New logo and website

Hi guys! The Wheels Workshop now has a new logo and website. We have a new and up to date blog at the site: www.wheelsworkshop.org. There are lots of photos and even a movie!

Week 2, (8th January)

The first half of the session took place in the Oakfield Project's lecture room. I am very lucky to be able to use their projector for my chats about how the road works. We discussed the basics of junctions and roundabouts. The second part of the session introduced a new scooter to the project, an Apriia SR50. Although I know the history of the bike it came to me without the log book, (V5). It is very important to introduce the responsibility of vehicle ownership to young people, even before they are old enough to ride/drive. I tasked the group with finding and downloading the V5 application from the relevant website. Then they had to gain information from the scooter such as chassis number, etc and complete the form.

First week of Spring Term

We began the new term with revision of the training we did from September to December. I was very pleased the young people remembered a lot of important facts about judging following distance and driving at a safe speed. Revision is a really good way of encouraging the group to participate in the road safety presentations. After the recap we looked at the exciting things I have in-store for the project in January to March. More eyeopening road safety lectures, lots of workshop time with plenty of hands on experience and a few scooter rider training sessions as a reward for good commitment from the young people. In this first session I mentioned the need for a new workshop. We are currently looking for a 20' x 8' (approx) vandal proof container to use as a workshop at the Oakfields site in Park South, Swindon.
If you have one of these to donate, let me know!!!

Well done guys!!!

We had an enjoyable riding session to end a very successful and constructive term. Thank you very much to the young people at the Oakfields Project. Thanks to staff members of Oakfields: Paul, Adam, Steve, Carole and Kim for their support through out the term. Also thanks to Abbey Rider Training for the use of their facility and Artdeans Motorcycles for a discount on parts for our moped.
We are now looking forward to the new year and moving the training on to a higher level with a new workshop and challenging projects.

The finale!

The finale and reward for the effort the team put in was a training session at Abbey Rider Training on the refurbished moped. The weather was grey, windy and wet but the group had high spirits as they received coaching from motorcycle instructor Rob Fox.

The riders listened carefully to Rob's guidance and had a great time manoeuvring around the circuit. Some of the guy's hadn't ridden before so this was a great experience.

Weeks 9 to 12

The bulk of the restoration work was carried out in the next four workshop sessions. The guys carried out important tasks such as replacing piston rings, fitting new gearbox parts and general servicing under guidance from mechanic Rob Fox.

The team wore overalls, gloves and steel toe cap boots in the workshop as any good mechanic would. These guys are just 14 years old so it is important to start them out with a respect for the  health and safety standards that the will find the the work place.

We were all thrilled to hear the engine run for the first time. The group had done a great job and our little bike purred nicely after more than a year in the elements.

Weeks 6 to 8

The next workshop sessions was a combination of getting to know the main components and assessing what work was needed to get our bike back on the road. The guys stripped the machine down and we discussed if all the repairs would be relevant to the value of the moped.

Once the engine had been taken out it was cleaned and brought into the classroom to illustrate how a 'two stroke' engines and automatic gearboxes work. Hands on, videos and computer simulations helped the group understand what goes on inside the engine.