Thanks, George (@chinesegeorge) and Rory (@rory). Airfix paints in the rattle can are enamels. They have fine pigment and spray well. I painted all of the metal parts on my BMW engine using their polished aluminum color. I got some Vallejo Metals today so I can vary the tone on the aluminum so they don't look like they just came out of the showroom. I have to admit, Rory, that I know absolutely nothing about motorcycles. The closest I have been to a motorcycle was one that almost hit me in a crosswalk. I am counting on some weathering to cover my mistakes. :o)

A lot of cleaning up work there, George @gblair, I’m sure the time spent will result in a fine looking engine.

Thanks, George (@chinesegeorge) and Spiros (@fiveten). Are you talking about cleaning up the parts or cleaning my work table? :o)

Whew George, lots of misfit parts and lots of cleaning required. My only comment is that those bikes were very utilitarian in the day and some of the castings would have been fairly porous and rough anyway. I have seen a couple of un-restored WW2 ere Harley WLA's which were pretty rough to start with, but your attention to detail will surely produce an outstanding result I am the opposite side of the coin to you... I have owned 16 different bikes in my life and at 61 I still have 6...:)

Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten) and John (@johnb). You are right. In my case, if you could see the workbench top you would know something suspicious is going on. That's why I only build one model at a time. Can you imagine two models in there? Building models, for me, is like a full-contact sport.

Thanks, Rory (@rory). My plan for this motorcycle was to build it as well as I could, then weather it after. I have been looking a lot on the internet for pictures. If you find photos of a wartime bike, they are in black and white. Great for info on how they looked overall, extra equipment, and so on, but no good for specific colors. The color photos I find are great, but they are restored bikes, which are usually restored back to pristine condition. Congrats on still riding. I have had a couple of two-seat convertibles that I enjoyed, but finally gave them up when my knees made it hard to get in and out. Sports cars lose a lot of their cool factor when you have to put your hand on the ground to get out. :o)

Hello George.
I hope that you and your family are happy and safe, enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner.

I went back and read the entire journal. You are almost done with your tedious work. Now it’s almost at the point where you can start putting the larger parts together.

I’m sure that you are tired of cleaning the little parts by now. Hang in there buddy. You are about ready to turn the corner and then this project will really take off.

I have also found your journal very informative. Thanks for taking the extra time to explain how you are doing this. It applies to other builds as well.

I have owned a lot of different motorcycles throughout my time here on our planet. I started riding motorcycles when I was 7 and I raced them shortly afterwards. Dirt bikes are what I rode mainly back then and occasionally I drag raced motorcycles, but that started years later. I prefer to race in cars. It doesn’t hurt so much if you wreck.

I have done a lot of work on them over the years and I think that you are spot on with your thoughts on the castings not being pristine. Your paint work looks really nice too.

Keep it going my friend. Happy Thanksgiving too.

Thanks, Louis (@lgardner) and George (@chinesegeorge). I know I am just slogging through the extended prep because of the way cycles are constructed. In a plane, you build the floor of the cockpit, attach the back wall, and start adding things. These cycles have so many bits that attach to other bits, and the way they are constructed you can't assemble and then paint, you need to paint first, then construct. There the motivation level is starting to rise now that some of the assembled bits are now starting to look like something recognizable. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.