Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2017 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

RD500LC by the numbers The first RD500LC models appeared in 1984 and were given the 47X prefix for the UK market. The colours were the simple white/red scheme. In 1985 the bike featured some small revisions and was prefixed 1GE. These small detail changes included slightly longer baffles in the upper exhaust pipes, minor changes to the ignition switch and wiring loom, the instruments and a green oil tank where previously it was black: there are even slightly different details to the clip-ons. Some 1GEs were over-stock from Germany and so had European VIN plates, while some got painted in Marlboro colours by Mitsui Yamaha to help entice further sales, so the colours included white/red, black/red and the Marlboro replica. The bike was discontinued at the end of 1986, but…

PIP HIGHAM Brighton: approach with caution! Quite amusingly I read with eager anticipation the Brighton article penned by Al Turner in the November issue of CMM , lovely, always a treat to read anything about the single most quirky (and occasionally dangerous) speed event held anywhere on t’planet. Nowadays the Brighton bash is held over a quarter mile; this is probably a good thing as Madeira Drive has claimed rather more lives than our sanitised society deems acceptable. Back in the bad old days the track was a kilometre long, that’s almost two and a half times longer than the present day! In 1966 Ian Ashwell, aboard his Vincent ‘Satan’ took the Fastest time of the day with a 19.34 at 158mph, curiously a new ‘course record’…

Honda’s SP timeline 1988 -1991 Honda RC30 VFR750R Honda started the project with their VFR750 (code named RC24) engine and threw most of it in the bin. The RC30 motor was treated to all new internals, including titanium con rods, a sprag slipper clutch and a re-phased, 360º big-bang crankshaft for a wider spread of power. With a 12,500rpm redline, peak power was 110bhp and the bike cost £8499 back in the day: ouch. A great investment now, though… 1994 -1997 Honda RC45 RVF750 1994 saw the arrival of the RC45. It was more of an evolution of the RC30 than a revolution using lessons Honda had learned from both the NR750 project and their works RVF Endurance racer. Power was a claimed 120bhp and the cost was £17,000. 2000…

I own that Honda CB360 When Steve Rudland saw the Honda CB360 at a dealer two years ago, he couldn’t resist it. “I really like the style of the older Hondas from the Seventies,” he recalls, “and this one was in my favourite colour, candy blue.” The fire extinguisher service engineer from Barming in Kent had previous experience of the early Honda twins. Having started out on bikes at the age of six, he’s had motocross bikes, off-roaders and cut his teeth on Italjets and FS1-Es. In 1982 he discovered a green CB250G5 dating from 1974 that had been abandoned at Blue Circle Cement, where he was working. “The guy had just left it, so I found him and got the paperwork before rebuilding it.” Steve, now 54 and married…

News The Shed... New tools for sale, old tools and kit rated. You’re in The Shed. Shrinky dink! This cool kit from Laser Tools combines a handy butane-powered heat torch with a 72-piece set of connectors that includes both heat shrink crimp and heat shrink solder joiners plus a selection of heat shrink crimp fork and eye terminals. Our Ralph Ferrand loves this stuff: the compact and lightweight butane heat torch quickly and cleanly produces directional hot air, particularly suited to heat shrink tubing when making repairs to automotive wiring and cabling. Piezo ignition ignites instantly and the torch is soon up to working temperature. The clear gas reservoir enables the level of liquid butane to be seen so you know when to refill. The crimp connectors are crimped in…

Parking up for winter If you know you’ll not be using a bike for some period (say eight weeks or more) do yourself the biggest favour ever and empty the carbs. Petrol now deteriorates so quickly it defies belief. It can and will block jets, gum up passageways, corrode float bowls and even perforate or soften floats! Ideally crack open the drain screws (or plugs) and absorb what comes out. Failing that get the bike running and then turn off the fuel and allow the engine to suck out as much petrol from the carb as possible. With vacuum taps you’ll need to employ some ingenuity to replicate turning off the fuel tap but the effort is worth it. Come recommissioning, fill up the float bowls and away you go…

Shaping tubes to give the seat strength Using tubing gives the seat pan a firm backbone while adding minimal extra weight. The round aluminium is strong but demands careful shaping in order to do its job; this requires annealing with an inert filler inside to retain shape and integrity. To achieve this the tube is tapped at both ends to a convenient size, filled with dry sand which is tamped down hard until the tube is full and the second bolt fitted. With a consistent but moveable inner, the tube should now be capable of being bent without distortion. Unlike copper aluminium it doesn’t change colour when it’s heated. To gauge when it’s hot enough to bend safely, the cold metal is rubbed with normal hard soap. As the heat…

IT’S MY BIKE: Alan Squire I was suffering with arthritis and cramps on my CBR1000F being well past my youth. Steve Griffiths, a member in our VJMC section, was selling his 360 that he rebuilt eight years ago. However, it had stood unused for the last six years but with an oil change and fresh fuel it ran. A deal was struck and I was the proud new owner. Its first run out was a baptism of fire on the ‘Ride to the Wall’: two-up in stop/start traffic for the best part of an hour. Yet it did me proud as it didn’t miss a beat. The only problem being that my wife and I aren’t exactly small and it was a little tight for us both! It was…

Project Yamaha TX500 part 11 Completely sumped! Can filling a bike with oil really leave you stumped? WORDS AND PHOTOS: MARK HAYCOCK. Last time we had the TX500 in CMM, I got to the stage of removing the alternator rotor, and behind it is the starter on-way clutch. This is a popular design for motorcycles. When we look inside the clutch assembly we see there are three spring-loaded rollers (Photo 1). These are inside a wedge-shaped track which makes them jam against the boss of the sprocket when the starter motor drives the engine, thus transmitting the drive, but when the engine picks up speed the rollers are flung to the other end of the track, against spring pressure, and the clutch becomes free-running. So what can go wrong? Firstly,…

Next month KAWASAKI H1: Steve Cooper on this legendary machine! YAMAHA XSR RETRO: John Nutting rides a quirky new retro. HONDA GB500 Tourist Trophy: Ridden and reviewed by Scoop, meanwhile CMM reader David Romaine rides and rates his. YAMAHA RD350LC SPECIAL: It’s a fizzy, bubbly legend… HONDA CBR600 F-X: 1999 refined middleweight Quick Spinned! SUMMER HOLIDAY: Plan and book a super Spanish classic riding holiday. WORKSHOP: Servicing Yamaha’s TX500, Moto Guzzi Le Mans Buyer’s Guide, repairing plastics and Stan Stephens on the tuning/rebuilding secrets of Kawasaki’s KR-1 and KR-1S. PROJECT BIKES: James Whitham finishes his Yamaha TZ250 S, Paul Berryman back on with his timing on his Suzuki DR600, Steve Cooper on his Yamaha RD350, Ralph Ferrand with his Yamaha DT175 MX and newcomer/youngster Craig Prior…

Retro reboot 2017 calendar! Now this is the gift for the classic biker and fettler in your life that wants to create stunning specials. Dream Machines 2017 Calendar has a full year’s worth of fantasy motorcycles that exist only in the imagination of CMM contributor Kar Lee. This talented designer and illustrator has pulled together 12 of his best and most stunning images to give you a calendar par excellence. Printed on thick 150gsm stock in big A3 (420mm x 297mm) format the Dream Machines concept art calendar will enhance any kitchen, office, living room or garage. Priced at £14.95 plus postage, you can get it at: kardesign.bigcartel.com…

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! There are more than twenty five years between these two photographs. The two faces are the same and so is the venue. Mark Griffiths had the old photo and recreated the shot earlier this year! John Vassallo remembers buying this Fizzy like it was yesterday. It was actually a week after Live Aid that BKP 995T entered John’s life. He fetched it from a local village and was impressed with the performance that the big-bore kit offered, he wasn’t sad to say goodbye to the Yamaha DT50 that he’d ridden previously. Despite the quality of the old…

Let’s torque Guzzi lineage The basis for every Guzzi V-twin comes from an Italian Ministry of Defence requirement for an all-terrain three wheeled tractor. The factory came up with a then-unique 754cc pushrod V-twin power unit. Although only delivering 20bhp at 4000rpm, the motor is capable of producing mountains of torque. Period late 1950s images show the 3x3 trike fitted with tracks to its rear wheels climbing almost vertical surfaces. Someone, somewhere realises the innate potential of the transverse motor. Come the early 1960s and Moto Guzzi is looking for a new large capacity bike and the 3x3 motor receives a makeover to deliver a 700cc mill that’s fitted into a new frame to produce a 50bhp machine that debuts at the 1965 Milan show. Subsequent road tests show just…

What is MIRA? British motorcycle factories and tyre manufacturers used research and testing facilities at the proving grounds operated by the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) in the Midlands from the 1950s. The high-speed circuit, with its 34º banking enabled testing speeds of over 100mph, while the 1000-yard straights provided electronic timing equipment for performance testing, a facility that was also used by magazines. Built on the site of RAF Lindley, near Nuneaton, in Warwickshire in 1949, MIRA continues to take a leading role in the development of vehicles of all kinds.…

Product review Oxford Bright Top Active Whether you ride in hi-viz gear is up to you but if you do then you’ll appreciate a piece of kit that’s been genuinely designed to fit around motorcycle clothing. The Oxford Bright Top Active comes with stretchable panels which means it fits close to your jacket and doesn’t flap about like a low-rent sail stolen from a wind surfer. Reflective strips give you an edge at night and the pocket means you can easily stash your phone for quick access and not have to fumble with zips and poppers then hunt through pockets. So easy to spot yet so unobtrusive to wear I’d no idea I was wearing it throughout a recent 300 mile trip. www.oxfordproducts.com/  motorcycle RRP £36.99 Steve Cooper…

Electrical connections part 4 Leading the charge! Ralph explains some of the basics of checking your battery charging. WORDS AND PHOTOS: RALPH FERRAND There can be few more dispiriting sights than a greeting of very dim idiot lights, which go out completely as soon as you press the starter button. Even if you’ve got the option of a kick starter, it’s still a bit of a gamble; if it’s not charging you may have to push it home if you do venture out. Checking the efficacy of a charging system isn’t as easy as some folk might think. You can get an idea by measuring the voltage at the battery, but that doesn’t actually quantify how many amps are being delivered to the battery. The way most bikes are wired…

Working with adhesives A two-pack epoxy is preferred for repairs like this and ideally one that carries a metal filler. The JB Weld used here utilises a steel powder for strength and rigidity. Epoxy adhesives without fillers tend to be fragile and can shatter under impact or load. It’s tempting to use a quick cure epoxy but this has a downside: they tend to decline with age and/or exposure to moisture. Ensure surfaces are grease and rust free, get the repair panel as tight to the substrate as possible and the joint should last.…

Products The most useful gear we’ve found this month KUSHITANI STEM JACKET This is a very pricey, but beautiful jacket with a minimalistic style – harking back to the era of the cafe racer. It costs a whopping £549 and watch the sizes, as a Japan Large is a UK Medium and a Japan XL is a UK Large! You have been warned! Go to: www.kushitani-uk.co.uk HJC SUPERHERO LIDS We’re all superheroes as we ride and restore bikes, but now you can look like one. Should you wish. The following are available from HJC helmets: Iron Man on the IS-17 (from £199.99) Spiderman on the RPHA (from £469.99) Venom on the RPHA for the same price and The Punisher on the FG ST lid from £229.99. For more, head to…

SCOOPERMAN! The sunny side of the classic world, with the VJMC’s Steve Cooper The so-called riding season is well and truly over. Chances are you’ll be reading the marvellous pages of CMM mollycoddled with luxuries such as a central heating system controlled by a thermostat and possibly your smartphone while totally immune to the weather outside courtesy of some hi-tech double glazing. This is the reality of our modern world yet we still seem to hanker for the days of our youth or at least the bikes we owned or aspired to back then. We want the certainty and comfort of machines we know and understand yet we’re not prepared to slum it working on them outside in the cold with a torch and icy spanners.…

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. V4 valedictory? Being a long time subscriber, I was waiting with eager anticipation for last month’s MIRA files feature on the VF500FII by John Nutting; I am an owner of such sublime engineering myself. My expectations were thus high with regard…

Show us yours We want to see YOUR pride and joy in our pages, so you can share what you ride and restore with fellow readers. Email your hi-res shots to bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk or mail in some photos to the address at the front of the mag. Let us know what you’ve done and how you’ve done it and send before and after shots if you can. Do get in touch. Bertie. 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…

READER’S RESTORATION THE FIRST TIME... Everyone remembers their first restoration: CMM reader Nigel Kermode recalls his! WORDS AND PHOTOS: NIGEL KERMODE Whenever I read CMM, I always admire the incredible skills of those restoring bikes back to their former glory. It usually invokes a desire to restore a project myself, but with a severe shortage of mechanical skills, this has always been a bit of a pipe dream. Well that was until 2015, when I found myself with time on my hands and decided to take the plunge. Now I know that if I can do it, you certainly can! I’m the traditional lapsed biker, however, a few recent visits to classic bike shows reawakened a long dormant desire for the older bikes, but where should I start? Well, the…

WORK SHOP cmm 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. 1978 Honda CB550K3 Q: Could you help with a problem I have with my Honda CB550 K3? I have recently got a new regulator/rectifier to replace my old units but there’s a problem with the wires – the alternator has three yellow wires, one green wire and one white wire and the new combined reg/rectifier has no white wire, so what should I do with the white wire? Another problem with the new reg/rectifier is I don’t know where…

Project Brooklands special part 3 Tanks for the memories Our Stan is on with his Brooklands Special: today it’s time to tank bash! WORDS AND PHOTOS: STAN STEPHENS For the benefit of those readers who haven’t seen the previous articles, I am building a lookalike version of a pre-war Brooklands Racer, not a replica. I am using an engine from the 1990s instead of the 1920s – a 1700cc Yamaha four-stroke V-twin. It is air-cooled with push-rod valve-gear and is used in the Yamaha Warrior Road-Star, which is a big cruiser. The Brooklands era is period of motorcycle racing that I love, so one reason for the project is as a reminder of that period, the other reason is to write a series of articles about building it. The idea…

WORK SHOP Restoring rusty seat bases Rusty seat pan? It’s time to hone and upgrade those Blue Peter skills, says Scoop! WORDS AND PHOTOS: STEVE COOPER The classic world is forever changing and as NOS (New Old Stock) dries up enterprising companies and individuals are replicating parts that have become impossible to obtain. Reproduction exhausts for Z1s, H1s and H2s are now on offer, ditto the plastic section of a Yamaha LC’s rear guard. Occasionally businesses, groups or clubs get together and commission a small run of rare components; the late lamented Granby Motors once fronted up a batch of RD400 rear chrome guards. All of which is great if your bike is popular enough or your part is in sufficient demand but if it isn’t, what then? If you’re…

Project Honda CB750K2 part 2 Carb cleaning! Mark strips the carbs on his CB750 and begins the process of cleaning them. What will he find? WORDS AND PHOTOS: MARK HAYCOCK Having been told that the K2’s engine did run but only using Easy-Start, I knew the carbs had to come off. CB750 carbs are very simple and pretty easy to work on: we start by taking off the fuel tank (Photo 1) and disconnecting the throttle cables or, in my case, cable. The model previous to mine, the K1, had an improved throttle linkage employing separate opening and closing cables operating a proper mechanical linkage rather than the primitive one-into-four opening cable splitter on the early bikes. But mine has no closing cable, despite having the correct two-cable handlebar throttle…