MOT

Many people have told me "you dont need an MOT for that aged bike" - they are partly right.  

Any motorcycle registered pre 1960 doesnt need an MOT.

But as I am applying for a new registration for this bike (ie I dont have a reg number, or log book), she has to have an MOT..... and indeed, as this will be considered as a 'first' registration, she will need an MOT every year from here on.

In theory she is eligible for a non-transferable age-related registration number, but this will be seen as a 'new' registration

Not finished (plenty of trip work still to do) but good enough for a first road test

So, 3 hours after riding her for no more than 100 yards, and pulling the brake lever no more than 5 times, I donned my helmet and pulled her out onto the streets of Birmingham.  And I liked it!  I felt very relaxed and comfortable on her.

1/4 mile down the road, at the traffic lights, she conked out.  I pushed her to the side of the road (she is very lightweight) and through a cloud of smoke I had a look inside the body cowl - I couldn't see any obvious problem (i was particularly on the look out for leaking fuel - Id only ever put fuel in this original tank for the first time 3 hours earlier) - so I tried to start her again, she fired and ran.... so I pressed on...... for another 1/4 mile....... another conk-out, another inspection, another restart..... another 1/4 mile, and another conk-out.  I began to suspect fuel starvation.  I'd only put a litre of fuel in the tank, and wondered if maybe there wasnt enough fuel in the tank to cover the fuel tap filter, so I turned round and headed back to the workshop to fill up with another 3 litres of 2-stroke [I noted that this is going to be an issue that I will have to plan ahead with - you dont just pull into a garage for more fuel - you gotta mix the oil, and not many petrol stations these days stock 2 stroke oil)

The ride through Birmingham was lovely - I felt very sedate.  She did stall a couple of times (im now suspecting a fuel tap problem) but with a little pause on the side of the road, she restarted and ran with no problem.  I even had a few toots from fellow motorists - Im not sure if they were acknowledgements of a jolly little vintage motorcycle, or expressions of anger at my ambling progress.  My speedo suggested I was doing 20 - 30...... but 20 - 30 whats??  She was built in France, so maybe kilometers per hour?  But she was built for the British market, so maybe miles per hour?

I didnt really care.  I was enjoying my new found pace of life (despite crossing 2 of the busiest roundabouts in Birmingham at rush hour)

I made it to the MOT station and enjoyed the banter and curiosity of the guys there.

First MOT.  12 March 2016

She passed her MOT - even though in order to check the tail lights, they had to bend down and peer into the rear light cluster to see if anything was glowing in there.  Everything does work.... but its only sort-of-bright when the engine is running at a good speed.

I am seriously considering taking some clip on bicycle lights with me on this "6 Cuntries" trip - I dont plan to ride at night, but it might be a sensible safety measure if i do get caught out on a remote French country lane after dark

I rode back to the workshop with a big grin on my face - I was exhausted from the adrenaline rush, but completely satisfied with a good days work.

So - Now to see if I can get her registered quickly so that I can get some proper road testing in before May