BSA Golden Flash

Ya know? The whole damn thing is disassembled.

OK, that’s not the entire truth, but the frame now rests in its barenaked glory on the floor of the basement, and the engine/gearbox is the only remaining large bit… I bought five gallons of simple green, a couple of buckets, and now have some steel cycle bits soaking in them. I’m also making a list of what’s needed and missing:

1. Pilot light, anyone? I can find no evidence of this creature on my bike, other than mounting holes.
2. Horn? I assume this will be relatively easy to find, and I have the button. I think.
3. Battery and hold-down strap. Again, not too worried about this…
4. Tank badges. Winged BSA. Probably have to go for a repro…

I’m also thinking about the wheels and tank. Talking with my Brit bike friends, there’s not really anyone here in Seattle that does tanks, so I’m casting about for a place to have it done. And my wheels have rusty rims, rusty spokes, need new tires, etc. I’d like to get them chromed, painted, and lined…or is it cheaper to buy new rims? The hubs I can rebuild myself, and I’ll even give lacing a shot.

I took some of the worse steel bits around to a painter I trust today, and he quoted about $1500 to tinker, weld, strip and paint all of the pieces, based on what he saw. A bit higher than I was hoping, but I harbor no illusions about my skills in these areas. Plus, my basement shares the air with my house, hence any noxious chemical down there is instantly transported upstairs. Not good.

I’m not quite done with the strip down of the cycle parts, and haven’t yet started the engine work. I hope to have the former done by the end of October and work on the latter while the parts are away being chromed, painted, etc. I need to get going on the tank ASAP, as it needs to be painted after being chromed.

Running expense list:

    $1,100 (previous entry total)
    ------
         0 (no new expenses)
    ======
    $1,100

Running Time clock*:

hours   12 (previous entry total)
      ----
        10 (disassembly)
         4 (consulting at local shops)
      ====
        26 (total to date)

*I work at a leisurely pace.