Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

David Silver Museum Our test machine came from The David Silver Honda Collection. For more than 30 years David Silver Spares has supplied many of us with parts for our classic Hondas and in that time David has been carefully restoring and rehoming landmark Hondas. Last year he finally opened his museum: it’s an impressive home to 150 models from Honda, covering the 1950s through to the 1990s. All of the major successes and failures of almost 70 years of Honda are here, from the Super Cub to the Honda FireBlade, including the likes of a sandcast CB750, an original Gold Wing and the mighty CBX1000Z. With 150 models to look at, you really need to treat yourself to a couple of hours wandering around. The machines in the collection…

PIP HIGHAM The A49 and other southerly routes… Over the last 15 or so years me and the missus (and Jess the dog too) have ventured ‘darn sarf’ at least once a year to visit friends, go to Goodwood or just for a change of rain. Last year we had two goes at it, the first one to the Isle Of Wight where I spotted a stunning little BM lookalike lurking outside a cafe in Yarmouth. Closer examination showed it to be a Hoffman, other than the Teutonic connection and the fact that it has a cylinder sticking out each side, I’ve found out precious little about the little precious; my investigations continue. On our second trip I swung by Sammy Miller’s place in New Milton to see the display…

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! Julian West was a massive fan of Croz back in 1983; that’s why when he’d finished rebuilding his Kawasaki KH250 he painted it in Moriwaki colours. This snap was taken before Julian headed off to Silverstone for the 1983 British GP. The RG500 had many positive features but the front brakes really weren’t one of them. Zoran Cuk spent much of the late 80s pondering the problem of how to improve the anchors on his Suzuki RG500. Riding a Honda CBX1000 can be a tiring task, maybe that’s why Adam Clarke had to take a…

The GT550s: then and now The GT550 featured in Suzuki’s portfolio from 1972 through to 1977 with some final B models being discounted and available as late as 1979. Aesthetics switched year-on-year, but the bike only ever changed in a few areas. 1973-on K models all came with disc front brake along with polished alloy outer cases and Ram-Air cowling instead of gunmetal paint. The biggest change came on the M-model. Suzuki moved from alloy cylinders with iron liners and opted for chrome-plated bores. So it’s not possible to over-bore the post-1974 barrels. If the chroming is worn it’s possible to get the plating renewed which is not cheap. Pistons for the M onwards model come in one size only; the earlier models can be rebored but Crooks Suzuki warns…

Small spanners If you only buy one workshop item next year make sure it’s a set of decent quality small spanners; workshop time will never be the same again. Instantly it’s possible to accurately adjust and set up throttle cables; there’s no more using the smallest spanner you own and a pair of needle nosed pliers. Similarly ignition points nuts and bolts are instantly accessible and you won’t have to dig the nut out from the bottom of a tiny socket. Electrical repairs instantly become so much easier and fiddly fittings are no longer a challenge or a chore. Seriously, you will wonder how you ever got by without a set of sub 10mm spanners.…

Standard or modified – suspension and compression Other than a damn good clean and polish post fettling, the RD is pretty much there. I’d already concluded the bike wasn’t going to be restored but I’m not blind to its shortcomings. The odd rust spot, tarnished bolt or dulled chrome I can live with; after all I rather like patina. However, the Skippy the Bush Kangaroo rear suspension is something that needs looking at. So do I go for modern pattern aftermarket replicas and hope they’re okay or do I fit something more modern? If I fitted progressive fork springs and emulators in the front end no one would be any the wiser but do a pair of remote reservoir rear shocks mean The Authenticity Police will be issuing me with…

IT’S MY BIKE: Eira Nicoll I had a phone call from my partner Rob to say he’d bought me a bike. We had previously bought a XS500B to restore but found there was too much wrong with it so finding the TX500 at Donington was a much better project to do and was going to be our first restoration together. The exhaust pipes were gone but all the rest was good and salvageable. When we started the restoration nobody else seemed interested in TX500 so there was a lot of new old stock still around. Having bought the bike in February we decided to get it ready to go to Stafford in October so the push began calling favours from JBS Paint, Chrome Restoration Service and RPA for powder…

Project Yamaha TX500 part 12 Odds and sods Mister Mark is going through his TX500 with a fine-toothed comb. What’s he found? WORDS AND PHOTOS: MARK HAYCOCK This time (and next month) I am going to look at a few issues on my TX500, encompassing a few interesting design features and considering various aspects which are common to many other bikes. So let’s get started shall we? Rear chain One thing which caught my eye on this bike was the rear chain which had this old-fashioned spring clip (Photo 1). What particularly interested me was that there is something wrong here (other than the thick layer of mud and fossilised grease!). We are looking here at the top run of the chain, with the gearbox output sprocket on the left.…

Products The most useful gear we’ve found this month STAY SAFE & SEEN WITH OXFORD Our friends at Oxford Products want us to stay safe and seen as we head towards spring with a range of hi-viz gear. If you ride to work with a backpack on, then the Bright Cover Backpack cover ( £14.99 ) is perfect for you and comes in a range of colours. Other hi-viz goodies include the Bright Vest Packaway ( £4.99 ) the Bright Belt ( £14.99 ), Bright H-Belt ( £34.99 ) the Bright Vest ( £14.99 ) and a wide range of others. Go to: www.oxfordproducts.com for more.…

It’s my bike – Nick Jeffery I have always liked the GT550 ever since my brother had one back in 1975. After a few years off bikes, I knew what I wanted so I looked in the local free ads and there it was: a 1972 GT550 in candy gold. Three days later I went and had a look at it: one owner from new, very tidy and original with 16,000 miles. I put a deposit on it there and then. A week later I went back and had a test ride, starting that three cylinder engine up was music to my ears and brought back so many memories. Off up the road I went, the GT was nice and smooth up though the gearbox and everything felt good. When…

READER'S SPECIAL SPECIAL - BRU This is a bike many years in the inspiration and in the making: welcome to Brian Thomson’s labour of love: the IRN-BRU Yamaha RD350LC Powervalve! WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PHOTOS: GARY ‘D’ CHAPMAN, BRIAN THOMSON “For me the 7Up RD350LC special just flicked a switch in my head and I really wanted to make my own homage to it.” This story starts almost 25 years ago, with a legendary motorcycle built by Nick Daniels. In the hallowed pages of September 1993’s Performance Bikes (perhaps the 1990s’ finest motorcycle magazine) Nick’s 7Up-painted Yamaha RD350LC became an iconic example of the two-stroke special and it hit a switch in Brian Thomson’s head. It’s taken a further 23 years to come to fruition, but Brian has finally finished his…

NEWS The Shed... New tools for sale, old tools and kit rated. Yup! You’re in The Shed. Wiring whizz! Whether you’re maintaining existing wiring on your classic or fitting aftermarket electrical parts to your classic bike you could do worse than these new kits from Gunson. They supply the essentials for a complete and tidy electrical wiring installation. The Electrical Connector Kit (part number 77070) includes over 300 items such as insulated terminals, heat shrink tubing, spade connectors, ring connectors, cable ties and fixing rings: a must-have kit for anyone working on classic motorcycles! The Heat Shrink Tubing kit (part number 77041) offers a comprehensive selection of pre-cut heat shrink sheaths in both black and coloured varieties. At 45mm in length, they are the ideal size for covering and insulating…

Project Yamaha DT175 MX Part 6 Boing boing! Yup, it’s time for Ralph to sort the suspenders on his mud-plugging Yamaha. WORDS AND PHOTOS: RALPH FERRAND. This month I’ll be turning my attention to the DT’s suspension. The shock is like no other I have previously encountered, being pretty much twice the length of a traditional shock, disappearing up inside the top frame rail with its top mount being just behind the headstock. It has nitrogen gas and oil separated in a mono-tube construction by a floating piston, thereby preventing ‘airation’ (mixing of oil and gas). Luckily for me, despite the serious abuse this poor bike had suffered over the last 35 years, the shock seemed to be in perfect working order, which is just as well since, according to…

Loving LEV! Our Pip rescues and restores a famous Ducati Daytona. Here’s the tale in his inimitable words. WORDS AND PHOTOS: PIP HIGHAM When I was a lad, I bought a crashed Ariel Leader from one-legged, briar-pipe smoking Billy Briggs (Motorcycles) in Salford for 40 quid. I straightened out the forks and fiddled around with it, but as my 16th birthday approached I could see my dad getting a bit edgy. He thought I was going to go and run into the first solid object I encountered on two wheels. On the first Saturday after my birthday (and still with a full complement of working limbs) he dragged me to King’s on Stretford Road to look at NEW bikes! There were Hondas, Yams and rather a long line of Ducatis.…

Project Ducati 996 part 5 Polished performer! Our Jim’s only gone and got himself some polishing equipment to help save his 996. How goes it, Jim? WORDS AND PICS: JIM LINDSAY Pulling stuff apart is alright: I like all that careful placing of bits in plastic parts bins (only to wonder ‘where does that go?’ a bit later). I love all of the degreasing, the assessment, the attacking of seized fasteners with heat, hammers and the occasional chisel or drill. All the same, the real fun begins when you start refinishing bits and putting stuff back together. And that time is here for the 996. Whoopee! I took a trip out to Cambridge Aqua Blasting to collect the fork uppers, exhaust headers and link pipes, the radiator and a couple…

Try a classic with the NMM! We’re big fans of what’s going on at the National Motorcycle Museum at the moment and their Friends Scheme is giving its members the chance to take part in some unique activities that just wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Some of this unique content includes Classic Bike Tours, Ride a Classic Days and Workshop Training Days. The weekend of April 1-2 sees the first ‘Try a Classic Bike’ weekend. Friends Scheme members will get the chance to ride various motorcycles from the museum’s inventory on closed roads within the museum grounds. Machines will include a selection of veteran and vintage machines with lever throttle/hand change – training will be provided – as well as later machines from the 1940s to 1960s including Brough and Vincent.…

SCOOPERMAN ! The sunny side of the classic world, with the VJMC’s Steve Cooper Someone somewhere once opined: ‘No man is an island’ and as is the way of smart alecs he was, of course, right. Few of us have all the skills, resources and knowledge to do everything necessary to keep old bikes on the road. Knowing who can do what is the key to keeping old motorcycles on the road. Plough through the commercial adverts at the back of this august journal and you’ll find numerous individuals and companies who can do almost any job from a painting a tank through to re-chroming forks or even rebuilding an engine. Who you use and why you use them generally comes down to your own skill levels, the means you…

FEEDBACK Post to Mechanics, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or email your pictures to editorial@classicmechanics.com 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. B120P is better! I enjoyed reading about the B120 in the January issue and Roy Bailey's letter in the February issue. The bike I learned to ride on was an MZ Supa 5 bought after much dithering over value for money,…

WORK SHOP 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. 1983 Honda VF750FD Q: Having completed the restoration of a lovely 1989 Honda NC30, I have purchased a 1983 Honda VF750FD. Everything is there but it has not been run in 20 years, so it is a full strip down. The only thing I need advice on at the moment is the restoration of the ‘black’ exhaust silencers. They are sound, but have some rust spots. What is the actual finish on them, and any advice where I…

Project Yamaha RD350 part 7 Out on the road Scoop has finally got the RD MoT’d – but what issues have surfaced now? WORDS AND PHOTOS: STEVE COOPER If there’s one thing about old motorcycles that continues to impress it’s the very obvious fact that every day has the potential to be a school day. When the back wheel was out previously I’d removed the shocks and had a good push/twist/pull and it all felt good. Knowing there was no obvious play in the swingarm didn’t necessarily mean that the old bushes were well greased so I called my newly acquired Sealey grease gun into action: which strangely didn’t fit. Yamahas of this period run parallel bodies, ball topped, grease nipples which allegedly were used for swift greasing on the…

Masterclass part 2! Our Stan is back with the second part of his Kawasaki KR-1/S missive. This month: tuning and a history lesson! WORDS: STAN STEPHENS PHOTOS: STAN STEPHENS, MORTONS ARCHIVE As mentioned last month, we recently had an email from some readers in Australia wanting tuning information and help with racing KR-1/KR-1S for a series in Australia. After the strip and rebuild article on the Kawasaki KR-1/KR-1S from last month, I sat down to write the follow-up tuning article on them. When I looked through all my photos of engines I had rebuilt or tuned I realised I had never written a piece on tuning the KR-1/KR-1S and I didn’t have a single picture of any tuning or modifications. Without pictures editor Bertie would not have printed it (indeed…

Project Honda CB750K2 Back together again! It seems like he’s given us more on carbs than Hovis recently… Now he’s back with more on the K2’s carb conundrums. There are a few things to assess before putting the carbs back together and looking at one of the slides (Photo 1) we see that it is in good condition, which indicates that the mileage must be low. Or does it? I say this because it is very well designed and constructed, as you would expect from a Honda, and probably very long-lasting as a result. It is made from chrome-plated brass which would give a proper hard-wearing surface. Compare that with the corresponding part from my old BSA (Photo 2) where we see the slide is simply a die-casting and is…