A good once over - Part two.

Panels off, new mudguard in hand, its time to look at the front end. I've already ordered a new speedo cable as the one fitted came out in two pieces.

With the rear of the bike weighted down so the front wheel is in the air, the front wheel comes out easily after removing the spindle. The speedo drive is very stiff, filled with a mixture of dried grease and corrosion. Not brilliant for a two year old bike, but it'll be OK after a clean and lube session. Surprisingly, the brake caliper comes apart easily. It shows signs of partial seizure, as the pads are worn unevenly, although the pistons both move. Again, a clean and lube session should sort that out.

There's a lot of rusty staining around the lower headstock, but the forks are still in good condition with no leaks and no pitting to the stanchions. Where's the rust coming from? Pulling and pushing on the fork ends produces a good half inch of free play. A torch and a good squint under the panels reveals a completely collapsed lower headstock bearing.

Bummer.

That's really rather poor so it's bars off to dismantle the bicycle style cup and cone bearings. The top bearing is still fine, with traces of the original grease. The bottom one is a different story. It's a caged bearing, the cage has rusted and most of the balls are missing. There's slight marking and light rust on both the crown race and the lower cup, but with some wire wool, those clean up enough to be reused. Instead of caged bearings, I fit loose balls. This provides more support to the lower headstock and will reduce the chances of the bearings falling into any small indents in the lower races. With the bearings packed full of good grease and the bars refitted smooth, play-free operation is restored.

The painted metalwork on the front is the same as on the back - pretty poor. There seems to be little corrosion resistance provided by the frame paint. As already mentioned, a can of Waxoyl would be a good investment if you want one of these to last.

The new mudguard clips in at the top and secures with two bolts at the bottom. I wasn't expecting much for £14, but the new 'guard fits perfectly.

Time to wait for the postman with my new £6 speedo cable, then I can carry on with the reassembly.