The bonnet that came with the car has seen better days. It has a lot of crazing and the vent has been glassed-in. Fortunately I have a new (repro) one that I bought years ago from a feller who was remanufacturing Berkeley bodies. It fits OK on three sides but the windscreen scuttle side has too much curvature........
Considering the subframe is from a 1960's Mk1 Mini, it's in remarkably good nick with only surface rust and no major corrosion. The modifications that have been done by the previous owner are mostly unpainted but again, with surface rust only.
One last, little job on the engine before I bag it up again. The CX500 was not equipped with an oil pressure gauge - just a warning light that comes on should the oil pressure fall below say 5 psi. This usually happens if the engine is so knackered that it runs out of oil, or there is a leak that has been left un-repaired.
Just four bolts secure the engine to the subframe so it's quite quick and easy to remove it - even when it's all fitted in the car. Here's the bare subframe with every component removed. It's quite light but the Honda engine is probably less than half the weight of the Mini so it could probably be lightened even more.
Many Berkeleys have been rebuilt over the years with Mini engines which, in my opinion, are just too big for this pretty little car. They invariably sit too high and usually have an ugly bonnet bulge. However, the previous owner of my car had already made a start on the project and had chosen Honda's, water-cooled CX500 'V'-Twin engine.
This must have been the winter of 1970 / 1971 around the time of UK decimalisation. Sweet sixteen, in the snow outside my parent's house in Maidstone, wearing my first leather jacket (still got it) and Dad's old RAF boots. My first ever car was this 1960 Berkeley T60. In those days you could drive a 3-wheeler on a bike license at age 16 and even (kind-of) get away with driving it alone as a learner by sticking a kitchen stool on the passenger seat so you couldn't take a passenger. (We had some fold-up kitchen stools at the time...wink, wink).
The Comet engine's maximum revs are lower than the 650cc BSA so the bike could do with slightly longer legs. I made some enquiries with a company called Nova Racing who offer a 5 speed gear cluster with a choice of ratios but none higher than the 4 speed's 4th gear. The engine is not short of torque and I won't be thrashing around a track on it so I'll pass on the 5 speed for now.
I've kinda worked out how to start the beast on the first kick without being thrown over the handlebars (most times), warm or cold but it's still a mighty effort for my 63 year-old legs with titanium hip joints on both. So, anything that will minimise the firing-up effort is worth considering.
The crap winter and spring weather finally cleared and it warmed-up enough for this old nonce to venture out for an MoT and a few shake-down runs. A couple of niggly oil leaks were dealt with and I eventually sussed how to start the engine on the first kick (or two) without being launched over the handlebars - Tickle the carb until fuel drips from the overflow hole, full choke, quarter throttle and one hefty kick, standing on the left foot-rest with the bike on the prop stand.
What I've been aiming for throughout this build is simplicity, functionality and elegance. This machine has been put together as a usable bike - not a show bike. I've tried to do everything properly without being too anal about fine detail and absolute perfection of finish. Been there, done that.
