Historic moment as last ever tyre is built at Avon ending production after more than a century This post is based on an article from the Melksham News from December the 12th, 2023. Avon Tyres have been a mainstay of British motorcycling from the very start. I, and most of my motorcycling friends, have Avon […]
BSA B25 Oil Pressure Switch 60-3719 Repl...
Whilst this post refers to the 1972 OIF BSA B25SS Gold Star, it also applies to earlier bikes, although the thread on the oil pressure switch may be different. Check yours with a thread gauge and make sure you don’t fit a tapered thread, when your old switch had a parallel one, and vice versa; […]
W9GFO Ellie Arroway and ‘Contact’
Who else remembers the film ‘Contact’ released in 1997, featuring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey as the main protagonists? It was based on a novel of the same name, written by Carl Sagan which was published in 1985; it’s one of my favourite films. Jodie Foster plays Dr. Ellie Arroway who, after years of searching, […]
Andy Bamford Trials Frame Cotter Pin
I’m in the process of rebuilding a 1963 short stroke Model 16 AJS into an Andy Bamford trials frame. The frame needed touching up in a few places, and I needed to source a few parts such as foot rests and aluminium mudguards. One of the more important parts is the cotter pin which secures […]
WANTED – Pye Black Box record players an
David Ord, a pal of mine, runs a little vintage shop in nearby Hexham…it’s called Ten Green Bottles Vintage, and is in the Market Place, just before you head down Market Street. The address is 21 Market Street, Hexham, NE46 3NX and it’s been there since 2014. Murphy A146 ‘Batwing’ Radio In addition to the […]
Yaesu FT-726R Fault 5A AVR Board Fuse Bl...
This is just a quick post regarding a blown 5A fuse on the AVR board in a Yaesu FT-726R. I switched my radio on the other day and it lit up for about a second before everything went dead. I opened the radio and found the 1 1/4″ 5A fuse on the AVR board had […]
Yaesu FT-840 Encoder Fault Repair
The Yaesu FT-840 was, and still is, a very popular ‘shack in a box’ HF radio. The basic specification is: ‘The Yaesu FT-840 is a compact transceiver with up to 100 Watts output power on all HF amateur radio bands in CW, SSB and FM modes, and up to 25 Watts in AM. Dual/triple conversion […]
How to test the magnetron and diodes in ...
My Sharp R-3G54(B)T Microwave Oven, having survived careful but frequent use over THIRTY YEARS, finally passed away a couple of days ago. It was well built in Thailand in 1993…I’ve repaired a few minor problems over recent years, but this time it was terminal, although it didn’t need to be. WARNING: The voltages inside a […]
Motorcycle Ignition Coils from Lucas Ind...
If you own a classic motorcycle, you may eventually have an ignition coil fail. There are several options available such as: Lucas (UK), Lucas (India), NGK, Remax, Bosch and of course manufacturers’ own offerings. Most of those will be good replacements, but the one from Lucas (India) is not. They simply suffer from reliability issues. […]
How to build a stand for working on moto...
If, like me, you enjoy restoring, rebuilding and repairing classic motorcycles, you’ll know that working on their hubs and brakes can be awkward when the wheels are off the bike. Some of the older ones have spindles / axles that don’t simply slide out of the hubs; they need to be pressed out. Having the […]