Honda-SOHC

I grew up in a motor trade environment, my late father did his apprenticeship at RR Crewe working mainly on Bentleys. After completing his apprenticeship he teamed up with a fellow RR employee to service and repair cars in the evenings and weekends when they both were based at RR Derby in the mid 1950s.
I'm talking here about post WW2 and the rapid growth in private car ownership that took off in the 1955-65 period.

I'm not certain about the year, sometimes around 1954/5 my dad Reg and his mate Eric opened up a garage locally in Mickleover to sell used Vauxhall's with a workshop and body shop facilities. The man with the money was Eric who inherited substantial weather on the death of his father. The business expanded to bigger premises in Derby, they eventually became Vauxhall, Opel & Mercedes main dealers. Eric sold the dealership retiring to Spain in his mid forties.

I had access to factory dealership  workshop manuals via my father, older manuals ended up in our garage when newer issues were released. This access to decent printed manuals led me to seek out manufacturers manuals when I bought my first Japanese car a MK1 MR2. The manuals were expensive at about £60 each, even worse there was a manual for the engine, bodywork & electrical section so a set was well over £120 with VAT.
Haynes manuals appeared to be only available on older models, don't know if that was copyright issues or what
My Haynes Manual for a Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 was brilliant, it was a thorough and detailed manual with great photos and text links to each photo. A local self employed Technical Photographer (ex RR) John Colley did a lot of work for the Haynes family as the Haynes Manuals became quite successful.

I was told by John Colley that he parted ways with Haynes work when they were cost cutting, probably after the company changed ownership. What I have noticed is the Haynes Manuals seem to have lost a lot of detail especially when they combine models in one manual. That said they are a great starting point.

I'm looking for some new brushes for bike painting and engine cleaning.
For over twenty years I bought mine from a local shop (I/C Discounts) that closed last year.
They would have brushes suitable for applying cleaning solvents including petrol, brake cleaner, water based degreasers. They sold a variety of small paint brushes that were cheap enough to bin after a few uses.

I don't have the time to find anything local so looking for tips - links to internet sellers etc.

I was charged £87.84 (inc VAT) for 6.1 Litres of oil when I had my Volvo Serviced, on top of that I was charged a disposal levy for the waste oil.

I have a bottle of Top up oil in Volvo packaging that states its Castrol Edge Pro 0W-20 meets specification VCC-RBSO-2AE.
It must be a good little earner for Castrol who sell Castrol Edge Pro 0W-20 with a variety of slightly different specifications for Volvo, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Vauxhall, each presumably with a specific additive for hybrid, turbo variants etc.

Is it likely at the Castrol Refinery make so many variations of Edge Pro 0W-20 oil?
Is it badge (ok bottle) engineering to fleece customers, the cynic in me thinks it's probably all the same oil until it's in the bottling plant, an appropriate label is then affixed at the end of the line?

I know the topic has been discussed before, I'm going to have my Superdream rolling frame in the garden under a Gazebo for a couple of months whilst I paint the engine. I'm looking for a suitable waterproof cover.

My existing bike covers both leave the bottom of the wheels exposed, is this normal for most bike covers?

Ideally I need a cover that will extend right down to the ground.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/127544911060

Advice is do not use Petrol containing Ethanol.

My BiL has given me a load of old motorcycle magazines.

I've been reading about Granite City Breakers, aka Breaking Points, wondered if they are still trading.

I watched part 1 of the man in the mask series last night.

Made me wonder if any members here were living on the Island at the time?

Wendy had a mishap last week and ended up slithering onto the floor.

The local Care Link system sent out one person with these two cases, it was like watching a Transformer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFxfqFN-UnM