Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Please, stay safe, above all… It’s amazing what can happen in just four, short weeks… The last time I sat here and chatted about the joys of the smaller motorcycle, I couldn’t have envisaged that I would sit here now and see us all confined to barracks for the foreseeable. But this is what we must do. Thankfully, we at CMM are ahead of the game and have plenty of tests from 2019’s ‘short’ summer lined up, including this issue’s ride of Niall Mackenzie’s Yamaha RD400. We hope you enjoy it. Of course, we in this hobby/passion also spend some time ‘alone’ so to speak,in our workshops, sheds and garages. So, as well as eye protection and all else, we would suggest you make sure those hands are cleaned regularly!…

cmm News STAFFORD SHOW You’ll see in this issue we haven’t put up any diary dates as – well – you’ll know by now why: the coronavirus pandemic is leading to most events being cancelled or postponed. For us, the big event in the coming weeks was going to be the 40th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Show which was originally due to be held on April 25-26. Clearly, due to the worsening situation of the coronavirus pandemic and recent announcements from the UK Government, Mortons Events have had to further postpone the event, which will hopefully now take place at the Stafford County Showground on Saturday August 15 to Sunday August 16, 2020. Postponing our events is never taken lightly, but the safety and well-being of our visitors, exhibitors, partners,…

WIN Duchinni Canyon boots TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING, HERE’S HOW TO ENTER: 1. Go to www.classicmechanics.com 2. Fill in your details 3. Press enter 4. Sit back, relax and wait. Competition closes: 15/05/2020. Good luck! There are no cash alternatives available. The winner will be the first name drawn at random. Terms and Conditions apply. To view the privacy policy of MMG Ltd (publisher of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics) please visit www.mortons.co.uk/privacy We’ve teamed up with our friends at Duchinni to offer you the chance to win a pair of Duchinni Canyon boots worth £139.99. Tough hi-top boots with retro style that look good and are comfy away from your bike – yet incorporate a waterproof outer and full impact protection. Find out more at thekeycollection.co.uk…

** Prize winner****** One good thing to come… I’m glad I’ve returned to bikes! This has been sitting in my garage for about eight years. I bought your magazine on a whim and decided to once again use the bike. The coronavirus is giving me time to polish it again and use it. I bought the Triumph T595/955i after getting bored of a Kawasaki ZX-7R I had. I used the Triumph for a year and was offered a Suzuki GSX-R750 K6. I liked the look of the GSX-R and modern styling so used that instead of my Triumph. Plus, the tyres on my Daytona gave way and scuffed the right-hand fairing. I had it fixed as-new, but didn’t trust the tyres and parked it away and forgot about it. I…

CLASSIC EVENT Cadwell Calling! Classic Bike Trackdays and CMM – in association with Bridgestone tyres – have a weekend of fun lined up at Cadwell Park in June. We know nothing is for certain in these difficult times, but as we write this the UK is in lock-down, but we are still holding out hope that our planned weekend can go ahead. The details are the same: our very good friends at Classic Bike Trackdays have joined forces with ourselves and Bridgestone tyres to line up a brilliant weekend of action over the weekend of June 6-7, at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire. It’s hope that we will have a whole section of track time dedicated to Yamaha’s RD-LC family of machines to mark Elsie’s 40th birthday. So, if you have an…

TIMELINE 1976 RD400C Supersedes the RD350A/B (1973-75); very similar frame to the 350, but the engine is moved 20mm forward, it’s also rubber mounted and the engine has an 8mm increase in stroke to make the 350 up to 400cc. Meanwhile, the tank takes the ‘coffin’ shape that is the signature of the bigger RD. The C model came with wire spoke wheels – cast wheels were an option. 1977 RD400D Cast wheels as standard plus the seat styling changes to incorporate a tail cowl and colour-coded strip along the base. 1978 RD400E Big changes to the spec, with CDI replacing the points ignition, revised porting, pistons, exhausts, carbs, frame-mounted hinged footrests, thicker forks (35mm), new brake calipers and taller final drive ratio. 1979 RD400F Only change: dog leg levers…

Project BMW R1100 RS part 1 Don’t start! Or is it part four? Well, part four of our Kev’s missives and it’s the end of a very long road for his high-mileage BMW! WORDS AND PICS: KEV RAYMOND I've had my 1997 BMW R1100RS for 11 mostly happy years. I originally ran it as a long-term project and product testing mule for another magazine, and at the end of the test period I was so attached to it – and it was so useful for my Channel-hopping existence at the time – I coughed up some of my own cash, found it a permanent home in the barn and turned it into a fully appointed long-distance tourer/commuter with heated seats, pimped electrics and heavily modified suspension. Along…

BUYER’S GUIDE KAWASAKI A7 Kawasaki’s first 350 stroker was one serious piece of kit! WORDS: STEVE COOPER PHOTOS: GARY ‘D’ CHAPMAN Is it really coincidence that two Japanese motorcycle companies launched disc-valve, 350 stroker twins in 1967? Was there collusion? Did a disgruntled employee swap sides early on in the development of either the Bridgestone 350 or Kawasaki’s A7? Is it purely happenstance that two independent companies launched such similar machinery at the same time? In all honesty the reason is probably more down to serendipity than industrial espionage. Disc valve strokers were the in thing back in early to mid-1960s Japan, and before Yamaha launched their conventionally piston-ported YR1 they too had seriously dallied with the twin-cylinder disc-valve induction concept. The set up offers substantial benefits of conventional piston-ported…

Gazza’s gaff! As with Charlie (the man, not the drug), racing is an extremely aggressive narcotic and neither of us could resist doing a full season. It was either that or a trip to The Priory Group for some intensive detox sessions! Usually racing Pigs are mechanically sound, but look like full-on MOT failures, so with a full winter to prepare I decided to ‘improve’ the aesthetics of mine. I’d already had a paint job on the bodywork, which had a star on the side that looked a bit like Captain America’s shield. After this was pointed out, Captain America was born! Not wanting to be outdone by Charlie, I sent my bike off for some further visual enhancements: blue frame, total engine rebuild, shot-blast and spray job, powder-coated wheels.…

Tony Rutter 1941-2020 Tony Rutter, who passed away on March 24, was more than just a seven-time Isle of Man TT winner. The man’s breadth of career – 30 years – and the many different bikes he raced (two-strokes, four-strokes of all capacities) and won on, perhaps makes Tony one of the most underrated riders of his generation. Born in the West Midlands, Tony started racing aged just 20 and was soon heading to the Isle of Man TT in 1965 for the first time. The Island was to be the home of some of his biggest successes, the first coming with a podium alongside Giacomo Agostini in 1972 in the Junior TT. He would snatch his first win on the course a year later in the same class with…

TT CANCELLED The Isle of Man TT races were cancelled in mid-March after the spread of the coronavirus. The event was due to take place between May 30 and June 13, and instead the focus now shifts to the event in 2021, which will be held between May 29 and June 12. As things currently stand, The Manx GP and The Classic TT Races are not affected. These are still scheduled to take place between August 22 and September 4. This year’s Classic TT will celebrate the career of John Surtees. The event will mark the 60th anniversary of John’s final TT appearance, where he won his 6th and final TT Race, claiming the Senior TT title. In total, John Surtees won seven Motorcycle World Championships, including consecutive 350 and…

Tiddler tidings… I am writing in response to Steve’s article in CMM’s February issue on the Honda SS50. The Honda C200, also known as the Honda 90, has an 87cc OHV engine and is not a ‘sport 50’ as Steve states. The C200 and CM90 shared the same 87cc engine, although the gearboxes and clutches were different. Neither of these engines, gearbox, clutch configurations were ever fitted to a pressed steel T-shaped framed Honda as stated. Steve states that Honda took the CM90 engine and used it in the C200: the C200 dates from 1963 and the CM90 from 1965. It would appear the reverse was true. None of the bikes referred to as having ‘trailing link front forks’ were fitted with such, they all had leading link suspension. Ron…

READER’S RESTO IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIDGESTONE A Shaw thing! CMM reader Malcolm Shaw is a self-taught spanner-man with a penchant for making specials… WORDS AND PICS: BERTIE SIMMONDS “Let me see. I have a GT750, a Z650, I’ve got an air-cooled RD350 along with a RD350 special being built with a Nico Bakker TZ frame. The engine needs a complete rebuild in that one. That bike has an Aprilia RS rear end and RS250 Aprilia forks – Aprilia wheels, too. The VFR tank on that looks like it was meant for it. I guess I’ve got around 17 bikes, nearly all two-strokes.” Welcome to the world of Malc Shaw. A former nurse, now a self-taught specials builder and lover of classic bikes (ok, nearly all two-strokes, but the Fazer 1000…

MAIN TEST FLAWED GENIUS! Yamaha’s RD400 was born into a confusing world where customers wanted more performance, but legislators wanted less emissions, where simplicity was key and yet complexity sold. It was then something of a mixed-up contrivance. Yet it succeeded, handsomely. WORDS: JON BENTMAN IMAGES: GARY D CHAPMAN Our headline explains all about the RD400: so much of it is wrong, but success is carried off because in the end the balance is just about tipped in favour of the right. And by heck is there a confusion of influences around this model, from beginning to end. It is to its credit that it can shirk all its failings and shortcomings and appear as the pristine example of a true motorcycling icon. Let’s start with its predecessor the RD350.…

RETRO SPECTIVE Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade RR-6/7 Arguably the best-looking Blade ever and certainly the best 1000cc version, the RR-6/7 has a lot of love to give. WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS IMAGES: MORTONS ARCHIVE/ HONDA UK Next year this beautiful Blade turns 15, which makes it eligible for classic status – we say get in there now! So, ostensibly the RR-6/7 version of the mighty Honda Fireblade was a mere update, but the changes were more than skin deep. This was the second generation of the ‘full litre’ CBR1000RR which debuted in 2004, and while a cursory look makes you think it’s the same, the double-take reveals all-new bodywork to make the bike look sharper, leaner, lither… In the motor, 450g lighter cams, re-shaped combustion chamber (more compression from 11.9 to 12.2:1),…

BMW R1100S part 6 The comic strip! Part six of the 160,000-mile Boxer and Ralph shouts from the workshop: “Will my German stripping ever end?” But in a Somerset-y, not Saxony accent! WORDS AND PICS: RALPH FERRAND BMW’s 1085cc oil-head twin continues to squat in my workshop, though the bike is now no more than a pile of sub-assemblies I am further dismantling for paint finishes, plating and repair as required. As I have been stripping the bike it never ceases to amaze me that the bloody thing was still running and was even road legal when it arrived. Part of me thinks that it should have been ridden until it finally would not go and then be allowed to ‘rust in peace’, but the giant Scot/owner…

Project Yamaha TZR250 3MA part 2 Four-Into-One! Jeff has the lucky job of turning four 3MA motors into one screaming two-stroke… he’s quite excited! WORDS AND PICS: JEFF WARE G’day! Things are progressing well with the TZR250 3MA. Last update I ran you through the initial inspection and strip-down of the engine. Darren, the owner, had managed to source three spare motors, so we were all set to get the engine work underway. Wanting to keep the original cases, we sent those away to be repaired (a con-rod had got up for a late-night stretch and left the fridge door open) so while we waited for those, we sorted the rolling chassis so Darren could take it away and make it pretty again… This bike has been…

Marketplace Air-cool! This month we celebrate all that’s best about the air-cooled RD400. One of the best Yamaha two-strokes ever made! WORDS: PAUL JAYSON THE MOTORCYCLE BROKER First introduced in Europe in 1976, Yamaha offered budget transport that was fast for the commuter. These bikes were not the biggest seller in the UK, but its 250cc little brother was a runaway success for learner riders. Back in those heady pre-1983 days anyone aged 17 could ride a 250cc motorcycle on L-plates, but could not carry a passenger. The 250 would gasp to reach 90mph, but the 400 could easily break the 100mph mark. Many youths transferred the 400 motor into the 250 frame and could reach top speeds of over the ton. This upgrade was very cheap and a lot…

Bike pass rates top 70% Pass rates for learner motorbike riders have topped 70 per cent for both practical and theory tests, according to new government figures. Department for Transport stats show that 72 per cent of the 44,300 learners who took the practical motorcycle test during the last 12 months passed. Overall pass rates for practical tests have steadily risen from the 61 per cent recorded in 2009-10. Men’s pass rates stood at 74 per cent, up from 54 per cent over the same period. The pass rate for women over the past 12 months came in significantly lower at 54 per cent, although this is a marked increase from the 42 per cent recorded a decade earlier. The data, which is updated on a quarterly basis, shows 71…

BATTLAX BT46 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 earlier this year, the tyres will be available in eight front sizes and 17 rear sizes from February 2020 with an additional 14 sizes 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…

HAYNES PRINT & ONLINE Q&A 2007 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE Q: I’m writing on behalf of my partner who rides a 57 plate Triumph Street Triple. She has been suffering with an issue for quite a while that we have not been able to resolve. Despite trying to research this online on various forums I have not found any definitive answers as to how to get it fixed, the issue being the bike will fire up no worries and will ride fine until it gets up to normal running temperature and needs to be restarted after, say, refuelling /stalling, etc. It acts as if the battery is flat and just does not have the power to turn over. We are forced to wait around 20 minutes for it to cool…

Project CRK Café Racer Triumph 1200 part 8 Crossed wires Just when he thought that it would be plain sailing with the CRK 1200 Roadster project, Nutters hit the rocks! WORDS: JOHN NUTTING PICS: NUTTERS, GARY D CHAPMAN It’s always a pivotal moment in a rebuild when everything has been fitted to the bike and it’s almost ready to go. Because the CRK 1200 Roadster I’d been building over the past year or so was non-standard, finding insurance proved to be more long-winded than you’d think. I was waiting for two companies to get back to me. In the meantime I booked James at JB Motorcycles to carry out the MoT on the bike. The tank, mudguard and side-panels – beautifully painted in a shiny metallic red…

Yamaha YDS1 part 4 Nervous breakdown! The Yamaha YDS1’s stripped back to the bare bones, but a nervy Scoop wonders what lies within! WORDS AND PICS: STEVE COOPER Other than the ongoing issue of congealed and solidified oil, our Yamaha YDS1 engine strip is going rather well. We’ve been hoping and praying nothing fundamental will come out damaged and to date it’s looking good. However, should we find serious wear or damage issues it’s good to know that Britain’s artisan engineering specialists can, potentially, get all of us out of the deepest of self-dug holes! There are a few firms that can cast us new connecting rods if we need them, damaged cases once cleaned could be welded and, heaven forbid, if necessary we could even commission…