Kettle - Resurrection Shuffle

In happier days

It seems like I have been here before.  

It's all come about after a comment from my old buddy John Storrie once he entered the 21st century and got email and even the dreaded social media....

I have toyed with this before, and as Claire wants rid of it from the garage, I guess the first step is to get it running and in a position to possibly sell it. Possibly.

As it is 42 years since it was first registered it can be classed under tax and MoT standards as a historic vehicle.  That designation applies to all vehicles registered on UK roads before 1st January 1979. It is a 40 year rolling date.

I thought it would be automatic, but reading up is less straightforward. The bike has to have tax, even though it is free for historic vehicles.  It no longer needs to have the annual MoT.

Instead of applying for the tax online and the DVLA have all the details I have to go to a post office that can handle vehicle tax and take the log book (V5C) and a form (V112)  to say that as it is over 40 years old it doesn't need an MoT and it will be sorted.  They might do the tax (free remember!) then and send my V5C off to get it changed to historic.  Might photocopy all four pages first though.

As for the bike itself. I have let it get in a bit of a sorry state.  Generally it looks like the photo at the top of the page, minus a few parts that need fixing.  

The accident years ago caused a problem where the end of the throttle was broken. as it was hidden from view it wasn't noticed.  And occasionally the throttle would stick in place and needed to be forced shut.  I have a new throttle assembly for the right handlebar to re-fit.  It came with a matching left grip.

Part #2 in stock!

More seriously is that as it has stood in the garage it has seized.  It's not a hot seize as the motor wasn't running but it could be the rings rusted in the bore. Not what I'd generally attribute to a two-stroke. But over time that's the situation.  John suggests pulling the plugs and putting some neat two-stroke oil down the plug holes and let it seep in for a while and them turn it over carefully to free them up.  

Carbs.  I expect they'll need cleaning and the floats checked.  I have a set of choke plungers that came from a contact in Germany some years ago as mine are wearing a bit thin. I just have to find where I put them for "safe keeping"

Part 20 - choke plunger

They are made of brass and the head wears due to metal on metal contact from the lifter.

In the end once I have seen whether I can free-up the engine I need to get it over to John in Oxfordshire to fettle and make it roadworthy. Under the no-MoT regulations it has to be roadworthy.

Best case is that most of the jobs are easy for an expert like him. Worst case is that it needs the engine stripping.

I have a lot of the parts that will be needed and I need to locate them. I have a full gasket set somewhere to along with a set of pistons and the barrel they came out of!  

Once the school year comes to an end and I have the summer off it will get me off my arse to get the jobs I am capable of doing, done.

Although I have the parts books, this website is really good - http://www.3cyl.com/mraxl/gt/manuals/partsgt750/index.htm