Panniers and Frames

With the new tank on, I fitted the Hitchcock's Panniers and Frames. 

All fairly straightforward stuff, although a bit of a fiddle to get one of the brackets bent around the mudguard stay. I think the original RE ones used a more straightforward bracket than these Hitchcock remanufactured ones but it was OK once done.

The panniers are copies of the ones that RE used to supply. No idea why they stopped as they seemed very popular. But they seem just as good as the original ones and almost indistinguishable other than the "Enfield Cycle Co" branding on the side (which I rather like actually.)

 

The Chrome Halcyon Green Meanie

I was recommended to use Aberffraw Garage for the repainting of my tank, about a 30 minute drive away to the other side of the island.

Wow, did they do a good job! A brilliant colour match; deep, lustrous finish; barely noticeable masking line against the pinstripe and a very reasonable price.

These are the before photos showing the more modern tank design and badges. Not horrible, but it doesn’t quite capture the “retro” essence for me. (The bike's design is apparently heavily influenced by '50s Bullets.)

I siphoned out about half the fuel to make the tank easier to remove. You have to take off the seat (just 2 bolts) and then one bolt from the back of the tank. It's a bit awkward, with 2 breather / drain hoses; the electrical connector and the fuel line to remove; mostly by feel. The original owner documented on YouTube having broken a connector when trying to remove the fuel line. Anyway, it was fiddly but manageable and will be a lot easier next time now that I know what I'm doing. With the tank off, I removed the fuel cap and drained the rest of the fuel into a bucket temporarily.

I fitted the fuel cap to the new tank, then turned to the underside to swap over the fuel pump/fuel level sender assembly. 

It was very obvious that my painters had painted the bottom of the tank properly, whereas the original RE finish barely covered the primer!

I was a bit perturbed to find that one of the mounting holes for the fuel pump assembly appears to have the remains of a snapped bolt in it. I tried to get it out but couldn't and it's a blind hole and I don't have the right sort of tap to cut a new thread. I wonder if this is the reason the tank was replaced under warranty? The pump assembly has a thick rubber gasket, so I decided to chance it with the one bolt missing but also applied a fairly generous dollop of hylomar blue on the surface. If it leaks, I'll remove the tank and sort it out. (It's not showing any sign of leaking after reassembly, but I'll keep an eye on it.)

With everything swapped over, it was a faily straightforward exercise to put it all back together again. I think it looks great - just enough chrome but not overwhelming. It looks black in these photos, but when the sun comes out the Halcyon Green really pops and sparkles!

I love the new view from the saddle.