Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2026 i Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

People think you know everything about classic motorcycles if you’re running this magazine. That’s nice, challenging and incorrect of course! Neighbours will ask what their old bike is worth. Friends of friends will text me, with a blurry picture of some bike their mate has. No information. No idea of miles, or history, or provenance, just: ‘What’s it worth mate?’ And here’s the answer. ‘I don’t know.’ But I try and find out. I research, if I can. This stems from my time on local newspapers. As a cub reporter you’d go to the library and ‘research’ things. Doing a story on the local health authority? Research it… I quite enjoyed that side of things. In fact, I still do! What is trickier is ‘predicting the future’. What bikes will…

I was sat in the office when a call came through from the road-test team: “That Kawasaki has just done 168mph through the timing lights…” I was working for a motorcycle magazine at the time and passed the word around that Kawasaki’s ZX-6R G1 had loped through the timing lights at Bruntingthorpe’s proving ground at an impressive 168.6mph. Many of us were stunned. At the time (1998) Honda’s CBR1100XX Super Blackbird was the quickest production bike (tested by us) at 177mph and – just a few years before – the Kawasaki ZZ-R1100 was, at 174mph. Supersport 600s were generally 150mph-ish with big litre sports bikes like the FireBlade a good 10mph quicker. Sports 750s were somewhere in between. Yeah, we all wondered about the conditions and (ahem) eventually the calibration…

When Honda dropped the first CBR900RR FireBlade on us in 1992, it tore up the rulebook. Here was a 120bhp superbike that weighed less than many 600s, with aggressive styling and a road-biased stance that made it every rider’s dream (check out our Buyer’s Guide on page 66). Fast-forward three decades, and today’s litre-class superbikes have become ever more extreme – track focused, bristling with electronics and high price tags. But what if Honda went back to basics, and built a Fireblade for the real world? Enter the 2026 Honda Hornet Blade, a superbike that reimagines the original Blade using Honda’s new Hornet 1000 SP as its foundation. It’s fair to say the Hornet 1000 has been a huge success since launch, offering superbike performance but without the genuine superbike…

1985 still doesn’t sound that long ago to me, but I guess that’s what happens when you get older. The days seem to fly by a lot quicker now that I’m over the 50-year threshold than they did when I was a spotty teenager. I have been on two wheels since I was 12 years old. By the time it came to take my test ‘proper’ it had just changed to the two-part test. I bet some of you remember it. An empty car park for riding skills and an old shed in which to answer questions on the Highway Code. Then (if successful) on another day you’d ride around some streets you knew while a man with a clipboard hid behind parked cars watching (well, ‘observing’) what you were…

I really never used to be a fan of fuel-injection. On many of the earlier injected machines I rode, turning throttle movements into squirts of fuel didn’t feel organic, linear or buttery-smooth, like a well-set-up set of carbs. Exactly what this bike delivered… I imagine quite a few of you would be nodding in agreement. Carbs are cool, whereas fuel-injection can feel a bit, well, ‘synthetic’. The perfect example was an MV Agusta F4 1000 I rode, which went like a missile out on the open roads, but then turned into a glitchy, snatchy and stall-happy monster around town. I thought that all it needed was a good set of carbs… Much like my once fondly held love for two-strokes over four-strokes, I’ve pulled up the anchor and let my…

Amazing to think that this beauty is 20 years old this year and therefore well into our age range as a true ‘classic’. It’s also perhaps one of the best British bikes ever built and certainly the bike that helped change Triumph’s direction in the design of some of their range, especially their more sporting machines. Also, it could be argued that without this machine, we wouldn’t be seeing the Triumph-powered Moto2 prototype race machines out in MotoGP today. Before the 675, Triumph were always a bit behind the big Japanese factories. They copied; they made inline-four cylinder bikes in the major classes and some triples, some twins. They were close to revealing their own litre-plus inline four hyperbike with which to take on the likes of the Honda Blackbird…

A few months ago, in a reckless move during yet another midlife crisis, I swapped my soulless Suzuki DRZ400 for a tatty 2002 Yamaha R1 and (unknownst to me) ex track bike. It was the first of the fuel-injection engines for Yamaha’s flagship race replica and it needed quite a bit of TLC. The bike was featured in the August 2025 edition of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics and underwent a lot of dyno work at my mate’s tuning company in Manston, Kent. Darren from Rollin-Roads fitted the bike with the latest Power Commander and set the engine up for maximum power, torque and smoothness. The beast was on the dyno for around three hours and after the run it had finished off what was left of the old Michelin Pilot rear…

We are big fans of ELK Promotions here at CMM, so we thought we’d shine a spotlight on what they’re up to this year. ELK, who’ve been going since 1992, are run by event organiser Julie Diplock and she says: “We’re looking forward to another great year of classic bike shows and auto-jumbling at our popular series of events in the south-east. Free stands are always available for bona-fide charities and motorcycle clubs. Oh, and do visit Vintage Bike Bird, our new YouTube Channel. Come and visit us here: www.youtube.com/@VintageBikeBirdand don’t forget to subscribe if you want more content.” For all things ELK go to: https://www.elkpromotions.co.uk/ 2026 ELK PROMOTION DATES 29 March: South of England Classic Show & Bike Jumble: South of England Showground, Ardingly, near Gatwick RH17 6TL. 6…

A collection of motorcycle memorabilia is going under the hammer at a Bonhams online auction in February. Offered by Mike Jackson, who will be familiar to many as president of the Norton Owners Club, the items are all from his personal collection, built up during a career spanning five decades working in the British motorcycle industry. Mike competed in Trials and Scrambles in the UK and Europe between 1954-1970, having ridden (and worked) for Greeves. Subsequently joining Norton Villiers, he went off to California to sell Norton Commandos during the week, and to race in desert events at the weekend astride AJS Stormers. Having returned to the UK, Mike bought Andover Norton International Ltd in 1981 and, 10 years later, became co-owner of BSA Group Ltd. THREE LOTS ARE UP…

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As promised last month, I am continuing to fabricate my rear-sets from lumps of metal. I even have a set of period Rassk rear-sets, but that would be too easy and I have in my head what I want my foot controls to look like and I have set my heart on rubber-topped foot-rests with an elegant mix of polished stainless and aluminium. Originally, I was going to use a set of Kawasaki ZRX1200R foot-rests, but when I got a set, being die-cast, they just weren’t quite as nice as I wanted for my custom bike. So, I decided to use the ones I bought as a pattern and a donor for the rubbers, but machine mine from solid aluminium bar. More on that later. Aluminium stock tends to be…

Looking at these pictures, it’s hard to fathom that the lovely lines of the Honda CBR900RR FireBlade are more than 30 years old. Yes, the first incarnation of the ubiquitous ‘Blade’ appeared back in 1992 and this model, the RR-R/RR-S, appeared back in 1994-95 and is probably the purest of the breed. They are now, undoubtedly, modern classics and can be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of the Kawasaki Z1, Honda CB750, Yamaha RD350LC and Suzuki GSX-R750F. Originally starting life during 1989, the project that became the FireBlade was led by Tadao Baba who had served as a project member on machines such as the CB750F and CB400F. He was also a test rider and former racer. In the late 1980s the fashion was one of more…

After working on a few electrical connections all over the bike I thought it was time to do a few tests, so for a start how about seeing if the engine will turn over? I think it is sensible to have a quick release system to use in case a serious fault becomes apparent and here is my ‘system’ (Photo 1). The screw is just put in loosely so the earth can be disconnected straightaway. Okay, turn the ignition on and the oil pressure warning light comes on: good sign! Press the start button and nothing happens: not quite so good. I thought it would be highly unlikely that the starter motor was not working as I had always found them to be very reliable. The battery is fully charged…

Triumph is launching two very saucy single cylinder retro machines this spring. The Tracker is a 400 naked which has the look of a ‘flat-track’-type bike – a popular style of bike these days. The Thruxton 400 gives you that café racer look with a neat half-fairing. Both machines use tweaked versions of the existing Triumph 398cc TR Series motor. They have a smidge more top-end power (just over 41bhp) thanks to an increase in the rev-limit and different camshafts. Both bikes will sit inside the existing 400 range, with the Scrambler 400 X and Speed 400. The Tracker is apparently styled after flat-track machines, but (to us) it’s quite reminiscent of the Royal Enfield Bear 650 rode recently – complete with number-boards. Meanwhile, the Thruxton is a bit of…

I’m always a bit behind with the times… so while I’m just realising that Royal Enfield are now packing their range out with some decent bikes, it appears they have been doing so for quite some time. Take this Super Meteor for instance. Apparently, it’s been around since the end of 2022 at the various bike shows and was launched to the public in 2023. There have been standard and ‘touring’ versions released and my posterior is currently plonked on the standard version. First thing I notice is the cost… Yeah, strange coming at it this way, but I’ve had a read up and find that this sizeable chunk of motorcycle is available for just £6949. Wowser. That’s a lot of motorcycle for your wonga. So, just what are we…

In the last part (well, the first part) which I’d been woefully short of usable photographs, I’d stripped and cleaned the bike, plus parts from another donor GT380 were sourced. Lots of these bits had been sent out for the refinishing process I cannot do at home, and I’d cracked on with sorting out various bits in the naive thought that all I’d then have to do was assemble everything at my leisure. At the time of writing I can assure you that I’m a fair bit further on in the build and that part of the plan has only partially worked out. Despite having a GT380 some 40-plus years ago, remembering much about the mechanicals has slipped into obscurity, although there are some little glimmers on occasion! The build…

My best mate Joe had a brother-in-law who was in the motor trade. Every now and then John would bring us boys a motorcycle to try to start. Up and down the road we ran, trying to bump start the NSU Quickly which would, every now and then, burst into thrilling life. It only ran for a few seconds mind, but that was enough to keep Joe and I pushing. We were both around 13 when John brought a 650cc pre-unit Triumph with coffin side-car to Joe’s house for us to play with. Bit of a step-up. I managed to ride that bike right through the hedge into the adjoining garden whilst they were having al fresco tea and cakes; how they jumped! It was the usual ‘Which way does…

Already so far in this issue we’ve looked at what happens when a manufacturer ‘does something different’ from the norm. Go see page six for more of that. And here’s another one… It could be argued that in the 2000s Yamaha had gotten into a little bit of a rut with ‘samey’ four-cylinder bikes which didn’t offer much in the way of pizzaz. Then they branched off… and we reckon these are future classics. With the MT family, Yamaha wanted to go back to basics with a range of bikes that were ‘Master of Torque’, hence a range of twins, triples and a four with crossplane cranks to give real character. The MT-07 is now 12 years old – not far off the magical 15 for VJMC classic status. At…

*The editor reserves the right to completely mess up the list below in a bid to give you the best mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s machines and fettling tips! SUZUKI GSX-R750 WT: 30 years of SRAD lunacy celebrated! HONDA CB250RS: Super single from the 1980s KAWASAKI H2 750: Buyer’s Guide on this 1970s triple treat! GOING OUT IN STYLE: Motorcycle Funerals 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; Will Hollman’s Yamaha DT360 or his new BMW R1200…