tubeless tyres are a real pig to get off and on with tyre levers at the side of a road. I got the tube out and then the first disaster. The tyre glue I’d ordered from AliExpress was for repairing side wall damage and not sticking on patches. It needed 24 hours to cure. I put a patch on and waited half an hour but it didn’t take. I tried replacing the ‘tube’ and got the tyre back on. I pinched it and introduced 3 more tares. The picture below is using the brake hub to hold the patch down in the sun.
It was a nail, I think from a horse’s shoe. There were warning signs for horses on the road.
I spent a couple of hours trying to sort this but eventually just put the deflated wheel back on. I crawled to Nairn to Bitz Garage who were supposed to be able to repair tyres. They could not do a motorcycle. They advised a tin of sealant from Screwfix. I have had little success with these in the past. Screwfix was just across the way and I got a tin and fired it in. The tyre would still take no air. I limped into town to the main carpark and put the bike beside the public loo. I messaged Gavino to see if I could get contact details of Ross MacAskill, a friend, so I could just leave the bike with him, but Gavino never got back till much later. I had something to drink as I was parched and it was so hot.
I went to Nickel & Dime and bought another tin of sealant. Of course it made no difference other than make an awful mess. Don’t be so stupid, Hugh!
What do I do? I phoned Anne but she had friends so would not be able to come out for some time. So I decided to get Anne to take out my heavy duty socket set and big levers. I would take the bike apart to get it in the car when she came. So I set about with the wee tool kit I carry to take the bike apart.
Anne arrived at 5.30 but had left my main sockets on the garage floor. So Anne contacted Mairi who came out an hour later with my sockets. Anne bought me a wee picnic which I ate. I drank gallons of Pepsi Max.
Once Mairi came I could get the engine out, the front wheel out and the forks off and we got ‘nearly’ all the bits in the two cars.
The photo below is of the carnage dumped in the garage.
On checking through parts and starting reassembly I found I had lost the carburettor slide spring! Wah! I also have lost the seal at the top of the carburettor so have ordered a complete new carburettor from AliExpress. That is cheaper than buying a spring which is almost impossible anyway.
What a disaster. So I have no motorbikes running at present as my BSA had a disaster on the day I was out with Billy a week ago. I could cry.
Thinking back you can be so wise. I should have left the bike in Nairn and taken the wheel by bus to Inverness where there would be bound to be somewhere to fix my tyre being the big city. But I didn’t and have given myself a lot of work. However I have found a couple of issues with the bike with rusted and stuck parts which I would never have found otherwise.