Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Smaller bikes, bigger smiles? What is it about smaller bikes? Do they really give us bigger smiles? I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and there are shades of it in this very issue. Firstly, we’ve got our mate Andy Bolas on board a tiddler, Yamaha’s FZR250 Zeal. He waxes lyrical about the sound the little four-cylinder four-stroke made and how the power delivery was almost two-stroke in feel… Then there’s Charlie Oakman, our ad-man turned racer. £1500 saw him bag Honda’s humble little CB500 parallel twin. This is a bike from the 1990s that, while a stoic, capable commuter, also went racing in the CB500 Series, helping to launch the Tarmac race career of future double World Superbike champ James Toseland. Charlie asks the question of how much…

MUSEUM WINTER RAFFLE REMINDER! The National Motorcycle Museum wants to remind you all that there is still time to buy tickets for a chance to win a brand new Triumph Factory Custom Thruxton 1200cc motorcycle in their winter raffle draw. Museum Director James Hewing stated: “We have another ‘money can’t buy’ first prize by offering a brand new Triumph Factory Custom Thruxton 1200cc that will be registered new to the lucky winner. This fabulous bike is one of a very special limited edition of just 750 machines!” The second prize is a newly launched Sealey MC680E electro hydraulic motorcycle lift, with a 680kg load capacity, worth more than £1500! Third prize is a luxury hotel break and dinner for two at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse at the Manor Hotel, Meriden.…

The Owner’s Tale – Adrian Perkins “Bought from Rick Brett at the Stafford show several years ago, this very original RV125 even came with its tool kit and owner’s handbook – originally owned by a Mr Thies Bodell in Michigan, USA. It’s only covered 2000 miles from new and has merely been cleaned and a few bits and pieces repainted where necessary to preserve its patina – the only item that was missing was the tyre pump, one of which was soon sourced and purchased – a brand new seat was found locally to replace the slightly shiny original item. The bike is an absolute hoot to ride – not the fastest of machines, but you don’t want to go fast on those huge balloon-like tyres, which incidentally only run…

BMW R1100 S Full Restoration part 5 Splitting yarns! Poor Ralph. This tired old boxer wants to step out of the ring once and for all – but will Ferrand let it? WORDS AND PICS: RALPH FERRAND The torturous Teutonic twin with 160,000 hard miles on the clocks is back at its belligerent worst! This bike just seems to be fighting me at every turn. Whilst I have fettled a number of members of the R1100 family in the past, I have never stripped one this far apart, and whilst I have worked on an R1100 RS that had been properly abused some years ago, I never had to strip it back as far as this one. That one was a case of sticking plasters on to…

1980 Suzuki RM80X Restoration part 4 Stuck in a Crack Jeff knew this rebuild would end up a pain in the backside… WORDS AND PICS: JEFF WARE G’day! It was foolish of me to think that my restoration plan for this mighty RM80X was going to go smoothly. Here I was content that such a simple bike was going to be a breeze to restore, meanwhile I’ve got an RZV500R in bits that is twice as easy to sort out. Who would have guessed it? My issue has been finding parts. It seems I’m not the only 44-year-old that had an RM80X and now wants to relive those glory days of surviving by chance and luck… In my last update I had stripped the engine and typed…

Two-stroke Know How part 1 Two-stroke guru! We get to meet a two-stroke fan and engineer who rides the bikes he modifies. WORDS: ROB PEMBERTON AND STEVE COOPER PICS: STEVE COOPER Meet Rob Pemberton from SPA Motorcycles, Cheltenham, one of the nicest guys out there who just so happens to carry a torch for the humble two-stroke. He’s also a gifted mechanic and a substantially more than capable two-stroke tuner. Thankfully he also has an enquiring and open mind which means he’s very aware that running stinkwheels in the 21st century is a challenge. You might think that you only need tech-heads if you’re planning to run a tuned bike, but that’s very often not the case. Like many others, Rob is only too painfully aware that…

CLASSIC RACING PART 2 The CB-jeebies! Ad man Charlie is bullied by Bridgestone’s Gary Hartshorne into buying a Honda CB500 to go racing – but how? WORDS: CHARLIE OAKMAN PICS: JOHNNY GAWLER AND ANDREW JAMES Late August 2018 and there was a new bike in my garage at home, a motorcycle destined for the racetrack though this time a very different prospect to the TZR250 two-stroke I had once raced. Indeed, parked up on paddock stands as my most prized possession was a Honda CB500, exactly where the now-returned TZR250 had once been. I had a real stroke of luck. I was bullied into racing again by Bridgestone’s Gary Hartshorne (who was to become my teammate for the 2019 season), but he also found me a bike that…

Triumph CRK Café Racer part 7 The moment of truth Nutters finally fits and fettles before pressing the start button of his CRK Roadster 1200. WORDS AND PICS: JOHN NUTTING Waiting for the CRK Roadster’s fuel tank, side-panels and front mudguard to return from the paint shop meant that I couldn’t put off the completion of the new wiring system any longer. I’d decided early in the project to convert the 1200 Trophy into a seventies-style road bike that the wiring system should be one of the modern types that are popular with custom bike builders. The C-Box system offered by Ian Saxcoburg at Café Racer Kits is rather like the Motogadget in that all the components such as flasher relays, circuit switching and the like are…

cmm Archive Bimota SB8-R WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PICS: MORTONS ARCHIVE It seemed natural for us to use this excuse to slip in a picture of the very exotic Bimota SB8-R in here this month. Why? Well, it was powered by a version of the Suzuki V-twin powerplant that also (in standard form) gave motive muscle to our cover star, the TL1000S and later TL1000R machines. Following the launch of the wayward S version in 1997, the chunky TL1000R was launched in 1998 and, despite ‘WORLD SUPERBIKE’ being emblazoned on its flanks, the R never actually got to race in the championship proper, although some race versions did take to the track courtesy of Yoshimura. But, the Suzuki V-twin motor would win a World Superbike race, courtesy of the combined talents…

cmm Tested Riding kit worn, tools twirled & tyres turned SEALEY MC454 BIKE LIFT Sealey does a large range of lifts that are ideal for the home mechanic, but our needs were quite specific. Because a large amount of the motorcycles we work on need paddock stands – and we wanted a mechanical pump-action lift instead of an engine-driven hydraulic lift that requires a power source – we wanted to try out the MC454. Able to take a huge 450kg in safety, the lift is plenty long and wide enough for almost any motorcycle you can think of. A front wheel clamp and four metal hoops make securing the bike easy, even single-handedly. If you need specs then check the MC454 out... Weight: 139.90kg; minimum/maximum height: 195mm/660mm; platform width/length: 660mm/2515mm;…

** Prize winner****** I hate the specials! I love the band called ‘The Specials’, but hate the bikes that ‘are specials’! I’m sorry… but – while I’m not one of those that moans about non-OE stuff on bikes, I don’t like bikes made into something they’re clearly not. And that is precisely what those BuzzWorkz Kawasakis were last month. As far as I’m concerned they’re a waste of decent, original parts that could have been part of a really nice ‘as original as it can be’ restoration. I will now put on my steel helmet, hunker down in the bunker and await the bombs to fall! Ha ha! Patrick Smith Bertie says: “Ahhh Patrick! Surely ‘each to their own’? And as to original is best, we guess you won’t want…

CLASSIC RIDE BALLOON BUSTING! It’s not your average 70s bike, but Suzuki’s RV125 makes Scoop giggle WORDS: STEVE COOPER PICS: GARY D CHAPMAN Those that truly know small motorcycles will tell you they offer some of the most involving riding experiences you can have. Yes, those lithe Latin lovelies of the 70s or 80s deliver stunning power with unbelievably peerless handling. Little comes close to the pure, visceral brawn and muscle of a Harley and a classic DOHC Japanese superbike is potentially the pinnacle of modern classic ownership. And yet what none of the big, macho stuff supplies is the pure and exhilarating thrill of getting a couple more em-pee-aitch out of a tiddler around your favourite bend. Small bikes often have large hearts and seem to possess a disproportionate…

CLASSIC RIDE OVER Zealous! Not a bike you see every day… but still, our own Andy Bolas displays his zeal for the Yamaha Zeal! WORDS: ANDY BOLAS PICS: GARY D CHAPMAN Now here’s a bike we don’t see very often at all, in fact I don’t think there were many about in the UK back in the day due to it being a grey import and I’m talking about when such imports to the UK from the Land of the Rising Sun were very popular. Yes, I think it’s fair to say that even in the early to mid-1990s, the Yamaha Zeal still wasn’t that popular when it came to container space from the likes of BAT Motorcycles or the like. I guess when you can sell all the two-stroke…

CLASSIC EVENT Cadwell cool! Classic Bike Trackdays and CMM – in association with Bridgestone tyres – have a weekend of fun lined up at Cadwell Park in June. You can’t miss it! It’s very early days, but it is beginning to look as if the Classic Bike Trackdays/CMM weekend in association with Bridgestone tyres is going to have a distinctive ‘Yamaha RD-LC’ look to it… Plans are yet to be confirmed, but CBT are hoping to have a whole session dedicated to the Yamaha RD-LC family of machines and we are hoping to have some involvement at the event from Yamaha themselves, so fingers crossed there! Also, we’re in talks with the people behind the return of the Yamaha Pro-Am Series to try and get a few of the replica…

Allen Millyard Award-winning motorcycle engineer! The first cuts… ...are the deepest. Allen Millyard gets on with his exciting Z1 Super Six project! When I’m inspired to make a new engine, I have a vivid vision of what I want to achieve and can usually unfold the image in my mind to work out how to make it. This involves visualising how I will modify many parts, and at the same time retain a factory-looking engine. The Kawasaki Z1 engine was really stretching my imagination to the limit, working out how to add one cylinder each side of the four-cylinder engine whilst being conscious of its width. This left me with many problems to resolve. Looking at the finished crankcases sitting on my bench really stepped up my excitement and enthusiasm,…

1989 Yamaha TZR250 3MA part 1 Hail, seizure! Ahhh, the reverse cylinder TZR… another bike for our Down Under drinker Jeff Ware to bring back to life! WORDS AND PICS: JEFF WARE “Darren, either you have yourself a special eco-friendly prototype TZR that only uses one cylinder or this thing is rooted. I’m going to put my money on the latter. Get around here for a beer”! You guys have Postman Pat over there and over here we’ve got Postman Darren. Now, Postman Darren is originally from Brighton. He somehow found his way Down Under and, once the novelty of that big hot round orange thing in the sky wore off, he started to tinker in the shed – restoring all sorts of cool stuff. One day…

HAYNES PRINT & ONLINE Yamaha YZF-R1 5VY part 4 How 8 goes into 1! Poor PB is rueing his choice of track-day steed – but with some patience and research he may just have tracked down some rare parts… WORDS AND PICS: PAUL BERRYMAN A quick recap of this R1’s story so far would be; browse, buy, seize, strip and oh bugger! The crankshaft and rods were now junk. Claimed by the destructive cocktail of abandoned clutch plates and flywheel magnets circulating amongst the oil, replacement parts to rebuild the motor were needed. As the owner of a 2004-2008 R1, shopping for used engine parts you’ll soon find you’re fighting over scraps, each burdened with the age-old ‘supply and demand’ premium. The detaching flywheel magnet issue on this generation of…

cmm Marketplace Yellow Fever! If you really want a Ducati 748, what should you be looking out for and how much will you pay? Rich has the answers… WORDS: RICH LLEWELLIN, BERTIE SIMMONDS PICS: MORTONS ARCHIVE With this month’s Retro-Spective star being the baby brother of the 916, we asked Louigi Moto’s Rich Llewellin, who’s been a Ducati expert for more than 20 years, for the lowdown on this mini L-twin from Bologna. “Buying, using and maintaining the 748 Ducati should be fun, but they do have their quirks,” he says. “Early ‘two yellow wire’ alternator models 748 Biposto, SP and SPS have trouble with the plug at the end of the alternator wires. It tends to melt. Early reg/recs went up in smoke due to overheating and the…

cmm News SUPER STAFFORD! Stafford celebrates 40s style! The Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Highlights for the weekend (April 25-26) include a 1940s-themed hall, with a Spitfire and Hurricane taking centre stage, surrounded by an abundance of privately owned classic motorcycles and incredible displays from owners’ clubs. Organisers have been in contact with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight to hopefully secure a flypast from the Lancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane and Dakota with confirmation due in March. Classic motorcycle clubs are encouraged to theme their stand and make the most of the fancy dress element, with increased prize money up for grabs for the top three, courtesy of show sponsor, Carole Nash Insurance. Outside, the popular Classic…

Busa boy calling! I happened to pick up a copy of the January edition of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics because it had a Hayabusa in the front cover. It’s not a mag I normally read as I’ve got too many subscriptions in already: Bike, Classic Bike Guide, Practical Sportsbikes and Classic Bike. Anyway, I happened to mention to the lad I was served by about mine and he suggested a quick note to you. I’ve had five Busas since my first 20 years ago so you could say I like them. This is despite having two Blackbirds and two generation two ZZ-R1400s as well, some at the same time, and a plethora of other bikes concurrently (greedy git, I know!). So, just a couple of pics: say if you want more.…

READER’S RESTO IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE Labour of Luff! CMM reader Ian Luff bites the bullet and takes on his first restoration: a 1977 Honda CB200! WORDS AND PICS: IAN LUFF Why restore a Honda CB200? Well, there are many sensible reasons that could have led me to this unpretentious little bike as a restoration target. They are relatively plentiful for a bike of the 1970s so are cheap to buy. Parts are obtainable, they are fairly simple to work on and they offer fair performance for a tiddler, being able to maintain 70mph with a bit of coaxing. The real reason I bought a knackered CB200 with 75,011 miles on the clock was caused by me stumbling across a poor-quality photo of a 17-year-old in outrageous flares, a vest…

MAIN TEST TERRIBLE TWOS! Suzuki’s TL1000S: hailed as a Ducati-beater in 1997, the V-twin looked set for great success, but on UK roads acclaim soon switched to damnation. Branded by some as dangerous, how does the bike ride today? WORDS: CHRIS MOSS PICS: MARK MANNING At the end of 1996, Suzuki was in a bit of a quandary… Sure, it’s GSX-R750 W-T SRAD was arguably the king of the 750 four-cylinder sportsbikes and was taking the fight to the likes of Honda’s supreme CBR900RR FireBlade, but on the outskirts, there was that little Ducati factory building beautiful race-replica V-twins such as the 916… V-twins were winning hearts, minds and sales in the showrooms – not only with the 916, but with the SS and Monster series, too. Suzuki witnessed this,…

RETRO SPECTIVE DUCATI 748 If you wanted all of the presence and pose of Ducati’s seminal 916, but with a little lest cost (and grunt) then the 748 was perfect for you… WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS IMAGES: MORTONS ARCHIVE ‘Small ones are more juicy’ was a daft TV advert for Outspan oranges back in the early 1980s, but it could equally be applied to Ducati’s amazing 748… Because, many who rode both machines really did feel that the smaller capacity L-twin from Bologna was the sweeter of the two machines to ride and enjoy. The first versions were released in 1994, a year after the 916. The ‘Biposto’ in base form and a series of SP or sports production versions over the course of the 748’s run (1994-2003.) Later SP…

The model launch – July 1959 It might seem strange to us now, but at the end of the 1950s there were no Japanese-made sports bikes for sale to the general public. Over in Europe there were the likes of BSA Goldstars that could be ordered in various guises, from roadster through to scrambler and on to track race bike. In fact most companies either offered track-orientated road machinery variants or supplied the necessary components with which to upgrade. In post-war Japan motorcycles were initially primarily a method of transport and any competitive racing was there purely to promote the brand as an entity; the notion of producing a bike for sale to the public and capable of racing was almost totally alien. However, Yamaha had other ideas and their…

Suzuki TS400 Apache part 4 Indian country! Thanks to the internet Scoop is able to inspect his latest purchase remotely! WORDS AND PICS: STEVE COOPER Thank heavens for mates, that’s all I can say! My good friend Simon Neil had kindly volunteered to act as ‘my agent’ and deal with the seller of the Suzuki TS400. Even better, he’d also offered to home the bike while I arranged onward transport. That meant the bike was out from under the feet of Chris the seller who was in the process of moving home along with all his bikes. Between the three of us we’d agreed that it made sense to ensure that rather spiffing paint job was out of harm’s way and in Simon’s garage. If you’re going…

Project Triumph Daytona 1200 part 2 Key decisions! Oh dear! A simple sort out of the mighty 1200cc Daytona has left our Andy B with a big list of things to find and sort! And where are the keys? WORDS AND PICS: ANDY BOLAS So following on from last time we have managed to get the wheels out, then remove the tyres, discs and bearings. The wheels actually looked like they were painted on top of the original finish, which isn’t nice at all! While removing the wheels I noticed that the rear caliper was weeping fluid so that was drained and removed for investigation later on. Things like this always crop up in even a mild restoration, don’t they... While the wheels are getting a re-fresh…

BUYER’S GUIDE YAMAHA SDR200 It’s a 200cc two-stroke single with just a little twist of Ducati, sayeth our Scoop! WORDS: STEVE COOPER PHOTOS: GARY ‘D’ CHAPMAN EXHAUSTS Look for serious rust pitting and/or signs of repair. Aftermarket systems are often fitted, but if you get the original in with the deal, grab it. CHASSIS Some surface rusting at or close to the welds is common. Many examples have been powder-coated so check the quality of the finish. ELECTRICS CDIs may be showing their age. Consider Zeeltronic if ignition needs replacing. ENGINE Usual two-stroke foibles, pistons, rings, little-ends, etc., are prone to wear. Use fully synthetic oil to give longevity and minimise Powervalve coking. TANK Yamaha’s materials quality wasn’t especially good in the late 80s, therefore check for leaks and…