Andrew, the 43 year 'hibernation' was because life got in the way
I bought the bike brand new in May 1975 from Ken Kay Kawasaki in Stopsley, Luton. In early 1977 I got a 6-month ban under the old '3 endorsements in 3 years' system, so decided to fit a Dixon Racing frame stiffening kit. To fit this you had to strip a fair bit of the bike down, so I decided to strip it completely down to the frame. I never actually fitted the stiffening kit (which I still have). So that the bike wouldn't corrode I stored the whole bike, in pieces, on the upstairs landing of my parents flat in Harrow, where I was living at the time. I had a couple of Hobnail Cubs to get me around for the next few years while I pondered about the rebuild and then pondered some more. In the end life took over and I got married, had a kid, separated, and finally divorced. Not all on the same day I might add. I don't want people to think me churlish. Anyway, the bike stayed in my parents house, still on the landing, for 37 years in total. As my Dad had died in 1996 I think it being there was a comfort for my Mum, as she felt my presence every time she fell over the frame. When I moved in with my current partner in 2009 I found to my delight that she had a double garage (not a euphemism) so there was loads of room to store the bike, tools, workbench etc. It took me 5 years before I actually did this though (as Treebeard was wont to say "Don't be hasty"). As I was still working for a living I didn't really get much time to glue stuff together but did acquire various bits that I needed that had got damaged (when Mum fell over/trod on them), went missing etc over the years. In March last year I retired and started seriously working on the bike. Well, I mean 4 months later I took the frame et al to get powder-coated. I didn't actually do anything else until a week before lockdown in March when I took all the brightwork to get re-chromed in Bristol. Of course one week later lockdown occurred and I didn't get the stuff back for 4 months. I've more of less been in the garage every day since April.
You did ask