The crankshaft was finally finished the day we were due to fly to India to participate in the Karma Enduro. After a mad dash to Coventry to pick up the long awaited crankshaft, deliver it have the bearings made, then hot-foot it to Heathrow – we made it on time.  We now have all components and the re-assembly can start -  or almost.

Another problem arose which I have not mentioned before. When the flywheel was removed from the old crankshaft it was meant to be gently pressed off. Trevor’s press was not big enough to accommodate the massive flywheel but we were assured it would be pressed off carefully. It wasn’t. When we brought the flywheel home fresh indentations were noticed and on closer examination cracks. After crack-testing it was apparent we now had a cracked flywheel. It had been hammered off the crankshaft and rendered useless.

There was only one way out of this mess and we had to get a new flywheel. Using the old one as a pattern, a new one was cast and that has just been delivered. It needs to be machined and balanced but that will be the last component that needs to be sent out.

I must admit the past seven months have been very frustrating, just waiting and waiting but now it’s all about to change.