'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Shop Shifting

It's been a while since I was able to work on the Lightning Rocket as other things have detoured the project.  I was happily chugging along at my three year restoration tempo when a couple of significant events occurred. After living in the same place for many years we decided to move, which was a major undertaking, and a week later my employment abruptly ended. In the midst of this I was still able to accomplish a few tasks on the '64 Lightning Rocket.

Gauges restored by Vintage British Cables in Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada.  They did a fantastic job on both. The tach is a one year only item  found at the Centreville swap meet last year. 

Hardware purchased from "Nooky's Nuts" in the UK. Replacements for many of the BSA's nicked hardware bits. Bar turned nuts and bolts that will look proper on the LR and future projects of many makes. Zinc plating will be replaced with Cadmium where appropriate. 

An interruption of my own making was the decision to move to a new place.  After being "restructured" out of my job I decided to spend time reconfiguring it to our liking. These tasks would have taken my family and I many weekends to accomplish. Our time was well spent as after a couple of months the bulk of the work is finished and we are moved in. 

Time to paint, carpet and move twenty five years worth of things to the new place....

Although I liked my old shop it's time to tear it down and move on...... 


Setting up the new shop....It seems as if I have amassed a lot of stuff. 

The bikes settled in for winter...let it snow.....and boy did it....

After working at the same company for almost 35 years I was told my services were no longer necessary. Nothing new, not a total shock, it's just one of those things you hope never happens to you. Anyway, I had a good run and hope all of the great people who remain at my former employer do well as I will miss them. I have to admit leaving the company was not the way I had envisioned it. No retirement party with my old cronies, no sentimental departure, just a private escort by security to my car with many years of keepsakes in cardboard boxes....So goes big business....

Texting family & friends the news....... "I  won't be needing these anymore."  

Bummer for me as I did all of my welding and machining in the shop where I worked and didn't quite get the LR bits finished....A great benefit I will truly miss. 

The current status of the Lightning Rocket. Parts organized and back in place once again. Hardware in the works, gauges completed and frame bits ready to be put right. 

So what's next? It's time to get back to sorting out the metal parts. I had several pieces welded up in the shop where I worked but did not get time to mill or turn them back to spec. I will have to hunt for a mill or hand work them off. Hardware restoration will follow but I need a lathe to fix or make some of the bits. All of this will be followed by the engine rebuild. The LR power plant ran and appears to be in decent shape so I don't look for this to be an issue...hopefully not famous last words...

Time to buy machines? Let's see what will fit in my shop and what I can find. 

Triumph Motorcycles in America by Lindsay Brooke and David Gaylin. 

A must read for British bike enthusiasts. 

What have I been reading? Triumphs Motorcycles in America by Lindsay Brooke & David Gaylin. It's an update of an older work that I can't believe escaped me for so many years. If you like British bikes and have not read this book you must. It's very well done, full of history, entertaining, and has great pictures too. The Triumph story is an incredible one which is very well told by the authors. I purchased my copy from co-author Lindsay Brooke at the Battle of the Brits this past fall. He is a heck of a nice guy and even signed it for me.