Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

News BRIDGESTONE CMM COMP CONTINUES! This month we have an issue’s break from our Bridgestone 2020-2021 Bike of the Year competition as we had a scheduled feature on the 30th anniversary of the re-birth of Triumph, but – fear not – the comp will continue next issue! During 2020 we teamed up with Bridgestone tyres to search for the best restoration and finest classic-based special of 2020. Each issue we’ve showcased either a specials build or straight restoration in CMM’s pages and the owner featured has won a Bridgestone roll bag. Thanks to Covid-19, our original idea to choose the best restoration and special and feature them on our stand at The Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show was scuppered, so – in agreement with Bridgestone – the competition carries…

Poetry in motion! Firstly, thanks for a great magazine! It’s always a great read and whatever machine is being worked upon there is always something to learn that will come in handy. All the contributors are great, but my particular hero is Allen Millyard. Better people than me have commented that his work is truly extraordinary. And, we finally reach the reason for my email: could I presume upon your kindness please? Would you forward this email to Allen? I have pasted in a poem (yes, I know...) that (hopefully) may not at first glance be specifically about motorcycles, but is indeed about restoring them. I have also attached a recording of the poem set to music – please take a listen, it lasts four minutes so don’t get caught…

TOP TRUMPETS Clive Wood’s Top Tips! The first modular Triumphs are bound to have age-related issues or have been meddled with by numerous previous owners. Consult an expert for advice on fixing or buying and be prepared for problems It you use an official Triumph dealer, make sure its mechanic has experience of working on bikes as old as T3s T3 bikes need no special tools, though a shim bucket tool is helpful if you don’t want to remove the cams. With a good toolkit, Torx bits, and an accurate torque wrench, all things are possible If you’re going to store your bike for a longer period, add some fuel preservative and run it through the carbs – it’s less likely to ‘go off’ and cause gumming problems Don’t over-tighten…

The dealer’s view… Daryll Young (below) now runs IDP Moto. In 1990 he ran Neil Young Motorcycles in Northampton, one of the first Hinckley Triumph dealers. “Bruno Tagliaferri (right), the recently retired national sales manager at Triumph, was initially sales marketing manager at Honda and we were already one of Honda’s top dealers so he approached us about becoming a Triumph dealership. We had to go and have a look at the factory before committing, but as soon as we saw the set up at Triumph it was a no-brainer. We had been a solus Honda dealer, but we were allowed to take on a British manufacturer without losing that status so it worked out really well for us. “The fact that they were British bikes really did help to…

SPECIFICATION ENGINE TYPE 1180cc liquid-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke with four valves per cylinder MAX POWER 147bhp @ 9500rpm MAX TORQUE 85ft-lb @ 8000rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed FINAL DRIVE Chain SUSPENSION Front: 43mm RWU Kayaba forks, with preload and rebound adjustment. Rear: Kayaba monoshock adjustable for preload and rebound BRAKES Front: Twin 310mm discs with four-piston Nissin calipers (SE: six-piston Triumph calipers) Rear: 255mm disc with two-piston caliper TYRES Front - 120-70-17 Rear - 160-60-18 (later 180-55-17) SEAT HEIGHT 790mm WHEEL BASE 1490mm DRY WEIGHT 228kg (501lb) FUEL CAPACITY 18 litres…

Tool of the month with BIKER'S TOOLBOX Balls to this! Ralph Ferrand works with tools all day long – he sells them too at bikerstoolbox.co.uk so he knows what works. In olden days, like bicycles, motorcycle headstock bearings used a system known as cone and cup bearings with hardened steel ball bearings running in between races known as cups for the outer and cones for the inner. The actual bearing contact area was quite small, meaning that the pressure on the races was far greater compared with the equivalent taper roller bearing; think about the eight-stone girl in stilettos putting dings in the dance floor, whereas an elephant will do less damage to the surface of the floor by spreading the weight. Check out my drawing for an illustration!…

RACING HERITAGE: Prior to the YR1, anyone wanting to race in a 350 series had to use a TD250 that had been over bored sufficiently to qualify. And although the 250cc TD series race bikes had soldiered on with vertically split crankcases for some years, the new YR1 motor afforded Yamaha the opportunity to utilise the much more trackside and mechanic friendly horizontally split motors. The earliest 350s were a curious hybrid of pre-production YR1 engines housed in the proved RD56 250cc chassis. At the 1967 Daytona race, Yvon du Hamel and Art Baumann brought the YR1s home in second and third places on bikes limited to just four gears and behind Cal Rayborn on a 750 Harley! The next two years proved to be something of a Yamaha fest…

Project Honda CBR600F-V track bike part 1 Track day hound! This bike was gifted to CMM but nowt’s happened for two years – until now! WORDS AND PICS: ANDY BOLAS This poor little Honda has been passed around the CMM office from Bertie to Scott Redmond and then on to yours truly and I have to admit I have done bugger all with it for a couple of years, but in my defence neither had the other two! Yes, this was originally Bertie’s ‘Zero pound hound’ as he was given it gratis! From then, as with most people, life, work and anything else took over and he sold it to Scott who passed it on to me! Well, things are finally looking up for this CBR600. I…

Kawasaki Z550F part 6 Tanks for the memories! Time for John to sort out that 550F’s tank issues, we think… WORDS AND PICS: JOHN VASSALLO So, back on with the Z500F! With the carbs on I can now tell you about balancing them. Tank and seat off (again), I rigged up my dummy tank, propped up with a length of wood, and tied to the bike with household electrical cable: which is very handy as it flexes into any position. This is all new stuff to me so Dave was over (again) armed with his vacuum gauges. Hoses connected and fuel turned on, I fired up the engine with the battery connected. It ticked over okay, but revving was a problem. Coughing and spluttering. With those tiny…

Pip Higham Useless credit cards: Tsk! Tuner, engineer, rider My shambolic biking escapades are split into a few distinct categories that are as diverse as Salford’s weather patterns. In the early days we were bimbling around Europe like a rag-tag bunch of tyre-shredding nomads in a much-loved (but massively abused) twin-wheel Transit packed with tools, spares and (invariably) more bodies than Henry Ford or the forces of law and disorder considered advisable. Everything was on the limit, and I’m not just talking about the mechanical limits of Hamamatsu’s finest four-cylinder work horses. I didn’t have a credit card in those heady days. Well no, that’s not strictly true, I applied for, and got an American Express card before I ventured to the West Coast of America to pick up my…

SUBSCRIBE TODAY SHARE YOUR PROJECT WITH THE WORLD! FEEDBACK Post to Mechanics, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or email your pictures to editorial@classicmechanics.com NO retros or riding tips! I’ve just finished the November edition; great mag, great articles, especially the feature about the Kettles. As a subscriber I thought I would have my say on the content, as personally I’m not bothered about the retro rides such as the Suzuki V-Storm. Don’t get me wrong, I love all motorcycles from flat-tankers through to Gold Wings, but I subscribe to this magazine because my passion is classic motorcycles. If I wish to read about modern motorcycles I buy one of the other glossy titles occasionally. Mind you, having said that my main reason for writing this email…

Show us vours 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 SDoc100 which manufactures some of the best bike cleaning kit in the business! So, send in your pictures of your bikes and you could win an SDoc100 Chain Care Kit worth £50, which includes their new White Chain Spray 2.0 that offers four times more wear protection for chains and sprockets than the competition. Find…

TROPHY Triumph’s first stab at a sports-tourer was this – the Trophy – which into the 1990s became a bigger, more substantial tourer in its own right, sprouting luggage, comfier seat/ergos and a bigger screen. TROPHY 900 ENGINE 885cc liquid-cooled 12v transverse three-cylinder DOHC WEIGHT 217kg/551lb POWER 98bhp/61ft-lb PRICE THEN £6122 (1991) PRICE NOW £1500-£2500 TROPHY 1200 ENGINE 1180cc liquid-cooled 16v transverse four-cylinder DOHC WEIGHT 228kg/503lb POWER 114bhp/69ft-lb PRICE THEN £6604 (1991) PRICE NOW £1500-£2500…

Project Yamaha TX750 part 7 Electric Avenue! Our Mark sorts out any electrical gremlins with the TX and finds that the system was fairly advanced for the time. WORDS AND PICS: MARK HAYCOCK Time now to look at the electrics and there were no surprises here. The wiring was generally in pretty good shape apart from one or two points… As long ago as the early 1970s, Japanese wiring systems were made to a very high standard compared with those which were typically found on contemporary British bikes, and despite the fact that they were designed to last for maybe 10 years or so, after nearly 50 years they usually are still capable of working satisfactorily. In this case the problems were where the insulation had been…

What to buy, how much to pay? The YR1 is very much an acquired taste and this is often reflected in the price of unrestored examples. Something with patina that’s up and running will be in the £2500-£3500 region. YR2s aren’t a lot more, but the YR2C street scramblers can easily touch £4000+. The YR3s seem to be on the rise of late and a fully restored one can easily cost around £5000 as a private sale or as much as £6500 from a dealer, but that’s a lit bit rich for us at CMM. Simply because parts are harder to find and most overseas with all the attendant shipping/ import fees costs we’d avoid a project. Either a cared for YR2C or maybe a European YR3 would suit the…

Stuff The latest riding kit, top tools, tyres, retro clothing and more! LASER TOOL BAGS Another great storage solution from Laser Tools: three multi-purpose storage tool pouches (part number 7837), which are ideal for carrying tools, spares, fixings, or handheld electronic devices when you’re on the go! Made from heavy-duty nylon, they each have a hanging loop and smooth zipper, and are water resistant. There are three different sizes in the set: 30 x 23cm, 23 x 18cm, and 18 x 14cm. The smallest would be ideal for protecting your mobile phone, and the largest is big enough to hold most regular sized spanners and screwdrivers. These tool pouches are a must to ensure your kit is organised, safe, and right where you need it. www.lasertools.co.uk FURYGAN APALACHES JACKET/TROUSERS Furygan…

SCOOPERMAN! The sunny side of the classic world, with the VJMC’s Steve Cooper Keys, keys, keys…my motorcycling life seems to revolve around bloody keys! There’s the one for the workshop, then a digital one for the alarm, another for the garage then a pair for the gates. If you value your machine(s) then you’ll probably have them locked via security chains and, if you’re thus minded, you may also have engaged the steering lock(s). Oh, and to add a little extra spice to the mix if you own early Yamahas then the ignition key is fundamentally different to the steering lock key so more faffing around, etc. It could turn you batty if you let it, but if you value your bike(s) then it’s genuinely worth protecting your investment. Taking…

Prize winner A light breeze! Congratulations on an excellent mag! It was good to see the ‘Retro-Spective’ story regarding Kawasaki Zephyr in the October 2020 issue of CMM. Zephyrs are a favourite of mine and I currently own a 1992 model 550. Riding it takes me back to the early 1980s when I had a Z550 at the age of 21. The October article mentioned all of the Zephyr range, but only showed pics of the 750 and 1100 models. Therefore I have attached photographs of my 550 with a special paint job, which hopefully you will share with your readers. I also enjoyed the Z900RS Turbo article immensely. Jon Swift Bertie says: “Jon, glad you like the magazine and us shining a light on the Zephyr range. We love…

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! Douglas Hodgson says: “After years away from biking I purchased this 1979 Suzuki GS750 last year as a retirement present to myself from Rap Superbikes in London. Also pictured is my Kawasaki Z550, PYG 746W, in 1986, before and after I gave it the GPZ treatment: handy as I was a spray painter before joining the Fire Service. Keep up the good work and stay safe!” Dale Lomas says: “Back when I was a yoof, a Triumph Trident 900 was a new and exciting British motorcycle. Back then my dad – Nigel Lomas – had a ginger moustache, hair…

TRIDENT With a modern Trident on the way, you could do worse than check out these two naked beauties – cheaper than the later Speed Triple, too! Later Trident 900s became the ‘Sprint’ with useful half-fairing. TRIDENT 750 ENGINE 749cc liquid-cooled 12v transverse three-cylinder DOHC WEIGHT 212kg/466lb POWER 97bhp/48.7ft-lb PRICE THEN £5109 (1991) PRICE NOW £500-£3000 TRIDENT 900 ENGINE: 855cc liquid-cooled 12v transverse three-cylinder DOHC WEIGHT: 212kg/466lbs POWER: 100bhp, 61ft-lb PRICE THEN: £5543 (1991) PRICE NOW: £500-£3000…

DAYTONA The sportier end of the original line-up was the Daytona, available for only a year or so before being replaced by the 900/1200 Daytona family. Both models are rare breeds. DAYTONA 750 ENGINE 749cc liquid-cooled 12v transverse three-cylinder DOHC WEIGHT 218kg/480lb POWER 97bhp/48ft-lb PRICE THEN £5929 PRICE NOW £1000-£2600 DAYTONA 1000 ENGINE 998cc liquid-cooled 16v transverse four-cylinder DOHC WEIGHT 235kg/518lb POWER 100bhp/65ft-lb PRICE THEN £6556 (1991) PRICE NOW £1000-£3000 (minter!)…

MAIN TEST Second opinion: It’s my bike! “Ok so it’s been a bloody long slog getting the big yellow beastie on the road, but it has an MoT, it’s taxed and ready to go, hopefully it all goes well! “So a quick check of all the levels and tyre pressures, and everything’s good so it’s time to fire the Daytona up. The motor sounds lovely and has that lovely distinctive whistle to it. Now, I have only ever ridden this bike in a car park before today so this is a kind of ‘first impression’ and a ‘second opinion’ all rolled into one! “So through town first and although it’s a heavy beast it behaves fine in traffic and I feel comfortable with it. Now on to a national speed…

Project Yamaha YZF-R1 5VY part 5 Where fuels rush in… Final preparations for PB’s Spanish track test go awry with a mystery rich-running problem… WORDS AND PICS: PAUL BERRYMAN Last time out you’ll have seen me buy the engine from a fairly humdrum middleweight bike (FZ8) to repair my stricken 5VY R1. This was only after ascertaining that inside it were all the R1-based goodies I needed to rebuild mine – namely crankshaft and rods, plus also some other ‘nice-to-have’ parts like a clutch basket that didn’t rattle and crankcases that didn’t have oil ways filled with clutch plate and flywheel magnet grinding paste… Engaging the significant help of R1 guru Pete Beale, the largely scrap 5VY motor and low-mileage breakers yard FZ8 motor were fused together…

Project Suzuki TR750 part 6 Exhausting times! The crowning glory of any ‘special’ two-stroke has to be the expansion chambers, right? WORDS AND PICS: MALC SHAW What defines a Suzuki TR 750? To my mind there are two visual components that are iconic to that bike: the ‘duck tail’ seat and the through-the-frame expansion chambers. Both make it instantly recognisable, without those it could be just another bike. So, the die was cast, my CMR TR had to have them. In the words of Dirty Harry, ‘A man’s got to know his limitations.’ My limitation is simple. There is not any way I could build expansion chambers that would work, do what I wanted or even look good. There are a few companies out there that are…

Suzuki GSF1200 Bandit One of the big successes from the 1990s and onwards was the big Bandit – but how do they break? Only one man can tell us… WORDS AND PICS: SCOTT REDMOND Budget bikes are often an assortment of parts from other models within a manufacturers’ range that are then slung together into a ‘new’ model. It’s a concept that keeps the bike trade going, not just with fresh models that prop up the flagship motorcycles every year, but also much further down the food chain. Not all used bikes have it easy, and not every clapped-out bike will be lovingly restored, so let’s deal with this cold-hearted fact now. This Suzuki Bandit 1200 was new once. Since then it’s been used and abused, and it’s reached a…

Parts and parcel: a breaker’s guide What’s hot ■ Engines: With classic racing rules allowing oil-cooled GSX-R motors on the grid it’s pulled up the prices of engines. If you want a decent running motor with no fin damage to the block you’re looking at £500-£700. Retro fitting them to GSX1100 and GS1000 frames is getting pretty popular too. ■ Carbs: They are the same spacings as oil-cooled GSX-R models, both 750 and 1100 models. They are also the right spacings for Z900, Z1000, Z1100 and GPz1100 motors. Good sets from freshly broken bikes can command £200 or much more, less for bodged about ones with poorly fitted dyno-jet kits. ■ Tanks: No surprises here, the tanks can rot out. Repairs are often like sticking a plaster on a broken…