Grafting

with no lessons needed any more I got a good day out on the bike. Well I say a good day - its been sunshine and showers all day - no  good when the bike is now outside. There has been plenty of rushing  to get the covers over it, and stand in the doorway with a cuppa while the rain does its thing! With renewed enthusiasm for the build I had to start the day with a  re-arrange of the 3 bikes currently outside. The 125 is going to its new  home tomorrow morning, and the stock XS just needs some work before  its out on the road. First up - seat springs. As much as i loved the look of the original springs,  when you sat of the seat the bottom springs splayed, and the connecting  rods interfered with the threaded lugs on the frame. I picked up some  chrome springs, and put them on the seat. That's a very flippant statement - it honestly took me 30 mins to get the  buggers screwed on. its like some co-ordination game you have as a kid,  flicking the spring, and hoping the nut lands the right way up. I thought  that I had cracked it and got a long magnet thing - only to be stumped  as they are stainless nuts! Anyway - there they are:- without any tooling or metal for the lathe, I re used the original spring  mounts I bought from Sumo. They should have had a profile so that they  fit over the tube, but when I cut them off, that got lost.   now I know what you may be thinking, but I'm gonna weld in some gusset  style plates in the gap, and then hopefully make them tear-drop shaped  with some filler..... Now if I'm gonna ride this bugger, I'd better have some controls. The plan  originally was for forwards, but having sat on PPTom's xs project the other  day I realised I would be fine with mids! Remember my old break pedal I etched? we I wasn't happy with the size or shape of it, so it was time for a bit of a  re-model to make it look a bit more professional! I bent up some stainless rod to make a surround for the drastically trimmed  down pad, tacked and then welded it all up nice! next I got the old foot pedal from the bike, and cut the old pad section off. The pivot was recycled from the old rear section that had been in the garden,  and with plenty of gussetting, (and lying on my side trying to tig weld in the  damp) I welded the section up as best I could. I tried the pedal on with a pair of trials style pegs I got for £6 at Stafford. (coincidently - I love the colour on the pedal from the heat - shame it wont last!) Cut the pegs to length, and made a bit of gussetting for them Cleaned and trimmed them up, and only got the one side done - but it looks  good (albeit the footpegs are welded on a bit squint!)