Workshop Update - May 2026
- Andy Marks
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
May was a busy month at Kingpin Components, with a steady flow of orders, several bikes needing attention and plenty of miles covered on my own motorcycles. This month’s update includes a pair of stunning Velocette KTTs, work on a Norton gearbox, new parts added to the website and a successful trip to France on my 1929 Harley-Davidson.
Customers Projects
Since starting this monthly update in January, I have been blown away by the response I have had. Seeing pictures of my customers bikes has really spurred me on. Please keep them coming!
NB: I only include pictures here after I have been given permission from the owner. Any pictures I am sent whilst working on, or supplying parts for, bikes will not get shared without your consent.
A Pair of Velocette KTTS
A MK1 and a MK VIII KTT. Both belong to the same person who has owned them for over 30 years. Simply beautiful!
1930 Rudge
Sean says the following about his bike:
'The bike is just a bitsa I built from parts over lockdown based on a 1930 Rudge as something that looked similar to the works race bikes of the era and that I could use both for road and occasional hill climbs and sprints. It’s rough and ready but has interesting features such as a Canadian belt drive conversion, foot change conversion, rose jointed linkages, Mikuni carb and Italian controls.'
I think it looks fantastic and it's clearly been built with a purpose, just like so many were 'back in the day'. I'm Sean is having a lot of fun with it.
1913 Thor
This belongs to a friend of ours and we got talked into fitting and timing a freshly overhauled magneto. It's a one year only model and there are only five of them known in the world. It really was a 'back to first principles' job as there isn't any information on it.
When the owner came to pick it up he started for us and immediately said it sounded better than ever. Phew! It's now going to Germany for a new inlet manifold and carb, the one on it is very unreliable but they were available originally with a different carb as an optional extra. Hopefully it will run even better on that and the standard carb can be left in the box in case anyone wants to return it to standard one day.
New Blog and Technical Posts
Two new posts went live this month. I did a lot of work on the gearbox from a 1947 Norton. I have written an article on some modifications I did to the mounting to prevent future problems. The bike was then used on La Balade, a weekend rally in France. I was also there on my 1929 Harley-Davidson so I have written a blog post about the weekend as well.
I took loads of pictures and notes while I was working on the Norton so there are several more technical articles to come about the gearbox and clutch. These are very time consuming to create so it'll take a while, but I'll keep chipping away at them and share them as and when they are ready.
This Month's New Posts
What's New?
A few long-awaited items made it back onto the shelves this month, along with a couple of additions that came about while working on my own bikes.
Back in Stock: Norton Single Engine Stands
I've mentioned these several times over the last few months because they seem to have taken a lot longer than I would have liked. But they are now back in stock and I've already sold the first few. Please take a look if you'd like one either for the working on or displaying a Norton engine.
New Arrival: Clutch Cush Drive Rubbers
With all the work I did on the Norton mentioned earlier, I had to replace these rubbers. So I bought a few sets in and they are now available on the website.
Click on the image to see them.
New Arrival: 1/4 x 1/4 Rollers for Norton Gearbox and Clutch
I have stocked up on 1/4 x 1/4 rollers so they are now available. You need 13 in the gearbox sleeve gear and 15 in the clutch.
Click on the image to see all of our clutch and gearbox parts.
What's Next?
The focus over the next few weeks is keeping current products in stock and keeping on top of orders while still finding time to get out and use the bikes. I've got quite a lot of time away in June and early July.
The business is taking up a lot of my time now, which is great news, but I still want to get out on my own bikes and away on rallies. I'm sure this section will be more interesting when the rally season is over and I'm spending more time in the workshop.
Personal Projects
The riding season is in full swing now, so my longer term projects have gone on the back burner and I am spending more time working on the bikes I want to use.
1947 Model 18 Gearbox
I spent a lot of time in May rebuilding the upright gearbox on my Dad's 1947 Norton Model 18. I've got loads of pictures and notes to create a set of technical articles so I'll save the details for them. But for now, I'm pleased to report the bike was back together in time for our trip to France.
Touring On My 1929 Harley-Davidson
This month I took my 1929 Harley to France for a long weekend. I've written about it in a blog post here but, in short, it performed better than I could have hoped for. The panniers were disappointing and will be changed before I go away on it again but otherwise it needs a service and it will be ready to go again.
1928 CS1 Problems
Let me start by saying thank you to the people that reached out after last month's post with suggestions for my issues on the CS1. Now... Confession time - I posted last month having had it cough, splutter and stop. I'd taken a quick look at the very black plug and put the bike away. I had the trip to France coming up so didn't have time to look at it properly.
Since getting back from France I have had a closer look and it was very clear that oil wasn't my issue. The plug was black, but with soot rather than oil. After checking fuel level and ensuring that the float isn't sinking, I took the jet block out and found several of the very small holes blocked up. I didn't have to look very far for the culprit. The union nut on the bottom was originally nickel plated, that nickel was peeling off on the inside and blocking up the holes.
After a good clean up the carb is now back together and back on the bike. I have a couple of weeks before Wales so I have decided to take my time to give the bikes a service while it is on the bench. I'll check tappets, points, chains and so on. Hopefully by next weekend I'll have it running so next month's update will be all about how well it went in Wales. If I continue to have trouble, I can always take the Harley to Wales.
That's all for May. If you are still reading, thank you. Plenty more to come next month.
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