Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

…or rather – it doesn’t suit me! Now, there are some plus points to being on the ‘large’ side. Being over six feet tall means I can reach the top shelves for various goods and special interest magazines. But being that tall AND carrying some extra timber makes you stand out a bit – especially when sitting on a motorcycle. Now, I’d love to own a Suzuki RGV250, but I just look daft on one. I know, because I tried. It was in my youth and a mate was selling a Yamaha TDR250 2MA. I rode it, loved it, but – on passing some shop windows – I realised that I just looked daft on it. It would be the same some years later when I managed to ride an…

Some very special motorcycles along with the legends who raced them will be centre-stage at this October’s Carole Nash-backed Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show. Held at the Stafford Showground over the weekend of October 12-13, motorcycle racing legends Carl Fogarty and Frankie Chili have been announced as guests for the two-day show. Foggy won four world superbike titles and, more recently, was crowned ‘King of the Jungle’ 2014 in ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!’. Alongside him will be his friend and some-time sparring partner (almost literally after they nearly came to blows back in 1998 at Assen) Pierfrancesco ‘Frankie’ Chili. The Italian was a front-runner in 500cc and 250cc grand prixs in the late 1980s and early 1990s and in WSB during the championship’s mid-1990s hey-day. Joining them…

“Oh God where do I start, this thing gives me goose bumps just looking at it! So it sounds a little quieter than a KR-1S but I can live with that as it looks a thousand times better than the Kawasaki could ever look. I’m not too keen on riding the RGV through town as it doesn’t seem to like crawling along in traffic. In fact it only really seems to make sense when you are going for it and then I have to keep reminding myself to change up before I hit the brick wall rev-limiter that Suzuki decided to use which has caught me out a couple of times. I am astounded by the way it handles and stops I know it’s done less than 1500 miles currently…

CHOOSE WHICH CMM SUBSCRIPTION SUITS YOU BEST 1: 12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION BEST VALUE 12 print issues for £47 Direct Debit 12 print issues for £52 credit/debit card SAVE £15.40 2: SIX-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION 6 print issues for £25 Direct Debit 6 print issues for £27 credit/debit card SAVE £6.20 WHAT OUR READERS SAY ABOUT CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS CMM is the ‘go-to’ magazine for sensible restoration advice. BRIAN HERRON The magazine covers a shrinking, niche area of interest perfectly. ALAN BROWN A valuable asset to the classic rider, restorer and enthusiast. SIMON ROSE WHY YOU SHOULD READ CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS EVERY MONTH ⟫ IF YOU WANT THE BEST IN MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLING, THIS IS IT!⟫ EACH MONTH YOU’LL GET THE VERY BEST IN PRACTICAL WORKSHOP TIPS AND ADVICE⟫ READ ABOUT THE REAL BIKES YOU…

G’day CMM friends: sorry about the delay. I am still injured! After breaking both hands way back in March 2022, and the insurance company paying for the surgery for the left hand in October 2022, I’ve been in a legal battle since to get the right hand done, so have been struggling with tasks for over a year. Anyway, finally, thanks to my great lawyers and barrister, they have agreed and I’m about to get the right hand done (then three months in a cast). So, thankfully I’ve been able to afford to hire a set of helping hands to get these bikes done, that being my ‘righthand man’ (literally) Tim Holland… We have achieved a lot with the BS90 Trail since I last updated you and by the time…

With any build I think it’s all the small parts that make a difference. Each of these needs the same loving care applied to them and a good finish to maintain the quality and look. There are also bits that cannot be seen as well as those that can and I think it is as important to keep the standard up on those parts as well. One part that cannot be seen at all is the air-filter. As I was keeping everything standard engine-wise and retaining the air-box I needed the air-filter. As per usual one needed making; thankfully for this bike it’s not too difficult. A length of air-filter foam was purchased and the filter base cleaned up (Photo 1). A cutting matt, steel rule and brand-new sharp Stanley…

As I write this in summer, the rain is beating on my office window and the garden looks like a rainforest. I love gardens, but I also spend all winter looking forward to riding my old XS, and so far this year I’ve done that once. And, for the first time in five years of ownership, it let me down. Firstly, I make no apologies for being a fair-weather rider. I’m lucky as I can ride bikes for fun and don’t have to rely on one as everyday, all-year-round transport. But just like going swimming in the sea, if it ain’t fun I’m not doing it, which means I do my swimming in waters that don’t make my gonads disappear for three days, and my bike riding when the sun’s shining.…

How do we go about choosing something for this section of CMM every month? Obviously it needs to be eye-catching and interesting, but this issue I stumbled upon this picture in our vaults simply captioned: ‘Flt. Lt. PR Evans a pilot in the Red Arrows aerobatic team, with his brand-new Norton Commando, 1969.’ Not a lot to go on, but, being interested in military aviation and having books at my disposal, I soon found out that Flight Lieutenant Peter Evans was a mainstay of the RAF’s Red Arrows aerobatic team from 1966 (a year after they were formed) through to 1969. Here he is, during his final year, with his new motorcycle in front of his Folland Gnat aircraft. Further digging found more interesting stories. Back in the 1960s, the…

This year marks a huge milestone for Cadwell Park as this iconic circuit celebrates its 90th birthday. September 21/22 will see the circuit burst into life with a huge celebration spanning the biking history of this awesome and much-loved venue and you can be there, thanks to our friends at Classic Bike Trackdays. Over the two days the Cadwell paddock will be filled with a spectacular array of machines both in static displays and coming to life in their natural environment, out on track. Cadwell Park has been instrumental in the careers of many racing heroes and this landmark anniversary will see many of these riders return to the circuit to join the celebrations, on track, in the paddock and on stage Saturday evening, including Roger Burnett, Matt Llewellyn, Ian…

There is a class of motorcycle which is revered by fans over here in the UK, a section of two-wheeled nostalgia that many of a certain age look back on with a smile. We’re talking about the 250cc two-stroke race-replica and today on test we have one of the best, Suzuki’s RGV250 L from 1990. Oh, it could be Italia 90 all over again, Nessun Dorma and all that… The Suzuki RGV250 was launched in the UK in 1989 (1988 in Japan as the RGV250 J) and was a far cry from 250cc learner machines the generation above me learned their trade on. This crop of focussed 250s weren’t learner-friendly bikes: nor were they utilitarian machines, instead they were made to look like the hairy-arsed 250s seen in the Grand…

More than a few of us in classic motorcycle circles got excited when Suzuki teased us with news of the Katana model’s rebirth prior to launch in 2019. This was because – across the years – Suzuki has often led the line in breaking with convention; in pushing back boundaries. But when the ‘new Katana’ actually arrived, well, you know. It wasn’t another paradigm shift in motorcycle design. What it was widely received as was a divisively restyled GSX-S1000, with not quite enough authentic Katana thrown into the mix. Ho-hum… But one thing Suzuki GB is, is generous, and it knows the target market for the new Katana would be the CMM readership, so, as well as inviting us on the UK launch of the original, it gave us the…

Please, please, please, Suzuki – bring back the humble Bandit… You’ll see we’ve not placed a capacity in our headline because, well, we’ve loved them all. Bandits in various specs and formats have offered back-to-basics biking and sold by the thousands around the world and that’s why we’d love to see them back, but back in their purest, most naked form… The original Bandit came along in 1989 for the Japanese market in 250cc (45bhp @14,500rpm) versions (single disc) and a 400cc model (59bhp @12,000rpm, twin discs). They also came in a ‘Limited’ version with an attractive half-fairing and some of the smaller models even benefitted from variable valve timing. Some UK-spec 400s came into the country in 1991 with a single disc priced at £3549. The late 1990s also…

Last time out I had virtually finished the wiring look of Donna’s little 1989 Honda CBR250R MC19. This month I unearthed more defects on the unhappy 249cc four-cylinder screamer. On a positive, for me at least, if I didn’t have so many motorcycle deficiencies to rectify then I would not have anything to write about in this most august organ. Flag terminals: these are basically female spade or Lucar terminals that are used occasionally on motorcycles, usually when the more common inline terminal would end up with the wire exiting in the wrong orientation. In manufacturing facilities, where the wiring harnesses are built originally, these connectors are crimped on with big hydraulic machines in a matter of milli-seconds, but for some reason I have yet to fully understand, getting the…

History is said to be written by the victors – and motorcycle statuses are supposedly made or broken by sales figures. The former is often redefined when all the facts are available and impartially evaluated. And with bike reputations, poor sales figures don’t always necessarily translate into clearly delineating a good bike from a bad one. This month’s subject is very much a case in point – Yamaha’s GTS1000A is unquestionably a class act but, at the time, it was too radical and too damned expensive! Perversely, Yamaha had received favourable responses to the GTS1000’s progenitors. Initially showcased in 1989 as a concept bike, the Yamaha Morpho really whetted the public’s appetite. Radical to say the least, the machine had several aspects that would be carried over to the production…

Owning old bikes is never without incident but most of us seem to get by most of the time to be honest. Wear and tear are to be expected, as is the occasional fettling that seems to go with territory. Our Japanese classics aren’t without their issues admittedly but they tend to be reliable; you might expect them to get a little noisier as things wear but that’s about it. Other than a gently decaying electrical system and the curse of modern petrol we seem to get by well enough. In the previous instalment I’d mentioned the Apache’s random reluctance to select neutral when stopped. It would happily tap down into the N position from second when rolling to a halt but wasn’t so keen to go from first to…

Sumfink has to go… I’ve been waking up at five o’clock after having that spiral, running down a tunnel dream that I’ve had lots of times before. Same old, same old: too many bikes and too many birthdays! In those drowsy wake-up moments I revisit the contents of the shed. There are a few ancient Ducatis lurking under old cotton bed sheets, a couple of which have scarcely run after having been given a new lease of life. I still love the simplicity of Taglioni’s little gems, but this is like having a wildcat in a cage; they should be out there, annoying bikes three times their size, and making a fantastic noise while they do it. I make a pledge that I’ll release one of them, and sooner rather…

From stunt rider to radio DJ, and from Coventry to Hollywood, Peter Starr’s was a remarkable journey and earlier this summer his family and friends paid tribute to him when they scattered his ashes at one of his favourite racing circuits, Cadwell Park. Peter had been born Graham William Wallace in Coventry in 1942, only adopting his ‘stage name’ when he moved to the US in 1965 to work as a radio DJ. It was through his love of radio and media that he moved into the world of filmmaking, his most celebrated work being his award-winning film documentary ‘Take It to the Limit’, which brought motorcycling to the masses and gave viewers a closer look at the iconic racers of the age. He also brought in a number of…

Stinkwheels have managed to work with their chrome platers and reintroduce the classic 1980s ‘black chrome’ finish to their All-speed Exhausts. This finish is now available alongside the usual ‘bright chrome’ finish to all of their exhausts. The price of a black chrome set of exhausts for the RD350LC is £895 inc. VAT (bright chrome £795 inc. VAT). These are all handmade at Stinkwheels’ workshop in Essex. Tel: 01708 372122, or stinkwheels@btconnect.com and www.stinkwheels.co.uk…

SEPTEMBER 18 OCTOBER CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS OUT 21 Scorton Auto and Bike Jumble at North Yorkshire Events Centre, Atley Hill Road, Scorton, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL10 6EJ. Tel: Bert on 07909 904705. What3words: unfair.aims.gobbles 21 90th Celebration Open Day at Tower Buildings, Perdiswell Park, Worcester, Worcs WR3 7SN. 11am-11pm. Tel: 07864 567705. What3words: mash.gear.square 21 Kempton Park Motorcycle Jumble at Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Rd East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey TW16 5AQ. 8am-5pm. Entry from £7. Tel: 01507 529430. Web: www.kemptonautojumble.co.uk What3words: crowd.costs.foam 22 VJMC’s Weyhill Bike Jumble at Weyhill Country Market, Weyhill, Andover, Hampshire SP11 0PP. 7.30am start. What3words: Clipped.rate.tastier 22 Autumn Autojumble at the Grampian Transport Museum, Montgarrie Road, Alford, Aberdeenshire AB33 8AE. 9am-3pm. £5 entry. Tel: 01975 562292. Email: events@gtm.org.uk. Web: www.gtm.org.uk What3words: skippers.rear.kingdom 22 Sand and Motorcycles at Pages…

1983 – RG250 WD This was the first production bike to use an alloy frame. The 247cc motor (basically a water-cooled X7) had a claimed 45bhp; 16-inch front wheel; anti-dive forks; and 128 kilos dry. 1984 – RG250 WE MK.2 The second generation RG250 featured revised fairings, frame and brake calipers amongst other things. Power output was still the same although new carbs made it feel less asthmatic, although power was still the same claimed 45bhp and a dry weight of 127kg. 1985 – RG250 CH MK.3 Big changes. The engine now featured Suzuki’s AEC power-valve system for extra mid-range; the exhausts were now covered by the fairing; and the clocks were like the RG500 and featured white dials. Japan got the Walter Wolf editions with special paint work, clocks,…

Let’s start with a reminder. I really do love this bike (at this point I’m actually trying to remind myself as much as you) but it has tested my patience to the point of breaking as I start to write this article. After finally gifting it a brilliant new YSS shock absorber two weeks ago (full story to follow), the bike repaid me by breaking down on the test ride. Thankfully, it was just a quick-release fuel hose which may have been dislodged as we wangled around near the base of the tank fitting the top shock bolt. My dramatic and abrupt stop was cured by plugging the fuel hose back into the pump union. I made a note to take a look in daylight, and left it at that.…

*and FB Marketplace, and Gumtree, and anywhere else we spot something we like… 1992 Harris Yamaha YZR500 Asking: £89,995 Clearly I have neither the financial wherewithal, the technical capability, or the riding skill to own and operate a full-on 500cc V4 GP bike – and a ‘screamer’ at that – but we can all dream, can’t we? In my youth I was lucky enough to ride a few Grand Prix bikes, including one of these Harris privateer specials, including the very first one of these, belonging to Peter Graves who rode it in GPs in 1992. It was utterly evil, with a powerband like a badly home-tuned RD400, going from about 60bhp to about 140bhp like a light switch. I opened the throttle in first coming out of the chicane…

Along with breaking old motorcycles I have an affliction for fiddling with old cars. Naturally, this means I’m a member of several Facebook groups dedicated to my old 1980s Merc. I don’t read many of the posts as I’ve had the thing for more than 10 years and I’ve learnt how to deal with most of its foibles in that time, but every so often I’ll see a post that makes me despair. The other day some poor soul asked about what sort of brake pads he should fit. The first reply was from a bloke whose signature informed me he was an ‘Expert Contributor’. This should be good, I thought. I wasn’t disappointed. He strongly recommended the chap asking the question went to his local Merc dealer to buy…

When I bought my Aprilia Tuono off of editor Bert, I knew that I would change some things… my OCD wouldn't allow my eyes to look at blue wheels for a start. I know Bertie dreaded getting my messages and calls but it was all for the greater good and I can’t help the way I am, honest! I’ve lived with this OCD for years: if the table mats are not parallel and approximately an inch from the edge of the table, or my spanners are not in numerical order starting from 4mm on the right to 30mm on the left, my nut spins… Last time we mentioned some things that weren’t right (for me). We’ve mentioned the colour of the wheels – now powder-coated gold – and that side-stand…