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45 Articles

Challenging views…

The normally affable Steve Cooper has a bee in his bonnet this month about the hobby we love. He’s asking whether show bikes have any relevance in the real world of old bikes. Some show ponies – he opines – are merely artful shells, just painted bodywork, blasted metal and empty engine cases with precious little of the real, working internals inside. In fact, these are classics ‘For Display Purposes Only!’ Personally, they sound just like full-size models to me, like a Tamiya kit gone large. One returning contributor – Scott Redmond – has long been an outspoken believer in ‘riding not hiding’ bikes that fall into the classic category. Not only does Scottie insist on bagging bargains on the way (and in conditions more like ‘pony’ than ‘show pony’), he uses…

Challenging views…

Racers love to get the full ‘gentleman’s set’ of pole position, race win and fastest lap and that’s just what Barry Sheene achieved at the Swedish Grand Prix of 1977. Barry put his Suzuki RG500 on pole-position at the 2.497-mile Anderstorp circuit for the 28 lap race with a best time of 1m 40.28s ahead of his rivals Johnny Cecotto, Pat Hennen and Giacomo Agostini on the grid. Despite not getting the best of push starts Barry would win the race from Cecotto by just under three seconds, with Baker in third and our own Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish in a fine fourth place. Sheene’s best lap of 1m 39.80s would also be the fastest of the race. In his book Leader of the Pack with Ian Beacham, Barry said: “It was another…

1992 HONDA GL 1500 Gold Wing

You always remember your first ever journey on a Gold Wing. I’ve enjoyed trips to the Isle of Man on them, jaunts to Wales, Scotland, the Continent, but June 17, 1996, was a particularly special one and for no particular reason. I’d been boxed in by a GP100 and a CG125 at Heathrow airport’s employee bike sheds, but with a couple of pushes the pair of commuters parted like a rusty red sea, leaving me to simply engage the GL1500’s handy reverse gear and back out without damaging the tiddlers or being late with my report from the Monza World Superbike round. I did the trip back to the office in record time and in complete comfort – and all with Radio 2 on the stereo. And that’s what makes a…

1992 HONDA GL 1500 Gold Wing

Wings through the ages: 1974-2006

As CMM readers will know, the first Gold Wing was actually a sportsbike – the GL1000. First unveiled in 1974 for the 1975 model year, it was a 999cc flat-four machine which has since become a classic. In 1979 the bike became the tourer it always promised to become, when it became the GL1100. This was still a flat-four, but this time the motor was pushed out to 1085cc and an ‘Interstate’ version came with all the touring fairing/panniers/ paraphernalia needed to cross states, counties and countries with ease. Eventually in 1984 the naked models ceased to exist, just as 1985’s GL1200 was launched. As well as additional capacity in came gizmos such as fuel-injection, a bigger 1980s-style LCD display, auto-levelling suspension and on the likes of the Aspencade in came…

CMM STARS JOIN TEAM SUZUKI

Contributors to this fine publication Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish and James Whitham join Team Classic Suzuki at this year’s Endurance Legends event at Donington Park. The event – backed by CMM – takes place over the weekend of May 6-7 and the pair will be riding the gorgeous Suzuki Vintage Parts-backed Katana in the 4-hour race main event of the weekend. Stavros and Whit will be joined on the bike by Michael ‘Saint’ Neeves. Whit says: “I’m looking forward to getting back on a big four-stroke. It’s what I did most of my racing on with Suzuki; big GSX-R1100s and 750s, and it’s a bit more me. I’m going into the race to enjoy it. “It’s going to be great working with the team and with Neevesy and Stavros, but I’m really looking forward…

CMM STARS JOIN TEAM SUZUKI

Troy Bayliss headlines Stafford show!

There’s a very special guest headlining the 37th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle show this year. The event – held over the weekend of April 22-23 – takes place once more at the Staffordshire County Showground, where the fans’ favourite Troy Bayliss is the guest of honour. The Aussie won the World Superbike championship three times during his career (2001, 2006, 2008), raced in MotoGP (winning a race in the process) and knows the UK well having spent two seasons racing in the British Superbike series and taking the title in 1999. The Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show event contains the very best that classic British motorcycling has to offer. This traditional spring spectacular features row-upon-row of stunning display machines providing plenty of eye-candy for show-goers to explore and enjoy. Several…

Troy Bayliss headlines Stafford show!

Loads of motorcyclists will be very familiar with the name Skidmarx, writes Jim Lindsay. The firm has been making and selling screens and fairings for all manner of bikes for over 30 years. It has recently entered a new phase after long time employees Ian Merril and Matt Dench, both in their thirties, bought the business from retiring founder Alan Roberts. Why does this matter to you, a classic bike nut? Easy: they have over 3000 moulds for screens and a huge number of fairing moulds going back to the eras that most of you sensible CMM readers are interested in. While I was at their factory in Weymouth, Dorset, Ian Merril showed me an early Yamaha TZ350 screen that they had stored on the shelves. I was able to watch a screen…

Not every motorcycle on the classic show circuit is what it seems. Ironically and (possibly contentiously) certain elements of the scene are actually the least skilled. Now, before you start filling the editor’s inbox with Mr Angry rants, bear with me for a moment. Some, and only some, of those that engage in the arcane art of pot hunting are blatantly guilty of building nothing but hollow shells and not functioning motorcycles. With a deep wallet, a little time and a dollop of artifice those guilty have cobbled together engines with no internals, carburettors devoid of jets and needles along with oil tanks and sumps filled for ‘display purposes only’. The list sometimes goes on. Throwing money and external expertise at something that’s little more than an adult-sized Meccano set is (realistically)…

Retirement is a word seldom used in our humble kennel. I’ve tried it a couple of times with little success, but recently I’ve become more inclined to consider its merit. Then the phone rang: could I hop in my van and collect a pal’s fallen scoot relaxing behind a hedge on the road to Southport. If I wasn’t busy. Sure, the hedges can wait. I retrieve the lifeless pup from its leafy sleepover and drop it off at said pal’s house. As I again pick up Black & Decker’s finest, a set of 1000 EXUP carbs appear under the gate with a brief note: “…stumbling at 3000, enjoys choke, big hole at the top end, luv Steve”. I can sort that. With a handful of brass bits, jets, emulsion tubes etc. getting…

Prescott Bike Festival

If you want to enjoy a cornucopia of motorcycling and classic mechanical goodies, then you need to attend the Prescott Bike Festival on April 9. Held at the famous Gloucestershire hill-climb, the festival is renowned for the diversity of machinery that it attracts and this year will be no different. The highly skilled creator that is Allen Millyard will return with no fewer than eight of his amazing creations! Bike Fest’s excellent showcase of Paddock Specials features more than 100 examples of rare machinery where you can meet the owners, watch them fire up and take to the hill. From an original Joey Dunlop TT race bike, to James Toseland’s 1998 Honda CBR600 World Supersport machine, through to an award-winning shed-build Kawasaki Z1000, a rare 1973 Triumph Trackmaster flat-track racer and a…

Prescott Bike Festival

Loving the GS1000S I’m so pleased to see your archive piece on the Suzuki GS1000S in the January 2017 issue! It’s definitely an iconic bike that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. After Wes Cooley and Dave Aldana thrashed the superbike opposition on the Yoshi version in 1979/80, a new breed of street/race rep bikes started. Until then it was either clip-ons, chin on the tank bikes or boring commuter stuff. I’ll never forget seeing Dave Aldana’s blue and white GS1000S on the Mallory grid, rider in skeleton leathers. All the grid were on the conventional racers (chin on tank, arse up, clip-ons) and there was the GS with Aldana sat bolt upright, flat bars, with the superior stance of knowing he was going to win. Suzuki hit the ground running with the…

WIN a Scottoiler bike care pack Every month we’re giving away a Scottoiler Bike Care Pack to the writer of the best submitted letter we receive. The pack contains two litres of Scottoiler FS365; giving you the ultimate in summer and winter corrosion protection. Simply get in touch by sending emails to: letters@classicmechanics.com or post your letters to the normal address, giving contact details just in case you are that lucky winner. Four-stroke timing… Hey CMM! What happened to the four-stroke timing second article by Mark Haycock? Andy Harding Bertie says: “Tune in next month Andy.” You’re brilliant! Just had to send a rose rather than my usual thorn. That series of articles on the restoration of the DT Yamaha by Ralph Ferrand has been bloody excellent – especially – the articles on redoing the wiring loom. Comment…

Not sure if you’re interested in this or not, but I’ve just come back from visiting the Automotoretro show in Turin. For those with a taste for motoring history the show provides an added bonus in that it takes place in an exhibition space which is part of the iconic Lingotto building – the former Fiat factory with a test track on the roof. While this is primarily a classic car show (and a great one at that) the ‘moto’ part of the title refers to motorcycles and there were indeed lots of old and interesting bikes to see: everything from early 20th century flat tankers to modern Moto Guzzis and Royal Enfields. In among the wide array of assembled machinery were quite a lot of bikes to attract the attention…

We’ve teamed up with The Hobby Company www.hobbyco.net which distributes Tamiya plastic motorcycle kits in the UK to give our favourite restoration one of its amazing motorcycles in miniature. So, send in your pictures of your bikes and you could win the chance to indulge in a miniature motorcycle restoration of your own. Remember to send your name and address on each submission so we know where to post the kit. David McCormick’s Honda SL350 Hi there, I thought I’d send some photos of my bike, which is now living beside the seaside in Kent ! Alan Mello’s 1972 Benelli 250 Supersport Greetings from Deephaven, Minnesota! Here is the third Benelli I have restored. This was found in the next town over from me, with a stuck motor and a lot of grime. After…

The way we were…

“This is a picture of me and my friend Gary Mortlock on a Club 18-30 holiday in Ibiza in the early 80s when mullets were cool!” says Jon Barry , from Surrey. “We hired out these bikes and toured the local area of San Antonio. I have recently purchased a similar Bultaco to add to my growing collection of 1970-1980s iconic classics! Production racing was huge in the 1980s! This snap came from Robert Milligan’s photo album. It was taken around 1981 at Snetterton, we’d love to hear from you if you’re in it! Ian Taylor says: “Here is a photo of my sister Anne sitting proudly ( flares and knitted top) on her brand-new Suzuki Stinger back in approximately 1972 ( reg: LWU 38 K) which she collected and rode back…

The way we were…

V - FOUR VENDETTA !

Scouring the classifieds for potential bargains is (as someone once said about remarrying) the triumph of hope over experience. Decoding those ads can be a nightmare but it’s something that everyone who’s travelled to a used bike viewing knows can only be learned through the rictus grin of bitter disappointment. ‘Barn find’ is the small ad warning we all instinctively translate as ‘don’t even think about it’. But ‘dry stored’ – now that’s a much more tricky fellow. Will you find Sleeping Beauty hiding beneath silken sheets or will it be an old dog grinning back at you once you pull back the dust covers? Nine times out of ten the answer is canine. Dry stored translates better to plain ‘ignored’ and every classic motorcyclist knows a bike unused is a bike abused.…

V - FOUR VENDETTA !

Capable classic

What exactly is it you want from a classic motorcycle? It’s a question that has a myriad of potential answers. First off it has to be reliable, otherwise it’s pretty much pointless owning one. And of course the machine in question should be both comfortable and accessible. And finally aren’t good looks important too? No matter how efficient the bike is, how well it handles or how fast it accelerates, if it looks naff then you’re unlikely to bond with it. If it has reliability plus drop dead gorgeous looks and it’s easy to use, wouldn’t we all be queuing up to buy one? Common sense would say yes but as is often the way that’s an attribute remarkably rare even in our day to day lives let alone the perverse world…

Capable classic

It’s my bike: Ian Bird

I had long admired the Z650 from when it was launched in 1976. I was 16 at the time and just getting into bikes. Fast forward to 2001 and I was thinking more about buying one so I asked a friend who brought bikes in from Italy if he could keep an eye open for one for me. “I’ve got one in the shed at home,” he replied. Ah, bluff called then! “I’d like a standard B1.” I responded. “It’s a B1 in green with a 4-into-1.” Bluff truly called, he delivered it to me shortly afterwards. A couple of scuffed parts were duly replaced, a standard used exhaust system procured from Guv’nors Bridge Motorcycles, and an mph speedo replaced the kph one. Since then I have just used the bike.…

Z650 – History and Legacy

The basic Z650 changed little from its introduction in 1976 as the B1 model through to B3 model of 1979. The B1 Candy Super Red or Candy Emerald Green proved popular colour choices in the USA and UK respectively. Unfortunately the B2 colour options Luminous Dark Blue or Luminous Burnt Red did little to boost sales. The B2 featured revisions to the charging system, cam chain tensioner, fuel tap, carbs and footrest but by and large the bike was essentially similar to the B1 model. The B3 model reverted back to the B1 colour schemes and sales picked up dramatically. Following Stateside success of the 1977 C1 model 1978 saw the introduction to the UK of the C2 model also known as the Custom. Finished in Metallic Stardust Silver as per…

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

Oh my word! This road test really does take me back not just to the start of my riding career but to the years just before that ignited my interest in motorcycles full-stop. We all have those moments, don’t we? The time that defines what we become: motorcyclists. Mine was when I first saw these 350 Powervalves both faired and un-faired when my father used to take my mum to work of an evening (she worked nights, as a nurse), on the way back we would stop off at the local bike shops and peer through the windows at the selection of machines for sale. I always liked the look of the un-faired Yamaha RD350LC YPVS: it was naked, it was raw and that lovely engine was all exposed. Fast forward a…

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

RD350LC YPVS TIMELINE

1977: Yamaha decides to produce a range of new, lightweight sporting motorcycles inspired by their two-stroke TZ range of racers. 1979: First images of the RD350LC are published in France. Early shots show wheels borrowed from an RD400 and only a single front disc. 1980: The RZ250LC is launched in Japan early in the year with the RD250LC (4L1) introduced into the UK in May. A month later the RD350LC (4L0) is introduced with a twin-disc front set-up. Updates come later in the year to carbs, exhaust mounts and cylinders. 1981: RD350LC goes on sale in Japan and Canada: updated 350LC now on sale in the UK with black colour scheme. 1982: Popular Candy blue option appears and colour schemes now have three, not two stripes. In October the new YPVS equipped RD350LC is…

RD350LC YPVS TIMELINE

Prices and parts

What a decade we’ve had price-wise for the Yamaha RD-LC and YPVS models. In the last 10 years prices have leapt up: they’re no longer entry-level classics. The earliest LC and YPVS models show the biggest gains in value but that’s given anything with the ‘LC’ or ‘YPVS’ moniker a halo effect. Even a scabby RD350Rs can go for a grand: we’ve since seen clean, complete ready-to-ride 350Rs be up for as much as £3k! In the Noughties a rough F2 was often broken for parts and cost just a few hundred quid. Today a lovely F1-F2 can go for up to £4000 or more. The first Powervalves – the 31K models – are more sought after than the F/N models: expect to pay up to £6000 for a minter with low miles…

REAL-WORLD RIDE!

One-by-one those motorcycles from our yesteryears get elevated to full blown classic status and every year sees a new class inducted to the school of lost classics. For years many of these machines littered the bargain basement end of the market, cheerful transport for those who needed a cheap fix of motorcycling . You could be mistaken for thinking that all 1980s and 1990s motorcycles are now appreciating at an alarming rate. Well, there are still certain models that can be found for £1000 or less. I had a budget of a grand to spend on a bike, not a project or something with potential but a machine that had an MoT and was ready to ride. After several weeks of searching I found the perfect answer to my question. The 1993 Kawasaki…

REAL-WORLD RIDE!

Kawasaki’s swift ‘sports’ 600

The Kawasaki ZZ-R600 was always the ‘sports tourer ’ in the 1990s smorgasbord of sporting 600s . The early 90 s menu consisted of the frantic Yamaha FZR600 (and later FZR600R), Honda’s sublime CBR600F and Suzuki’s forgotten GSX600F ‘Teapot’. Even the D-models (inset shot) impressed with their engine with many testers of the day rating it as strong as a comparable 750cc powerplant. Out on the road the soft suspension let the bike down . Despite this, John Reynolds took it to a Supersport 600 title in 1990! Even with 1993 ’s twin-snout ram-air E-model (engine, chassis and aesthetic changes) the bike was still on the soft-side of sporting, hence the Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja’s appearance in 1995. A suspension overhaul came in the mid-1990s, as did a digital clock and later an alarm/ immobiliser…

Kawasaki’s swift ‘sports’ 600

EVENT Bikes of Bristol !

As I’m based in roughly the same geographic location of the Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show I was allowed out of my workshop for a day to see what tickled my fancy. The Saturday of the show was bathed in glorious sunshine and the motorcyclists of the south west headed to the Bath and West Showground in their droves, pockets bulging with savings. Unlike myself, who was told in no uncertain terms by She Who Must Be Obeyed that I should not under any circumstances return with any more project bikes… There was a bike auction at the show with some very nicely presented piles of rust through to some immaculate restorations and everything in between. I did rather fall in love with a nice early Yamaha SR500. Luckily for my marriage, I…

EVENT Bikes of Bristol !

Honda VFR750R (RC30)

There are few motorcycles that are true icons but without question near the top of that pile is the VFR750R – also known as the RC30. Unleashed in 1987 this was Honda at its very finest, showing what they were capable of when aiming for race success in the then newly-formed WSB series. As a race bike it chalked up wins wherever its wheels turned, whether it was the bumpy Isle of Man circuit or the glass-smooth German Hockenheim track. As a road bike it was hideously expensive compared to the 750 competition (ZXRs and GSX-Rs of the day) costing almost twice as much, but it oozed typical Honda build quality and more importantly, sex appeal in every detail from the titanium con-rods to the Elf-developed single-sided swingarm. As singular components, the…

Honda VFR750R (RC30)

Star Tron! Well, sounds a bit like a sci-fi film to us, but Wemoto claims this is the mechanics’ secret weapon! Based on natural enzymes, it keeps your fuel delivery system clean and your petrol fresh – combating ethanol-related problems. Treated with Star Tron, your engine will start up easily and run smoothly. Fuel burns more completely, increasing your machine’s performance while providing great fuel economy and reducing smoke and all other emissions. Ethanol attracts moisture and can form an ethanol-water combination which falls to the bottom of your tank. This condition, known as phase separation, leads to gunk forming in your tank. Star Tron not only prevents gum, carbon and varnish build-up that can clog carburettors and fuel injectors, it removes it. It’s also perfect for treating old fuel, making it particularly…

Honda VF400F Q:I am trying to rebuild the engine on a VF400F but engine spares are hard to come by: as I found out when looking for a top-end gasket set, which I finally acquired thanks to Bay 67 Autos, Norwich – possibly the last genuine set in the world! The problem I have is that as the bike had been stored for 20 years the piston rings were stuck in but I managed to remove them okay. The pistons cleaned like new and the cylinder bores are fine and are well within the service limits. The rings are also within service limits but have some signs of corrosion so I want to replace them with standard size ones but cannot find anyone who has any. Do you know of any that…

If you’ve followed Project Yamaha RD350 you’ll have seen I became rapidly less than pleased with the bike’s rear suspension. The front was much as I remembered it, compliant if a little soft but the rear was frankly dire. I’m no riding guru or knee-down specialist but even I can spot truly bad suspension. When every road deformation gets channelled into your derriere and lower back you kind of know something needs to be done. The OEM units had only seen 7500 miles use but were 43 years old and were never great when new. Knowing that my original RD350B blew a shock seal at 9000 miles circa 1976 did little to inspire confidence. The perpetual over-sprung and under-damped scenarios finally came to crisis point or as close as I ever want…

Shock decisions!

You can pay serious money for a pair of shocks and still not have what you or your bike need. Money alone does not automatically guarantee the new suspension you fit will be significantly better than the one it’s replacing. Many universal shocks are at least as good, or even better than the dying units on your bike but at the very least they need to be the correct length. If they’re shorter the bike will sit down at the back, seriously compromising handling. Conversely if they’re too long, turn in is likely to become seriously twitchy. If it’s retention of the OEM look you’re after try companies such as TEC, Hagon, Nitron etc. as they offer good replicas shocks. If it’s ultimate handling that’s the priority then head to the…

Washers – spoilt for choice

You’re never too old to learn, as they say, and this article certainly threw in a curve ball for this old codger. If you already know this, skip what comes next but for those that don’t… I knew washers sometimes came in different external diameters i.e. penny or repair washers versus conventional ones but different thicknesses within the same ID and OD? The 14mm packing washers I needed came in three different thicknesses; Form A: 2.5mm thick, Form B: 1.6mm, Form G: 3mm. There’s also a Form C: which has a much wider O/D. We all tend to run with what we know and until I started looking about I genuinely didn’t know there were so many options. You probably don’t need to stock your shed to the roof with every size…

This month I am going to start reassembling the diminutive mud-muncher’s powerplant. After Nick’s efforts in the vapour blast cabinet, the crankcases look lovely. Were it not for the obvious marks of abuse suffered over the years, one could be forgiven for mistaking them for brand new. Why-oh-why do people clamp soft aluminium parts in the knurled hardened steel jaws of a bench vice without soft grips? These signature marks of a bodger in the crankcases don’t actually affect the running of the bike, but offend me greatly; it’s so unnecessary. I often find such marks in brake caliper pistons and wonder at the mentality of the people who do this stuff. The first thing to do when you get any bike parts back from any form of blasting operation is to…

The final hurrah!

The last time the RC42 featured in CMM was late 2014 after I ripped off the fairing and returned the bike closer to how Honda had intended. Was it really that long ago? Okay so the rack and top-box are still present but I have to say in this instance function out-trumps form every time. The bike has become something of a pampered workhorse and when circumstances allow it gets taken out for a variety of duties. It’s done a couple of trips loaded with camera ephemera for CMM features, trips to see family and friends, runs to the chrome plater and bike events and it’s even been press-ganged into the occasional grocery run… see what I mean about the versatility of a top-box? I had noticed that the bike had a…

The final hurrah!

An Elsie masterclass!

With this month’s road test looking at the later YPVS N2, I figured I’d give all you earlier LC riders out there a treat with a masterclass in how to strip, rebuild and tune a Yamaha RD250/350LC motor. I will start off with what I always say and it is Stan’s golden rule: when stripping the engine, do your detective work and look for signs of damage and look for the causes. Keep that in mind, even when we do the first task which is draining the oil from the gearbox. Then take the two 12mm headed drain bolts out of the barrels to drain the last of the water. With a lever or large screwdriver, check the engine mounting rubbers , if they have gone soft or are coming apart…

An Elsie masterclass!

Lectures From the earliest design of the four-stroke engine there have been a couple of tried and tested methods of opening and closing those pesky valves. Initially there were inlet valves that opened as the piston descended, causing a lower than atmospheric pressure in the cylinder which drew the fuel/air mix in. These were soon overtaken by side-valves (SV) which operated offset to the axis of the piston and cylinder; they were easy to operate with short tappets or cam followers running directly off the cam lobes and thence shoving the valve stems directly. This arrangement is relatively immune from trouble by virtue of the fact that the valves didn’t have a piston to hit if they stayed open at the wrong time. However, from a performance position they were a bit…

The Japanese slant on valve gear

In 1959 Honda flipped the switch on the CB92. The little 125cc screamer, loosely based on (or copied off) the NSU Rennmax would run up to 10,000rpm, or 11,000rpm, or maybe even 12,000rpm. Nobody really knew, but they did know that it revved much more than anything that had previously been available to Joe Biker, all courtesy of a single overhead cam and small (lighter) but perfectly formed valve gear. There followed various overhead cam Hondas, universally driving the cam or cams via a simplex roller chain. In this area Honda had departed from the expensive, bulletproof gear train used on the NSU, instead opting for cheap and cheerful (and 99.9% of the time very reliable) chains and sprockets. This combination of expediency and pragmatism served Honda well (and subsequently Kawasaki, Suzuki…

The Japanese slant on valve gear

KAWASAKI Z 1 - R

PANELS OEM plastics unobtainable, reproductions can vary in quality . EXHAUSTS If authenticity is important to you make sure it’s in good condition and not bodged . ELECTRICS Regulator/rectifier age poorly , aftermarket replacements common . Ensure decent earths on loom. FUEL TANK Original 13 litre tank often replaced with later 22 litre type . Grab the smaller OEM unit if it’s offered/available as they’re super rare . NUMBERS Engine starts KZOODE; if it’s anything else then the engine has been transplanted. CHAIN GUARD Oversized rear tyres can take it out, as can poor alignment. ENGINE Normally strong as an ox with no serious problems, so if it’s making a noise it’s been heavily-abused, poorly maintained or has extremely high mileage. BRAKES Drilled discs are unique to the Z1-R. Being first to market with a new design is often something of a double-edged sword. On the…

KAWASAKI Z 1 - R

IT’S MY BIKE: David Marlow

I love them. Ever since seeing one way back in 1978 on the TV show Vegas, sitting proudly in Dan Tanna’s sitting room. The shape, colour and ‘modern’ styling put other bikes into the shade, so I traded in my Honda 750 F1, took delivery and put many miles on her with my friend Alan who also had one. That was until September 1979 when an accident on a diesel-soaked corner made my beautiful bike part company with myself and my wife just four weeks before our wedding! Fast forward to summer 2010 on a lovely countryside walk (still with my wife) I heard the distinctive engine of the Z1-R, and suddenly my mid-life crisis kicked into top gear. I hunted high and low and much to my daughter’s dismay I…

IT’S MY BIKE: David Marlow

What to buy and how much to pay

The Z1-R has finally come of age as far as the classic scene is concerned . For years the poor relation , it’s now up there with the Z900 and Z1000 on the second tier of Big Zed desirability. Although values are lower than those of original Z1 900s Z1-R prices are on the rise . Even a bike in plastic boxes will begin at £2500 and probably more if the rare bits are there . Rough but complete examples start anywhere from £4000 to £6000 and add at least another £1500 for a really tidy but used model with patina . From there on up the Z1-R touches £9000 and maybe a little more if it’s really mint, box fresh or a 100 point perfect resto. We’ve seen dealers asking…

Runt of the classic litter?

I’ve been around motorcycles all of my life and for over half of my days on this planet I’ve made a living from the very things that I love (no, not Belgian buns) but bikes. I’ve also spent 10 years freelancing on magazines, eight of those on this very publication, and I’ve seen a few new dawns in our world of classic motorcycles. In 2010 when CMM shone its torch on bikes from the mid to late 1980s the mag experienced a bit of a kicking from those who prefer their classics to be from the 1970s era, but after a while it settled down again we all played nicely. Then the dawning of 1990s tackle between the CMM covers of a few years back caused some friction, again it settled…

Runt of the classic litter?

The Suzuki GSX-R1000 K1

From 1998 the litre-class superbike crown was worn by Yamaha’s YZF-R1, but in 2001 that crown was nabbed by this machine. The K1 was styled very much like the GSX-R750Y from 2000, but you’ll notice the gold-coated stanchions. The GSX-R1000 featured SET (Suzuki Exhaust Tuning) which is a butterfly valve in the link pipe between the collector and silencer and aids low-down power, like Yamaha’s EXUP valve. Rake and trail are identical to the 750Y but the frame itself is slightly different having stronger outside walls on the frame spars and mounting points for the motor. While the style was very much akin to the GSX-R750, the performance had the beating not only of the R1, but Honda’s 929cc FireBlade and Kawasaki’s ZX-9R E1/E2. The bike itself was a belter, the motor…

The Suzuki GSX-R1000 K1

I was sifting through my old photographs in a loft sort-out and came across some pics of the old NSR250 I was smoking around on in the early Nineties. A quick shufty on the smartphone and I was quickly perusing what was on the available online. It was quite shocking how much the desirable two-strokes were up for – RG500/RD500s in the mid-teens and the desirable NSR/RGV/TZR 250s around £5k or more. Clearly I was not the only one looking with rose-tinted specs and nostrils! As you do, I ended up on that well known auction site and spotted this 1994 RGV250 that was priced a little lower than the rest of them. In the pictures it looked very original and to my mind it was in the best colour scheme: I…

Tribulations of trials

The Yamaha TY250S was produced as a road-going trail/trials bike with lights and a steel tank. When the TY250R was produced it was as a specialised trials bike. With its mono-shock rear suspension it revolutionised trials, winning everything from novice trials up to British Championship titles. The engine produced soft power and was very rideable, I bought one for my 11-year-old son, Harley, going straight from an 80cc straight up to a 250cc: it was that rideable. However to ride at the top-level the TY lacked grunt, also as the air-cooled engine got hot it rattled and clanked badly. A good local trials rider called Dave Skinner asked me if I could tune his TY 250R; I carried out some development using Dave as a test pilot. I read somewhere that the…

Tribulations of trials

Phut-phut bang!

In the long, slow, drawn-out process of rebuilding an old bike, there’s nothing more exciting than getting a phone call to say your paint’s finished and ready to collect. A month or so before, I’d ferried all my bodywork up to Steve Joy at Apache Customs in deepest North Lincolnshire. In the meantime I chucked the bike in the back of the truck and headed for Silverstone – the home of Earls hoses – where gaffer Alan Poole made me a full set of spanking new front and rear brake hoses that fit better (and look much better) than the original pipes. I’d stripped the fuel tank to bare alloy, the carbon-kevlar fairing was in effect brand-new, even if it was actually more than 30 years old (it’d been in my attic…

Phut-phut bang!

Make or Break REVISITED!

It’s funny how things change over the course of just five or so years. When I started the regular ‘Make or Break’ column, showcasing what I’d bought, why and what I was planning to do with it, it reflected the then-current state of the market. And how it’s changed: or not. It’s interesting now to look back on what I bought, for how much and what these bikes would go for now. Pull up a jerry can, let’s adjust those rose-tinted goggles and chew the motorcycle-buying fat. This trio is from July 2011 – so what’s changed? Yamaha TDR350 I’d totally forgotten about this bike, which isn’t like me at all. This TDR-350YPVS mash-up was the only hybrid of its kind that I’d seen back in 2011 when I dealt in to…

Make or Break REVISITED!

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