Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

By the time you read this, Wayne Gardner will have already appeared – with mate Roger Marshall – at The Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic at Newark. As mentioned in a previous issue, the 1987 500cc Grand Prix champ also will be appearing at CMM’s own Carole Nash-backed show at Stafford County Show ground over the weekend of October 11-12 later this year. Curiously, serendipity took a hand just after it was announced that Wayne was appearing at our show. Editor Bertie takes up the story: “Just a few days after being told about Wayne coming to both shows, I was at a social event where we always have an auction. And up came a hat once belonging to Wayne Gardner! The hat was given for auction by Anne Brown,…

Post to Mechanics, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or email your pictures to editorial@classicmechanics.com Super SV! The Suzuki SV650S on your last cover caught my eye, as I have one, a December 1999 model. I bought it two years ago with 14,000 miles and a full Suzuki service history for just £1100… What a cracking little bike. I’m 79 and I use it and my Ducati TT2 regularly, but the SV runs rings around it. It’s got a smooth (for a twin) motor and a six-speed gearbox that has perfect ratios. I often do 190 miles on it on a Sunday afternoon, around the Lakes, into Yorkshire and back home. I also do longer runs on it. I will often be out with my son on either his…

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. 1977 KAWASAKI Z650 Q: I’m currently working on a 1977 Z650 with a CBR929 front-end and GSX-R600 rear but maintaining the handsome, original look. I am using LED lighting and want to use a modern (nicad) battery in place of the original lead/acid one. Will this be an issue? It would be good as the extra space is needed for the rear shock. Do there need to be changes to the generator or reg/rectifier? Derek Wait A: Nickel-cadmium batteries are no longer modern and probably…

Last month I was busy designing and starting to fabricate my unique hydraulic drum brake for my Z900A4 custom bike. ‘She who must be obeyed’ used to ride this Z900A4 when I first took it in part exchange for my American tractor (1450 Hardly Dyna Glide). Apart from the hugely uncomfortable Two-Four seat, her other complaint was the not-very-effective rear drum brake. As I was now using it as the basis for my ‘Ultimate Zed’, I had to improve the efficacy of the rear stopper. As stated last month I had decided to go for a hydraulic conversion, but that in itself was not simple. I do know a guy who made one for his old Zed, but it was seriously wooden. I wanted it to be a massive improvement…

G’day CMM friends! Exciting news this issue, the BS90 Trail lives to climb another hill, tackle some single track, and ring-ding off to the shops once again! Engine in, motor is running! We were very happy with the way the engine presented after it was assembled. The paint stayed on, and with the cylinder black, cylinder-head silver, outer covers silver and centre-cases cleaned up original alloy, it looked fantastic. Now to put it in the frame, carefully, as to not damage any of the $3000 (Aussie dollars) paint. First step was for Tim to wire-wheel and clean up the engine mount bolts and other associated fasteners, then polish up the exhaust and header, and clean up and repaint the front main frame/engine stay while I clean out the carburettor. All…

Anyone who has been knocking around old bikes for a while will have encountered the problem of rusty fuel tanks. Left unchecked, you’re pretty much guaranteed crud in your carbs at the very least. In a worst-case scenario, you could end up with a fuel leak and possibly even a fire. We all have our own ways of removing the various corrosion products and oxides that inevitably accumulate inside our tanks. Some swear by home-grown methods while others opt for the numerous commercial products on sale out there. Each and every methodology has its pros and cons, and I’ve tried most over the years but had never dabbled with electrolysis until recently. A friend of a friend had a supremely grotty Suzuki GT380 tank that everyone thought was utterly irretrievable,…

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!…

Last month we mentioned that Henry Cole and Steve Parrish were hitting the road in 2025 for their second stage show. This month we hear that respected motorcycle apparel firm Roadskin is offering free tickets to see the show. The show itself will be appearing over 16 dates in theatres across the UK and will be sponsored by Roadskin. The company is offering a pair of ‘meet and greet’ tickets at a number of venues during the course of the tour. All you need to do is keep an eye on Roadskin’s social media channels for details on how to enter the giveaway. Henry is the popular presenter of The Motorbike Show, Shed & Buried and Junk & Disorderly, while Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish – a former British bike race champ…

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 LLOYD’S SUZUKI RGV250M Here’s my RGV250M I’ve owned for about a year. My friend messaged me saying his neighbour had a project he might sell as he hadn’t done anything with it for about 10 years. I went to have a look and it was looking pretty sorry for itself…

The pin that attaches the piston to the connecting rod through the small-end bearing seems to get referred to as a ‘Wrist Pin’ by our colonial cousins, but those of us who live in the country that invented the language correctly call it a Gudgeon Pin. I have also seen this all-important part called a Piston Pin. When you come to remove the piston from the engine one initially has to extricate the circlip, which is in itself fraught with risk. Whilst these little darlings can be reasonably easily unseated with a pick tool, they have a nasty habit of launching themselves at an unreasonably random trajectory with an astonishing turn of speed. This can be immaterial unless your workshop is like an operating theatre, but sometimes they’ll go somewhere…

I’m a bit nervous. Today will be my first time changing timing belts. If you own a Ducati for any length of time, sooner or later you’re going to have to shell out for them, and the amount of contradictory advice and judgement your peer group will offer is mind-blowing. I’ll stick to the facts as I see them. If belts are over five years old, change them. My belts were five-and-a-half years old, with 13,500 miles of use. Time to get these sorted then… I had already acquired pair of 748/916 compatible Gates superbelts for a Renault Megane from Amazon for £33.30, which still makes me laugh, because Ducati OE belts are £79.81 each and many believe are ‘actually made’ in the same factory. My chosen safety net for…

Sometimes a small change of mindset makes a big difference to a project. In the last part, I had spent a lot of time trying to avoid doing things properly. Sometimes it’s not always clear that you’re swimming against the flow, and as soon as I accepted that I needed to properly overhaul the brake calipers everything seemed to start to move in the right direction. Last time I had disassembled the brake calipers and was struggling to remove the corrosion from the inside of the piston wells, specifically in the grooves where the dust and seals sit. I had an idea that it may be possible to buy a brass brush that would fit my Dremel that may efficiently attack the corrosion and congealed fluid and dirt, and then…

If you read my article on the day one of the course last issue, you’d know that I really enjoyed the first day, which is a stand-alone course on its own – Airbrushing for Beginners. If you’ve no experience its highly recommended that you attend this before moving on to the next two-day course – the two-day ‘Custom Painting’ course, which I had booked and was now on. It seems that they are arranged to follow each other, so if you travel from further afield, it can reduce your transport costs. The weather in Lancing remained atrocious, but after a hearty breakfast with Piers Dowell and another of the students (we had all booked into the same place) we were off. Day 1. The exercise for the first day was…

LASER TOOLS MAGNETIC PICK-UP TOOL This handy tool (part number 9055) combines the traditional spring-loaded four-prong grabber claw with a strong magnetic head that can hold up to 0.9kg! And if you can’t see what you’re looking for, it also features a bright integrated LED light (powered by three LR44 batteries) that ensures effective retrieval of small parts or debris from dark, hard-to-reach areas. Also, the flexible shaft easily bends around obstacles then returns to its original shape, providing excellent manoeuvrability in tight spaces. Its compact design (head diameter of just 15mm) lets you access narrow gaps and the total length of 610mm ensures extended reach. www.lasertools.co.uk/Product/9055 LS2 CHARGER GOGGLES If you do off-road and you want to look like someone out of Star Wars then LS2’s new Charger Goggles…

“This is bizarre, I have a perfectly good Honda CBR600 in the garage but I keep riding this all the while!” Owner Eddie was referring to the 1973 Yamaha RD200 that’s almost magically become his go-to ride. Further discussion revealed that the diminutive twin has wormed its way so far into its new owner’s subconscious that he couldn’t get enough of it. And this is often the way with smaller motorcycles – they just seem to have this annoying habit of somehow being greater than the sum of their parts. Those already aware of the lure of tiddlers are often on their guard because it’s oh-so wretchedly easy to squeeze another one in somewhere. If your thing is larger motorcycles you know there’s certain footprint to the likes of a…

JANUARY 22 FEBRUARY ISSUE OF CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS OUT 22 And every Wednesday thereafter: Gosport Motorbike Social at the Rolling Scones, Rowner Road, Gosport, Hampshire PO13 9UB. 6-8pm. Tel: 023 9258 3226. Email: therollingsconesgosport@gmail.com. 23 And every Thursday thereafter: Bike Night at the Hunters Inn, Cott Street, Swanmore, Hampshire SO32 2PZ. 6pm start. Tel: 01489 877721. Email: manager@huntersinnpub.com. Web: www.huntersinnpub.com What3words: advancing.entitles.oatmeal 25 42nd Annual Rockers Reunion at The Empire, High Street, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 1DJ. £32 prebook or £35 on the door. Tel: 07396 713934 or 01772 761552. Web: www.rockersreunion.co.uk 25 Squires Café Autojumble at Squires Café, Newthorpe, South Milford, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS25 5LX. Tel: 01977 684618. Email: info@squires-cafe.co.uk. Web: www.squires-cafe.co.uk What3words: grazed.hardening.tangling 26 ’Normous Newark Car and Motorcycle Autojumble at Newark Showground, Lincoln Rd, Coddington, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NY.…

£5.20 EACH (inc p&p) For EU and ROW, please see www.classicmagazines.co.uk OVER 250 ISSUES ARE AVAILABLE TO ORDER TODAY AT CLASSIC MAGAZINES.CO.UK JUNE 2024 ■ All hail YZF Thunder cat ■ Scramble for Ducati’s 350 SCR ■ Buyer’s Guide RGV 250 JULY 2024 ■ Immaculate Kwak KR-1 ■ Race replica XSR900 GP ■ Tool of the month? Pure vice AUGUST 2024 ■ Honda’s game-changer ■ GSX1100 Buyers Guide ■ The Harley that handles SEPTEMBER 2024 ■ Rocket man – a classic beast ■ Number one RD250LC ■ Which hammer for you? OCTOBER 2024 ■ Razor sharp Suzuki ■ Bring back the Bandit ■ Enjoyable big Kat NOVEMBER 2024 ■ Beemer bargain ■ Tasty big Yam ■ Clubbing in Wales DECEMBER 2024 ■ Falling for a Suzuki ■ Starting a GR650…

Greetings from beautiful Prince George, Northern British Columbia, Canada. Here in Canada, CMM is expensive but worth every penny. One of my first go-to pages is always Show Us Yer Shed. It’s like snooping through a friend’s shed but without any guilt. I’m continuously impressed how fellows in the UK do amazing work on their bikes out of relatively small sheds. Here we have lots of space and a small population so tend to build bigger sheds (we call them workshops or just ‘shops’). My wife and I have lived in our house since 1989. Over the years I had developed a small workspace in the basement, carrying bikes and engines up and down the stairs in pieces. With two kids and a mortgage, I could not afford the time…

KAWASAKI GPZ1100: A bike beefier than Bisto! LANGEN: 250cc two-stroke reborn! HONDA VTR1000 SP1: Buyer’s Guide GOING OUT IN STYLE: Motorcycle Funerals SHOW US YER SHED: WIN a £50 Venhill voucher if you show us YOURS! PROJECT BIKES: We will be showcasing some of the following (space allowing): Paul Berryman’s Ducati 748; Mark Haycock’s Honda ST70; Steve Cooper’s Ducati/ Suzuki special; Jeff Ware’s Bridgestone BS90 and/or Suzuki GSX-R750F; Malc Shaw with his Suzuki GT500 Café Racer; Kev Raymond’s back with a Honda SS50 or his Kawasaki KDX200; and Taylor Mackenzie’s Yamaha TY80 should really be featured. Let’s not forget Ralph Ferrand with either his Kawasaki Z900 Special or the little Honda CBR250R; or Richard Farnish with his Yamaha SR500; Will Hollman’s Yamaha DT360; and Vic Shield’s Yamaha YZF-R1. March issue on sale:…