Progress is made

There comes a point when it can’t be put off any longer and the bits I’ve been shifting around had to be assembled into the frame so it looks like I’ve got a real motorcycle. A selection of nuts, bolts, studs, washers and spacers all do their task of holding the three main chassis components together and the engine in place.

In the early stages of this project, around 1990, an empty set of cases were stuck in place and parts books consulted as to the dimensions of the engine plates. I didn’t have any original ones, which didn’t bother me in the slightest, as I was going for the lightweight aluminium alloy style, rather than heavy steel. There is a fixed point which determines engine positioning and it’s the through stud under the engine. Once this stud is in place, the engine can only tilt up or down at either end.

Looking at the images in a parts book showed the rear plates were