Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2025 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

RST PRO SERIES ADVENTURE X JACKET AND TROUSERS Being a pillion rather than a rider, my choice of kit was limited by what the other half could get hold of back in 2020 – but I’m glad he got hold of this RST Pro Series Adventure X kit. I’ve worn this outfit solely since 2020 and been on the back of a range of bikes, from new Honda Africa Twins and Kawasaki Versys machines to older tourers like BMW’s R1150 RT. I’m not abreast of the current tech side of the motorcycle clothing market, so I did some research. With the X Jacket here, I could also go and buy a suitable air-bag, but this review is only for the basic jacket and trousers. So, jacket first, which is certified…

Post to Mechanics, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or email your pictures to editorial@classicmechanics.com A cautionary tale! Just wanted to spread the word about wearing the correct bike kit – however long the journey. In 2024 something happened that made me realise the importance of wearing it. My crash was on April 19, 2024. I was rounding a bend on my Kawasaki Z1000SX when the bike skidded on a greasy patch in the road, dumping it against a wall. During the crash I was launched headfirst into the wall at around 50-60mph. By an amazing stroke of luck, an off-duty policeman and then a paramedic on holiday pulled up next to me. To spare the details, I was intubated at the side of the road and airlifted to…

This wasn’t my first Honda 400/4 – back in 1978 I’d proudly bought my first one. The memory of seeing one static on Rhyl Promenade opposite Vern’s arcade when I was 15 years old remains vivid to this day. The four-into-one chromed exhaust was something to be wondered at and its proportions to me were perfect. I’d fallen in love with it. I was 18 years old. I’d been trading up over my teenage years, starting with the much-desired and loved schoolboy ‘sixteener special’ moped – a 1973 Yamaha FS1-E, registration PDM 928L, paid for with my £1 a week savings from my paper round! If anyone has it, or knows of its whereabouts, please kindly contact me as I’d love to have it back. Leading up to the exciting…

Back in the 1960s, when I was a kid, no one wanted anything regarded as old-fashioned. Instead, we were all looking forward to the future. By the year 2000 we would be working a 10-hour week, traveling by hovercraft or gyrocopter, and be served and waited on by our own robots. There was a general feeling of ‘everything was getting better’. How different from today. Now things are reversed and gramophone records and cassette tapes are fashionable; some people are trying to give up smartphones for a bit; the list goes on (though it will be a short-lived craze, I suspect). In the world of vehicles so-called replicas are popular, with cars such as the VW Beetle, Fiat 500, etc., and with bikes we have even seen the rebirth of…

G’day CMM friends! Last time out, we had completed the rolling chassis and taken the BS off the bench ready for the final tweaks before the little rotary disc-valve two-stroke donk goes in. Well, the great news is that Tim has worked his magic with the wiring and managed to rewire the bike in all its 6-volt positive earth glory and has got all the lights working and even the original horn! Tim has fitted and adjusted the cables. The wiring was a tricky job, as it is routed internally within the pressed metal frame and very neatly hidden away, but, of course, what that means is a bit of trial and error trying to feel the original bends and curves of the wiring loom, as any paint rub marks…

I’ve MoT’d worse! A phrase you may have heard. Sometimes used seriously, but mostly used sarcastically to commiserate with a fellow rider whose bike has befallen one of the three main ills of motorcycle maintenance: namely neglect, mechanical failure or an accident. And this was the phrase that sprung to mind for me after I had attempted to clean up the KR-1S brake calipers, which were absolutely fine before I put the bike away in the garage after the engine blew up (see CMM April 2024). Mind you, that was seven years ago, and that should have told me something… The front wheel was not turning freely, but I was confident that the rest of the bike would be okay – having done a top-end rebuild and finally getting the…

DESIGNING THE T-34 PETER SAMSONOV AVAILABLE NOW Softback £12.99 ISBN: 9781911658306 HMS BRISTOL ROB GRIFFIN AVAILABLE NOW Softback £16.99 ISBN: 9781911658757 BRITISH TANKS OF THE RED ARMY PETER SAMSONOV AVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99 ISBN: 9781911704065 The first encounter between British armour and the Red Army was not on friendly terms – with the British sending surplus tanks to reinforce the pro-monarchy White Army in the Russian Civil War. When the Reds won, war trophy Mark V heavy tanks as well as medium Mk.A Whippets and Mk.B Hornets entered service with the RKKA. As the political landscape changed during the 1920s, the Red Army assessed British designs available for export and a licensed copy of the Vickers Mk.E entered production in 1931 as the T-26. During the early days of the…

Want the next issue of CMM? Of course you do! Then it’s simple. Subscribing is best but, failing that, why not pre-order? Simply scan the fuzzy circular thing with your smartphone (c’mon, we’ve all got one) and off you pop! Alternatively, if you like what you see coming up in the next issue (see page 105 for more) then go to: www.classicmagazines.co.uk/issue/preorder where you can pre-order all of Mortons’ wonderful magazines. Even ones about trains, cars or towpaths… Scan me with your camera phone!…

We want to see YOUR pride and joy in our pages, so you can share what you ride and what you restore/build with fellow readers. Email your hi-res shots to bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk or mail in some photos at the address at the front of the mag. Let us know what you’ve done, how you’ve done it and send before and after shots if you can. Do get in touch – because the best of the month gets a free T-shirt! Matt Hull’s Yamaha RD350LC My Elsie started life as a 250 when I bought it in 1992; the previous owner had already fitted a 350 engine. I sold this bike in 1995 to a mate. Long story short, my RD350LC got given back to me by my best mate in July…

Our very own wizened sages, Messrs Mark Haycock and Steve Cooper, are here to answer all of your woes, be they mechanical or spiritual. Every month we will be giving advice, as well as some general tips. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, too. 1984 HONDA CB125T SUPER DREAM Q: Hello! I am struggling to get clarification on the correct timing marks on an A-reg Honda CB125T Super Dream. Any info greatly appreciated thanks. Kevin D A: The CB125T was made over quite a few years, and it was gradually updated over those years: just one area was the ignition system which was upgraded from the old-fashioned contact breaker type to an electronic CDI system. ‘A’ registration covered vehicles registered between August 1, 1983, to July 31, 1984,…

It’s a UK bike that went abroad and then came back. When purchased it had 8000 miles on it but was looking tired: it ran okay. I took it apart and restored it to original. Neither of the guards would line up properly. I had to remake the mounting points for the rear and fit a lip to the inner radius so that it looked right and was strong enough. The cases were vapour blasted to get back to decent material. I had to TIG weld the transmission cover – someone had fallen off, pushing the rear brake pedal into it. The seat base was split in two so that got repaired. The lifting handle for getting the bike on to the main stand was missing so the seat had…

G’day! Firstly, I’d like to apologise on Bertie’s behalf for him being a bit of a drongo… Yes, you should have been reading this missive on the completed 1984 HB race replica Suzuki RG250 I called Bruno some time ago… But the big fella claims that he never got my report, even though the bloody fool paid me for it! Maybe it’s his age eh? Anyways, here we go! Let me repeat myself and start over. Right now, I’m buzzing more than a foot-peg bracket attached to an over-tightened, misaligned expansion chamber (some of you might get that). I’ve just returned from my second run on Bruno, and the first major ride, an hour or so blasting through the local hills around my area, and I very nearly crashed! I’d…

When it comes to restoring or building specials, I’ve always been that kind of bloke that would ‘have a go’. You know the sort. I’d try and make things myself in the workshop, rather than buy new, but always shied away from applying paint… But then I thought: Why? Let us ALL forgo the rattle-can and give it a go? With this in mind, on a wet and cold November day I found myself in Lancing, East Sussex. A number of months before I had booked a three-day course on airbrushing. In reading a previous edition of CMM and Ralph’s article on home spraying I noticed that he used the Airbrush Co. for paint and advice, the same people I was going to for my course. Clearly they know what…

These topics and more are covered by Mortons Books’ imprints: BANOVALLUM Banovallum Books explores a huge range of modern interests and experiences-from veganism to venomous spiders, from composting to communism, from knitting to fitness. Covering consumer and leisure topics of every variety, Banovallum Books is dedicated to producing high quality titles which offer readers an informed and informative look at lifestyle and specialist subjects. GRESLEY Britain’s unparalleled history of great railways and locomotives is what Gresley Books seeks to explore, explain and celebrate. We cover everything from the pioneering days of the early railways to the golden age of steam, the devastating Beeching cuts, the British Rail days, preservation and the ongoing story of modern diesels and electrics. GALLANTRY War and warfare in all its many forms is the realm…

Locomotive No 32 Tamerline became the first steam locomotive to be completed at Crewe Works on 10 March 1843. One hundred and fifteen years later BR 9F No 92250 became the 7,331st steam locomotive to be built at the Cheshire works, when completed in December 1958. This publication is a tribute to the thousands of people employed there during the steam locomotive building era. In 1913 The Railway Magazine proudly described Crewe as “the most famous railway works in the world”. Indeed, railways throughout the world benefited from adopting ‘best Crewe practice’. Many who worked at Crewe in its heyday, first under the London & North Western Railway and later the London Midland & Scottish Railway, held the firm belief that the works was the ‘beating heart’ of the Cheshire…

WE TOGETHER: 451 AND 453 SQUADRONS AT WAR ADAM LUNNEY AVAILABLE NOW! Hardback £14.99 ISBN: 9781911658351 F-15 EAGLE BERTIE SIMMONDS AVAILABLE NOW Hardback £14.99 ISBN: 9781911658535 F-16 FIGHTING FALCON BERTIE SIMONDS AVAILABLE NOW! Hardback £25.00 ISBN: 9781911658566 MESSERSCHMITT ME 309 DEVELOPMENT & POLITICS CALUM E DOUGLAS/DAN SHARP AVAILABLE NOW Softback £40.00 ISBN: 9781911658962 Chosen in 1941 to replace the Bf 109 as the Luftwaffe’s standard front-line fighter, Messerschmitt’s innovative Me 309 embodied a wealth of hard-won experience from the Battle of Britain. Its sturdy tricycle undercarriage would make landings safer, its capacious wings could accommodate much heavier weaponry, its retractable radiator would make it aerodynamically clean, its pressure cabin would allow high-altitude operations and its ejection seat would help preserve the Luftwaffe’s most precious asset – its pilots. All of…

If you’ve been rebuilding, restoring or resurrecting an old bike you’ll already be very aware it’s not a straight-forward process. Previous owners may have wreaked mechanical mayhem, wear and tear will have taken their toll, and there’s a chance that there’s a handful of pattern parts thrown into the mix for good measure. And just because all the OEM parts are from the same manufacturer, doesn’t automatically confer said components are fit for purpose. It’s worth remembering our ‘classics’ were often old hacks in an earlier life and the serried ranks of owners did whatever was necessary to keep them on the road. And just because everything you’ve checked, fettled and fitted went together as it should, doesn’t automatically guarantee that the end results will be 100 per cent fit for…

DECEMBER 21 NCC Surrey’s Xmas Toy Run leaving from Rykas Café, Old London Road, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6BY at 10am to ride to Peanut Ward, Queen Victoria Hospital, Holtye Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3DZ. Tel: 07857 841115 or 07925 500252. 21 59 Club Carol Service at All Saints Church, Uxbridge Road, Feltham, Hanworth, Middlesex TW13 5EE. Tel: 07512 815526. Email: info@the59club.co.uk. Web: the59club.co.uk 22 Doc Bike Santa Toy Run leaving from the Churchill Arms, Daggons Road, Alderholt, Fordingbridge, Dorset SP6 3AA at 11.30am to ride to Kingfisher Ward, Dorset Hospital, Williams Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 2JY. Tel: 01425 652147. Web: churchillpub.co.uk 26 Cold Turkey Meet at the Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, Stonebridge Park, London NW10 7UD. Tel: 0208 961 1000. Web: London.acecafe.com 29 Bike Day at…

Today’s brand-new Suzuki SV650 costs £7399 new and back in 2017 I got the chance to ride the-then ‘new’ one, which is the current version. What’s changed? Even the 2017 bike had the ‘ignition key rattle’ until it started to work, but when you threw a leg over her, the SV was as svelte as ever. No need to pull the clutch in to start now, but the clutch is still light and the gearbox delightful. Trundling around at slow speed is even more of a doddle with not a hint of snatchiness when you change up or down: you still naturally feel at home on the SV and it’s about as close to riding a pair of favourite slippers as you can get. Checking the spec – just perhaps…

To make an engine run you need compression, fuel and a spark. When a bike is being recalcitrant the easiest thing to check is the spark. On older bikes you simply pull a plug, lay it in the cylinder head, crank over the motor and see if there’s a spark at the plug. If there isn’t or it’s a weak one, you need to decide if the plug is cream crackered or the coil or any other part of the ignition circuit. Gunson came out with a very simple, inexpensive, pen-type tester many years ago. You simply lay the end of it on the plug lead whilst holding the other end as an earth. It has a dear little neon light which will glow orange, as neons have for years,…

You can pick up a tidy later model as a rider for as little as £3000 give or take. From there it’s all pretty much down to condition as they’re not the cheapest bike to restore given all that chrome work. Exceptional examples are being punted at around £7500 by dealers but they’re unlikely to be selling them any time soon. £4500-£5000 should see you get something in really good condition unless it’s a mint J as per our machine here. The one-year-only drum brake J-model holds a certain cachet and, for some buyers, it’s the only one to have. It’s worth getting expert opinion on any project example, especially you’re looking at a J, K or L, as there were numerous changes to various fittings over this period. Some…

JIM REDMAN - MAN OF STEEL FRANK MELLING AVAILABLE NOW Softback £15.00 ISBN: 9781911704171 OFFICIAL MIKE HAILWOOD IN 100 OBJECTS JAMES ROBINSON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £30.00 ISBN: 9781911658894 COLIN SEELEY JAMES ROBINSON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £7.99 ISBN: 9781911658399 TRIUMPH: PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE GREAT BRITISH MARQUE JAMES ROBINSON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £25.00 ISBN: 9781911658580 AGOSTINI JAMES ROBINSON AVAILABLE NOW Softback £9.99 ISBN: 9781911704126 LE VACK’S LEGACY BRIAN THORBY AVAILABLE NOW Softback £50.00 ISBN: 9781911658788 TAKING IT TO THE LIMIT PETER STARR AVAILABLE NOW Softback £45.00 9780615301402 ONE MAN ON A BIKE RICHARD GEORGIOU AVAILABLE NOW Softback £7.99 ISBN: 9781911658139 MOTORCYCLE TRAVELER PETER STARR AVAILABLE NOW Softback £45.00 9780692151389 LAMBRETTA & VESPA STREET RACERS STUART OWEN AVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99 ISBN: 9781911658603 SCOOTER BOYS GARETH BROWN AVAILABLE NOW Softback £14.99 ISBN:…

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