BSA TRACKER PROJECT..............................

Work to convert a standard 650 twin into a svelte dirt scrambler continues. This month, Odgie gets creative with his clutch, sorts sprockets, experiments with ignitions, and discovers that the devil lurks in the details…

Work to convert a standard 650 twin into a svelte dirt scrambler continues. This month, Odgie gets creative with his clutch, sorts sprockets, experiments with ignitions, and discovers that the devil lurks in the details…

We’ll be having no devils here thank you very much, but we are getting into the details. With the main frame and the various rolling chassis accessories all sorted, it was time to sort out some of the bits and pieces. This can be the stage in any bike build when nothing much seems to be happening. After all the visible progress of sorting out frames, forks, wheels, etc, during which you work on the geometry and overall stance, followed by the even more aesthetic achievements of deciding on tank, seat, mudguards and so on, where the stance becomes a style, and the profile starts to reveal itself, it’s easy to think most of the work is done.

Of course, there’s a whole lot more to get from a groovy looking basis to a fully working motorcycle. And although each item is necessary, they don’t actually add a great deal to the picture. But just because they aren’t as exciting doesn’t mean they don’t have to be done. Like all things, the best way to approach them is with positivity, and enough anticipation to ensure the motivation. This is one of the reasons why I’ve no interest in doing restorations – I’ll happily hammer away at a bit of alloy to make a splash guard, but fitting a newly painted stock mudguard is just drudgery to me. It’s also why I love building bikes but don’t really like working on them. Still, if everyone was as niche-targeted as I am there’d be no museums, no classic shows and no corresponding record of our heritage.

So having managed to conjure up an only vaguely controversial intro for this month, let’s get on with making and fitting stuff.

The splash guard. With a truncated rear mudguard, I needed something to stop all the dirt and shale getting thrown towards the air filters. A bit of knocking with the wooden mallets produced a very acceptable object. This is the Real Fun of bike...