Strip tease

It takes just one day to strip a Morini to its component parts. But how to put it back together? Don’t hold your breath

CHRISTMAS IS A TIME for families to come together. And for motorcycles to come apart. On 28 December, 2017 my son Lucas and I stripped down my second Moto Morini Camel (the other one’s fine thanks). Taking bikes apart carefully makes them a lot easier to put back together. Heat, releasing fluid and the right tools let you dismantle without damaging components. And logical organisation with freezer bags, marker pens and plastic boxes, plus photographs and notes, should make reassembly logical. Well, that’s the theory. The bike was stripped to paint the frame and check the engine. But you always find problems. Inspection of the bare frame revealed bent engine mountings. Now we need to refit the suspension, wheels and engine to check wheel and chain alignment. Reassembly by 28 December 2018? Don’t bet on it.