The two screws are for the right-hand side panel and the tool box lid opposite the silencer, and need refitting to their respective rubber collars with new split pins. The shock absorber adjuster rings have come up well, as has the rear brake lever. Picture 10: There wasn't much to re-chrome on the XT, but Quality Chrome of Hull have done a great job with the small detail parts that needed attention. It's important not to damage the slider this way, but I've found on older bikes where some corrosion has built up (as here) it's the only way to get the old seals out. There's a washer and circlip to come out first, then I've tapped a screwdriver down between the oil seal and its housing to release it and pry it free. Picture nine: Of course, the forks will require new seals fitting, so before commencing reassembly I'm removing the old seals from the tops of the sliders. I photographed everything as it came apart, so I can simply refit it all the same way now. Between the stanchion and the slider is the main fork spring and internal damper assembly, at the lower end of the stanchion are the internal shuttle valve parts, which fit inside the stanchion and are secured by the circlip. Assembly of the forks should be quite straightforward, but I've laid out all the components for each leg before starting. Picture eight: Philpotts have done a superb job of refinishing the fork stanchions, which were quite badly pitted. This one was pretty grubby, so I've cleaned and re-oiled it before putting it back in. It's never necessary to replace it unless it has become damaged. This is of the oiled foam variety, and should be cleaned out in solvent, wrung dry, and then wet with engine oil at every major service. Picture seven: Before leaving the midships of the bike, I'm checking the air filter. The electrical terminals are all colour coded or terminated with plastic plug-in block connectors, so it's impossible to get the connections mixed up. The upper component is the winker relay, the lower one is the rectifier for the charging circuit. A couple of electrical components are mounted to it, the whole thing being rubber mounted and therefore isolated from engine vibration.

Picture six: Round the other side, the battery tray clips in and bolts up next. I've omitted to have the clip around the separator re-finished, so I'll remove it later and pop it in for zinc plating before the bike is ready to emerge into the outside world. The oil separator (the circular chamber mounted on top of the crankcase) engages with a stub on the bottom of the airbox. Being made of plastic this has simply required a good scrubbing and a spray with silicone polish before replacement. Still, it will have to work for a living from now on. Stainless screws from Inox finish it off, and frankly it now looks rather too nice to just bolt on to a motorbike. The float chamber and mixing chamber top have been polished up and the bracketry for the cables and odd bits of fittings and linkages have all been re-plated in bright zinc.

This has not only been stripped and cleaned, I've fitted a Keyster repair kit from NRP and had the carb body vapour blasted. Picture four: With the motor bolted up tight and oil pipes fitted I'm now refitting the carb. Again, a new O-ring goes in at the pipe flange on the crankcase. This damper rubber also secures a clip that holds the pipe in position. Note the head steady brackets that secure the cylinder head to the frame, and the circular rubber damper rubber for the fuel tank. Again I've used silver paint to clean up the ends. Picture three: Up at the top end this is the oil return pipe, which sends oil from the pump back to the frame reservoir. Not wishing to strip the pipe for re-plating I admit to having simply cleaned up the metal sections and painted them with VHT silver, hopefully no one will notice! The pipe screws on to the filter gauze at the front end, and secures with two screws to the crankcase above the gearbox sprocket, with a new O-ring fitted at the flange. Picture two: With the bike still light enough to flip over on its side, I'm fitting the oil feed pipe, which delivers oil from the frame downtube to the oil pump in the crankcase. Note the rear brake pedal pivot, which I've also fitted at this stage. A little gentle wiggling gets the frame in position, then the engine bolts can go in to hold it all together. The traditional pink fluffy blanket on the workbench prevents scratching and damage to all those lovely shiny parts. The XT engine is a fairly light and manageable lump compared to some, but I still find it easiest to lay it on its right side and offer the frame up to it. For step-by-step photos and captions, visit the image gallery.

Pipe bike workshop