Misc: Everything Else Complete Restoration of a Black Shadow

Magnetoman

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I have a question for which there is an obvious answer that many people might give, but for which I hope at least a few people spend some time considering it.

Background: I have a matching numbers 1950 Black Shadow that will require me to do a complete restoration down to the last fastener. Although I've done some amount of work on it since buying the bike a few years ago (29 years ago, to be precise), optimistically, I'll finish two other projects and be ready to start on the Black Shadow before the end of the year.

Although Graham has done a fantastic job with the web site, its search engine hasn't enabled me to find if someone previously has posted such a complete restoration thread here. There are 3.4k posts in the post-War Tech. Advice category, and various search terms haven't narrowed that number enough for me to find such a thread, if it does exist. Does such a thread exist (here, or anywhere else), and can someone point me to it? But, that's not my real question.

Assuming such a thread does not exist (i.e. a total restoration, not just of individual components[*]), and assuming I spend the time necessary to thoroughly document my restoration in readable form, on what web site should I post it? The obvious answer is "here," but is that actually the best choice?

[*] Two examples of the level of detail I would go into are at:


As alluded to above, a good reason posting it here might not be a good choice is that soon after it is finished it will be buried by later technical posts and the site's search engine won't necessarily find it. If I spend the effort required to write such an extensive thread, I'd like it to be easily found in the future by as many people as possible for whom the information would be useful, not for each post to be read and then forgotten by people who already own Vincents and who are unlikely to actually make use of the information in it.

My three choices seem to be:

1) post it here (but, why here?)
2) post it on another site (but, what site, and why there?)
3) make notes only in enough detail for myself and don't take the time to write, edit and post it on the web.

Opinions, please.
 

manxman

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Whatever you decide, please let us know! I look forward to reading. Please don’t choose your option 3.

If you’re computer-savvy, you might also consider documenting the restoration on video via YouTube. See the “Mighty Garage”—a channel run by a VOC member active on this forum. Believe his name is Mike. He has 70+ videos on his restoration of a Rapide.

So, not directly responsive to your question, apologies, but good luck!
 

Roslyn

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Please take lot of photos as well before and after as they can be big help as I am also thinking of ripping my shadow apart with out breaking any thing to get it on the road but just have some projects to get out of the way before winter sets in.
 

Magnetoman

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
you might also consider documenting the restoration on video via YouTube. See the “Mighty Garage”—a channel run by a VOC member active on this forum. Believe his name is Mike. He has 70+ videos on his restoration of a Rapide.
Videos can be very entertaining, but their information content isn't the same as the written word. I've yet to see a video on a technical topic that is a substitute for written words plus photographs.

If I'm going to document this project, I want to produce something as informative as possible for someone in the future who might face restoring a Vincent themself, not as entertainment. Two rules of thumb for good non-fiction videos are that you need to shoot 10x more "film" than will be in the final video, and that editing just a rough cut takes an hour per minute of final video. Those two "rules" alone explain why I won't be documenting it on youtube.

I must say, I'm very impressed how clean Mike's hands always are in those videos. I've only skimmed through maybe a dozen of them but I have yet to see a dirty hand in any of them.

Coincidentally, I appear briefly in one of his videos, starting at 1'33" into

Please take lot of photos as well before and after as they can be big help ...
For what it's worth, I haven't done a lot to my Shadow over the past 29 years, but just the Kodachromes of that work that contain non-redundant information that I scanned, plus digital photos from the 21st century, make up 173 images. So, not to worry, I take a lot of photos.
 

TouringGodet

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
VOC Forum Administrator
VOC Forum Moderator
How about a fourth option, register your own domain name, say, my1950vincentblackshadowrestoration.com, and post your writings/photos there, in whatever format you like, and embed relevant search terms in the web page meta data to make it come up near the top of search engine results?
 

Keith Martin

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
The first question I have is why are you wasting time working on BSA’s when you have a Shadow?
I enjoy reading your threads and have learned many things from them. The Vincents seem to have more information out there than all of the other bikes I have worked on but I think you could add some interesting and useful knowledge to what is out there.
This website is very good and the best place for Vincent information I think.
I am in that video also on a Norton.
 

Mike T

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Thank you very much for your great notes. I really appreciate it!

I loved seeing your Ariel at the end of the Cannonball. I remember it clearly. That was one of the best days ever. My brother-in-law came was visiting from Scarborough at the time and it was a fantastic day that I will always remember. Sat with a beer on the lawn looking out over the Columbia River Gorge and all those amazing bikes.

Yes, you’re absolutely right. It takes ages to put the videos together and it’s almost impossible to capture every step… and you know when you don’t, someone is going to comment that you missed it ;)

I did my best to capture the key steps, but you can find yourself spending more time getting the camera angles and lighting setup than actually turning a screw and enjoying the rebuild! ;)

The videos also became a huge part of the restoration, cataloging the videos, equipment, editing, post production, etc. I have learned a ton about editing in Final Cut Pro X and it has been so much fun, but I think it could be a little overwhelming if your heart just isn’t in it.

I like your idea of a BLOG. They can be abbreviated stories and you can include still photos without having to get into editing. You can also go as deep as you like. You can also open up your blog to comments, which are 99.9% very helpful. If you choose a motorcycle platform like Britbike (or here on the VOC forum), you’re also most likely to get like-minded folks involved who can offer great advice. I received tons of help, solid advice and encouragement along the way (especially from my VOC friends and members) with my vids and it helped a lot.

Years ago, @Alp’s Blog about the restoration of his Triumph T110 was instrumental in my own T110 restoration. I couldn’t wait for his posts and was a huge fan from way back then. This was all before Facebook & Youtube. I couldn’t believe how great his picture compositions were, let alone the quality of his workmanship.

Here’s a link to Alp’s old blog on Jockey Journal. Sadly, it looks like the pictures are no longer available as I believe PhotoBucket went kaput (there's another risk):
https://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78680

And here’s a link to my 56Tiger rebuild:
http://56tiger.blogspot.com

I don’t visit the BritBike forum much these days. You may have seen the AccessNorton forum. It is still vibrant and has a Vincent section. It might be a good alternative, but your Vincent audience would be limited since it’s primarily for Norton guys.

You might have chat with Graham who may be able to setup a separate “thread” on this VOC website. That would definitely be my preference (Option #1), to share it and preserve it here, along with the other Vincent archives for the future.

Good luck with your project!

Best wishes,
Mike
 
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Magnetoman

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
The first question I have is why are you wasting time working on BSA’s
People who live in Triumph houses shouldn't throw stones...

you can find yourself spending more time getting the camera angles and lighting setup than actually turning a screw and enjoying the rebuild!
It turns out I am very well equipped for video, and have made more than enough of them to know just how time consuming it is. Stopping every few minutes to take off gloves, reposition the camera and lighting, putting gloves back on again, and then trying to remember where I left off is a lot of effort, followed by the time just to do a minimal edit of the clips and post them.

It happens that right now we (i.e. my co-curator Ultan Guilfoyle and I) need to make two 2-minute and two 50-minute videos each for the 'The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire' exhibition that will open in Brisbane in two months. Even if Ultan weren't an award-winning documentary filmmaker, neither of us would agree to do this on Zoom. So, we're in the process of deciding just how we want to "film" these in high def. video given that we live a few thousand miles apart and neither of us is about to hop on a plane to go to where the other lives.

You can also open up your blog to comments, which are 99.9% very helpful.
That's actually a downside of doing it as a blog, because the nature of the web is that I'd almost certainly have to lock out comments, keeping me from that benefit. Another downside is such a blog only would remain available for as long as I, or my heirs, paid the annual fee, and that's assuming the hosting organization itself stays in business.

Through the AMCA forum I learned that 'American Iron' recently ceased publication and along with it caimag forum disappeared, which apparently was a treasure trove of Harley information that had been posted there over a number of years. This makes a place like the VOC Forum attractive, since it is more likely to remain in place for longer than some of the other options.

You might have chat with Graham who may be able to setup a separate “thread” on this VOC website.
If I were him I wouldn't be too receptive to this, since he would need to agree to something without any way of fully knowing what he was agreeing to. If I were in his position, I would politely decline.
 

manxman

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
I think any thread you posted on this site through the “regular” process would still be accessible (and useful). You would avoid the blog fees and the comments from the regular internet trolls.

You’re right that the search function can be overwhelming, with many entries and discussions being indistinguishable in the results. You can try certain unmistakable/unique keywords in each new thread for each new stage of the process (“magnetoman shadow rebuild, part 1,” for instance) which the users here would learn and recommend to others. Anything you write here you can also quickly copy/paste to a Word doc you can then PDF and post in installments, or as a set. Copies of the OZ Vincent Review are passed about in the same way.

I’m thinking selfishly with respect to the advice above, but from your perspective I would think you’d also benefit from the wisdom of the users here. No forum is perfect but this one is the best I’ve encountered.
 

greg brillus

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I'm not sure I would have the time or picture posting skills to carry this out, but what I will say is.......Given I work on these bikes full time, I would be happy to share any practical advice and help you will need along the way including any practical upgrades as they arise.........It is a big job........The average time for me to restore a Black Shadow to near original spec is around 300 hours plus........You will get lots of opinions on here about just about every aspect of the machine.......You will know yourself what is best for you........ ordinarily I would wish you Good luck........But as Arnold Schwarzenegger once said in one of his movies....."Luck is for the Ill prepared" and I know that is definitely not you......... Looking forward to it.......... GB.
 
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