25th Sept 2006. That date will be etched on my mind forever. For the newbies and those who don't remember I'll recap. Like now I was running around doing stuff for my local TOMCC rally (the rally has moved it's time due to circumstances...) and had been to get the photocopying done, pick the trophies up, and get some coffee beans (not for the rally - just for the caffine in case I needed to work all night...) I was on the way home, pootling down the bus lane and a car didn't look for anythnig smaller than a bus....
I had no time to stop and no where to go. She was worth £4000 and needed £3800 of work.
And the forks are worse than they look.
I couldn't see her go. I somehow managed with the insurance payout and savings/parents scraped the money together to buy her back as salvage and get a brand new one. But that wiped me out and so the plan was to buy bits as and when I could afford. I was aready committed to going to Australia and nothing was gonna change that. That was a bright spot I was looking forward to through the dark days. When I got back my injury payout cheque had a rrived and it was twice what I was expecting... so the funds were now there.
I'd got the forks from Gary on here and I sent them off to be checked over and rebuilt. But they were SM ones nd hoped that one day they could have the extra disk put on. I located a Thunderbird Sport wheel and a man who'd put an 18" rim on. So the extra disk and the caliper and bits were ordered. Now it was just time. The bike was/is at my parents 150 miles away. It needed me to have 2 days off work at a time to get up there and have enough energy to do the work.
The forks... well we needed the plastic ring that seals the shouding around the fork. We ended up cutting the old shroud to get to it. I knew one had a big hole in the inner bit...but the other one had serious crease in it. It's them that saved the frame. I could have probably reused the lower bits (the outer castings) but I'd have had to replace the rest, so replacement was the easiest. And cheapest.
Anyway some pics.
New-ish refurbed forks on.
Shiny new wheel... I did a deal with the man who rebuilt it for me. I had taken the hub to him and some pics of the rim. I sat and spent 2 HOURS taking the spokes out... It was a brand new Akron Alloy rim worth US$300. And no good to me. He took the rim and knocked £50 off his price. And was less hassle than putting it on ebay!
Back, after she'd passed the MOT.
My 2 Americas....greedy or what!!!
One comment from the MOT....the exhausts are a little loud.... but he let it pass. I wouldn't mind but they are the same ones that she had on last year and no comment was made....
And one niggle....I've sorted out the insurance for her...but it doesn't start untill my new policy starts - and that's not till the 4th July....so I can't really ride her till then. But as I'm not at my parents till after then it doesn't really matter I guess.
A happy ending to a sad story.
Couple of thanks....to Gary for the forks, to Eddy for the hassle with the chrome res cover....and to Andy (ARD) for the fender... and shirts. I hope you see it's all worth the hassle to get bits (back) to the UK.
06 America - missing, presumed in bits. With it's TBS wheel... 
09 America - It's very blue....
