Garage Diary : Sunbeam Motorcycle resto's..

[Bfg]

2nd January 2021 was, aside from locally moving home twice, the last time I used 'Nudge'  my 1953 Sunbeam S8. . .

    

^ The garden shed is half of the polytunnel which was a garage/workshop for my Triumph TR4 at the last apartment.  Since moving here, in August '23, the bike has been sitting unused and essentially neglected for two winters.  Yesterday I decided to pull her out, to start her up, resolve a petrol pipe leak, and to get her fit to use ..if only for across town when going to work on my boat (8 miles away).  

^ Unburied.  Underneath a layer of dust and road dirt (not cleaned since last used ) , the bike was covered with light oxidisation, particularly noticeable on the cast aluminium engine and exhaust silencer, but also dulling of the paint and the chrome.  The wheels though have really suffered with rust having openly blistered through the chrome of the rims.   All in all very sad looking, very nearly flat tyres, very nearly flat battery and rather stale fuel.

Still.. after plenty of kicks to turn the engine over ..to have the oil circulate, and then flooding the carb - she started. Running rough and not wanting to tick over .. she was at least still alive.  

Oddly the flood of petrol from the fuel pipe didn't happen.  Perhaps that just happens out of the left-hand-side petcock which I didn't touch ..nor was I going to while I didn't have the issue.! 

As a reward for behaving I pulled her out of the shed for a wash and a light polish.

^ Well pleased with how nice she then looked.  I honestly don't remember when I last polished her, but I suspect it was probably in 2012 when I bought her.  Since then she's been washed ..as a daily ride, but I have to confess to not being the sort of chap who likes to sit and polish anything.  The seeing a reflection from the paintwork was inspiring, as I've always thought of the paintwork as being poor as well as dull.  I think I might try polishing her some more ! 

  

^ The chrome on wheel rims did clean up, but close up reveals more patches of chrome blistered through. That's a great shame as I have no idea how to find replacements with their black and gold band around the spokes.   Such was their dullness, that I'd forgotten I had had many parts re-chromed.  The handlebars and numerous chromed details gleamed after being lightly cut back and waxed.  Tyres were re-inflated and after ten minutes with the battery on charge, I was ready to give her a try down the road.  Fresh petrol would probably add a few more octanes to what was already in the tank, so.. first to the petrol station and then on to Aldi for a few groceries. 

I couldn't find my leather jacket but found my old Belstaff.  Suitably donned., the bike rode more spritely than I might have hoped. Surprising I felt at ease blasting away like a young fool.  After pretty much having lost interest in motorcycling ten years ago - I really enjoyed riding a motorcycle again.  I'm very glad I didn't sell her.

Just ten mile round trip, but in the evening's sunshine it was fun.  The exhaust note from the twin being like great rock music to my ears. 

Pete   

 

[Bfg]

Having got the bike out yesterday, and cleaned the sooty plugs, I deemed it ‘necessary’ to go for a ride today.. to clear out her and my cobwebs, so to speak. It was cool weather, overcast but dry here in Suffolk, on the east coast of Anglia, England, so I kept things local with a 50 mile round trip to take in the heathlands and forest of Rendlesham and woodlands of Chillesford, en-route to Orford Castle. Thereafter I went on, through beautiful rolling Suffolk countryside (fantastic biking country) just 12 miles to Framlingham Castle, where they have a pretty good coffee shop.

Orford Castle features a fabulous keep, which overlooks the coast of the North sea. It was built in 1165 on the orders of Henry II, then King of England and Count of Normandy. Unusually there are original 'pipe roll' records of the build and its cost. Made obsolete by gunpowder and cannon, the castle's outer bailey defences were removed in the 18th century and the stone used locally and/or otherwise sold. As built - it was a castle to defend the sea port of Orford and that stretch of coastland, as much as to provide crown presence.., intended to keep the ambitions of Lord Bigod in check.

The keep is very unusual in design insomuch as it is essentially of circular shape (actually 21 sides) of about 11.6m diameter (externally) which is integral to three square towers. Aside from the basement which contains a well for fresh water (essential should a castle when under siege) there are two main floor levels plus the roof ..and then there are intermediate levels in which there are chambers within two of the towers. The third being a stair well. The massively thick walls have within them the steps and passageways to those chambers. The roof was the lookout platform, and there was a signalling beacon at the top of one of the towers.

Within the keep were two kitchens plus another cooking fireplace in the basement and an oven for baking in the top of one of the towers. Why four cooking facilities ? ..no one now knows. There are integral chimneys and latrine chutes built up and down the defensive walls, as well as drains for the kitchen sinks. Near one of the chambers, there’s even a urinal ..again through the very thick wall.! Having four latrines is very unusual for an c.11th English keep, but to have built-in fireplaces and chimneys was unheard of.

The great thing is that the main floors and roof had been replaced at the beginning of the 19th century and so the interior and all but a few chambers are accessible for visitors to freely roam and view. As a former engineer I find the manner of construction quite fascinating and its design quite remarkable. Although I dislike graffiti, there is something oddly fascinating when its from the two centuries ago. I later spotted others dated a hundred and fifty years earlier.

From Orford I rode the Sunbeam across to Framlingham castle which was built by Roger Bigod, Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk. It was built to replace a timber fortress ‘slighted’ (..deliberately damaged to render it un-defendable) by Henry II of England in the aftermath of a revolt (against the crown) in 1173-74. The new castle (built in the 1180's) was to impress. When viewed from across the mere (private lake used as a fishery and wild foul reserve for the castle) it looks both spectacular and romantic.

Unlike many/most English castle of the time - it has no keep (nor has it ever had one) as it was built as a curtain wall with thirteen square mural towers. As such it was more like the city walls of Jerusalem, but built on the scale of a castle. Within these walls was a great hall and many other buildings. Its square towers were built to include stair cases and small chambers. And a chapel was part built into one of the walls. The earth works (dry but probably muddy moat) is a very deep defensive ditch.

These two castles, despite being within 20km of each other, and built within 20 years of each other are almost opposites in c.12th defensive strategy and accommodation.

Anyway, I could go on and on about the twelfth to fourteenth century history and castle architecture, but perhaps best not to do so here. ‘Nudge’ my Sunbeam S8 is now 72 years + 1 month young. She rode very well today and even settled down to idle when hot. There’s some tuning to do and I think retarding the ignition would smoothen her down quite a bit ..but at a penalty of losing some of the fun in her performance. As I approach my own 70th year I found the ride today to be rather cool but fun. I’m pleased with her nimbleness in both acceleration and handling.

These Sunbeams are great bikes. 😎 P