Well, no rest for the wicked I suppose

So the next one will be 'The Yeti' - or 'Yetinother GT550'.
Might take a bit of work this one.

Some time ago I bought 2 GT550s, one was the A, (the Earwig) that got 'finished' last year and t'other was a J that was very incomplete, not having any crankcases for starters. Anyway, some time after I dropped on a Q plate 550 which had an early engine and a late frame and had been registered as 'built from parts'. The engine was a runner - but wouldn't start - no, I didn't get that either, but the last owner didn't get what he wanted for it either.
Stuffed it in the works van and got it back to work, put some petrol in the carbs and a set of jump leads on and started it up. If the PO had been bothered to try that he 'might' have got another £500, buy heyho, better in my pocket!
Didn't run too great THREAD HERE, but didn't sound bad and was eventually covered and left while other things were done elsewhere. The details were checked and the engine was only 14 numbers away from the one that should have been in the J, what's the odds of that being so close? The engine must have been made within hours of the original one and would have been on the production line at the same time I reckon.
Now is the time to start then.
The first 550 I had back in 1972 was a 21st birthday prezzy to myself

and I thrashed that bike around the country for a few years before work and relationships took over my life and it was eventually sold, so in that bike's memory this one will be made to look as original as possible but will still hopefully be able to upset a few purists! There will be some stainless on it - rims and some fixings - but hopefully it will look very close to a Candy Gold first model 'soon'.
So this is what I'm starting with, hopefully running some time this year depending on holidays! Whistle see.

With a bit of help from these.
Eeny, Meany, Miny, Mo and Earwig of course.
Second (J) and third (Q) from the left will see 'changes' very soon!
Left one is a 'spare' K. As you do tend to find languishing around from time to time.



That's this year's project taken care of. And for those who are thinking that there's one missing - the Kettle is at the menders being made pretty. I'll post why elsewhere.

Nice collection there Alan.