Valve Seat Inserts + a New Cambox and Motorcycling in Cambodia

I have done nothing in the workshop for the last 3 weeks as my wife and I were on holiday in Cambodia, a country with a fascinating history in the 10^th and 12^th centuries and an unbelievably tragic more recent history. On our annual pilgrimages in January/February to escape the traditionally miserable weather in the UK I am always on the lookout for interesting uses of motorcycles in far-away lands. South-East Asia and Africa (see my blog post from last year) don’t usually disappoint and where motorcycles are used predominantly as workhorses rather than a lifestyle choice.

In Cambodia I found that small motorcycles are frequently used for towing trailers in rural areas. One example that I failed to capture on camera was a trailer with 4 cows being towed behind a bike. But another, which would probably win a prize for how much can be towed behind a small motorcycle is this one that we encountered on the road from Battambang to Phnom Penh:

Yes, this trailer is being pulled by a motorcycle – SYM (Sangyang Motor Company) P150 – presumably a 150cc bike that is adapted for towing a trailer/tuk-tuk duty.

In addition to the pots and pans the family is also stashed away inside.

I would love to see the reaction of our local police if they found this on one of our roads.

And this is a guy with whom you do NOT want to have an accident! 

Anyway, back to the Velocette projects.

Automotive Machine Services have made a perfect job of fitting hardened valve-seat inserts into the recently acquired cylinder head

 

and while we away in Cambodia, a Mk 1 OHC Cambox was listed on ebay.

Picture courtesy of ebay

After a brief exchange with the vendor, I was assured that the only damage was the bridge between the holes for the rockers (many suffer damage here – it’s a straightforward repair) and a small, non-structural “chip” to the casting where the tappet exits the cambox. After winning the auction, the item had already been delivered by the time I returned home.

All threads and the casting, apart from the points already noted, are in excellent condition and it has now been degreased and is being vapour blasted before repair.

I just love this modern age when you can be lying on a sunbed on a beach, on a small island, 10,000km from home with a pina-colada in one hand and a mobile phone in the other and acquire an obscure component for a 90+ year-old motorcycle and that is delivered by the time you get home.