Not much blogging, not much action. I fitted the front wheel then found it was off-centre by 5 to 8mm which caused much head-scratching. Eventually I slackened off all the spokes on the off-side and tightened all the spokes on the nearside and it all pulled up OK (though it was easier said than done!)
I've now started on the wiring, made much easier by a spanking new loom from Andrew Mason at Xt500parts. Sadly he's giving up his business which involved the remanufacture of hard-to-find XT parts, but the guys at Kedo are taking over some of the work. Andrew was always very good to deal with and unfailingly polite.
Removing the 16-year-old Pirelli from the rear was the cause of much straining at a rock-hard carcass (and no I don't mean my bod) owing to the extreme cold in the unheated garage, but it gave up the struggle last night. Once I have fitted a replacement rear and got the rear wheel in place I'll be able to lower the bike off the bench and sit astride it for the first time.
Next jobs are:- finish wiring, paint tank and rear mudguard, find an exhaust (!) and attempt a startup...!
