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Classic Motorcycle Mechanics March 2021 (Digital)

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95 Articles

Spring is out there – somewhere!

You’ll notice a few things different in this issue. Firstly, we have a two bike main test… Yes, we’ve previously always stuck to a single bike main test (pretty much since I’ve been at the helm) but we thought we’d mix it up a bit! Sure, it makes it more expensive, but if we can do it – we will. Alan Dowds brought along our good friend Dave ‘The Goat’ Smith, formerly of SuperBike magazine, to lend a hand. So, let us know what you think. Along with Dave come a few more returning or new faces so we’ve had to shuffle the ‘flannel panel’ along a bit! Chris Moss returns to the pages of CMM as he mourns the loss of biking as it used to be! Let us know if…

Spring is out there – somewhere!

Spring is out there – somewhere!

Spring is out there – somewhere! You’ll notice a few things different in this issue. Firstly, we have a two bike main test… Yes, we’ve previously always stuck to a single bike main test (pretty much since I’ve been at the helm) but we thought we’d mix it up a bit! Sure, it makes it more expensive, but if we can do it – we will. Alan Dowds brought along our good friend Dave ‘The Goat’ Smith, formerly of SuperBike magazine, to lend a hand. So, let us know what you think. Along with Dave come a few more returning or new faces so we’ve had to shuffle the ‘flannel panel’ along a bit! Chris Moss returns to the pages of CMM as he mourns the loss of biking as…

Spring is out there – somewhere!

Classic motorcycle machanics

Publisher: Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk Publishing Director: Dan Savage asavage@mortons.co.uk Designer: Michael Baumber, Tracey Markham Picture Desk: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Production Editor: Mike Cowton Group Advertising Manager: Sue Keily skeily@mortons.co.uk Divisional Advertising Manager: Thomas Lee tlee@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529412 Advertising: Simon Meyer SMeyer@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529310 Sales and Distribution Manager: Carl Smith Marketing Manager: Charlotte Park Commercial Director: Nigel Hole…

Classic motorcycle machanics

Classic motorcycle machanics Publisher: Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk Publishing Director: Dan Savage asavage@mortons.co.uk Designer: Michael Baumber, Tracey Markham Picture Desk: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Production Editor: Mike Cowton Group Advertising Manager: Sue Keily skeily@mortons.co.uk Divisional Advertising Manager: Thomas Lee tlee@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529412 Advertising: Simon Meyer SMeyer@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529310 Sales and Distribution Manager: Carl Smith Marketing Manager: Charlotte Park Commercial Director: Nigel Hole…

Hubert Auriol: rally legend…

Hubert Auriol – a three-time winner of the Dakar Rally as well as the first time-winner of the event on both two and four wheels – passed away in January. Born in Ethiopia on June 7, 1952, the Frenchman was to be a force to be reckoned with during the early years of the Paris-Dakar Rally as it was originally conceived. From the inaugural event in 1979, Auriol would win his first stage wins in 1980 before taking his first overall win on the BMW R 80 G/S in 1981. He would take his second outright victory in 1983, again on the BMW, leaving the German firm for 1985 and moving to Cagiva. He came close to winning the Dakar for the Italian brand in 1987, but would break both ankles…

Hubert Auriol: rally legend…

Hubert Auriol: rally legend…

Hubert Auriol: rally legend… Hubert Auriol – a three-time winner of the Dakar Rally as well as the first time-winner of the event on both two and four wheels – passed away in January. Born in Ethiopia on June 7, 1952, the Frenchman was to be a force to be reckoned with during the early years of the Paris-Dakar Rally as it was originally conceived. From the inaugural event in 1979, Auriol would win his first stage wins in 1980 before taking his first overall win on the BMW R 80 G/S in 1981. He would take his second outright victory in 1983, again on the BMW, leaving the German firm for 1985 and moving to Cagiva. He came close to winning the Dakar for the Italian brand in 1987,…

Hubert Auriol: rally legend…

The latest riding kit, top tools, tyres, retro clothing and more!

LS2 SUBVERTER EVO LID LS2’S MX700 Subverter Evo lid gets an updated shell and seven new colour schemes for 2021! It’s one of the firm’s most popular moto-cross helmets and comes in solid white, black, as well as some funky colours. The helmet’s outer shell has been redesigned with LS2’s exclusive Kinetic Polymer Alloy (KPA) which makes it tough and lightweight (just 1300 grams!). You’ve also got three outer shell sizes for the best fit, multiple venting and a breathable, hypoallergenic removable lining. We love an ‘old-school’ double-D-ring fastener and modern ‘Emergency Release System’ cheek pads for swift, safe removal in case of an accident. Comes in sizes XS-3XL and colours are pricier! www.ls2helmets.com ALPINESTARS COPPER DENIM PANTS The Copper Denim v2 Pants are an excellent urban commuting ‘jean’ that gives protection for the…

The latest riding kit, top tools, tyres, retro clothing and more!

The latest riding kit, top tools, tyres, retro clothing and more!

cmm Stuff The latest riding kit, top tools, tyres, retro clothing and more! LS2 SUBVERTER EVO LID LS2’S MX700 Subverter Evo lid gets an updated shell and seven new colour schemes for 2021! It’s one of the firm’s most popular moto-cross helmets and comes in solid white, black, as well as some funky colours. The helmet’s outer shell has been redesigned with LS2’s exclusive Kinetic Polymer Alloy (KPA) which makes it tough and lightweight (just 1300 grams!). You’ve also got three outer shell sizes for the best fit, multiple venting and a breathable, hypoallergenic removable lining. We love an ‘old-school’ double-D-ring fastener and modern ‘Emergency Release System’ cheek pads for swift, safe removal in case of an accident. Comes in sizes XS-3XL and colours are pricier! www.ls2helmets.com ALPINESTARS COPPER DENIM…

The latest riding kit, top tools, tyres, retro clothing and more!

Riding kit worn, tools twirled & tyres turned

CHANNELLOCK KNIFE AND ANVIL CUTTERS These have been in my toolbox for many years (product code 338) and with good reason, as these will cope with just about any task you throw at them. Stainless wire, Bowden cable (inner or outer), and stainless braided brake line are easy for these and the finished cut doesn’t leave stragglers or odd strands. It’s got something to do with their ‘knife and anvil’ blade design. I’ve no idea what that means but it works like a charm, and due to the length and shape of the handles it’s easy too. Beautifully made and with a lacquered surface treatment, they appear to shrug off rust and other grot. Priceless, couldn’t live without ‘em. If you look around (Amazon) you’ll find some at around the £25…

Riding kit worn, tools twirled & tyres turned

Riding kit worn, tools twirled & tyres turned

cmm Tested Riding kit worn, tools twirled & tyres turned CHANNELLOCK KNIFE AND ANVIL CUTTERS These have been in my toolbox for many years (product code 338) and with good reason, as these will cope with just about any task you throw at them. Stainless wire, Bowden cable (inner or outer), and stainless braided brake line are easy for these and the finished cut doesn’t leave stragglers or odd strands. It’s got something to do with their ‘knife and anvil’ blade design. I’ve no idea what that means but it works like a charm, and due to the length and shape of the handles it’s easy too. Beautifully made and with a lacquered surface treatment, they appear to shrug off rust and other grot. Priceless, couldn’t live without ‘em. If…

Riding kit worn, tools twirled & tyres turned

APRIL STAFFORD SHIFTED!

Sadly, thanks to the on-going issue with coronavirus, we’ve had to make the decision to move the dates of our popular International Classic MotorCycle Show, usually held in April, back a few months. The show will continue to be held at Stafford County Showground and will now take place on the weekend of July 3-4, 2021. This should allow us to deliver an even safer event that will be fully Covid-Compliant and meet all government regulations regarding social distancing. We know you’re all disappointed and so are we, but it’s the safest thing to do. All ticket and trade bookings will be rolled over, and we will be sending new tickets out in May for this event. However, if you are unable to attend please don’t hesitate to get in touch for…

APRIL STAFFORD SHIFTED!

CRMC CLASS ACT!

We can’t wait for this at CMM – but the once-popular Supersport 400 class will return in the Classic Racing Motorcycle Club event list for 2021. Yes, in CRMC racing there is to be an introduction of a Pre-1995 Superstock 400 class for 2021. This sees 400cc four-strokes pitted against 250cc two-strokes. Back in the day – as well as its own class – it would form the basis of the Superteen class from the mid-1990s, including winners such as Scott Smart (1994 champ on a Yamaha FZR400RR-SP) and was a very popular class at club level and over the water in The Netherlands. This will be a production-based class – as it always was – using machines manufactured before December 1994. Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha all produced machines that fit…

CRMC CLASS ACT!

APRIL STAFFORD SHIFTED!

cmm News APRIL STAFFORD SHIFTED! Sadly, thanks to the on-going issue with coronavirus, we’ve had to make the decision to move the dates of our popular International Classic MotorCycle Show, usually held in April, back a few months. The show will continue to be held at Stafford County Showground and will now take place on the weekend of July 3-4, 2021. This should allow us to deliver an even safer event that will be fully Covid-Compliant and meet all government regulations regarding social distancing. We know you’re all disappointed and so are we, but it’s the safest thing to do. All ticket and trade bookings will be rolled over, and we will be sending new tickets out in May for this event. However, if you are unable to attend please…

APRIL STAFFORD SHIFTED!

VINTAGE SHOW VANQUISHED!

Another sad announcement from the organisers is that the 46th annual Gloucestershire Vintage & Country Extravaganza has been cancelled! This stalwart event on the classic scene attracts over 20,000 visitors and was supposed to go ahead over the weekend of August 6-8, 2021 but sadly it is not to be – thanks of course to the current issues with Covid-19. The chairman, Martyn Slater, explained: “The show normally takes at least 10 months to plan, and with time marching on we have had to make the decision now.” Do check out www.glosvintageextravaganza.co.uk for more on the 2022 event.…

VINTAGE SHOW VANQUISHED!

Despite being a long time VJMC member it’s fair to say this columnist isn’t automatically a ‘dyed in the purist’ when it comes to originality. Yes, some of my bikes have been rebuilt to ‘brochure specification’, but even that level of accuracy is wrong for some. Much longer than I care to recall a Yamaha CS5E 200 twin arose phoenix-like from a large pile of scrap and a medium pile of NOS along with some crucial parts missing. A brand new and unmarked oil tank was liberated from a New York Kawasaki dealer and the rear guard came from Australia in a dealer-organised parts exchange. Said fender turned out to be different to the UK item, which necessitated the fitting of an Aussie/USA rear light. This scenario perpetuated a number of…

CRMC CLASS ACT!

cmm News CRMC CLASS ACT! We can’t wait for this at CMM – but the once-popular Supersport 400 class will return in the Classic Racing Motorcycle Club event list for 2021. Yes, in CRMC racing there is to be an introduction of a Pre-1995 Superstock 400 class for 2021. This sees 400cc four-strokes pitted against 250cc two-strokes. Back in the day – as well as its own class – it would form the basis of the Superteen class from the mid-1990s, including winners such as Scott Smart (1994 champ on a Yamaha FZR400RR-SP) and was a very popular class at club level and over the water in The Netherlands. This will be a production-based class – as it always was – using machines manufactured before December 1994. Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki…

CRMC CLASS ACT!

LEGENDS’ BIKES STILL UP FOR GRABS!

IDP Moto’s cheap-to-enter competitions continue during the 2021 lockdown. Following 2020’s auction of the Pro-Am Yamaha RD250LC, IDP Moto has managed to get hold of an Aprilia RS250 owned by Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, and Niall Mackenzie’s Yamaha YZF-R1 that he restored in the pages of this very magazine. Also coming are a low-miler Suzuki RG500 AND Shakey’s very own Yamaha DT125. It is hoped that the stars’ bikes will be handed over by the current owners! The competition, held on www.idpmotocomp.com and Instagram/Facebook @idpmotocomp costs just £9.99 to enter.…

LEGENDS’ BIKES STILL UP FOR GRABS!

VINTAGE SHOW VANQUISHED!

VINTAGE SHOW VANQUISHED! Another sad announcement from the organisers is that the 46th annual Gloucestershire Vintage & Country Extravaganza has been cancelled! This stalwart event on the classic scene attracts over 20,000 visitors and was supposed to go ahead over the weekend of August 6-8, 2021 but sadly it is not to be – thanks of course to the current issues with Covid-19. The chairman, Martyn Slater, explained: “The show normally takes at least 10 months to plan, and with time marching on we have had to make the decision now.” Do check out www.glosvintageextravaganza.co.uk for more on the 2022 event.…

VINTAGE SHOW VANQUISHED!

Denis Curtis: 1947-2020

We at CMM were saddened to hear of the passing of Denis Curtis following an 11-year battle with cancer. Denis originally hailed from Lincolnshire, serving as an engineering apprentice before gaining his qualifications and moving to Toronto, Canada, in 1970, and latterly Vancouver. As the founder and president of CMR Racing Products, the firm was based in Trenton and concentrated on classic racing parts and products. Denis and CMR were famed for their frames and chassis components, most developed by Denis himself during his time as a racer; he first started out building frames and chassis components back in 1965. Despite a 12-year hiatus, CMR Racing Products returned to motorcycle racing as did Denis until a crash led him to decide to ‘build them, not ride them!’ CMM understands that his…

Denis Curtis: 1947-2020

SCOOPERMAN ! The sunny side of the classic world, with the VJMC’s Steve Cooper Despite being a long time VJMC member it’s fair to say this columnist isn’t automatically a ‘dyed in the purist’ when it comes to originality. Yes, some of my bikes have been rebuilt to ‘brochure specification’, but even that level of accuracy is wrong for some. Much longer than I care to recall a Yamaha CS5E 200 twin arose phoenix-like from a large pile of scrap and a medium pile of NOS along with some crucial parts missing. A brand new and unmarked oil tank was liberated from a New York Kawasaki dealer and the rear guard came from Australia in a dealer-organised parts exchange. Said fender turned out to be different to the UK item,…

I passed my test in 2018 at age 39 – yup, the mid-life crisis and, as I tell my wife, cheaper than a divorce... and her horses! My first bike was a CX500 Sports (Eurosport) which I rather presumptively bought a month before I actually passed my test. I love that bike and I still have it, now undergoing some refurb work to get it mechanically sound for 2021. I undertake this work with some trepidation but I find CMM very useful; it helps motivate me and build up my confidence to take on some jobs. I have a digital subscription so I can access a whole load of back copy articles too. I really like the blend of articles in the magazine. I am writing to you as I notice quite…

LEGENDS’ BIKES STILL UP FOR GRABS!

cmm News LEGENDS’ BIKES STILL UP FOR GRABS! IDP Moto’s cheap-to-enter competitions continue during the 2021 lockdown. Following 2020’s auction of the Pro-Am Yamaha RD250LC, IDP Moto has managed to get hold of an Aprilia RS250 owned by Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, and Niall Mackenzie’s Yamaha YZF-R1 that he restored in the pages of this very magazine. Also coming are a low-miler Suzuki RG500 AND Shakey’s very own Yamaha DT125. It is hoped that the stars’ bikes will be handed over by the current owners! The competition, held on www.idpmotocomp.com and Instagram/Facebook @idpmotocomp costs just £9.99 to enter.…

LEGENDS’ BIKES STILL UP FOR GRABS!

Denis Curtis: 1947-2020

Denis Curtis: 1947-2020 We at CMM were saddened to hear of the passing of Denis Curtis following an 11-year battle with cancer. Denis originally hailed from Lincolnshire, serving as an engineering apprentice before gaining his qualifications and moving to Toronto, Canada, in 1970, and latterly Vancouver. As the founder and president of CMR Racing Products, the firm was based in Trenton and concentrated on classic racing parts and products. Denis and CMR were famed for their frames and chassis components, most developed by Denis himself during his time as a racer; he first started out building frames and chassis components back in 1965. Despite a 12-year hiatus, CMR Racing Products returned to motorcycle racing as did Denis until a crash led him to decide to ‘build them, not ride them!’…

Denis Curtis: 1947-2020

A cautionary tale! I’m from Ohio in the USA and I’m proud to be a magazine guy. I spend enough time on the computer/internet during the day that I want to read about my hobbies in a magazine, not on a computer. I can’t wait for my next issue of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics to show up in the mailbox. When it does, I stop what I’m doing and take 30 seconds to preview it page by page. At the end of the day I reward myself by sitting down with a beer and going through it again. This time I read the two or three stories that talk to me. The point of this rant is, it ain’t the same reading it on a computer screen! I’m 61 years old and…

FEEDBACK Post to Mechanics, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or email your pictures to editorial@classicmechanics.com A cautionary tale! I’m from Ohio in the USA and I’m proud to be a magazine guy. I spend enough time on the computer/internet during the day that I want to read about my hobbies in a magazine, not on a computer. I can’t wait for my next issue of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics to show up in the mailbox. When it does, I stop what I’m doing and take 30 seconds to preview it page by page. At the end of the day I reward myself by sitting down with a beer and going through it again. This time I read the two or three stories that talk to me. The point of…

Cool cat required!

Hi guys. Firstly, great mag, it’s really kept me entertained through lockdown. Thanks. I’ve just finished reading the article on the Suzuki TC120 ‘Trail Cat’ and I was hoping for some advice please. What kind of ballpark figure would you expect to pay for a bike in tidy condition with a nova but not registered? I’m not sure of the year at this point. Thanks in advance. Neil Bertie says: “Glad you like the magazine Neil! We’ve seen them from around £2000... what state they are in under the skin is another matter!”…

Cool cat required!

Prize winner New-ish rider writes! I passed my test in 2018 at age 39 – yup, the mid-life crisis and, as I tell my wife, cheaper than a divorce... and her horses! My first bike was a CX500 Sports (Eurosport) which I rather presumptively bought a month before I actually passed my test. I love that bike and I still have it, now undergoing some refurb work to get it mechanically sound for 2021. I undertake this work with some trepidation but I find CMM very useful; it helps motivate me and build up my confidence to take on some jobs. I have a digital subscription so I can access a whole load of back copy articles too. I really like the blend of articles in the magazine. I am…

Mark Gaylard’s Triumph speed triple Covid has gifted me time to ‘show you mine’. It’s a Mk.1 Speed Triple, bought in 2001. She’s had 20 years of tweaks, butchery and mods, but hopefully still not getting too far from the bike’s roots. It was stock when purchased on a mad moment (get a loan, thanks to my good lady’s prompt in Jan 2001!), I really wanted one since the model hit the shops in 1994. I drove from Kent to Aylesbury shortly after New Year, bought it in the dark and rode it home! Thankfully, apart from a new chain and sprockets (negotiated in the deal) it was as good as promised. The journey continued shortly after when I got the wheels powder-coated and rims polished (little did I know what was…

The way we were…

GIANNI JARVIS SAYS: “This is a bit of a mix between ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘Show us yours’ if I’m honest! But here goes! I thought it was time for me to share something that was once dear to my heart way back in the mid to late 1970s. I’m in the middle on my Honda 400-4, between my mate John on his KH250 and Steve on his Norton 750 Commando. Then there’s a shot of my old Honda CB250-G5 with dad and sister (the L-plate tells you it was my first ‘real motorbike!’). Then there’s my pride and joy posing near the beach in Brighton. After a break of over 30 years, I found a 20-year-old Yamaha XJ600N and got used to being in the saddle again. A year…

The way we were…

Cool cat required!

Cool cat required! Hi guys. Firstly, great mag, it’s really kept me entertained through lockdown. Thanks. I’ve just finished reading the article on the Suzuki TC120 ‘Trail Cat’ and I was hoping for some advice please. What kind of ballpark figure would you expect to pay for a bike in tidy condition with a nova but not registered? I’m not sure of the year at this point. Thanks in advance. Neil Bertie says: “Glad you like the magazine Neil! We’ve seen them from around £2000... what state they are in under the skin is another matter!”…

Cool cat required!

UNV 368W- a life!

I first saw this bike some time in 1987. I was 16 and I saw it with my best friend Donald Jenkins, who was two years older. We had been friends for a few years, and were both keen bikers, having owned many field bikes between us. Don had fallen in love with his then boss’ 350LC and had decided to buy one. He didn’t have a licence, but he was the sort who couldn’t see why that should stop him! Ahem! He’d heard about a guy called Nigel who was selling one. Now, Nigel’s parents owned the newsagents in our village, and it was around here that Don viewed, and bought, the bike, and where I first saw it. I have a few sharp memories of him looking at it, squatting…

UNV 368W- a life!

Show us Vours Mark Gaylard’s Triumph speed triple Covid has gifted me time to ‘show you mine’. It’s a Mk.1 Speed Triple, bought in 2001. She’s had 20 years of tweaks, butchery and mods, but hopefully still not getting too far from the bike’s roots. It was stock when purchased on a mad moment (get a loan, thanks to my good lady’s prompt in Jan 2001!), I really wanted one since the model hit the shops in 1994. I drove from Kent to Aylesbury shortly after New Year, bought it in the dark and rode it home! Thankfully, apart from a new chain and sprockets (negotiated in the deal) it was as good as promised. The journey continued shortly after when I got the wheels powder-coated and rims polished (little…

Bridgestone launches new BT46 ‘classic’ tyre!

Bridgestone’s new BATTLAX BT46 tyres are the successor to the popular BT45s, which have been in the marketplace since 1998. The BT45s have long been the choice for modern classic riders and the new BT46 promises to have even greater performance. Launched in February 2020, the tyres became available in eight front sizes and 17 rear sizes, with an additional 14 sizes due in 2021 and another eight sizes in 2022. Using the latest in tyre technology, Bridgestone has succeeded in upgrading the BT45’s wet performance, while maintaining the level of dry handling performance. The new BT46 is therefore a perfect choice for your modern classic wherever and whenever you ride it. We will be reporting back from the launch of this exciting new tyre later this spring: www. bridgestone.co.uk…

Bridgestone launches new BT46 ‘classic’ tyre!

It’s ironic that nostalgia is much better now than it used to be. Yes, looking back fondly on things which were better in the olden days has never been more fashionable, or relevant. Yearning for the 1970s, 80s or 90s is now common across most areas of life, be it politics (ahem), music, tech or cars. It’s big in bikes too of course, hence this here bike magazine. Call it nostalgia, call it old men dreaming of their prime, the fact is that the stonking superbikes of the 1970s, 80s and 90s have been having a moment for a decade or so now. I’m not immune of course – I’d love to have a garage with some of the greats from my riding youth parked up, but mine would be more of…

The way we were…

The way we were… Send us your nostalgic snaps of you back in the day with your steed! Either send to me at bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk or via our vibrant Facebook page. C’mon! GIANNI JARVIS SAYS: “This is a bit of a mix between ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘Show us yours’ if I’m honest! But here goes! I thought it was time for me to share something that was once dear to my heart way back in the mid to late 1970s. I’m in the middle on my Honda 400-4, between my mate John on his KH250 and Steve on his Norton 750 Commando. Then there’s a shot of my old Honda CB250-G5 with dad and sister (the L-plate tells you it was my first ‘real motorbike!’). Then there’s my pride and…

The way we were…

KAWASAKI H2C – owner Steve Burgess says...

The C was the last of the 750 triples, and is quite rare. “They only made 5000 of these,” said Steve. The paint was in bad condition when Steve got the bike, so he had it repainted by Terry Chambers at RacePaint. The engine was rebuilt following a hydraulic lock that bent the con-rod. The crank was rebuilt by SEP Kegworth, and the motor rebuilt by Mark Hutton at A&H Performance Cycles in Burdon, Hants. The exhaust is a replica system made by John Bartholomew at H2EX. “Sadly, he no longer does these systems since Delkevic started to produce them much cheaper,” said Steve. “They also include all downpipes, brackets, clamps and gaskets for that price – amazing value.” Steve’s bike has non-matching engine and frame – “I never noticed when…

UNV 368W- a life!

CMM BIKE OF THE YEAR READER’S SPECIAL UNV 368W- a life! Reg plates often inspire memories, thoughts, friends and love. This is one of them. Read the story of UNV 368W: a bike loved by two best friends and one which was resurrected in the other’s memory… WORDS AND PICS: CHARLIE PAXFORD I first saw this bike some time in 1987. I was 16 and I saw it with my best friend Donald Jenkins, who was two years older. We had been friends for a few years, and were both keen bikers, having owned many field bikes between us. Don had fallen in love with his then boss’ 350LC and had decided to buy one. He didn’t have a licence, but he was the sort who couldn’t see why that…

UNV 368W- a life!

Bridgestone launches new BT46 ‘classic’ tyre!

Bridgestone launches new BT46 ‘classic’ tyre! Bridgestone’s new BATTLAX BT46 tyres are the successor to the popular BT45s, which have been in the marketplace since 1998. The BT45s have long been the choice for modern classic riders and the new BT46 promises to have even greater performance. Launched in February 2020, the tyres became available in eight front sizes and 17 rear sizes, with an additional 14 sizes due in 2021 and another eight sizes in 2022. Using the latest in tyre technology, Bridgestone has succeeded in upgrading the BT45’s wet performance, while maintaining the level of dry handling performance. The new BT46 is therefore a perfect choice for your modern classic wherever and whenever you ride it. We will be reporting back from the launch of this exciting new…

Bridgestone launches new BT46 ‘classic’ tyre!

I own them: Steve Burgess

Steve Burgess, 66, is a graphic designer from Epsom in Surrey, and he’s the lucky owner of these two fine machines. He’s been riding since 1974, passed his test in 1977, and has had loads of bikes over the years, from a Suzuki K10 in 1974 through to a Suzuki T250, Yamaha RD350LC, Honda CBX1000 and Kawasaki GPZ500S (which he actually won in a Kawasaki UK competition in 1987). Steve’s not the original owner of these bikes, he simply found them – two nice examples – for sale, paid a fair price for them, and got on with enjoying riding, polishing and owning them, alongside his original low mileage Kawasaki Z1 and cute Honda Super Cub: “I bought the Suzuki GT750K in March 2012 from Wickford, Co. Wicklow in Ireland. I…

I own them: Steve Burgess

MAIN TEST TRIPLE TREAT! It’s one of the biggest showdowns of the 1970s: triple versus triple, Suzuki vs Kawasaki – but which one would YOU choose? WORDS: ALAN DOWDS PICS: JOHN GOODMAN/ALAN DOWDS It’s ironic that nostalgia is much better now than it used to be. Yes, looking back fondly on things which were better in the olden days has never been more fashionable, or relevant. Yearning for the 1970s, 80s or 90s is now common across most areas of life, be it politics (ahem), music, tech or cars. It’s big in bikes too of course, hence this here bike magazine. Call it nostalgia, call it old men dreaming of their prime, the fact is that the stonking superbikes of the 1970s, 80s and 90s have been having a moment…

KAWASAKI H2C – owner Steve Burgess says...

KAWASAKI H2C – owner Steve Burgess says... The C was the last of the 750 triples, and is quite rare. “They only made 5000 of these,” said Steve. The paint was in bad condition when Steve got the bike, so he had it repainted by Terry Chambers at RacePaint. The engine was rebuilt following a hydraulic lock that bent the con-rod. The crank was rebuilt by SEP Kegworth, and the motor rebuilt by Mark Hutton at A&H Performance Cycles in Burdon, Hants. The exhaust is a replica system made by John Bartholomew at H2EX. “Sadly, he no longer does these systems since Delkevic started to produce them much cheaper,” said Steve. “They also include all downpipes, brackets, clamps and gaskets for that price – amazing value.” Steve’s bike has non-matching…

SUZUKI GT750 KETTLE – owner Steve Burgess says...

The K version of the GT750 was the first production bike to be fitted with double discs as standard. Steve had to have the exhaust re-chromed by S&T Electroplate, Bristol. “It was a costly job at £1450, but they are old school and fantastic craftsmen. “These OE exhausts are so incredibly heavy, you could really boost the power-to-weight ratio with some lighter spannies. New exhaust cones and clips came to about £400, I got them from Eric Potz at Knalnaarpotz in Holland.” The GT750 is much better than the Kawasaki on fuel. “Fuel consumption is about 38mpg I seem to remember calculating once,” said Steve. Steve replaced the knackered rear shocks with Hagon replacements. “They are a bit fatter, but no one has ever noticed they’re not standard,” he said. “The standard ones are…

Dave ‘The Goat’ Smith’s opinion...

Kawasaki H2 “I still remember clearly the hype and legend of the H2 from way back when I was a spotty teen. Stories of proper death weaves, near-uncontrollable levels of power and the ‘widow-maker’ moniker all added up to make a bike which, at best, should be respected, and at worst, feared: a real man’s bike. “Today, though, 76 horsepower pushing along a shade over 200kg isn’t really going to set the world on fire. But the iconic cackling/ burbling from the three separate pipes and the fact that it seems to get prettier every time you look at it helped me forget pretty much all of its shortcomings. The idiosyncrasies of an H2 are manifold: the right-hand side foot-rest needs folding up to clear the path of the kick-start, first gear…

The good old days!

Yes, it’s true: I’ve finally become a miserable old git – perhaps thanks to my ‘rose-tinted’ recollections that I get whenever I ride a classic bike… Perhaps it’s also 2021’s arrival (and seeing the back of an awful 2020) that’s encouraged me to get it off my chest? The fact is, the more I think about it, the more I decide I don’t like this beautiful biking game quite as much as I used to. It’s a bit of a painful admission, but this discontentment has been ongoing for a few years. Let me take you back a while… It’s New Year’s Eve a couple of years or so ago and I’m out for a ride. I’m enjoying the run and my mood is good and looking forward to a night of…

The good old days!

I own them: Steve Burgess

I own them: Steve Burgess Steve Burgess, 66, is a graphic designer from Epsom in Surrey, and he’s the lucky owner of these two fine machines. He’s been riding since 1974, passed his test in 1977, and has had loads of bikes over the years, from a Suzuki K10 in 1974 through to a Suzuki T250, Yamaha RD350LC, Honda CBX1000 and Kawasaki GPZ500S (which he actually won in a Kawasaki UK competition in 1987). Steve’s not the original owner of these bikes, he simply found them – two nice examples – for sale, paid a fair price for them, and got on with enjoying riding, polishing and owning them, alongside his original low mileage Kawasaki Z1 and cute Honda Super Cub: “I bought the Suzuki GT750K in March 2012 from…

I own them: Steve Burgess

Maybe it’s not just me

Two other contributors to the pages of CMM also view biking days of old with a rosier tint. Steve Cooper (above) recalls the greater bond of spirit of riders of past times. “There was a real tangible camaraderie about being on two wheels. It might sound corny but there was a genuine fraternity thing going on back then and you automatically stopped for a fellow rider who’d broken down. Little old blokes on C90s or CD175s would pull over the help if they could, and us spotty oiks would timidly offer assistance to heavy dudes wearing colours over their cut-off denims... it was simply what we all did. The friendships forged back then must have been strong as many who rode back then are still mates today. “The social scene was huge…

Maybe it’s not just me

SUZUKI GT750 KETTLE – owner Steve Burgess says...

SUZUKI GT750 KETTLE – owner Steve Burgess says... The K version of the GT750 was the first production bike to be fitted with double discs as standard. Steve had to have the exhaust re-chromed by S&T Electroplate, Bristol. “It was a costly job at £1450, but they are old school and fantastic craftsmen. “These OE exhausts are so incredibly heavy, you could really boost the power-to-weight ratio with some lighter spannies. New exhaust cones and clips came to about £400, I got them from Eric Potz at Knalnaarpotz in Holland.” The GT750 is much better than the Kawasaki on fuel. “Fuel consumption is about 38mpg I seem to remember calculating once,” said Steve. Steve replaced the knackered rear shocks with Hagon replacements. “They are a bit fatter, but no one…

CMM’s own miserable ‘Brexit bar-steward’ on what’s wrong with the modern generation! My motorcycling started, albeit illegally, in the late 1970s aboard my old dear’s C70 Chicken Chaser. I made a ‘spare’ key for it in school in metalwork so that I could have illicit rides any time my parents were out. I was talking to the young lad over the road, when he was attending the same school that I went to all those years ago. I was waxing lyrical about how my metalwork teacher had inspired me with a lifelong love of engineering. Not any more, he informed me; the nanny state had decreed that virtually any tool is too nasty and dangerous for today’s little darlings. Apparently, they had one CNC machine that they weren’t allowed near lest…

Dave ‘The Goat’ Smith’s opinion...

Dave ‘The Goat’ Smith’s opinion... Dave Smith has been road-testing bikes for most of the 21st century, and has been racing and spannering for much longer. What did he make of these beasties? Kawasaki H2 “I still remember clearly the hype and legend of the H2 from way back when I was a spotty teen. Stories of proper death weaves, near-uncontrollable levels of power and the ‘widow-maker’ moniker all added up to make a bike which, at best, should be respected, and at worst, feared: a real man’s bike. “Today, though, 76 horsepower pushing along a shade over 200kg isn’t really going to set the world on fire. But the iconic cackling/ burbling from the three separate pipes and the fact that it seems to get prettier every time you…

Whit’s whispers and moans!

James Whitham – multiple British motorcycle racing champ on why things were better back then! Right, all modern sports bikes on the road today are so good they are better than anyone can BE on the road so you can’t ride them to their potential without being banned, hurt badly or worse. So, do I want to do 200mph and wheelies? Not any more. One of my pet hates is this: back in my day riding bikes you knew there were speed limits but you wanted to go a bit quicker. Not kill anyone… or yourself, or hurt anyone… but if they caught you, it seemed fair as they had to chase you first. Today it’s a camera. It doesn’t care what sort of day you had or what’s gone wrong in…

Whit’s whispers and moans!

Tim’s tall tales!

Tim Claridge is a CMM reader and has been riding for many a year… So, the question posed is, ‘Was biking better back in the day?’ This is something I have often thought about recently as I rush, with startling speed, towards my 58th birthday. A few of you will remember a TV show that first aired back in 2003 called ‘Grumpy Old Men’. This was narrated by Geoffrey Palmer and had regular contributors in the form of Rick Wakeman, Jeremy Clarkson, Will Self and Bill Nighy among others. I was 40 that year and laughed at what these old buggers were moaning about. However, in the last decade I genuinely feel life was better back in the 70s and 80s, and certainly motorcycling. I had a dad who rode all his life,…

Tim’s tall tales!

The good old days!

The good old days! Do we all suffer from ‘rose-tinted visor’ syndrome or were things better back in the day? We asked a few people to find out… WORDS: CHRIS MOSS, STEVE COOPER, PIP HIGHAM, RALPH FERRAND, JAMES WHITHAM, TIM CLARIDGE PICS: MORTONS ARCHIVE Yes, it’s true: I’ve finally become a miserable old git – perhaps thanks to my ‘rose-tinted’ recollections that I get whenever I ride a classic bike… Perhaps it’s also 2021’s arrival (and seeing the back of an awful 2020) that’s encouraged me to get it off my chest? The fact is, the more I think about it, the more I decide I don’t like this beautiful biking game quite as much as I used to. It’s a bit of a painful admission, but this discontentment has…

The good old days!

Maybe it’s not just me

Maybe it’s not just me Two other contributors to the pages of CMM also view biking days of old with a rosier tint. Steve Cooper (above) recalls the greater bond of spirit of riders of past times. “There was a real tangible camaraderie about being on two wheels. It might sound corny but there was a genuine fraternity thing going on back then and you automatically stopped for a fellow rider who’d broken down. Little old blokes on C90s or CD175s would pull over the help if they could, and us spotty oiks would timidly offer assistance to heavy dudes wearing colours over their cut-off denims... it was simply what we all did. The friendships forged back then must have been strong as many who rode back then are still…

Maybe it’s not just me

1999 SUZUKI GSF600 X Q:I have a couple of queries and the first one concerns tyre size. The standard size for this model is 110/70 17 front and 150/70 17 rear. The previous owner fitted tyre sizes listed for the later 650 model which are 120/70 17 and 160/70 17. I am replacing the front wheel as the fitted one has a distorted rim. My replacement rim has a 110/70 17 in excellent condition. Can I use this with the 160 rear fitted? The other issue is when I start the bike on choke it immediately runs at around 4000rpm. I think this is excessive on a cold engine as I then juggle choke and throttle to get the revs down. Once warm it idles at around 1000rpm. Also, sometimes the revs…

Raging Ralph! CMM’s own miserable ‘Brexit bar-steward’ on what’s wrong with the modern generation! My motorcycling started, albeit illegally, in the late 1970s aboard my old dear’s C70 Chicken Chaser. I made a ‘spare’ key for it in school in metalwork so that I could have illicit rides any time my parents were out. I was talking to the young lad over the road, when he was attending the same school that I went to all those years ago. I was waxing lyrical about how my metalwork teacher had inspired me with a lifelong love of engineering. Not any more, he informed me; the nanny state had decreed that virtually any tool is too nasty and dangerous for today’s little darlings. Apparently, they had one CNC machine that they weren’t…

Well, I would like to say my motorcycling career started back in 1968, for various reasons obviously – the main one being that this was the first time I had actually been ‘caught’ – but it was way before that… However, 1968 is a special year that sticks in my mind, for this was the year I was sat in the local police station with Sergeant Pilkinerson. Now, he was known to me and all my mates as ‘Plod Pilko’ and I was sat with said officer, waiting for my mother to bail me out for having been caught by Pilko for riding on the road at 15 and, of course, 16 was then the legal age to ride a 250cc motorcycle on a provisional licence. I know he wouldn't have…

Whit’s whispers and moans!

Whit’s whispers and moans! James Whitham – multiple British motorcycle racing champ on why things were better back then! Right, all modern sports bikes on the road today are so good they are better than anyone can BE on the road so you can’t ride them to their potential without being banned, hurt badly or worse. So, do I want to do 200mph and wheelies? Not any more. One of my pet hates is this: back in my day riding bikes you knew there were speed limits but you wanted to go a bit quicker. Not kill anyone… or yourself, or hurt anyone… but if they caught you, it seemed fair as they had to chase you first. Today it’s a camera. It doesn’t care what sort of day you…

Whit’s whispers and moans!

RETRO SPECTIVE BMW K1

For many years BMW were solely known for their signature design – the horizontally opposed ‘Boxer’ twin cylinder motorcycle – but in the early 1980s all that changed. For 1983, BMW launched the K 100 which, instead of a twin, was powered by a four-cylinder, four-stroke motor. It seemed as though the old push-rod, air-cooled Boxer twin was withering on the vine. It didn’t, but the four-cylinder motor that BMW produced wasn’t quite the ‘norm’ either! Instead of either an ‘across the frame’ four or even a V4, BMW experimented with putting a Peugeot four-cylinder car engine ‘on its side’ with the crankshaft in line with the two wheels. This was developed successfully and become the legendary ‘Brick’ motor. Many four-cylinder powered BMWs would be produced with this layout, but perhaps the…

RETRO SPECTIVE BMW K1

Tim’s tall tales!

Tim’s tall tales! Tim Claridge is a CMM reader and has been riding for many a year… So, the question posed is, ‘Was biking better back in the day?’ This is something I have often thought about recently as I rush, with startling speed, towards my 58th birthday. A few of you will remember a TV show that first aired back in 2003 called ‘Grumpy Old Men’. This was narrated by Geoffrey Palmer and had regular contributors in the form of Rick Wakeman, Jeremy Clarkson, Will Self and Bill Nighy among others. I was 40 that year and laughed at what these old buggers were moaning about. However, in the last decade I genuinely feel life was better back in the 70s and 80s, and certainly motorcycling. I had a…

Tim’s tall tales!

Q&A Our very own wizened sages, Messrs Mark Haycock and Steve Cooper, are here to answer all of your woes, be they mechanical or spiritual. Every month we will be giving advice, as well as some general tips. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, too. 1999 SUZUKI GSF600 X Q:I have a couple of queries and the first one concerns tyre size. The standard size for this model is 110/70 17 front and 150/70 17 rear. The previous owner fitted tyre sizes listed for the later 650 model which are 120/70 17 and 160/70 17. I am replacing the front wheel as the fitted one has a distorted rim. My replacement rim has a 110/70 17 in excellent condition. Can I use this with the 160 rear…

Progress on my second Super Six has been a bit slow recently, and services like chrome plating are taking longer to get done due to Covid restrictions. The delay probably is compounded by more people restoring bikes at home during lockdown and then sending in parts for chrome plating. I sent my Z1 parts to ACF Howell in Walsall, West Midlands (01922 649992). I’ve used them several times before and they have always done a great job. I was really pleased when the parts were done and scheduled for delivery mid-December so I could finally build the wheels and get the chassis rolling before Christmas. The original spokes were already re-zinc plated, the front hub painted satin black in 2K paint, and the rear hub was cleaned and polished. I had also…

Am I Boring You?

If you are going to rebuild an engine you need to measure what you have got, to determine what is and isn’t within the manufacturer’s specification. The fit of the pistons in the cylinders will have a massive impact on the performance of the engine and must be within quite close tolerances to be healthy. When you see a bike belching out smoke, the chances are that the pistons are not a good fit in the bores, which leads to myriad problems. Whilst the engine is in one piece there are tests that can give indications of trouble with the mill, including the ubiquitous compression test, though a leak down test is more reliable. The only real way to quantify what you have is to take accurate measurements where the factory manual…

Am I Boring You?

CLASSIC RIDE Magic moments! If we’re lucky, we can reunite with a machine we fell in love with way back when. Here’s Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish’s road test of one of his first loves… WORDS: STEVE PARRISH PICS: GARY D CHAPMAN Well, I would like to say my motorcycling career started back in 1968, for various reasons obviously – the main one being that this was the first time I had actually been ‘caught’ – but it was way before that… However, 1968 is a special year that sticks in my mind, for this was the year I was sat in the local police station with Sergeant Pilkinerson. Now, he was known to me and all my mates as ‘Plod Pilko’ and I was sat with said officer, waiting for my…

G’day! A lot has happened since I last updated you on Bruno, my RG250 WE1 HB Replica restoration. First of all, for those that have read part one, I did decide to go ahead and do a complete engine rebuild, so as you can see, I removed the engine. I actually have six or so RG250 engines, two complete WE1 engines, two complete powervalve engines and a few in pieces. I originally bought them in ‘our winter’ as a job lot with the view to rebuilding one on the bench, to then swap over into this bike, but I have decided since I want to keep the original engine numbers, so I’ll rebuild the original motor. I’ll give the other engines a freshen-up, paint at some point and sell them off…

Wheels of change!

A short, grandiose Frenchman once said: “England is a nation of shopkeepers!” Those very same shopkeepers went on to show him a thing or two... Now, I’d like to think that a modern extrapolation is something like: ‘Britain is a nation of shed dwellers!’ The amount of really skilled and clever people producing some amazing products and services from sheds, small workshops and units around the country is quite something, especially in the bike industry. In my quest to build my CMR TR I’ve started to encounter a few. As I’ve said, I prefer to use and work with people or small businesses that I can build a relationship with, see the passion, skill and commitment rather than the ‘computer says no’ brigade. The chain catching on the old Kawasaki shock absorbers was…

Wheels of change!

RETRO SPECTIVE BMW K1

RETRO SPECTIVE BMW K1 WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PICS: MORTONS ARCHIVE For many years BMW were solely known for their signature design – the horizontally opposed ‘Boxer’ twin cylinder motorcycle – but in the early 1980s all that changed. For 1983, BMW launched the K 100 which, instead of a twin, was powered by a four-cylinder, four-stroke motor. It seemed as though the old push-rod, air-cooled Boxer twin was withering on the vine. It didn’t, but the four-cylinder motor that BMW produced wasn’t quite the ‘norm’ either! Instead of either an ‘across the frame’ four or even a V4, BMW experimented with putting a Peugeot four-cylinder car engine ‘on its side’ with the crankshaft in line with the two wheels. This was developed successfully and become the legendary ‘Brick’ motor. Many…

RETRO SPECTIVE BMW K1

The unparalleled success of Kawasaki’s Z1 convinced the firm that their future lay in four-strokes and not the lairy strokers that had got the company’s name out there. Looking at lower capacities than the 900cc four, the three-quarter litre class would have been a logical move but Kawasaki already had one. The Z2 was a market-specific 750 based directly on the 900 but is/was considered underpowered and overweight for any realistic future development. Gyoichi ‘Ben’ Inamura, the man who’d developed the Z1, was tasked with designing a new, sub-750cc machine that would both open up a niche in the large capacity bracket and move the concept of the double-overhead-cam, air-cooled four, onwards. Taking a distinctly unorthodox route, Inamura and his team honed in on the 650cc category which had for many years…

Allen Millyard Slow Progress! Award-winning motorcycle engineer! Progress on my second Super Six has been a bit slow recently, and services like chrome plating are taking longer to get done due to Covid restrictions. The delay probably is compounded by more people restoring bikes at home during lockdown and then sending in parts for chrome plating. I sent my Z1 parts to ACF Howell in Walsall, West Midlands (01922 649992). I’ve used them several times before and they have always done a great job. I was really pleased when the parts were done and scheduled for delivery mid-December so I could finally build the wheels and get the chassis rolling before Christmas. The original spokes were already re-zinc plated, the front hub painted satin black in 2K paint, and the…

AND THE BEAT GOES ON…

Validity of design is something Japanese factories major in and if they have a successful design they tend to ensure they make the maximum profit from it. The original design was rolled out to the public in 1976 and remained on the books until 1985 in what was still recognisably the Z650. Even in SR, CSR or LTD guise the later bikes’ lineage was still obvious. The use of plain or shell bearings on the crankshaft was a major departure from established practice for Kawasaki, who had previously relied almost exclusively on roller bearing bottom-ends. That the 650’s engine was spot on from the off was latterly confirmed for it being the basis for innumerable other models; seminal might very well be the appropriate word here. A wide range of more…

Am I Boring You?

Tool of the month with BIKER'S TOOLBOX Am I Boring You? Ralph Ferrand works with tools all day long – he sells them too at bikerstoolbox.co.uk so he knows what works. If you are going to rebuild an engine you need to measure what you have got, to determine what is and isn’t within the manufacturer’s specification. The fit of the pistons in the cylinders will have a massive impact on the performance of the engine and must be within quite close tolerances to be healthy. When you see a bike belching out smoke, the chances are that the pistons are not a good fit in the bores, which leads to myriad problems. Whilst the engine is in one piece there are tests that can give indications of trouble with…

Am I Boring You?

What to buy and how much to pay

The Z650 is still something of a bargain in the classic world and for some strange reason still hasn’t really caught on in any great shakes. This is good news for us lot as a good tidy original with all the right parts can often struggle to make much more than £3500 – bargain! Something similar with a coating of patina can be snapped up for around £2250 and £2750 dependent upon condition, with project examples between £1000-£1500. Beware of ‘pick-n-mix’ hybrids that are often amalgamations of various models – originality is all, etc. A mint example might touch £6000 but you’d really, seriously, need to be wanting a 100-point-perfect Z650 to be spending that sort of money on one. For half of that you could get a really tidy runner…

Project Suzuki RG250 HB replica part 2 STRIP TEASE Bruno the RG250 WE1 HB has been stripped part naked and is ready for some serious restoration love! WORDS AND PICS: JEFF WARE G’day! A lot has happened since I last updated you on Bruno, my RG250 WE1 HB Replica restoration. First of all, for those that have read part one, I did decide to go ahead and do a complete engine rebuild, so as you can see, I removed the engine. I actually have six or so RG250 engines, two complete WE1 engines, two complete powervalve engines and a few in pieces. I originally bought them in ‘our winter’ as a job lot with the view to rebuilding one on the bench, to then swap over into…

Wheels of change!

Project Suzuki TR750 part 9 Wheels of change! It’s amazing how wheels set a project off... or foul it up! Malc Shaw gets his sorted – with a little help from Britain’s best… WORDS AND PICS: MALC SHAW A short, grandiose Frenchman once said: “England is a nation of shopkeepers!” Those very same shopkeepers went on to show him a thing or two... Now, I’d like to think that a modern extrapolation is something like: ‘Britain is a nation of shed dwellers!’ The amount of really skilled and clever people producing some amazing products and services from sheds, small workshops and units around the country is quite something, especially in the bike industry. In my quest to build my CMR TR I’ve started to encounter a few.…

Wheels of change!

Forkin’ ‘ell: more leaks!

On my return from picking up this purple pain (and having no idea how far down my pants had been pulled) I opened the side door of my faithful Vito van to see an oily substance on the floor of said van, near the front end… This bike had been polished within an inch of its life so it couldn’t possibly have fluids escaping? Alas, I soon realised this had more leaks than a Swansea greengrocer: the leak under the front end was down to the left-hand fork leg; it was coming past the damper bolt, which meant that it had not been reassembled properly in the first place. Whilst repairing the actual issue is no biggie, getting at it requires a good few hours’ graft. Don’t get me wrong, I love…

Forkin’ ‘ell: more leaks!

We read a lot in bike magazines about ‘changing the gearing’, but what does it mean? Motorcycle engines tend to make their best power at high revs, but the highest road speed at which that power is capable of propelling the bike means that the rear wheel is rotating more slowly than the engine. For example, at 100mph the rear tyre will typically be rotating at about 1350rpm. So if the engine needs to be revving at 6000rpm at this speed, the ratio between the two has to be 4.43 to 1, provided by gears and the drive chain sprockets. Trouble is you’d never be able to pull away from a standstill with this ratio without mercilessly slipping the clutch, so a selection of lower ratios are provided, which is why bikes…

BUYER’S GUIDE Kawasaki Z650 Son of the Kawasaki Z1? The original UJM? Or just a thoroughly affordable classic, asks Scoop. WORDS: STEVE COOPER PHOTOS: GARY‘D’ CHAPMAN The unparalleled success of Kawasaki’s Z1 convinced the firm that their future lay in four-strokes and not the lairy strokers that had got the company’s name out there. Looking at lower capacities than the 900cc four, the three-quarter litre class would have been a logical move but Kawasaki already had one. The Z2 was a market-specific 750 based directly on the 900 but is/was considered underpowered and overweight for any realistic future development. Gyoichi ‘Ben’ Inamura, the man who’d developed the Z1, was tasked with designing a new, sub-750cc machine that would both open up a niche in the large capacity bracket and move…

AND THE BEAT GOES ON…

AND THE BEAT GOES ON… Validity of design is something Japanese factories major in and if they have a successful design they tend to ensure they make the maximum profit from it. The original design was rolled out to the public in 1976 and remained on the books until 1985 in what was still recognisably the Z650. Even in SR, CSR or LTD guise the later bikes’ lineage was still obvious. The use of plain or shell bearings on the crankshaft was a major departure from established practice for Kawasaki, who had previously relied almost exclusively on roller bearing bottom-ends. That the 650’s engine was spot on from the off was latterly confirmed for it being the basis for innumerable other models; seminal might very well be the appropriate word…

Time to start dismantling the bike. With the bodywork already off to the painters, we set about stripping parts off the bike. All the parts that needed zincing were segregated into piles for the different colours of olive drab, silver and yellow. I like to clean any corrosion or dirt off any parts I’m getting re-plated as the end results are far superior compared to just sending a pile of manky old parts. As we’re slowly getting down to the bare bones of the bike there are a few things that stand out as being in poor condition, these being the rear shock, swingarm and the engine, which looked a little on the flaky side. Once everything was stripped down I started to make a list of parts needed and also dropped…

What to buy and how much to pay

What to buy and how much to pay The Z650 is still something of a bargain in the classic world and for some strange reason still hasn’t really caught on in any great shakes. This is good news for us lot as a good tidy original with all the right parts can often struggle to make much more than £3500 – bargain! Something similar with a coating of patina can be snapped up for around £2250 and £2750 dependent upon condition, with project examples between £1000-£1500. Beware of ‘pick-n-mix’ hybrids that are often amalgamations of various models – originality is all, etc. A mint example might touch £6000 but you’d really, seriously, need to be wanting a 100-point-perfect Z650 to be spending that sort of money on one. For half…

It’s not right, but it’s ok….

Amazing. I never thought I’d find a way to shoehorn a Whitney Houston song title into the headline of a CMM article. However, given the dramatic week that preceded this R1 being shipped to Jerez Circuit in Spain for a three-day track test, there is almost no better fit. The bike had been completely out of sorts until a few hours before it was due to leave, running chronically rich in spite of much effort to trace the root cause. Eventually it booked a ticket to Spain when a last-minute ECU swap unlocked some of the missing power; although still not right, it was at least okay enough to take to the track for a try-out. The thought of having three days on my favourite track had been spiking my anticipation levels…

It’s not right, but it’s ok….

Rubber lovin’!

Mr Rubber Rubber – they call me Mr Tubetastic, old tyres like plastic, chuck ’em in the bin and get some newwwwww… Cracking under pressure – ‘Tired Tyres’, or how old is too old for your classic rubber? It’s MoT time for my favourite big thumper, and that onceover eyeball to check all was well revealed it wasn’t. Instead I got a heart-sinking moment as I rumbled the rear tyre sidewall had developed a series of rather large splits since the last test. How very disappointing. Away from the sidewalls, the chunky tread on the dual-purpose tyres still looked and felt MoT compliant. I checked out the manufacture dates on this 1985 DR600’s tyres, to reveal they were embarrassingly old. The front was stamped 3400 and the rear was 1906 (see the boxout…

With over 30-years’ experience in both manufacturing and retailing motorcycle tyres, as well as running regular tyre support at classic motorcycle track events, what Graham Matcham thinks is worth listening to – I asked him five things, and here’s what he said. Q: How old is too old for tyres? A: Tyre condition is subject to the process of material change, which continues slowly through time. This will only have a detrimental effect on performance after a period of between five and 10 years. How long do they last? That will largely be dependent on storage conditions. Q: What are the age limits on new stock held by tyre retailers? A: There’s actually not a firm legal position, but responsible retailers protect their customers against aged tyres and the potential of reduced performance in…

How to read tyre codes

Tyre codes started being added to tyres in the 1980s, usually found contained within a long oval shape. Here’s how to read them. 1980s: a simple three-digit code. The first two digits denote the week of production within the year (01 to 52), the last digit being the year in the 1980s e.g. 125 = 12th week of 1985. 1990s: Same as the 1980s, but as tyres would have been made with the same date stamp code they had 10 years previously something needed changing. So, rather inelegantly the 1990 tyre codes had a triangle added at the end of the three-digit code to delineate them from the 80s. Yeah, rubbish idea, huh? 2000 on: Things got sensible at the turn of the century when tyres went to the four-digit date code still…

How to read tyre codes

Anyone who has ever met me will know that I am a massive Zed Head. To me the Z1 series of bikes are the most aesthetically pleasing bikes ever created. Not just does the mere sight of a big Zed make the manliest of chaps go weak at the knees and get all emotional, they are also a very practical, fast form of transport. In the 1960s the affluent US market was key to making money out of making motorcycles. KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries) was well aware of this and set up a project team in 1967, headed up by Gyoichi ‘Ben’ Inamura, with the code name N600, which gave no hint about the way it would change lives forever. Initially the bike was to be a 750cc inline four with double…

Forkin’ ‘ell: more leaks!

Project Kawasaki H2C part 10 Forkin’ ‘ell: more leaks! Leaky forks have made our Ralph’s life hell! Here he sorts ’em! WORDS AND PICS: RALPH FERRAND On my return from picking up this purple pain (and having no idea how far down my pants had been pulled) I opened the side door of my faithful Vito van to see an oily substance on the floor of said van, near the front end… This bike had been polished within an inch of its life so it couldn’t possibly have fluids escaping? Alas, I soon realised this had more leaks than a Swansea greengrocer: the leak under the front end was down to the left-hand fork leg; it was coming past the damper bolt, which meant that it had…

Forkin’ ‘ell: more leaks!

Going bonkers over Bosozoku

Define fashion. Go on, I dare you: bell-bottoms? Lederhosen? The Stones? Paisley pyjamas? Or maybe Elsies, or clip-ons and rear-sets or ape-hangers! I’ve suffered many diverse ‘fashion’ requests over the last 50 years or so, psychedelic paint jobs, ‘King & Queen’ bum perches and, to my eternal shame, I’ve been paid to install the likes of pike nuts, mirrors, mudflaps, and front (and rear) tower carriers on many an LI, TV, GT or SX Lambretta, (times woz ‘ard, we needed the brass, I’m not proud). In my late teens some of my mates had choppers. If you didn’t know, the chopper was/is a custom bike, with small tank, high bars, chrome and paint according to job, overtime and generosity of mates/ sibling sisters. Invariably Triumphs. Okay then, a couple of Beezers,…

Going bonkers over Bosozoku

Project Triumph CRK Café Racer part 10 All geared up! These days, the gearing of a bike is a matter of taste rather than getting the best top speed. John Nutting ponders how it relates to the feel of his CRK 1200 Triumph project WORDS AND PICS: JOHN NUTTING We read a lot in bike magazines about ‘changing the gearing’, but what does it mean? Motorcycle engines tend to make their best power at high revs, but the highest road speed at which that power is capable of propelling the bike means that the rear wheel is rotating more slowly than the engine. For example, at 100mph the rear tyre will typically be rotating at about 1350rpm. So if the engine needs to be revving at 6000rpm…

Project Yamaha FZ600 part 2 Stripped bare! It’s that time of the restoration, isn’t it? Time to put various parts in various bowls and send them off to be plated, coated and sorted! WORDS AND PICS: ANDY BOLAS Time to start dismantling the bike. With the bodywork already off to the painters, we set about stripping parts off the bike. All the parts that needed zincing were segregated into piles for the different colours of olive drab, silver and yellow. I like to clean any corrosion or dirt off any parts I’m getting re-plated as the end results are far superior compared to just sending a pile of manky old parts. As we’re slowly getting down to the bare bones of the bike there are a few…

Thanks this month to

Thanks this month to ■ Richard Gibbons – for all the help! ■ SP Vapour Blasting – Shaun Pearson 07955 775162 ■ Briteworx Polishing – Harry Overton 07861 778841 ■ Parkfield Electro Plating – 01902 865654 ■ C.J. Ward for powder-coating 01283 536135 ■ Soda Blasting Ltd – 01902 256690 ■ Hagon – Tony Hutchinson 0208 5026222 www.hagon-shocks.co.uk ■ Wemoto – 01273 597072 www.wemoto.com ■ SFX Wheels – wheel building / anodising – Paul Ritson 07971 469506 ■ DK Motorcycles used spares – 01782 861100…

It’s not right, but it’s ok….

Project Yamaha YZF-R1 5VY part 6 It’s not right, but it’s ok…. He’s at his favourite track and he’s come over all Whitney Houston, even if PB doesn’t want to ‘Dance with Somebody…’ WORDS: PAUL BERRYMAN PICS: PETE WILEMAN AND PAUL BERRYMAN Amazing. I never thought I’d find a way to shoehorn a Whitney Houston song title into the headline of a CMM article. However, given the dramatic week that preceded this R1 being shipped to Jerez Circuit in Spain for a three-day track test, there is almost no better fit. The bike had been completely out of sorts until a few hours before it was due to leave, running chronically rich in spite of much effort to trace the root cause. Eventually it booked a ticket…

It’s not right, but it’s ok….

Rubber lovin’!

Project Suzuki DR600 Part 11 Rubber lovin’! Our very own PB checked his rubber and found it well out of date for a good, hard ride! But first, a song! WORDS AND PICS: PAUL BERRYMAN Mr Rubber Rubber – they call me Mr Tubetastic, old tyres like plastic, chuck ’em in the bin and get some newwwwww… Cracking under pressure – ‘Tired Tyres’, or how old is too old for your classic rubber? It’s MoT time for my favourite big thumper, and that onceover eyeball to check all was well revealed it wasn’t. Instead I got a heart-sinking moment as I rumbled the rear tyre sidewall had developed a series of rather large splits since the last test. How very disappointing. Away from the sidewalls, the chunky…

Graham Matcham Boy from the black stuff! – the manufacturers’ view With over 30-years’ experience in both manufacturing and retailing motorcycle tyres, as well as running regular tyre support at classic motorcycle track events, what Graham Matcham thinks is worth listening to – I asked him five things, and here’s what he said. Q: How old is too old for tyres? A: Tyre condition is subject to the process of material change, which continues slowly through time. This will only have a detrimental effect on performance after a period of between five and 10 years. How long do they last? That will largely be dependent on storage conditions. Q: What are the age limits on new stock held by tyre retailers? A: There’s actually not a firm legal position, but…

How to read tyre codes

How to read tyre codes Tyre codes started being added to tyres in the 1980s, usually found contained within a long oval shape. Here’s how to read them. 1980s: a simple three-digit code. The first two digits denote the week of production within the year (01 to 52), the last digit being the year in the 1980s e.g. 125 = 12th week of 1985. 1990s: Same as the 1980s, but as tyres would have been made with the same date stamp code they had 10 years previously something needed changing. So, rather inelegantly the 1990 tyre codes had a triangle added at the end of the three-digit code to delineate them from the 80s. Yeah, rubbish idea, huh? 2000 on: Things got sensible at the turn of the century when…

How to read tyre codes

Project a Tale of Two Zeds part 1 Zed Heaven! He doesn’t do things by halves, does our Ralph! In this issue, he’s starting a Double Zed Building Project! One standard, one not so… WORDS AND PICS: RALPH FERRAND Anyone who has ever met me will know that I am a massive Zed Head. To me the Z1 series of bikes are the most aesthetically pleasing bikes ever created. Not just does the mere sight of a big Zed make the manliest of chaps go weak at the knees and get all emotional, they are also a very practical, fast form of transport. In the 1960s the affluent US market was key to making money out of making motorcycles. KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries) was well aware of…

Going bonkers over Bosozoku

Pip Higham Tuner, engineer, rider Going bonkers over Bosozoku Define fashion. Go on, I dare you: bell-bottoms? Lederhosen? The Stones? Paisley pyjamas? Or maybe Elsies, or clip-ons and rear-sets or ape-hangers! I’ve suffered many diverse ‘fashion’ requests over the last 50 years or so, psychedelic paint jobs, ‘King & Queen’ bum perches and, to my eternal shame, I’ve been paid to install the likes of pike nuts, mirrors, mudflaps, and front (and rear) tower carriers on many an LI, TV, GT or SX Lambretta, (times woz ‘ard, we needed the brass, I’m not proud). In my late teens some of my mates had choppers. If you didn’t know, the chopper was/is a custom bike, with small tank, high bars, chrome and paint according to job, overtime and generosity of mates/…

Going bonkers over Bosozoku

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