Pete Stansfield has tol the story so far on his Eat the Rich blog, check out T120 parts 1-4, so I'd better take up the story. Spring 2004, Ive got two projects on the go, (whaddya mean only 2???) a CCM?BSA hybrid and a rigid pre unit bonnie chop, so I'm trawling ebay for bobber junk. Now that was back in 2004, not many folks had a clue wot a bobber was, type the word "bobber" into ebay search now and you'll get your pick of everthing from T shirts n stickers to Honda Fireblades wi apehangers, back in 2004 you got about 10 items!
Anyway up comes a listing for a T120 bobber rolling chassis, down in deepest Yorkshire, I recognised it from pics I'd seen in BSH of Pete's T120 and was going to have it one way or another. Cut a short story shorter, the chassis, tank, wheels and tractor style seat arrived on my 40th birthday on a pallet, within about an hour I had the rolling chassis built up on a bench in the shop part of the petrol station that I ran at the time. Just one minor detail, I didnt have a motor for it!
On the phone to all the dealers I knew, nothing, on ebay, nothing, more phonecalls more leads and a couple of false starts later I got my hands on a fully rebuilt TR6P single carb 650cc motor, built up by a fella ready to go in a Rickman Metisse chassis to go pre 65 Scambling, but never used. All new parts inside, new carb and good to go!
The motor was fitted up, sparks were sorted out with a Boyer black box and micro digital ignition kit. Lights, who needs lights???
So a couple of months after it arrived from Petes, its on the road, christened BlackBob and getting a good shakedown at the Loch Ness Run.
Part 2 to follow
