Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Oh yes, we do, search your soul! They could be music, people we find attractive (that others don’t), cars most people hate, or bikes we love to ride when others do not. Music: I have some esoteric tastes. I’m a product of my time, so I’ve been influenced by my late dad (Pink Floyd, ELO, Kraftwerk, Vangelis) but then had an older sister, so love a bit of the New Romantics and (ahem) Level 42 are my fave band. My true ‘Guilty Pleasures’ of music include some Cliff Richard tracks and The Nolans: I kid you not. Cars: I still love Austin Allegros and Morris Marinas. Am I weird? Women? I’d probably best not say. ‘Guilty Pleasures’ then, are those things/people/music/machines that aren’t popular or that the general populace don’t…

CARCOON BIKE BUBBLE A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (well, more like 30 years ago in Peterborough, anyway) a motorbike magazine of some repute that I once worked on received a sample of a new kind of bike cover. The basics of it were that you wheeled your bike in, zipped up the cover, turned it on and the ‘coccoon’ inflated, surrounding your loved one with a constant current of filtered air to keep it dry and rust-free. We were a cynical lot back then and initially it was overlooked as a bit of a gimmick at the time. However, 10 years later I found it at the back of the magazine’s lock-up and smuggled it back home to where the atmosphere in my draughty, damp…

A 1952 Matchless G80S owned and ridden by motorcycle racer and Hollywood stuntman Bud Ekins will be among a selection of rare bikes featured in the Iconic Motorcycle Summer Sale auction Best known as Steve McQueen’s friend, riding partner and stunt double, Ekins paired with McQueen to compete in West Coast desert races in the early 1960s. In 1964 they both represented the U.S in the International Six Days Trial in East Germany, where Ekins would win multiple Gold Medals. Ekins would earn global acclaim as McQueen’s stunt double for two of his most legendary films: in 1963’s ‘The Great Escape’ and ‘Bullitt’ in 1968. In 1971, Ekins and McQueen appeared together in the cult off-road film ‘On Any Sunday’. The 1952 Matchless G80S was owned by Ekins in the…

Where does Suzuki’s middle weight triple sit in your mind? The poor man’s version of a Kawasaki H1 perhaps, or a pale pastiche of the bigger GT750? Today it’s a bike that’s sometimes off the radar, seemingly because it apparently falls between two stools. Fans of 1970s Japanese classics often overlook the GT550 simply because it’s not the fastest, slickest or brashest of the bunch. And yet once you know the background to the bike everything falls into place rather nicely. The Hamamatsu firm were committed to building what they perceived as two-stroke equivalents of Honda’s range of fours. Therefore, the GT550 was supposed to take on the CB500, with the GT750 Kettle potentially out-psyching the previously all-conquering CB750. The clue was always in the GT moniker – Grand Touring.…

Just over 17 years ago now I was on one of the strangest and definitely one of the wettest new motorcycle launches I’d ever experienced. Understandably, manufacturers will try and send us spoiled journalists somewhere lovely, somewhere that will be dry and warm. Sadly, Lake Como in northern Italy in early April 2008 was anything but. It was actually a deluge of almost biblical proportions. Thankfully, the Japanese had given the assembled world press two routes around the lake, but only we plucky Brits chose the longer option in the pouring rain. In a lovely gesture, the Japanese designers and engineers waited for us in the foyer of the hotel and gave us a round of applause when we finally showed up… The DN-01 being what it was (more of…

With all the trials and tribulations finally behind me, I think I can just about say I am finished. Well, maybe not quite, as I still haven’t poured petrol into the tank and fired her up, or done all my final checks and polish, but they’re for another day. Anyway, I have had the bike running in the past, so I’m not too concerned there. With all the niggles that I’d experienced, it had been hard to maintain motivation. However, I did get my second wind and now it feels that the mountain has finally been climbed; the less said about the descent, the better! There are still a few parts of the build left to document, so best I crack on! I’d made a number plate mounting and bracket…

I’ve spent ages pondering the configuration I want for the exhaust. It’s a pretty important thing when it comes to the overall feel of the completed bike, isn’t it? I mean, I absolutely love the crackle that a set of Higgsy’s (Higgspeed: https://higgspeed.com/) pipes make, but somehow I am twitching a bit. I’ve gone to a bit of trouble to retain a vaguely factory-ish side profile. I have to admit the thing I loved about the first iteration of my Suzuki Katana ‘Six’ was the neck-snapping double-take as casual bike watchers almost walked past it, then realised that they might have had a bit too much gravy on their porridge that morning. The comments ranged from: ‘Uh?’ to ‘Never knew Suzuki fitted a CBX motor in a GS.’ It was…

Luca Cadalora is a three times world champion who was a prominent figure in the grand prix paddock from the mid-1980s until 2000. Born in Modena, Italy, Luca’s career would be most closely linked with the smaller capacity grand prix classes, entering the world championships in 1984 and winning the 1986 125cc title with Garelli and then being a regular front-runner in the 250cc championship both with Yamaha and Honda. Joining Giacomo Agostini’s 250 Yamaha team, he would battle with the talents of the time in the class, such as Helmut Bradl, Carlos Cardus, Frankie Chili, Jean-Phillippe Ruggia, Loris Reggiani, Carlos Lavado and John Kocinski. He would finally take two back-to-back titles while riding for Rothmans Honda aboard their NSR250 in 1991-1992. He’d dabbled with the 500cc class in 1989…

So many rumours surround a new, big-bore retro machine from Kawasaki – and we’re very excited by it. We all know that Kawasaki have listened to we nostalgic lot and have produced the likes of the Z650RS and the Z900RS. Historically, the big K has always been on the ball and ahead of the curve, producing machines like the Zephyr range in the late 1980s and the ZRX range in the late 1990s. Now it is thought that they are joining up the dots to make a new take on the Z900RS, using the updated 1100cc motor used in this year’s sports-touring Ninja 1100 SX and adventure touring Versys 1100. Respected German bike magazine Motorrad reckons they’ve seen documents relating to a new retro-styled machine using that 1100 motor. Now,…

At the recent Grand Prix of the Netherlands, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP celebrated Yamaha Motor‘s 70th anniversary with a very special retro paint scheme. All four riders ran a one-off livery on race day (Sunday) which was inspired by the iconic red and white colours used for the 1999 YZF-R7. The MotoGP YZR-M1 took the colours of the YZF-R7 OW02; meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo, Álex Rins, Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira drew inspiration from the race kit work by Noriyuki Haga during the 1999 season when he was riding the R7 in the World Superbike Championship. We love it! It shows that even the modern ‘pig’s ear’ looking MotoGP bikes can look like a silk purse with the right colour scheme……

This is my third 550, the first I had when I was 21, and my endearing memory of that bike was when I went to the South of France on it with my girlfriend (now wife), all loaded up and it never missed a beat. I sold that for a GT750, but alas there was no comparison – apologies die-hard Kettle fans – but put simply the 550 is a sports tourer whilst the 750 is a grand tourer and I was more suited to the former. I just love its lines (the A model is my particular favourite) and oh, the sound of that triple engine through the three-into-four just does it for me! Performance-wise, it’s not feisty like my 350LC or as lairy as the H1 or H2…

Welcome to the second of my special Kawasaki-based builds called the RDM-Range, this being RDMII. Now, I apologise now if I’m going over some of what was said in the article for RDM ZI (April 2025 issue) but clearly the basics are the same. As mentioned, when Z-Power moved to bigger premises in Huddersfield I figured I’d make the small step, from nut and bolt Z1 restorations to building a series of ‘retro-mod’ machines. Known as the RDM-Range, I am building five bikes to showcase the different styles and options available. The first five bikes will be numbered from RDM-ZI TO RDM-ZV. The basics are to graft on the front-end and the rear-end of a Kawasaki ZRX1200R into a 1970s Z1000 frame with the aid of billet yokes and, of…

The mid to late 1990s was a golden era for middleweight budget bike class: Yamaha had its FZS600 Fazer, Honda had the CB600 Hornet, Kawasaki had the ER-5, and Suzuki had the GSF600 Bandit along with the SV650. The SV came in both faired and unfaired models; the faired model looked very much like a TL1000S which wasn’t a bad thing. The SV has an advantage over the aforementioned bikes, especially the four cylinder ones, as it only weighed in at just 169 kilos, making it very easy to manoeuvre around while both stationary and on the move. Being a V-twin, it is also quite narrow. And although it loses out on power to the fours, it still has a respectable 72bhp from its 645cc DOHC motor and is a…

Where were we? Ah yes, the last time we met, I’d just rebuilt the rear shock – or rather, I’d just made one useable rear shock out of the three manky ones at my disposal. The obvious next step is to have a look at the forks. Externally they’re in pretty reasonable condition – not too much pitting on the chrome, and the lowers aren’t too scabby. I’ll be cleaning off the old paint and refinishing them anyway, but it’s nice to see they’re not mangled. In a rare moment of forward planning, I’d loosened the top caps while the forks were in the yokes, so they came off easily. The first surprise is the adjuster screw in the top cap isn’t attached to anything. This confuses me somewhat, until…

The Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum has marked another major milestone with the grand opening of its newest exhibition space — the stunning Italian Hall, or La Sala Italiana. The hall was so named by special guest Alan Cathcart, renowned motorcycle journalist and racer, who was there to perform the official opening. Before cutting the ribbon, ‘Sir’ Alan paid tribute to Sammy Miller’s early and hugely successful road racing career on Italian bikes, finishing third in the 1957 250cc World Championship on a Mondial Bialbero exactly like the one on display in the museum. He was also a member of the Ducati factory race team the first time they raced in the Isle of Man, finishing 4th in the 1959 Ultra-Lightweight 125cc TT. As visitors entered the newly transformed Hall —…

There are new colours and new deals on the likes of Suzuki’s Hayabusa and Katana motorcycles. The Busa now comes in a rather strange ‘Metallic Matt Steel Green’ (pictured) and the much nicer Silver option and black option. While not really a retro, the Busa has been around for more than a quarter-of-a-century and the latest third generation will rip your toupee off, grandad… The 2025 Katana now comes in a revised silver scheme and the ‘Pearl Vigor Blue’ with bronze wheels that we’ve shown here. We like the blue! And the deals are new, too, as Suzuki is offering savings of up to £1300 this summer, with dealer contributions available on everything over 650cc. That means the Busa is available with £1300 off its OTR price of £18,599, while…

JULY 16 AUGUST CMM OUT NOW 19 Kempton Park MC Jumble Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey TW16 5AQ. www.kemptonautojumble.co.uk 20 Honda OC Classic Bike Show at the Sammy Miller Museum, Bashley Crossroads, New Milton, Hampshire BH25 5SZ. www.sammymiller.co.uk 23 AUGUST CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE OUT NOW 25 Bike Night at Wheels Motorcycles, First Drove, Peterborough, Cambs PE1 5BJ. www.wheelsmotorcycles.co.uk/ 26 Summer Air Show 2025, Shuttleworth, Old Warden. shuttleworth.org 26 David Silver Spares Meet Unit 14 Masterlord Industrial Estate, Station Road, Leiston, Suffolk IP16 4JD davidsilverspares.co.uk 26-27 British Two-Stroke Club Southern Rally The Fox & Goose, The Street, Greywell, Hampshire RG29 1BY. Tel: 07501 518822. 27 Ardingly Autojumble South of England Showground, Selsfield Road, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TL. www.elkpromotions.co.uk. 27 Stickney Autojumble Main Road, Lincolnshire PE22 8AG: www.stickneycarbootsale.co.uk…

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IN CONJUNCTION WITH My Dad owned a speed shop throughout the 1960s, so I was born ‘into the shed lifestyle’, so to speak. We were always around cool cars and our lives were about speed, noise and burning rubber. He built drag cars, circle-track machines and even helped a guy out in 1969-1970 with a Lola T160, then a T162 in Can-Am. The love for speed stayed with me and has yet to leave… I’m now in my 60s and that need for, and lust of, speed is still there. My first bike was a Yamaha XS400, at 18, but after six months it began to bore me, so I bought a 1978 GS1000 for my 19th birthday (1982) and never looked back after that 100+mph ride home. I’ve been…

When Honda finally got over the massive climbdown they’d made by accepting that two-strokes were a necessary evil they gave it their all. From mopeds through to championship-winning GP bikes, Honda’s stink wheels were up there with the best. In amongst all the various models was the M series that encompassed everything from air-cooled 50cc singles through to liquid-cooled 250cc triples. Within the M series were a raft of 80cc machines that Honda pitched at almost every possible market: road, trail, enduro, faux custom and even a baby NSR. This month we’re homing in on one of the most successful from that group – the MBX80. 80cc motorcycles might not seem like a good idea, but the FIM had replaced the 50cc GP bikes with 80s in 1982, partially in…

*and FB Marketplace, and Gumtree, and anywhere else we spot something we like… 1999 Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird Asking: £750 180mph for £750? Bargain. Well, maybe… DVLA vehicle checker says it’s been off the road for 10 years. That’s not a problem. It also says it should be black, which it clearly isn’t. Not a problem, but you never know why it changed colour (Crash? Theft attempt?) or what’s been lost or misplaced in the process. Not a deal breaker – you’d be able to get a feel for that as soon as you saw it in the metal. It’s listed as having nearly 100,000km on the clock, but even if that was miles it wouldn’t worry me – these engines are easily capable of several times that with regular oil…

Time to get back on with my ‘mellow yellow’ Yamaha YZF-R1 powerhouse! Regular readers will know that I became the owner of a 2002 fuel-injected Yamaha R1 (5PW) but, me being me, I had to have a tinker with it. Despite my advancing years I quite fancied another sports-bike and the R1 was always one that I fancied. I traded up to the R1 via a 1982 Honda XL500R and a Suzuki DRZ 400E which was swopped for the R1, which I guess cost me £3000 – the price of the DRZ. Initially things weren’t so good: lots of white pen marks on parts suggested this had been rebuilt with bits from a breaker. Also, the wiring was a mess and panels were cracked. Setting a budget of around a…