Friendly persuasion
Rupe ropes in his mates to inflict a flurry of activity on the Enfield. Will he make it to the Classic TT on time or will the bike turn into a pumpkin?
“Let’s crack on. We’ll sort the footrests and controls, figure out a battery box, and I’ll make a template for the front caliper plate. You shall go to the ball.”
My friend Simon Martin’s text the night before our two-day onslaught was most welcome. I was beginning to feel I wouldn’t have the bike ready in time for the Classic TT – but Simon (ex-harris, EX-NWS, ex-simoto) is a master fabricator and problem solver. He arrived with his vast TIG welder and a roughed-out battery tray. He also produced some threaded steel bushes he’d made earlier, and a pair of heavy duty pre-drilled plates with exactly the right bolt hole sizes and spacings that picked up on the Enfield’s left frame and sidestand mounting points.
After bit of sitting and sizing and a few minutes on the pillar drill, we had a threaded rod for a test footrest. It seemed perfect. Replicating the footrest position on the other side is where the threaded bushes came in. Simon made a steel template using reference points common to both sides of the bike, then welded the bushes in place on the frame.
Now we had two rock solid mounting plates, with the footrests in a good position for comfort and control. I already had some period-looking rearsets from Enfield specialists Hitchcocks and I made a tie rod with rose joints for the gearchange. The rear brake was trickier. Simon cut and shut the lever to accept a Gilera Runner brake switch, and took the assembly home for final finishing.
The next day produced a flurry of progress: we added mounts for paddock stand bushes, fixed the worn-oval head steady, made a front caliper template, and worked out plans to mount the speedo, ignition switch and rear engine brace. I’d hoped to use battery and coil ignition off the crank, but there’s not enough room under the primary casing for the necessary ignition pickups. Plan B is an ignition/ stator kit from Electrexworld. Meanwhile, my new front wheel spindle assembly arrived from Sweden, made by my friends Torbjörn and Thomas. It fitted a treat. For the first time in five years the front wheel isn’t flopping around. Another mate, Jez, is machining up the caliper mount. A fourth chum, Scott, offered to make side panels. I wheeled the bike into his lock-up and within five minutes he’d made exactly what I wanted – using a Rice Krispies packet. Steel versions to follow...
There’s a lot more to do, but if I can rebuild the gearbox in the next week or two, and the ignition kit fits OK, then the rest (apart from the mudguards) should be pretty straightforward. And Simon has promised a return visit.