Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Yet another new addition.....

Have you tried Carole Nash? I had a 'modified' multi bike policy which included the chop with hardtail frame and bits from all manner of bikes. Didn't have to list any mods for any of the bikes (I think I had six on the policy), they were all insured as 'modified bikes'.

Thanks and yes, I've tried Carol Nash, they have just come back with a decent revised quote after an initial out of this world quote by comparison, having greater success with Principle Insurance. It appears that different insurers have different criteria for what they consider a modification/change that requires notification eg for some seat, headlight and hand controls don't require notification, yet for others they want everything listed which then takes it to nearly 20 modifications and once it goes over 5/6 modifications they then don't want to quote. It probably doesn't help that the accessories are Arlen Ness and very expensive billet aluminium to replace. I'm getting there, only taken 2 days, hours on the phone and a few exchanges of emails,

As I want fully comprehensive cover I've found the underwriters tend to look more favourably when they have pictures of the bike rather than just fine words to assess the bike on, they can also see the overall condition of the bike . Frustrating but necessary and a way forward has emerged,

A productive day - cut down and sprayed the mudguard and fitted a new smaller LED rear light. Made a new smaller numberplate (but with bigger digits) and just waiting on a bracket before I fit it. Once the blousey seat has gone it will look cracking.





Ebay exhaust arrived. Looks a bit shonky in the pictures below but was only £75. Have had a play with the grinder and some paint so waiting for it all to cure before I fit - all will be revealed tomorrow!

It's getting there.

Have you thought of putting a lower speedo to clean up the handlebar area.



[img]https://tm-img.com/images/2026/05/09/mini-speedometer-v0-fpxgpeopi8rd1.webp[/img]

Looking good Phil ... mentally removing the seat you can see the balance between the front and back of the bike has been restored .... going to be a cracking little runaround ... nice work Matey!

Also got greasy hands as finally started the 'rust and grease' rebuild of Mrs Image's '63 Triumph ... going to be Scrambler/ Desert Sled style as lots of the original bits have been removed to suit the tastes of various owners over its life (and she likes that stripped-down look.) ... once I've done a dummy build and know I won't have to weld any more tabs on the frame I can get the spraygun and polishing mop out before the final 'pretty' build ... she's owned it for just short of 50 years so a week either way won't matter much 😆

K

Good point. Just had a look and speedo cable routing might be an issue against the top yoke, but may be able to fabricate something.

I have to admire you guys, I've never made the time for, and more importantly have the patience or skill and confidence to do what you are doing. I'm amazingly good at stripping things down, but the trickier bit is putting everything back together in the right order and tolerances so it all gels with one another. I always find there is another specialist tool tool needed at some point, and it just slows everything down until I eventually lose patience........need more garage space or a big shed so I can work on stuff without it getting in the way,

I've been watching a few of the Alan Millyard reels, especially when he is sawing engine blocks and crankcases then tig welding them back together to create new multi cylinder engines, and most of it is in his garden shaed....what an engineer.

I think it's down to 'necessity is the mother of invention'

When I was a kid we didn't have much money and if things broke, they stayed broke unless Dad could fix them (which was most things). As his willing apprentice I picked up on his methods and I continued.I'm better off financially, but not loaded, so again, if things break, I usually have to fix stuff.

Thankfully I really enjoy tinkering, fettling and fixing and have now built up a good stock of tools - some bought, some inherited and some I've made myself. I can turn my hand to most things and only farm out stuff I physically don't have room for (engine/gearbox removal)

I have a few sheds in the back garden - a big one that's the 'workshop', and a couple of 6x4's that are my 'parts store'. The big one isn't huge though, and can't get a bike in - all bike stuff gets done on the patio, and car stuff gets done on the drive. I will also often commandeer the dining room for tool/part storage during projects - I have a very understanding partner......

And yes, Millyard is an engineering genius!

Ditto ^^ 🙂

Except, living way out, I have lots of shed room ... however they have lots of farm/forestry/ horse stuff vying for space as well ... but I can usually shuffle stuff about to get adequate temporary project space ... have a mini-digger that makes a great engine-hoist ... only farm out engine work that needs machine tools beyond a simple lathe and (although I can stick two bits of metal together so they don't come apart to 'farm-weld' spec) I get the pros up the road to do safety critical racing stuff. Saved me untold amounts of cash over the last 5 decades .... that I've promptly spent on more projects!! 🙂

K

The only slight downside is that once family, friends and work colleagues realise you can 'fix stuff' you get lots of 'can you have a quick look at'

Still, it's good to help people out and save them a few quid.