October at the NW Man Lab

There is nothing new about James May's Man Lab TV show - I have been acting this dream for what feels like a century with knowledge handed down by my Father and before him Michalis the gardener of my Grandfather in Πρίγκηπος .  In short, James May lacks that cutting edge that distinguishes a true Balkan Bodger from the boys:  but I don't benefit from the BBC licence fee.

First off, this is Jodrell bank, located at the Southern boundary of the NW Man Lab - I use it for micro waving IKEA meatballs at a range of 8 miles,

I needed to develop this sophisticated high pressure apparatus for removing the pistons from my GS front brake calipers - the cunning trick here is that the opposing pistons must be restrained by the use of the worn out brake pad and a piece of wood.

A pristine R100GS on display but not for sale at my local BMW Motorrad dealer photographed moments after I had spent £140 on 20 rubber O rings to overhaul my GS brake calipers - hence the slight camera shake.

One of my GS front brake calipers before overhaul: This is why its important to keep the brakes clean and not to rely on the servicing skills of an official BMW Motorrad workshop. Logically this should have appeared as the second image. Sorry.

NW Man Lab personnel on a a rest and resuscitation break on the River Rhine.  The air temperature is hovering around 32F.

These motorised barges plough up and down the Rhine between Basel and Rotterdam carrying essential spare parts for BMW motorcycles.

The flight deck of the Draco  at speed - I am at the controls of this opulent Volvo powered vessel previously owned by the third cousin twice removed of Aristotle Onassis' hit man and it featured in the pilot James Bond movie "From Stoke-on-Trent with Love".

We travel faster than a bouncing bomb through the spans of a reconstructed bridge.

For some reason the crypt of the Church at Oppenheim contains 20,000 human skulls and bones

The paint finish on the front forks of the GS shows signs of repeated attack by Greek goat shit so requires some attention.  Here is the application of Hammerite Special Metal primer that ensures that the top coat falls off within moments of application.

Back to the NW Man Lab kitchen where junior apprentice aka "dopey son" screws up the cooking of pasta.

Back to the front forks, having been painted with Hammerite smooth silver paint. N.B. image taken at 1/1000s to capture the moment just before it all fell off.

A truly splendid example of why the use of stainless steel fasteners in aluminium alloy is a very bad idea. Here I am drilling out the seized bolt on the left hand cylinder head that will need to be reconstructed with liquid metal filler and retapped.  Good luck to me.

Spanning the river Dane Twemlow near Holmes Chapel, the brick built viaduct is constructed of 23 arches each spanning 60 feet and 2,580, 191 bricks or so and stands at a height of 105 feet  and was completed in 1842.

Built in 1996, this fine BMW K75RT exhibits very little damage to either side as this picture clearly shows.

The next episode of NW Man Lab will include an update on the GS cylinder head catastrophe, new brake pads and lines and much much more of little general interest.