Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

We enjoyed riding the Kawasaki Z650RS retro a while back, not long after launch in 2022 – now here are the 2026 colours. Modelled on the original Z650-B1 of 1976, the retro has a twin-cylinder, not a four-cylinder motor, but power output is roughly the same. And at least you’ve got the safety of ABS and two-mode traction control. The 2026 colours are: Ebony, Metallic Ocean Blue and Emerald Green. We know which one looks best: the ‘original’ green. Available from November, the 2026 Z650RS is priced at £7899: https://www.kawasaki.co.uk…

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! WINNER ALAN JACKSON’S COLLECTION I thought I would email you a photo of a couple of my bikes. As you can probably guess, my main interest is small air-cooled two-strokes. The black bike is a 1979 Suzuki GT200 X5 and the orange one is a 1974 Suzuki GT185. The black bike…

The CB400 Four that was featured in the first test report in March 1975 still exists. A US-market model made at the factory in October 1974, it was registered JGC 606N on 15 February, 1975 by Honda UK. After the bike’s life as a demo machine (see above) it was acquired by TT Leathers, the motorcycle clothing company, followed by six other owners. Chris Rushton, who has collected and restored many SOHC four-cylinder Hondas since his first CB400 Four in 1978, and now owns the bike, takes up the story: “The registration number was recognised by serial Honda collector, the late Dave Ayesthorpe, who had the foresight to purchase it despite its poor condition and stored it as found for the next 20 or so years,” says Chris, who had first…

When I was a lad, the majority of motorcycles came with centre-stands, or main-stands, as they were described by some manufacturers. Of course, as well, you got a side-stand that was a little more limited in use as you couldn’t use one to support the bike vertically whilst you removed wheels, oiled and adjusted drive chains, etc. In the racing world anything that didn’t make the bike go faster was removed as it added undesirable weight. For racing, the lumpy old centre-stand was not only heavy, but also often reduced all important ground clearance, preventing the determined racer from going round corners as fast as he or she might want to. Side-stands and their mounts also tended to be jettisoned. However, unlike a race car, bikes tend to fall over,…

OVER 250 ISSUES ARE AVAILABLE TO ORDER TODAY AT CLASSIC MAGAZINES.CO.UK MARCH 2025 ■ Kawasaki’s refined GPz1100 ■ Enfield Interceptor’s real ride ■ Getting a grip of the tools APRIL 2025 ■ Special pair of Yam MT-350s ■ CB1300… and it fits! ■ Virago Cruiser’s big on charm MAY 2025 ■ Yam’s 1990s sports tourer ■ OSSA’s 500cc two-stroke twin ■ CB400F project underway JUNE 2025 ■ Hayabusa – rapid at 25 ■ Know your spanners ■ Deauville delights JULY 2025 ■ V4 – the do-it-all daddy ■ Yam twin-stroker – 70s heaven ■ Project Ducati takes to the track AUGUST 2025 ■ Twin take on Suzuki GT550 ■ Honda’s Nineties ‘dream bike’ ■ GT500 café racer project finishes SEPTEMBER 2025 ■ Outstanding hybrid ■ Exciting Yamaha TDM ■ Buyer’s…

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 97 for more) then go to: www.classicmagazines.co.uk/issue/preorder where you can pre-order all of Kelsey’s wonderful magazines. Even ones about trains, cars or towpaths… Scan me with your camera phone!…

OCTOBER 15 NOVEMBER ISSUE OF CMM ON SALE 16 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER CLASSIC RACER ON SALE 17 Bike Night The Bike Sanctuary, The Old Woodyard, Forest Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK197DE: www.bikesanctuary.co.uk 18 Scorton Auto/Bike Jumble North Yorkshire Events Centre, Atley Hill Road, Scorton, Richmond, North Yorks DL10 6EJ 18 Spur Gear Car and Bike Breakfast Meet The Spur Inn, London Road, Slindon Common, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 0NE: www.thespurslindon.co.uk 19 ’Normous Newark Motorcycle Autojumble Newark Showground, Lincoln Rd, Coddington, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NY: www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 25 Kempton Park Motorcycle Jumble Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey TW16 5AQ: www.kemptonautojumble.co.uk 26 South of England Classic Show and Bike Jumble South of England Showground, Ardingly, Surrey RH17 6TL: www.elkpromotions.co.uk 26 Huddersfield Autojumble The Old Market Building, Brook Street, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire…

Ian Todhunter says: “Hi folks! Here are some of my early bikes from 1981-1991. I’m still riding, of course, and just sold the heavily modded GSX-R1100K I’d owned since 1999. So, the list includes a Suzuki GSX250 (my first new bike); the ubiquitous teen dream Yamaha RD250LC; a modded Honda CB900FZ; a 1988 ‘jellymould’ Honda CBR600 that I raced. What else was there… Oh yes, a Honda CB250RS winter hack which I loved! Then a 1991 Honda CBR600 at the 1991 Manx GP. Then there’s me and a mate hooning on air-cooled Zeds circa 1983. Also, a heavily modded 1980 Z750E with Uni-track back-end at the Isle of Man TT (it started life exactly the same as bike in front!). Also I had a hyper-reliable 1986 VFR750. Oh, and the same…

Fans of the Honda CB400 Four don’t get more enthusiastic and committed than Jude Brown, president of the Honda Owners Club GB, and one of its two classic secretaries. Learning to ride at 17, she’s been in the HOC since 1980 when she helped set up the West London branch. Her first CB400F2 was bought for £600 in 1982, having suffered what she called the worst Honda ever – a CB250G5! “It was love at first ride,” she says of the 400 Four. “The acceleration was amazing and with those iconic sweeping pipes it was a work of art. It handled like a dream and was easy to corner and ground the foot-pegs.” Apart from rain affecting the HT leads, TUF 756S was fairly bulletproof over the years, including lots…

It’s a classic true-ism that ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’. Or is it that things just go in cycles? One of these things is true, anyways, or perhaps both. I mean, take the retro motorcycle. It’s hip, it’s happening and it’s like ‘now’… You only have to take a look at some manufacturers’ line-ups to see that many have a ‘retro’, ‘heritage’ or ‘classic’ line of bikes harking back to the good old days. For some other manufacturers, old-looking bikes are all they do… and they do very well out of them indeed, many becoming best-sellers… So, we know then that nostalgia sells and we’ve enjoyed many cycles of it. When embarking on this test, I recall a large number of previous group road tests…

What’s the best bit about riding your bike? The noise? That tug on the bars when you ring down for ‘full ahead, both’? Well, yup, I get that, but the sensation that flies under the radar is how it ‘feels’ and how compliant the suspension is, because if it kicks you up the arse over every little bump in the road or pitches you off line for no reason on your favourite corner you’ll get cheesed off mighty quick! Modern suspension is amazing but even old clunkers can get a leg up with a few tweaks and a bit of work. Here’s my quick ‘How To’ guide for a sweeter ride, so let’s start at the front. With the whole shebang stripped and cleaned, it’s essential to check whether the…

In 2000 we were looking for a new bike and narrowed it down to the Yamaha FZS600 or the Suzuki SV650S. The SV won because the rear foot-pegs were lower and more comfortable for my wife Lyn, plus I preferred the V-twin engine. Our SV650S was purchased from Rob Wilsher Motorcycles for £4000 with genuine fairing lowers and rear hugger added to the deal ‘at cost’. The SV went to Europe and the Isle of Man. It did this two-up perfectly, including soft luggage and a tank bag. Later, Lyn rode the SV for five years. Then it became a second bike to other bikes. We couldn’t part with it. We added a full Akrapovic exhaust and an MRA screen in 2002 and later, adjustable fork tops. Recently, the SV…

Who doesn’t like a decent slice of progress on a project? It’s often just the boost we’re in need of when it’s been a long slog, things have been going wrong, or you’re just hacked off with life in general. A perfect case in point is the rear-light assembly of the Rickuki. In theory it’s not ‘mission critical’ at this juncture yet; thinking ahead here for once, I’d sussed out that it needs to be in place ASAP so I can fit the battery tray. The unit is a cut-down Suzuki T305 rewelded to suit the stainless-steel rear guard. In an ideal world I’d be using OEM Suzuki rubbers and fittings but as the project is absorbing funds faster than a journalist mopping up booze at a free bar, so…

Slosh is designed for the sealing of steel and aluminium petrol and diesel tanks, so let’s get going. Tests with dilutions of up to 85 per cent corn ethanol show no breakdown of the coating, so it is more than capable of protection against the ethanol content of modern fuel. Before you start, this is the important bit! It is vital that you remove or protect anything that you do not want Slosh to seal, including plugs, fuel gauge sender units, breather pipes and filters. With the tank off the bike (or out of the vehicle, if it’s got more than two wheels) check for holes and any sealer that may have been used. Any previously applied sealer will need to be removed with Rustbuster AS-10. Slosh will seal pin…

FURYGAN SHARD JACKET We love this as it’s almost ‘too cool for school’. The Furygan Shard Jacket is one of those useful and functional jackets that also looks good off the bike. You’ve got D3O shoulder and elbow protectors, a back-protector pocket for a suitable Furygan D3O back protector (not supplied), and reflective inserts for dark nights. Constructed from tough polyester, you’ve also got a decent ventilation system for warm riders but also a bonded, breathable and waterproof liner – as well as a removable thermal liner. Neoprene inserts at the collar aid comfort, a jacket-to-trouser connection loop stops it riding up when you’re on the bike, and the hood is removable. Available in black and black/white in sizes S to 5XL. www.furygan.com WEISE NORVIK JEANS These new Norvik Jeans…

The Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum again played host to Kickback in September – a one-day invitational showcase celebrating the very best in custom engineering, retro mods, classics and race bikes. It proved to be a busy day, with the 500-plus classic gems on display in the museum being joined by over 400 bikes visiting for the day as well as the 100 customs and specials motorcycles that were brought for the display. This year’s showcase coincided with the launch of Kickback magazine, a new quarterly publication dedicated to custom culture. For more information about upcoming events, visit: www.sammymiller.co.uk…

Classic Motorcycle Mechanics is sad to report that former Classic Racer editor, Malc Wheeler, passed away on 10 September, aged 77. Malc started out in the motorcycle industry back in 1976 as a salesman for Freddie Frith Ltd. in Grimsby. He’d eventually work at Ducati importers Moto Cinelli and also have a long career in racing. Malc developed a love both for his local circuit Cadwell Park and the Isle of Man TT course, first going to the Island in 1974. Eventually, he would take three podium finishes at the TT, in 1979 (third) and two second places in 1986 and 1987. His last TT appearance would come in 1990. In 2013 he also became President of the TT Riders’ Association. His publishing career with Mortons Media Group began in…

Super Scooper! One of the most interesting sections of CMM is when Steve Cooper is creating a special; this is of special interest to me as I am also an incurable builder of motorcycles! A couple of points. Steve admits he cannot weld, so maybe it’s time the old dog learned new tricks? There is a very helpful company in Tewkesbury called R-Tech Welding. They supply superb equipment with a wide range of single phase units which are ideal for the home workshop. This is also supported with training and after-sales. Maybe you could get Steve to learn MIG and TIG welding. The TIG is superb for aluminium repairs so this would benefit Steve and also I am sure would make for an interesting topic. Also, I have mentioned before:…

Honda’s CB400 Four is arguably the most popular classic Japanese motorcycle out there today. From when it first appeared at the Cologne Show in September 1974, its sporty styling matched with four-cylinder urge, the bike has been a favourite among restorers, who even after 50 years find that parts are still generally available, making a project a satisfying prospect. Right from the start, after collecting the first test bike for the weekly paper Motor Cycle early in February 1975, I felt it was a winner. I was hugely impressed by its combination of smoothness and lively performance that recalled the heady days of Honda’s world-championship winning streak in all classes in the 1960s. Editor of the paper Peter Kelly was so excited by the bike that he hatched a plan…

A decade back now, a colleague got ‘bored’ of running a long-term 2015 Yamaha XJR1300 so I was asked if I would take it over… Hell yeah! If I was expecting a happy return to the XJR, I was disappointed. I mean, look at it… Gone was the traditional, classic 1970s look of the 1995-2014 XJR, instead you had what was called a ‘café racer’ of sorts or perhaps more accurately some Yamaha marketing take on one. Riding the bike and there were more similarities than differences and, if you were honest with yourself, the ride was better, too; 10mm less wheelbase gave the bike a bit more zip in the turns. The brakes were great, still being the Sumitomo Blue-spot calipers. The motor matched the handling, with the (now) fuel-injected…

Weise Tempest Thermal One-Piece Over Suit worth £139.99. Ready for any weather, this thermal one-piece oversuit is designed for riders who won’t let the elements stop them. Constructed from durable, waterproof and breathable Ripstop, it features a 100gsm thermal quilted lining to keep you warm on long journeys. The full-length waterproof zipper makes it easy to get in and out quickly and the suit includes an adjustable waist, cuffs, and lower leg expander. Reflective panels enhance nighttime visibility. Find out more at https://www.weiseclothing.com A ComfortAir Seat Cushion worth £69.99. Ideal for classic and modern machines alike, these seat cushions improve comfort on longer journeys. Best of all, they’re easy to both attach and remove. www.mycomfortair.co.uk An MTR Vintage retro crash helmet worth £130. This is a retro full-face motorcycle helmet…

You can buy a higher mileage spares or repair example for as little as £500; a runner with MoT can be had for as little as £650 and a really decent regular rider could be yours for just £1250! We found several extremely nice low-mileage examples could be on your drive for £1995 so what are you hanging around for? The partially faired S variant gets the rider bent down a littlele more than the naked model so it’s worth sitting on both to decide which best suits. Some examples on offer are ex-race or track-day bikes so you want to look a little deeper for signs of lock wiring, etc. Although there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with a track escapee, there’re so many bog-standard SV650s out there at sensible money,…

So, I’m getting on with the engine and there is a slight ‘Oh, by the way’ here as I should have explained last time about valve timing: Oops! Sorry! When fitting the cam-chain, you need to arrange things such that the rather insignificant looking horizontal lines on the sprocket line up with the top of the cylinder head (Photo 1) and the timing marks on the auto advance unit line up with the 1 and 4 ‘top dead centre’ mark (Photo 2). I should point out that the sprocket mounting bolts are special parts (Photo 3). They have an unthreaded portion which prevents any movement and are probably of high tensile material, despite being unmarked. No washers are fitted and I would advise using highstrength locking fluid, just in case.…

A magazine subscription is the perfect gift: • Personal, thoughtful and fuels their passion • Provides enjoyment all year round • And saves you money on the shop price! GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM £19.99 OVER 29 TITLES TO CHOOSE FROM VISIT CLASSICMAGAZINES.CO.UK/XMAS2501 OR CALL 01507 529 529 ANDQUOTE ‘XMAS2501’ Lines are open Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5pm. Calls are charged at your standard network rate. UK customers only. Offers end 31st January 2026…

First, a quick recap. Back in the August 2024 issue I reported that this Suzuki GS1000 was being sorted out by me for friend and CMM reader Tim Claridge. And so, we move on! Recently, it’s like Christmas at Bolas towers with various parcels of parts being delivered and suppliers sending refinished parts back to me. The powder-coating has come out really well, as has the plating of the fasteners. First job with this lot is to clean all the threads out with a tap so they are ready to receive the replated bolts. Interesting job now of getting the engine back in the frame and just like its removal, the engine didn’t make things easy. In the end we had to put the engine on its side, drop the…

WITH MORE THAN 30 PAGES OF PRACTICAL ADVICE! 1982 KAWASAKI GPz750: Steve Cooper heads back to the 1980s and loves it! LAVERDA JOTA AT 50: From the people who know… KAWASAKI KMX125: Buyer’s Guide on the green-lane meanie SHOW US YOURS AND THE WAY WE WERE: Win a T-shirt for sending us your nostalgic waffle! PROJECT BIKES: We will be showcasing some of the following (space allowing): Mark Haycock’s Honda CB400 Four; Steve Cooper’s Ducati/Suzuki special or Rickuki; Jeff Ware’s Honda CBR900RR FireBlade or Suzuki GSX-R750F. Then there’s Ralph Ferrand with his Kawasaki Z900 Special or new project Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk.1. Will Hollman’s Yamaha DT360 will be back, and maybe Andy Bolas’ Suzuki GS1000 and Suzuki SV650S. And what about Shaun Nielsen’s exotic Ducati 996SPS? December issue onsale: NOVEMBER…

I know, I know, but sometimes we need to shuffle precision and intent about a bit… Let me explain. On greeting Georgie Fame to Ringway Airport (now Manchester Airport, it was a long time ago) the local Wigan Daily newshound clattered out a greeting/declaration of hostilities/weather warning to Georgie thus: ‘A’t fain tha’s leet I’ Wigin lad?’ Nobody, Georgie included, had a clue what he was going on about. It made all the sense of a speech by ‘The Donald’ on human rights, or flower arranging. On the back of that, I wholeheartedly (pushing it) apologise for all the falsehoods, psycho-babble and tall tales I’ve inflicted on you, my poor reader (must be one, surely!) over the last 10 years (and counting.) I’m minded of the occasional reference to Bernoulli’s…