Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2023 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

£51.82 These stylish and robust organiser tool boxes are ideal for carrying hand tools, cordless power tools, drill bits, sockets and consumables. The 380mm-wide example (part number 8651) features a fold-down tool organiser that holds drill bits and screwdrivers, plus a slide-out removable tray for keeping smaller tools, screws, nuts, etc. The larger 500mm box (part number 8652) features a slide-out organiser suitable for drill bits, hex keys, etc., plus the removable tray for keeping your smaller tools and odds and sods in. Both boxes are manufactured from impact-resistant polypropylene and feature non-slip rubber feet. The smaller costs £51.82 and the larger £68.59. www.lasertools.co.uk…

Following a successful return in 2022, the Taunton Classic Motorcycle Club’s Exmoor Run will be taking place on Sunday, August 13. Starting from Sheppy’s Cider Farm near Taunton, the event has been a mainstay of the classic bike calendar in the south west since 1994, attracting riders from across the country. This year’s route will be in the region of 100 miles and will take riders along the beautiful North Somerset coast, stopping for coffee along the way, before heading south over the glorious Exmoor National Park to Dulverton where lunch can be purchased. An alternative route brings riders back to Sheppy’s where a charity raffle and refreshments will close the day. The beneficiaries from funds raised from this year’s event are the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and Freewheelers Blood…

Let’s be honest here, it was always going to be a difficult gig for Suzuki to bring the legendary Katana bang up-to-date. We at CMM did a fair few miles on one and loved most bits of it and questioned some of it – but with an updated 2023 model, what’s changed and what’s not? Firstly, let’s set our stall out straightaway. We will be moving the Kat around to various people at CMM and beyond who this bike is aimed at – so that’s the many Suzuki/Katana fans out there. We even hope to drag Pip Higham out of retirement to maybe run this Kat up and down a drag-strip or two. We will also have other machines popping into CMM’s pages – some not brand-new, but definitely retro.…

The story around my shed/ workshop/person cave goes back to an entertaining back and forth with the council. I wanted to build something but as we are in a strict preservation area it was proving difficult. However, I did have an old rotten set of stables that I asked if I could replace. Again I got refused point blank, without having full planning permission which again would most likely be refused anyways. So what to do? Well, I was told by someone in the know that I could ‘refurbish’ the stable block. Okay, so I retained one, single piece of wood and built around that to the exact dimensions and style of the old ones. All the parts arrived and the builders were suddenly due when the coronavirus lockdown struck.…

‘Why did you buy one of them?’ or ‘Oh no, you haven’t have you?’ or simply just: ‘You’ll regret that!’ First-time Ducati owners will already understand what happens when you tell your Japanese bike-owning friends you now have a Bologna bullet in your garage. Dull, predictable and inaccurate. Except, well, read on. I first noticed the leak when I stopped to take a picture by RAF Alconbury’s Northrop F-5E gate guardian, near the end of my second ride on the bike. This wasn’t even the first leak I’d had to fix, as after my first ride it was clear that a seal in the OE Ducati clutch slave cylinder had gone, and guess what? Those seals aren’t replaceable – new unit needed. The bike had been stood for six years,…

£239.99 If you want to tell people you’re braking – then you need this helmet. The SHARK Skwal i3 doesn’t use Bluetooth or wires, but has an innovative LED system controlled by tech that uses an inbuilt triaxial accelerometer to activate the red LEDs on the rear of the helmet when braking. There are white LEDs located on the front of the helmet for active rider visibility to oncoming traffic, too. You have three modes: white LEDs on front and red LEDs on back constantly on – smart brake lights flash when braking. Secondly you can have white LEDs on front and red LEDs on back flashing – smart brake lights flash when braking. Finally, white LEDs on front and red LEDs on back off – smart brake lights flash…

How many of us are genuine motorcycle engineers? It’s debatable if there are any viable statistics available but even if there are, chances are few – if any – have a qualification in classic motorcycle engineering. Some of those with the relevant skills will have been properly trained via apprenticeships, ONCs, C&Gs, et al, but the vast majority are likely to have learnt their craft ‘on the job’ at the hands of time-served bike shop mechanics. Many of those working on machines back in 60s, 70s and 80s probably almost fell into their roles via an unhealthy teenage interest in motorcycles. Many a Saturday lad went on to be mechanic, parts guy, or salesman – it was simply the way of things back then. Times change and where customers can…

We love to hear from you, so why not let us know what you like, or dislike, in YOUR magazine. Simply get in touch by sending emails to: letters@classicmechanics.com or direct to the editor at BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk or post your letters to the normal address. The best will win one of our lovely T-shirts! Brave? Or too soon? Oooh… what have you done? That bike on the cover of CMM is a bit new, isn’t it? Okay – then I realise it IS 15 years old (doesn’t time fly) but I do really want to see stuff older than that in the magazine. A bit older… I think 20 years is a classic – or older, of course. That said, there was plenty of other stuff I could get my teeth…

I’m zooming around East Anglia on David Willis’ GT185E giving it the beans and luxuriating in the exhaust note as the bike comes on pipe – those period Allspeeds do make a rather delicious sound you know! It’s a fairly warm day and despite doing some decent runs and fast turnarounds for the riding shots the little twin hasn’t shown the slightest nuance of overheating, but I’m pretty certain its reliability has precious little to do with that strange Ram-Air cylinder head cowl – more on this later. In fact, encouraged by its owner, I’m giving the small twin something of a workout to see how it compares to my own Yamahas of similar capacity… and it’s stacking up rather well to be honest. Like most, smaller stink-wheel twins, the…

Suzuki DR650 Q: I have changed the clutch on my 1990 DR650 RSE and the problem is it will not work. It feels like it is operating but it’s just not working. I’ve tried moving the clutch arm, etc., but to no avail. I’ve taken it out to check it’s correct twice. I’m at a loss. Can you help. Granville Shillito A: Well, as far as working on the DR650 clutch is concerned the Suzuki manual I have simply says words to the effect of put it back together just like it came apart, but in the reverse order: not very helpful, really. One point that you might want to bear in mind is that I have been assured that there is a mistake in the manual in that the…

The Flowmotion Jacket is a brandnew mesh jacket which claims that its fashionable look will help you blend into the urban environment. It’s a Class AA certification, highventilation 3D mesh jacket with softshell inserts, plus ultra-light and ventilated removable Aerosoft armour in the shoulders and elbows. Sounds like this is perfect for the hot summer weather we’ve been having recently. You’ve got a nice removable hood, too. It comes in classic blue and black for the men’s version, and black only for the women’s version, but – if you really want to stand out – then boys and girls can also plump for the yellow. Striking… www.tucanourbano.com/en/ £239.99…

Legendary two-wheeled filmmaker, stunt rider, DJ, author, inventor and journalist Peter Starr has died, aged 80. Born in the Midlands, he attended school and technical college in Coventry during the late 1950s and 1960s but ended up making groundbreaking motorcycle films in Hollywood! Gaining a passion for motorcycles from one of his teachers, the young Starr would sneak rides on his friend’s 125cc BSA Bantam before Peter himself would ride, then race and even work for Triumph. After spending six years in the USA as a travelling disc jockey, he would meet the legendary off-road racer and stunt rider Bud Ekins and later get involved in making a film about the International Six Day Trial. Starr would produce and direct the resulting film called Bad Rock. He’d found his niche…

A pair of ex-Barry Sheene race bikes are among the many exhibits at the Ardingly Summer Show on Sunday, July 30. Both machines are from the 1973 season, when Sheene won the newlyintroduced Formula 750 European Championship. The tubular-framed Seeley Suzuki TR500 was one of his most successful motorcycles, also carrying him to the Shell Sport Championship, King of Brands and MCN Man of the Year. The other race bike is a Seeley TR500 1973 Monocoque – the only original of this type ridden by Sheene. Also confirmed for the show is a Suzuki TR750 XR11, raced in the 1975 Transatlantic Trophy by Stan Woods, who was the only British rider to achieve first place that year (at the Oulton Park leg). There is no age restriction on machines entered…

TIM MACLEAN’S 1980 HONDA CX500 Hi CMM! This is my newly restored 'butchered classic’. It’s a 1980 Honda CX500 which I have ‘CBX-ed’! I bought this in 1988 but then in 1991 I trashed my Honda CBX750F and decided to graft the fairing on but with the original CX clocks as my skills and tech weren't up to what it is now. Oh, and the front-end is off a 1983 CX500 Eurosport. The rear-end has been converted from drum to disc brake. Also a big shout-out to Paul at Brabow Engineering, Gloucester, and Viking Motorcycle Seats in Sevenoaks, Kent. PETER THORNE’S COLLECTION I last sent you photos of my collection which you featured in CMM in April 2018; that was the month of my 60th birthday! Move forward five years…

Triumph Sprint 900 (choice of two) Asking: £725 Sometimes when you’re looking for a specific bike you’ll get a choice of two or more, same price but with different problems, and it’s a case of weighing up which is going to be the least hassle/cost to get sorted. These two are perfect examples. The blue one has a duff starter clutch – a very common fault on these, usually down to someone trying too hard to start them with a duff battery; they kick back on compression and shatter the sprag clutch. The other has low compression, apparently. Both of those are engine out jobs – not difficult on these but they are bloody heavy lumps: but which to choose? The black one looks cool, it’s a bit newer and…

An industrial linisher is indeed a very desirable machine for any workshop, but sadly those of us without a huge unit with three-phase electricity together with a limitless budget, such extravagance is out of reach. Nowadays, however, Machine Mart can sell you a four-inch belt sander with combined six-inch disc sander for only £150! Whilst it is sold as a woodworking tool that’s also fine for non-ferrous metals and plastics, I have been using a very similar machine for the last 30 years and it has been used primarily for metal, both ferrous and non. I have tended to use finer grit belts which are great for metal and can be used as part of the polishing process. The only reason I can see for suggesting that one shouldn’t use…

WITH MORE THAN 30 PAGES OF PRACTICAL ADVICE! YAMAHA DT125R: Andy Bolas goes ‘off-the-beaten-track’... HONDA CB750 DOHC: Steve Cooper rides this fiesty four... SHOW US YER SHED: WIN a £50 tools voucher if you show us YOURS! BUILD YOUR OWN WORKSHOP PART 3: Ralph Ferrand continues... THE PERFECT PROJECT: Our new section sees Kev Raymond look at some project bikes up for sale out there!   BRIDGESTONE/CMM BIKE OF THE YEAR: Yamaha’s RD250LC PROJECT BIKES: We will be showcasing some of the following (space allowing): Pip Higham’s Suzuki TC305 Laredo, Alan Dowds’ Kawasaki ZRX1100R Turbo, Mark Haycock’s Honda ST70, Steve Cooper’s Yamaha YL1, or new Ducati/Bultaco special. Perhaps Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish’s racing Yamaha TD2B and Jeff Ware’s Suzuki GSX-R750 F or his new Bridgestone BS90. Ralph Ferrand will be back…