Apologies if my blog is starting to look somewhat repetitious but it’s difficult to avoid a certain amount of repetition when building 3 very similar bikes simultaneously.
This was the last one, KTT 55, that I have just completed
and this is the trio of (from rear to front) KTT 305, the DOHC 250 and KTT 55 assembled in the back garden for the first time.
The procedure for the last one has followed exactly the same format as the previous builds, namely strip the dry-build bike, sort into boxes for “no further work required”, “plating”, “chemical blacking”, “powder coating” and “painting”. When building this 3rd bike the phrase “…same procedure as last year” came to mind. If you live in continental Europe this will probably mean something to you; if not, check out this link for an explanation and this link for the movie.
There were not many parts for plating
or chemical blacking
but, as with the other bikes, the petrol tank takes by far the most time and effort.
After stripping back the protective red oxide paint to reveal bare metal, the tank was sprayed with etch primer
followed by 2 good coats of 2k high-build primer
which, after leaving for a couple days, was flatted off prior to applying 3 coats of 2k gloss black (these are all applied during the same session as soon as the previous coat has flashed off)
which was then flatted with G3 rubbing compound and masked for pinstriping prior to carefully applying 5 coats of 2k gold paint (one side at a time) with a small brush. Finally, the pin-striping was blended in with G3 compound, the “Velocette” waterslide transfer slid into place and 3 coats of 2k lacquer applied.
Although it takes quite a bit of effort the end result is quite satisfying.
It has been a long journey for these tanks. Mr Sridhar, pictured below with me outside his workshop in the back streets of Bangalore many years ago
made these plus some other tanks (I wrote a few lines about this in a previous blog post some years ago). These are some pictures of the 3 tanks that I have used on the 3 recent Velo builds during their construction.
Works of art and fabricated with only a few simple hand tools.
Mr Sridhar: I have no idea if you are still working in Bangalore or if you have gone back to your home and family in Kerala. But if you or someone that knows you ever reads this then please accept my thanks again for the most beautifully crafted tanks.
In the meantime, the powder coated parts came back and after a few days the final build of KTT 55 was completed and it was time to fire it up. Starting a bike for the first time after a complete restoration is always a slightly nervous moment, especially when it has taken so much work.
Just to recall a few details about the engine build – most of the parts inside the engine are new: a complete new crankshaft and con-rod, lower bevel gears, crankshaft shock absorber assembly, piston and rings running in a Nikasil bore, new-manufactured O1 tool steel Oldham couplings, valves, guides, springs, collets, rocker skids, tappet adjusters, reground cam, new-manufactured cambox scavenge oil pump, all bearings, all fasteners, rebuilt AMAC TT carburettor and square ML magneto - in fact, apart from the castings, it is essentially a new engine inside.
Before firing up the bike I put in on the starting rollers with the spark plug out and motored the engine for a minute or so to get the oil circulating. The spark plug was then reinserted and with my wife as camera operator and my buddy JT helping with things mechanical it was time for the first start.
Not too bad. A bit of oil where the tappets exit the cambox (I had filled the cambox with oil during assembly) but otherwise oiltight and sounding crisp (or simply “loud” if you’re a neighbour).
The final step, for now, was to set the oil pressure. I have a 0 - 30 psi pressure gauge that I acquired many years ago to set up the oil pressure on a KTS and that is attached to a length of hose and a K99 Inspection Plug that screws into the upper bevel gear housing, modified with a 1/8” BSP internal thread, to measure and set up (using the K69/2 adjuster) 12 psi oil pressure. I cable tie it temporarily to the handlebars for convenience. The oil return to the tank was of course checked and was good.
So, that’s about it until road testing starts. KTT 305 is now being prepared for a first start.
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