Japan Meets BritainHi Vince
What a small world it is !! I'm from Liverpool and have a 1968 Triumph Bonnie puchased s/hand from Horseman's in 1970 and originally supplied by them. Got it when at university and the sales manager Alan Broderick used to lend us bikes for the Rag/Panto Day ( student charity event ). I have some photos of these with our pillion passengers all in hot pants ... ah those were the days. Anyway, still got the dealer supplied metal badge and will send you a photo via PM with scale so you can produce a decal if you like. May have some other stuff but need to go into the loft for that .. also have a single "Rex Judd" metal badge somewhere that came off a CB72 side panel .. they were an early Honda dealer in London. Happy New Year Phil
Hey Phil -- thanks for the reply. A fellow named Val Emery in the UK is reproducing some old dealer transfers (Classic Bike had a little article on him a couple of months ago). I also have one for Humming Bird Motorcycles in St. Albans, as well as Comerford's in Surrey. So I do have a reproduction transfer for Horsman's -- it's black, silver and red, and has wings on either side of it. But, you have a metal dealer badge! That sounds tasty! Um.....might it be for sale?????????
Interesting that Alan Broderick was a sales manager there -- I still miss his column in Classic Bike. BTW, I should let you know that the Ace Cafe decal you sent me will be adorning the newly painted tank, but the painter is going to clearcoat over top of the decal, which should be a lot better. Have to see if any of the other ones you sent along will make it onto the latest incarnation.....
Just got an e-mail from Ronnie Brown yesterday, and the chrome work is already done and in the mail! I don't think I know of a chromer who has a quicker turnaround time!
John is machining the aluminum cups for the front end this week, a new (shorter) front brake cable is on the way, as are a pair of replacement front brake stopper arm lockwashers and a new fuel screen for the petcock. Paint work should be done within 2 weeks....yikes, we could be riding the new and improved beast within a few weeks! Of course, that will put us into February and it may only still be about 35 degrees, but that's just a minor detail....:)
Got the chrome back yesterday, and it all looks great! Just waiting now for the paint to be done (next week), and a couple of small parts to arrive in the mail.
I think this was a good choice for the steering damper's finish, and the rear brake arm will balance the chrome chain guard on the other side of the swingarm (or so I think!)
Yes they did manage to chrome it without dismantling it. I guess they just plugged it up somehow so that the acid wouldn't get inside.
Actually, you can't really take it apart -- the metal cap on the plunger part is pinched/crimped, so it doesn't appear as though you can take it apart without risking breaking it. I was actually surprised that John was even able to get the rubber boot off intact -- hopefully it won't be a trick to get it back on! Ronnie Brown / Brown's Chroming really impresses me -- they do top-notch work, Ronnie always calls me back, he keeps me posted via e-mail, and it's done and shipped within 7 days. They are a bit more expensive than other chroming outfits, but I'll gladly pay more for this level of customer service and quality.
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