Once again, I didn't get round to doing much this week. Well I say that, but more accurately I didn't get round to doing much BMW related stuff. Getting the splash tray welded into the seat hump, and making a start on a template for the seat base was about the sum total of my efforts. Any progress is better than no progress though, so I suppose it could have been worse. What I did manage was to wheel the motorcycle out into the daylight, and get a proper look at it. To get the full benefit, I also whipped the rocker covers off to fit the old style ones I bought, and fitted the foam air filters to the carburettors. On the whole, I think its going to look suitably purposeful once it's all done.

Even the lump of the battery tray hanging down under the seat seems to work visually adding some interest in what would otherwise be a totally empty area.

The engine is going to need some further shaving along the top of the crankcase, which will expose the starter motor and leave a more clearly defined gap under the fuel tank, as it is, the angular front top corner of the crankcase very nearly disappears up under the tank. Once it's all painted, the seat hump and fuel tank should suggest a single shape and I like the way that shape is separated from the rest of the motor cycle, or at least would be if the front top corner of the crankcase wasn't there...

Getting a good look at the seat hump, and it's Land Rover rear light was definitely worth the effort of getting the motorcycle outside. I'm really pleased with the way it looks. The old style rounded rocker boxes sit better with it all than the squared off ones the motorcycle left the factory with too.

I'm toying with the idea of fitting indicators to the motorcycle, specifically, bar end mounted ones. There's ample room for mounting electrical components, both under the seat and the fuel tank as well as in the battery tray. That's going to mean a bit of thinking about switch gear though, I don't want to use the standard switches because they're quite plasticky and multicoloured, I want something that looks more engineered than designed. Some stainless steel, push to make, microswitches is what I have in mind, with some sort of latch on, self cancelling arrangement for the indicators. but having indicators will mean I need two switches by each of my hands so mounting them might be an issue. I've resolved not to think about that until I've got the switches in my possession.

I've found a pair of piggyback Marozocchi shock absorbers that I'll use for the R65, they're currently holding up the rear of my Z650. I'm not a big fan of robbing one motorcycle to get parts for another, so I am keeping my eyes open for a set. Whether I end up buying a set for the BMW, or a set for the Zed will depend on the timing.

Although it's not too difficult to appreciate on an intellectual level that the project is moving forwards, appreciating it on an emotional level is a different kettle of fish. Getting the motorcycle outside where there's room to stand back and take the whole thing in, as well as natural light, makes it a lot easier to see that you're not only making headway, but making it in the right direction too