Above 1200 Sq/FT 1899 Barn clean out and organization

[BSAschields]

Well , Im moving in the WRONG direction.... I cleaned out the bottom of the barn and showed my wife. She was very happy that there was so much empty space. Then a studio manager that used to hire me a lot as a photographer moved to Germany and ask if I could store his bikes for a few years... A BSA and 2 Buell motorcycles and parts. One Buell I can ride. He also said that he could give me work in Germany... Some problems with that on my end because being able to work in the EU requires me to jump through hoops and I havent even figured out what those hoops are yet...
Then I still had plenty of empty space and feeling pretty good about it... However . 6 more BSAs found their way into the barn. 2 running and 4 projects . Just couldn't pass up the good deals. Seems that I have a price tag that is hard for me to pass up. Each one running and not running was around 800 bucks + or - . So if you have a bike to sell DON'T call me PLEASE!



The good news is .... While I was typing this post , the counter top folks called to schedule the install for our kitchen counter tops. So that will end the 8+ year kitchen expansion/remodel project.... Hallelujah!!!

 

[xtremek]

What Buells did he leave? I've always wanted a Cyclone with a set of ST3 handlebars. And I so hear you on cheap bikes. I'd actually was looking at Cyclones, when 2 decent bikes showed up on my radar. So much for getting stuff off my plate.

 

[BSAschields]

While family time and too much turkey took up some of my time over the holiday weekend , it was a 4 day weekend so I got a bit done... Not everything I wanted too but a lot nonetheless. Quality time with the grandkids at their house on Thanksgiving day and Sunday at our house as well. That left Saturday and Sunday to work on my main goal of organizing the barn stuff by moving it to the shed/garage... Where as previously posted , I had put up some cabinets for storage. ... But Friday was spent building a folding workbench ... Using scrap wood from the barn . (her in doors is alway trying to get rid of it and I say that I need it) Now I used some of it so my point was made and it lessened the pile at the same time ... win win!!

We were also babysitting the neighbors dog for the weekend.






The kids were literally climbing the walls






With some piano hinges I made the workbench so the if needed I could fold it up against the wall . It wont be flat due to the beams of the building but it will fold far enough out of the way





I also hung the Champion Spark plug cabinet the was a York Swapmeet find several years ago.





That was Friday ... Saturday I started filling it up.... Oils and cleaning supplies only took up the three smallest cabinets ... The new workbench became storage for all things Alloy Clipper .... This space will be dedicated to that project until its done.... The two bigger cabinets are still empty and I will find more then enough to fill them up as well I am sure.... It made a big dent in the barn . Im looking forward to rearranging everything so I can find stuff again...









And even once I pulled the car back into its home I still have room to walk through .... Or fit more stuff




Next I need to get these puppies back to NYC. What must the neighbors think ... Three identical GREEN modern bikes ... I'll ruin my reputation if I keep that up

 

[BSAschields]

Well... Its been awhile since I had a chance to work on the Victor. The shop did a little work on the wiring clean up and also set up and installed the concentric carb for me ... Since my bike had gotten tucked way back in the back of their basement I figure not much was going to get done so when I had a few days off I dug it out and did a few things myself... Really struggled with those old hard as nails tires but got there in the end . I mounted the seat that I got from Peter Quick . Then I kicked it over , not knowing what to expect since it had been sitting back there for a long time but on the seventh kick it fired up .. Sound really nice and idled almost immediately. Didnt shut off until I pulled the compression release . Now the next thing to do is to track down the gear oil leak ... It runs out pretty quickly so shouldn't be hard to find... I also got what I think was a good deal on fleabay last week of an original paint airbox. One of the three studs on the front seems to be broken off so there are less threads on it then the other two. I need to get a filter to see if it needs to be fixed. If the filter doesnt make it stand proud then it should be ok as is.

 

[BSAschields]

Wish the kid videoing this had captured it starting but he didnt .. Ah well...[video:youtube]

[/video]

 

[BSAschields]

Filled the gearbox with ATF , red , thinner oil so I could see where it was leaking faster... That may have been unnecessary as it immediately started running out like a faucet ... Lucky for me it was just the outer case so It was an easy fix.



Gasket goo and a gasket installed last night and then beers consumed... I like my long, one on one talks with Hugh (the shop owner) after the shop closes and the beer fridge opens... I think I learn more about life and bikes in those "after hours" ..... That could be the beer talking

Back up there today to work on the Victor some more ... Fill it with gear oil to see if I actually fixed it and then complete the rest of the todo list... Ride it up and down the block if I'm lucky.

 

[BSAschields]

Pulled the bike out of 6th Street Specials basement on Friday. Had a few hours before we needed to be at the airport... Bike fired up pretty easy and even easier once it was warmed up. But when riding it up the street , I thought there was something wrong with the gearbox. I couldn't get it into first or seemingly even change down gears at all... Felt as though I was pulling out in high gear and indeed I was... Also the clutch needed adjusting as it was dragging enough to stall the bike when pulling on the anchors to stop. Got the clutch adjusted and then Josh (6th Street manager and mechanic) took it for a ride and figured out that the cam plate is reversed so I was indeed shifting into 4th when I was trying for 1st. Instead of 1 down and 3 up it is set up race style, 1 up and 3 down....Problem averted once I knew that it was the opposite of normal .. Another issue -- the front tire that I had just replaced kept going flat. I planned on replacing the tube but that turned out to just be the valve stem... More time to play with it running...

Still a lot of work to do when we get back from ol Blighty ... Maybe 2024 will be the year I bring it home ... Lets hope... Merry Christmas garage lovers everywhere ... And Happy New Year to all and to all a good night...

 

[red]

This building didnt need as much work but it was spreading out and would have fallen down soon enough so I added rafters to hold the walls together and then replaced the front doors with some wood I had left over from another project.

Some plywood on those new rafter ties would give you some more storage . . .
BTW nice work, love seeing old buildings being given new life.

 

[BSAschields]

Last summer this creek was almost completely dry with nothing coming over the falls at all. We have had a good bit of rail lately so when I got to the house on friday I drove by and had to stop to listen to the music of the rushing water. Shut off my truck and got out of the cab and just stood there for awhile.... Peaceful after a three hour drive from NYC ...

This was on Friday ... I left the city early in the morning and stopped along the way to pick up a bike for a friend Tom that was in the shop for repairs and delivered it to his house. Then I had big plans to be productive at my house.... Mainly cutting up all of the trees and limbs that had fallen down in the previous snow and wind storm. And more importantly to me was the chance to work in the barn and sheds without the wife disturbing me... The goal there is to give all of the mess a home... Sure maybe I have too much stuff, maybe I am a hoarder ... But as the saying goes "it's not hoarding when its cool stuff..."


Toms Modern Triumph snug as a bug in his carport

Then As I was getting home Tom called and said that he was getting out of work early and asked if I wanted to grab a bit to eat... He was buying since I did him the solid of picking up his bike for him... I said sure but I needed time to unload the car and start my chainsaw to be sure I can accomplish my goals for the weekend... Sure enough the newish Stihi chainsaw wouldnt start but my dad's 40 year old Stihi fired right up... Called Tom back and said Im ready... He picked me up and we drove to Gettysburg to our best local Irish Pub. The Gary Owens Irish Pub... Had a great burger and fries and Tom got Fish and Chips... No photos sorry , we were too hungry and too busy talkin'

I didnt even take a picture of the sign of the place like I told myself I should for this very story... Oh well !! Use your imagination

A stop at the Thirty Farmer Brewery on the way home had us in pretty good spirits before we got back to my place for more liquid happiness.... All of this and I think I was still in bed by 10 oclock or so... There really is something to be said for starting your day really early.... Seems like so much more time in the day that way...

 

[BSAschields]

All of that was well and good but I had things to do ... Limited time to do it and I was pushing hard to get'r done since the wife stayed in NY to see some friends....

Of course there is always something to bust up that plan... I woke up to no running water in the house... Turned out this switch on the well pump wasn't working ... I just replaced the darn thing a few years ago... Now a trip to the closest hardware store for another switch.. Thats a half and hour each way .... I was able to manually make the switch work but the wife (all the way from NYC) directed me to go get a new switch She even reminded me that I like to keep 2 of everything on hand so I always have what I need (referring to my hoarding situation in the barn) She thought maybe I should buy two switches Women !! They remember everything that you say...




But while I was there at the Lowes I hatched a plan to make a place to hang my tanks and exhaust ... So I picked up some 2x6s and 2x4s for the task... Happy that the prices have come back down on lumber , I got extra ...

the plan came together pretty quickly and I was moving stuff from the barn to the shed in no time...



A 2x4 up high for the exhaust pipes ... I need a ladder to get some of them down but it not like I move them often... Another friend gave me an extra early 2000s exhaust for my 2001 bonneville and that fit up there pretty nicely till I find the time to do something with it..






I cant remember what this exhaust if for or where it came from...








It rained all day on Saturday so it was a good time to be running back and forth from the barn to shed moving tanks and pipes to their new home. Sunday was going to be a sunny 65 degree day . Perfect for cutting up trees and limbs with my son ... He also wanted me to help him with his jeep... We cleared off the road . Got the downed limbs off of the road and also cut back the bushes and shoveled several feet of dirt that migrated onto the road over the years.... I think we made the road 3 ft wider and certainly improved the sight line for pulling out of my driveway and other drivers going around the corner there.

His jeep unknown to him must have had a rear end mishap and the inspection station told him it wouldnt pass inspection the next time due to rust... We removed the plastic bumper to get a better look and I didnt see any rust beyond surface rust .. Certainly not anything that would keep it from passing inspection... The damage to the bottom square tube looked worse when the bumper was on so we did what we could to straighten it and used rust inhibitor to keep things from getting worse... We took photos so the shop can see that the damage isn't that bad... So I hope they don't give him a hard time next time .... If they do , it looks like this metal bumper might be replaceable..




Monday I cut up more trees on my own and drug the pieces to the fire pit ... Straighten up from my unfinished organized hoarding project and put the chevelle back in its shelter... Then back to NYC and back to the grind... Cant wait to be at the house full time so I can just stay on top of all of these fun issues and projects



I think I will mount bolts on the front of the 2x6s so that the tanks hang vertically on the face... It will look better and make more space...

 

[Kevkx125]

It is in deed ... Lets ride .... By next summer I should be in PA full time ... Maybe a work transition period but I hope to not have an apartment in the city anymore by then. So Ill have more time to wrench and ride.... But if it works out now we can ride now or just have a beer or something ...

I see you are not that far from Oley.... Two great motorcycle events there... Great roads out that was too but a lot more traffic it seems.

Hey BSA forgot about this sorry, I take it you live in PA full time now? Are you attending any events at OLEY this year? Just read that you are still living in the city bummer!!

 

[BSAschields]

Full time in PA by next year is the plan... I do plan to go to the Triumph Rally for sure and I am hoping to make it to the AAMC Event as well... There is a Norton Gathering in NJ the same weekend but I dont see why I cant do both if work doesnt get in the way ... I like to do Oley on the Thursday Friday and the Norton Gathering is Sunday I believe... See you there ...

 

[BSAschields]

Guilty !

 

[Kevkx125]

BSA that is great, that describes almost all of my biker friends.

 

[DennisK59]

Good thing you didn"t post a Bingo Game, I filled every box! Can I collect the prize money now?

 

[BSAschields]

Ha yes , I have been sharing this other place for a couple months and it strikes a cord with a lot of people.... I particularly like the "collection of unused stickers" ... Who ever came up with this knows me very well...

 

[BSAschields]

Spent all day Saturday organizing the hoarding... Threw out a lot of stuff ... Mostly my wifes stuff .. lol
Found homes for stuff that was taking up floor space .... Filled more empty cabinets and utilized spaces that were better suited for other things...

Like this for example ...

There was one of those Thule car roof storage things sitting up on this rack... Which was fine .. Out of the way up in the loft... But it was equally just as happy on some milk creates up against the wall... The wheels however were not happy falling all over the floor where I want to park my bikes ... So now they live up in the loft where I will be able to access them when I need them or decide to sell them...





I moved bares frames up to the loft and will do some more parts as well ...

This butcherblock stand was piled high with a frame and tanks which have now been put up in the loft or on the wall in the garage. Now its useful as a staging area while I decide where motor parts will live... The loft would be great except for the fact that the loft access is up a typical hay barn vertical ladder. Not easy to carry heavy parts up and down when I need them.. But we will see.



Cleaning up is my main priority every time Im at the house now so more to come

I may have another deal in the works for trading projects for running bikes which will also be a relief to my mindset and to my floor space..


I need an idea for storing a pile of fenders ... Preferably a way to hang them up

 

[Kevkx125]

Hey BSAscheilds are you going to oley today or tomorow?

 

[BSAschields]

Hey BSAscheilds are you going to oley today or tomorow?

Unfortunately I had to work ... I did go to the Gathering of the Nortons on Sunday in Frenchtown NJ... about 1500 bikes showed up .. great to see friends and we had a nice little ride and lunch at the Tavern 519 too.. How was Oley... I was seeing a lot of social media posts.. Looked like more British stuff then usual.

 

[Swan]

Beautiful spaces and progress. Are any of your BSA's a Gold Star ?

 

[BSAschields]

Yes Swan . I have a 1956 Gold Star factory flat tracker ... They only made 200 or so BB32R frames and I know the complete history of mine... Listed in the National Championship book 4 times and I have copies of several magazine articles where the bike/original owner are pictured or mentioned .
I also have a 1951 ZB Goldie with a BB Top end . Plunger frame... I love riding that one so much

Not quite a Goldie but same motor as the plunger... This bike is a 1956 Alloy Clipper restoration project... Also with a flat track history though not documented.

 

[BSAschields]

So we decided to have a Memorial Day party last Saturday for family and friends. Gerry decided to invite her friends from NY so I told the guys at the shop and sure enough it turned into a big party. Got a keg and loads of food . I had to bounce back and forth from the shop guys mostly wanting to hang out in the barn where the toys are to family who grouped together on the grass near the deck and another 10 or 15 people on the deck... It was a lot of work trying to socialize with everyone enough.



Joe brought this cub that we road around the yard during the day while it was nice along with my 79 Yamaha MX175













Weather was great . 4 of the shop guys wanna go for a ride so I set them up with some more bikes and off they go... 2 come back just as the rain is starting and the other two ride on ... Gone lone enough that we are wondering if they are ok ... Sure enough my Spitfire runs out of gas and they somehow drug it back to the barn... Sure enough they are all soaked and when one gets naked they all get naked.. Couldnt get their girls to join in though so it looks like a bad ***** movie Dont look if you dont wanna burn your eyes lol



Arrival video clip

(the girls are in the background just laughing at the crazy situation) (clothed)

 

[BSAschields]

After the skies opened up the party divided in a different way... My Brother had some canopies so we set those up on the deck and some people went in the house and the wet soak lot went downstair to the bar and pool table in the basement . Gerry went into my special drawer of motorcycle shirts (off limits) and gave them dry shirts to wear which they thought was funny... We through their gear into to the dryer ...
But the rain didnt last long but by then things were mostly indoors . But we did have a rainbow


Next day we had a massive breakfast for everyone that spent the night .



My brother was coming back though to join us on a ride . He even mapped out the route we would take to the Mountain House Bar and grill https://www.google.com/search?q=Mou...CDc0NzNqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I got 4 of my bikes ready and gassed up and we had Joe's TR6 that he brought ...

 

[BSAschields]

It was a pretty nice ride that I dont usually do . Even though the Mountain is a pretty cool destination the roads are so nice right near my house I dont need to go that far... But I will say that the the mountain pass on 533 with several switchbacks an undulating and twisty curve made for an exciting few miles .











We did a little less then 200 miles round trip and I think the guys switched bikes at least every 25 miles... They road mine mostly and I rode the TR6 on the way to Mountain House. A very nice bike.. Happy at any speed

 

[BSAschields]

After a beer (or two) we made a new route plan for the way back . And that included a stop to me Tom who didnt think he would get out of work in time to ride but did in the end so we planned to meet him closer to Gettysburg

Of course what is a Britbike ride without a little fettling .. Who ever was riding the Lighting last said that it was losing power on the hills and just didnt seem right... Well we all took a look and discovered that one of the crb slides was stuck all the way open... Strange though cause it would start east and it wasn't reving high like I would expect but It wasn't idling either like it had been earlier... Fix that and we were back on the road...



A liitle more drama on the way to meet Tom .. My 68 Scrambler and the 66 Spitfire have the smaller FG tanks and I ran out of gas first at the back of the pack. They didnt see I was gone until they crested the hile and the Spitfire ran out as well . He was able to drift into a gas station . I was in a valley and not pushing it up any hill not knowing what was happening on the other side.... My brother came back for me and went to get me some gas... Lucky me.... Everyone gas up while there were waiting for me ... Talking they decided that they wanted to get back to my house so they could leave for New York before it got too late ... We meet up with Tom and just rode the best roads back to my house.
--------

 

[BSAschields]

These young whippersnappers aren't use to pushing the limit in the way we did over the two days so this is the result after the ride :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh









We did take the time to BBQ up the food we didn't eat the day before ... Burgers and BBQ Chicken . Corn on the cob , Asparagus ect. ... It was an awesome meal to end their visit and get them on the road home... I was happy to let Joe take over the grilling duties after having done it the day before and to be honest it was a long day out on the ride... Maybe my stamina isn't quite what it use to be ...



Sorry for all the photos but that's only a quarter of them... And there are loads of good riding videos that I might post later..

 

[Old Man Roger]

There was a time when I had a lot of bikes, if I let my friends ride them, I would no longer have a lot of bikes..lol

 

[xtremek]

Nice looking batch of bikes.

 

[BSAschields]

Thanks xtremek

 

[BSAschields]

Some memorabilia I rediscovered while cleaning last weekend ... Like Christmas

 

[BSAschields]

Two Wheel Tuesday in NYC turned into a private screening of the new movie The Bikeriders.... When my wife and I arrived at the movie theater there were about 75 motorcycles of all types parked in long rows on the block surrounding the cinema ... The screening was sold out but we got free passes handed to the 6th Street Special crew... It was a pretty good movie I thought. Some thought it was a little flat but I think the story was mostly true and believable . Afterward we hung out watching all the bikes leaving . A few were a bit wound up and left either doing burnouts or just simply and loudly "like bats out of hell" . It was mostly Harleys and sport bikes after all.. But we did have a good showing of britbikes too.. All in all, it was a great night.

 

[BSAschields]

That BSA B50 I picked up a while back in a trade had most its black bits striped off for derusting and respray before I even got it ... Everything was in a box.. I dug out the silencer to soak it in some Oxalic Acid to get rid of the rust... Once it was dunked into the tank I could see air bubbles coming out of the back of the can... Right at the seam. ... 24 hours later I pulled it out ... Not as clean as I would like but I thought id do it again with a stronger solution next time I get a chance... Last weekend I took a look at it again ... It was heavier then I thought it should be , water was still coming out of it . I had it standing on end and it filled a tray with water while I was away for the week... I stuck a metal hanger with a bent hook (like I would do to get hair out of the bathroom sink) in the hole... By the time I was done getting the **** out of it , I am pretty sure I could qualify to perform a colonoscopy now....

Unless these lozenges cans were filled with some material Id say this bike had a mouse infestation.





Turned out what I thought was a pin hole is actually a 3 inch rusted out section of the seam... I need to decide if it needs to be cut open to see how bad it is ... Patch it with an epoxy for mufflers or get it brased



This was only half of it




Found these images on the B50 owners forum .. Someone cut one open and modified it... Great to see whats inside ... I dont see any packing material in the first photos but they did add some in the modified version ...
















I either need to get mine repaired or find a decent usable one at a fair price... Affordable I should say...

 

[BSAschields]

Well that wet stain turned out to be something to actually worry about ... Once we used a wire wheel on it to get it ready for brazing , the holes started revealing themselves...





All of the holes accepted the heat except one. It just kept getting bigger so we patched it







Hopefully it holds up with use... Feels pretty solid now but that mouse piss is still in the metal pores. I am thinking about another round of Oxalic acid or maybe vinegar.. Vinegar works great taking the rust off of cast iron pans but I dont know about this application.. Also what neutralizes mouse piss ... What about filling the muffler with old oil to stop the rusting .... or paint ??? or some other idea?... or nothing at all , and let it run its course as is?

 

[xtremek]

It would have to be heat resistant paint. That would definitely mask the mouse smell. The vinegar would clean more of the rust off. Not a fan of burning motor oil. I think the heat paint is your best bet.

 

[BSAschields]

Pulled this little 250 out of the barn and finally got around to checking the numbers on it. Its a 1963 Star America model BSA C15 I picked up several years ago. Felt like pulling it out and seeing just what it needs. Has compression but the tank is missing the mounting stud and related parts and the fuel lines are long gone. The wires coming out of the stator aren't hooked up to anything and the distributor needs a good cleaning and a cap. This might be my next project since its the only one that doesn't need a motor rebuild (that I know of)... I recently got two of my 70's John Deere mowers running after years of being non runners . So Im feeling a little high on success at the moment but still dont have the time or resources to do my big projects yet ... soon I hope.

 

[BSAschields]

Getting this little gem ready for a 6 hour round trip ride to Raystown Lake for my brothers bachelors party weekend ... Should be a good time....

 

[xtremek]

The BSA looks like a fun little scoot. Looking forward to what you do with it.