Trophy is back

 on the bench!

Yes, after finally getting Tiger2 to the point where it's ready for an MOT, I felt it was time to make time for Tabitha Trophy.

The trouble is, it's a heavy beast and with a completely flat rear tyre (the valve is missing) it's almost impossible to move it myself, let alone roll it up onto the bench. And here's where little brothers come in handy. A quick text & Paul arrives for a coffee. While Sister-in-law picks plums from the tree at the bottom of the garden, Paul & I man-handle Tabitha on to the bench.

Having got her back on the bench, a quick inspection revealed more muck, cobwebs & general dust all over her, despite being covered up for the last few months. She needed another clean, so armed with a bucket & cloth, I started at the radiator & worked my way back. 

I left the front forks for now as I'll need to remove them to get them re-chromed.

I've also removed the rear wheel as I felt it was the best way to give it a good clean. Sadly, all a clean revealed was that the wheels need refurbishing - as do the foot rest hangers, another job on the list. I could leave them as they are, but the paint is flaking off & they look a bit scrappy.

While the rear wheel was off, I noticed that there is a bracket that connects a small rubber sheet to the swing arm. this keeps road grime off of the rear suspension. the bracket was corroded and two of the three rivets holding the rubber to the bracket were missing. After some time, I managed to undo the retaining bolts & remove the bracket. 10 minutes with a wire brush attachment & a drill cleaned the rust off. It has now had two coats of etch primer & 4 coats of petrol resistant black paint. 

It now looks a lot better and whether this is a turning point or not, I don't know. But this is the first part to go back on the Trophy.

Next up is to begin stripping the forks, or getting the carbs cleaned, or refurbishing the wheels or...

One final point, I've purchased a complete fairing bolt kit, so when I eventually get to that stage and assuming I haven't put them somewhere so safe, I can't find them, I'll have them to hand. I purchased them from Biker Bling and while the kit is for a 900 and not a 1200, I'm assured by early Trophy owners the fairings are the same for both models. 

Time will tell.