Home//Classic Bike/April 2024/In This Issue
Classic Bike|April 2024WelcomeThis is forward planning. The Rutland Rattle doesn’t take place until June 16, but I’ve just emailed the organiser to confirm my entry for this tour of the UK’s smallest county on small-capacity machinery. So that’s one Sunday sorted and the rest of summer still to plan. Where will you be riding in 2024? This year’s events guide provides plenty of choice. I’d love to get to Northern Ireland to see Stephen Walsh race his 350 Honda (page 40), Bridlington for Race the Waves with Rod Baraona (page 50) and Cadwell Park to watch bikes fly over The Mountain (page 80). Or maybe attempt some aviation myself at a Classic Bike Trackdays event on June 22-23 (listed on page 61). Digging into our photo archive to find nostalgic pictures delivered…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Workers’ playtimeWhen I was a teenager in mid-1960s Switzerland owning a moped provided a form of freedom unknown in previous years. I was no longer tied to bus timetables or having to cadge a lift from my parents. A moped represented complete freedom of movement and a canny way of increasing my geographical network of girlfriends, a very important aspect of being a teenager! Back in those days, neither helmets nor protective outerwear were required. We just rode around in whatever we were wearing on the day – unless it was wet, in which case a mackintosh was used. My first moped was a 1963 Paloma, a French make with a Lavalette engine, but it was restricted to 30kph (18mph) by legislation then current in Switzerland. It soon became apparent that…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024CLOSE TO THE HEDGEApril COOKSTOWN 100 • APRIL 26-27 • NORTHERN IRELAND Ihave been in awe of road racing and road racers since I was a small child. My earliest racing memories are sitting on the banks near Dukes Bends on the Skerries circuit in North County Dublin. I can’t imagine that any child – or indeed adult – who has the good fortune to watch bikes roar up a narrow country lane at breathtaking speed could be anything other than smitten. There’s nothing like it. Pure road racing thrills all our senses – you are in amongst the smells and sounds of race bikes in a way that is impossible at the more sterile short circuits. At a road race you’re so close you can feel the air pressure change as the…7 min
Classic Bike|April 2024SINGLE MINDED3-6Despatch Rally, Bridport, Dorset. Fun rally/navigation event that honours military despatch riders past and present. A great event to show off your military machine. despatchrally.co.uk 4-6 British Superbikes, Oulton Park, Round 2 britishsuperbike.com 4 The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, Quail Lodge and Golf Club, Carmel, California, USA. One of the highest-profile motorcycle events in the US showcases the past, present and future of motorcycling – in style. peninsula.com 5-6Westmorland Motor Club Classic Scramble, Bassenthwaite, Cumbria. Second round of a new three-meeting club championship. westmorlandmotorclub.com 5-11 Scottish Six Days Trial, Fort William, Inverness-shire. Not an event for classics perhaps, but certainly a classic event in its own right. ssdt.org 5 Spring Autojumble, Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, Bashley, New Milton, Hampshire. A great excuse to combine a mooch…5 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Excelsior 7CThis is the life. Who wants to be doing anything but riding a motorcycle on a day like today? The bike’s running smoothly, pulling me along at a respectable speed, swinging comfortably round bends while my lungs gulp down fresh spring air, sweetened by new green life unfurling in the hedgerows. It’s the kind of experience motorcyclists have enjoyed for well over a century – which is entirely appropriate, since I’m riding a bike made 110 years ago. Considering the change in those years – two world wars, the nuclear age and the digital revolution – there’s something pretty amazing about just going for a ride on a 1913 Chicago-built Excelsior, enjoying much the same sensations as the first owner. Well, I say that... I admit to being a bit…8 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Imperial FixesTRITON A question of balance Angus Mather is building a pre-unit Triumph engine with a 750 Bonnie top end and wants to achieve minimum vibration. He’s curious why there’s so much more opinion than definite information about balance factors and why changing pistons – even for larger ones – sometimes makes little difference. Well, balancing seems a dark art; naturally specialists guard their secrets, but even the effectiveness can be uncertain. When I rebuilt Indian engines, I statically balanced the cranks and customers often found them smoother – but was that balancing or the rebuild? The only sure thing is you can’t have 100% balance, because – unlike a wheel – part of the assembly reciprocates, so the percentage represents a (sort of) average sum for this variable mass. I…6 min
Classic Bike|April 2024At the workbenchTip Frame-protecting pipe lagging Price: A couple of quid for a few feet Where? Hardware shops Rather than risk the finish on your newly repainted or powdercoated frame when you come to refit an engine, protect vulnerable areas with some of this. Cable-tie or tape it so it can’t pop off while you’re wrestling things back together. Even if trapped between tubework and engine cases, it is easy enough to pull and tear out. One more tip in this context: if you’ve done a complete stripdown for a rebuild, rather than lift an engine into a frame, put the motor on its side on the workbench and lift the frame over and onto it. Tool Telescopic magnetic pick-up tool Price: From under a fiver Where? Toolshops or internet…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Metalwork classHugo Wilson: 1951 BSA Bantam CB’s editor is a Matchless, Morini and BSA Bantam owner who doesn’t have a garage, only an ill-equipped basem*nt workshop. Vaguely looking for a nice Honda VFR750 if you’d like to tempt him. The wiring on a BSA Bantam D1 is basic, apparently consisting of six feet of wire, a few bulbs and some switches, so even a bodger like me should be able to make a new wiring loom. Having no garage is my usual reason for relying on specialist help with projects, but when the job is ‘clean’ Mrs W allows the bikes into the house to be fettled, so I had no excuse not to get stuck in. Even so, the bike sat for weeks, while I half-heartedly sized up the job.…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024LOOSE CHANGE£775 1974 Yamaha TY175 Runs and rides and could make a great little trials/trail special with a bit of work (and a little cash). Comes with a spare TY175 engine too, so there should be plenty of useful spares. 07970 525070 £999 1969 Honda CT90K project Engine turns over, but no spark. Missing ignition switch, exhaust and a few other bits, but should be available, so looks a worthwhile project. On the NOVA database for easy UK registration. 01827 712906 £9991966 Suzuki B105P Bearcat Great project that’s all there except for one side panel. Engine turns over with good compression and selects all gears, though no spark. Californian import with all taxes and duties paid. 01827 712906 £10001991 Kawasaki ZZR600 Very original apart from the screen and silencer. First…1 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Hammering downESTIMATE £120,000-150,000 1949 Vincent Black Lightning The flagship of Vincent’s post-war range is both rare – with only 34 machines believed to have been built between 1948 and 1955 – and extremely desirable. Essentially a tuned Black Shadow, the Lightning is based on Rollie Free’s 1948 record-breaking Black Shadow, with raised compression, MkII cams, Amal TT carburettors and two-inch diameter straight-through exhaust. The production Black Lightning appeared at the 1948 Earls Court Show. This example was one of a pair despatched to Poland in 1949 for sidecar racing and was repatriated in 1972. Acquired by the vendor in 1976, it was restored in 1999/2000 and has remained unused since. bonhams.com ESTIMATE £15,000-18,000 1952 MV Agusta 123.5cc Monoalbero racer project Developed from MV’s dohc GP bikes, the Monoalbero (single cam) production…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Sold for just $1k – a shocking decisionHere’s a shot of me and my old man on my 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000, taken in El Segundo, California in the mid-1980s. No helmet law back then! Great bike but a little ponderous in the twisties; the Marzocchi shocks didn’t help much. I sold it for a grand in 1994 – oops. I wouldn’t mind having this one back. That’s my 1970 VW Beetle in the background – another classic. Perry Pessia, Tigard, Oregon, USA Show us your photos Got a photo from back in the day of you showing off your bike? Tell us the story behind it... who you are with, when and where it was taken, and – most importantly – what are your memories of the bike(s) pictured? Share it with CB readers by sending a…1 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Westerly forecastApril 2024 Jeff Stray 1959 1300cc Panther “I’ve always liked English V-twins – but you can’t get a running one for less than ten grand these days, so I thought maybe I could make my own,” says Jeff. “I had a normal single-port 600cc Panther – but when I took the mag off, I realised there’s a shelf that looks like it’s the right angle for another cylinder. In no way did I do all the engineering jobs on this; I’m good at thinking up solutions and doing the basic stuff, but then I get other people with the proper machinery and knowledge to do the complicated stuff. I’ve had help from people all over the country to make this,” he admits. The engine wouldn’t fit into a standard Featherbed…7 min
Classic Bike|April 2024I rode Rick’s RideWhen I received the March edition in the post, I turned immediately to Rick Parkington’s test ride on the 1939 HRD Rapide. Well, hello good old DUR 599 – this takes me back! I say this because, way back in circa 1986, I was very kindly offered a go on this bike by the then owner – a friend of a friend, John Waltham, a farmer who used it as his daily transport. Like Rick, I was immensely impressed by the bike, the first Vincent motorcycle I had ridden. The experience made me determined to own a Vincent twin, although it took me more than 30 years to achieve this! As you can see from the accompanying photo, the bike was not quite in the gleaming condition it is now;…8 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Now we’re getting FizzyThe first year of getting a moped was one of the best of my life. For six months after buying my FS1-E, I’d wake up on a Saturday morning, check the weather, put four quid of fuel in and go where I wanted. Anywhere! I went to Blackpool, Cadwell, the Dales... and I didn’t have to ask for a lift. As a 16-year-old, that was a massive deal. I was 16 in 1982, so that was five years after the sports moped era finished in 1977, when the law changed. It had begun in 1971 – until then you could ride a 250 on L-plates at 16, but the politicians thought: ‘Hang on, we can’t have kids flying about on 250s’, so they restricted you to a 50cc with pedals.…6 min
Classic Bike|April 202424 Heures du MansThe 24 hour race at Le Mans traditionally ends with a track invasion by fans. In 1981 race organisers used a massive Gendarmerie presence to try and maintain crowd control – but they also started and finished the race four minutes early, so that the winning Kawasaki was back in its garage when, shortly after this picture was taken, the crowds broke through at 3pm on the Sunday afternoon. The race was won by works Kawasaki riders Jean-Claude Chemarin and Christia Hugeut, who did 778 laps (2049 miles). They won by 25 laps, despite a crash at 8:15 on the Sunday morning. The British pairing of Bernie Toleman and Darryl Pendlebury finished 21st, having covered 659 laps on their Suzuki. They lost an hour and a half in the pits,…1 min
Classic Bike|April 2024How to build a fast CB350 road racerThe CB350K4 four-stroke twin remains one of the most successful classic racing grid-fillers at both entry-level and national standard. It is also one of the cheapest routes into classic road racing. Honda sold more than 600,000 K4s from 1968-1972, more than half of that number in the USA. They are still in plentiful supply and you can pick up a complete 350K4 for as little as £1500. As Stephen Walsh’s race engineer Graham Stinson says: “If you’ve a good pair of hands and you use the right bits, anyone can see 43bhp from a 349cc engine.” The stock K4 was 325cc and maybe 32bhp at the wheel. With a race camshaft (£400), stainless steel valves (£200), Kibblewhite valve springs and retainers (£300), and a pair of 66mm pistons (£350), you…3 min
Classic Bike|April 2024SINGLE MINDEDBack in 1983, an 18-year-old buying a 1959 AJS 500 single was a bit strange. Yamaha LCs and Suzuki X7s were the thing, but I thought that I was being cool. And maybe I was also trying to impress my big brother, who was into BSAs. I’d just come out of hospital after crashing my Suzuki GS425, and needed another bike. The Ajay was £300 – it was mint and had just been rebuilt by a bloke who allegedly knew what he was doing, so I thought it was good to go. It turned out that the timing-side bush was so tight that you couldn’t kick it over, so I had to take it apart and rebuild the engine again straight away. I suppose that was the start of the…10 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Barbon Hill Climb5-7 Dragstalgia, Santa Pod Raceway, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants. A weekend of vintage drag racing for hot rods and bikes. santapod.co.uk or dragstalgia.co.uk 5-7 Motoradd Days, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The magnificent Bavarian Alps provide the backdrop for this year’s festival of all things BMW. bmw-motorrad.co.uk 5-7 Laverda 75th Anniversary Rally, Breganze, Italy. A great excuse to load up your Lav and head for northern Italy. iloc.co.uk 6-7 Mallory Park Bike Bonanza, Mallory Park Circuit, Leicestershire. Club racing, dirt track racing, classic trials, motocross and speedway displays and the ever-popular classic bike track sessions. GP ace Steve Baker will be doing laps on a Yamaha OW31. malloryparkcircuit.com 6-7 DTRA Nationals, Mallory Park Bonanza, Mallory Park Circuit, Leicestershire (includes Hooligans championship). dirttrackriders.co.uk 6-7 British Historic Racing, Darley Moor…3 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Park LifeScrapbook Photography CADWELL PARK ARCHIVE On June 24, 1934, a handful of riders arrived for the first ever race at Cadwell Park. The circuit was a simple ¾-mile loop that followed old estate tracks, with chalk used to fill in the ruts that the local steam roller couldn’t rectify, and mattresses tied to trees as safety measures. Several sections were more grass and gravel than chalk, but the racers were used to that. Over the following 90 years, the circuit flourished thanks to founder Charlie Wilkinson’s personal drive and commercial acumen. In 1953 he doubled its length, then in 1961 added the Club Circuit to bring it up to its current 2.18 miles. The chalk, grass, ruts, gravel and mattresses all disappeared along the way as the track was improved.…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024ENJOYING YOUR READ?FREE DIGITAL ACCESS With a Print + Digital subscription ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Great magazine; I can’t wait for it to drop through the letterbox every month” – Subscriber review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Full of interesting stuff to read, a wealth of information and contacts, a brilliant long running publication. Keep it going, we need it” – Subscriber review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Excellent material, very good magazine” – Subscriber review Never miss an issue when you subscribe ■ Save 16%* on shop prices and FREE UK delivery n Receive bonus content and an exclusive monthly e-newsletter n Your perfect guide for fixing and enhancing the bikes resting in your garage, with practical workshop tips to help keep your bike running sweetly n Insightful buying advice…1 min
Classic Bike|April 2024At the workbenchTip Cracking your collets When using a valve spring compressor, especially modern ones that are not very robust, don’t overstress it by using the screw to break the taper-grip of the valve collets. The grip can be very strong, so it’s worth winding the compressor down till it tightens up and then giving the top a smart tap with a soft hammer. You will hear the spring twang when the taper releases and after that the spring should compress easily. A pencil magnet is good to catch the collets and a dab of grease will help hold them in place when replacing them. Specialist ‘Joe The Carb’ Jets for 1920s Amac carbs may be hard to find (see right), but fortunately ‘Joe The Carb’ Pletersky can supply replacements. Joe specialises…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024A bright restartPROJECT HARRIS MAGNUM Alan Seeley attempts to make a fast period-style bike from a bunch of old bits Back in January the Harris Magnum project came to a juddering halt when we discovered the horrors lurking within the Suzuki GSX1100 power unit. Stripping down our secondhand engine revealed that it had eaten a piston, with the subsequent case of indigestion rendering the barrels and crank cases as scrap too. After standing back to take a deep breath, we decided that the best way forward would be to find another set of cases and barrels, and take the opportunity to rebore and fit oversize pistons to increase engine capacity. We have now found those parts, and the new cases are being Ceracoated in anticipation of engine reassembly next month. But as…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Metalwork masterclassRick Parkington: 1914 Blackburne racer Rick’s extensive array of sheds contain lots of ancient bikes, heaps of spares and some large machine tools. With a lifetime of old bike experience and expertise, if he hasn’t got we he needs, he’ll make it himself. ‘Billet’ implies a component machined from solid, rather than turned out of foundries in thousands. It’s a popular term in customising – even if most ‘billet’ custom parts are actually turned out of Chinese CNC machine shops in thousands. But not this one. Most of the time, replacing a part means buying one – but what do you do when you can’t get one? I had found the perfect throttle lever assembly for my ‘Scarlet Runner’ Brooklands racer – but the mounting bracket was made from Mazak,…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024DEEP POCKETS 2003 Foggy Petronas FP1FOR SALE £70,000 Shortly after World Superbike legend Carl Fogarty retired from the track in 2000, he returned as the figurehead of a new team. With an all-new bike and a pretty impressive track record, the initial plan was for the Petronas-backed team to challenge for Moto GP honours. With a mix of Malaysian oil/gas millions and the F1 expertise of Swiss engineering outfit Sauber building the engine, the future looked bright. But a change of plans – with the team opting to contest the World Superbike series rather than Moto GP – led Sauber to pull out. Another Swiss engineering outfit, Suter Racing Technology, took over engine development, but a change in WSB regulations for 2003 upped the limit for triples to 1000cc – instantly making the 899cc…1 min
Classic Bike|April 2024‘MotoGP bikes are a new thing for us’The last six months have confirmed that the new ‘sweet spot’ for classic and collectible bike sales is somewhere around the ‘30 years ago’ mark. At our last sale of 2023, some of the best performing lots were ’90s machines. At the MCN London Motorcycle Show this year, we took an early 2000s MotoGP Ducati and an ’80s Skoal Bandit Suzuki GSX-R750 and and we must have been the most photographed stand there. MotoGP bikes are a new thing for us. Often racers are bought and sold in the paddock, rather than at auction; many are stripped down, parts are replaced and bikes are built up from bits. But bikes with good provenance – and the right estimate – will sell. The pair we’re offering this month (below) have certainly…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024A dream come (half) trueI BECAME INTERESTED in older bikes while still at school during the mid-1970s, when projects included a 1948 Royal Enfield single and a 1932 Indian Scout. My interest in Vincents started when I saw a photograph of a Series C Rapide in the book ‘Know Thy Beast’ by EMG Stevens. My dad’s interest in bikes went back many years; he’d owned a Scott and Brough Superior back in the 1940s. So, when a Series C Rapide came up for sale, we went 50/50 to buy it. I had to sell my almost-new Yamaha XT500 to come up with my share and even then I was still a bit short. The Vincent was being sold by an old Italian cane farmer near Lucinda in the far north of Queensland – a…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Moto Guzzi with a smileDR.JOHN AND I became friends in the mid-1980s, when his bikes won three American national titles. The saga of the former dentist and the various Dr John’s Guzzi racers reawakened awareness of the historic Italian brand at a time when its profile was at a low ebb, even among dedicated enthusiasts. A year ago, I decided to write a book recording John’s achievements, both as a dedicated engineer and an incredibly warm human being. He was eager to collaborate and our final interview took place last November. The result was published in Italy by FBA Moto Italiane, in the very same week that John left us. I am pleased he was able to see the finished book before he passed away. In 1983 John had bought a Moto Guzzi Le…3 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Show us yoursRestored Raleigh Model 26 This is my Raleigh Model 26 Super Sports, which was discovered in an overgrown garden in a village near Salisbury in June 2022. Judging by the condition of it, I think it had been in the hedge for well over 70 years – and to cap it all, it had no spark plug in it! Although there were a few parts missing, the bike was in remarkably original condition, and after more than 1000 hours of restoration work by me, I got it on the road late last year. Getting used to the lever throttle and hand change makes riding it something of an adventure, but I hope to put some serious miles on it this year – I have already entered the VMCC’s Giants Run…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Demonic tweaksIf politicians thought that restricting 50cc machines to 30mph would make moped-riding kids more responsible, they were wrong. Rules are meant to be broken. For youngsters zipping about on ’peds in the ’80s, sticking two fingers up to draconian legislation was all part of the fun – and perfect schooling for the generation who would become loons on LCs, RGs and GSX-Rs... While our ’peds were slower by design than FS1-Es, AP50s and Garellis, they oozed kerb appeal, borrowing styling cues, chassis tech and even model names from bigger bikes we aspired to own. Doing away with bicycle pedals was a big win, too. And with kids being cunning to the core, it didn’t take long to figure out how to make our artificially-restricted machine way faster than the suits…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024April1 Ashford Classic Motorcycle Show and Bikejumble, Ashford Livestock Market, Kent. Plenty of indoor space for the club and concours displays, plus an extensive autojumble. There’s a bikes for sale display area and garage clearance plots are available for £15. elk-promotions.co.uk 1 Red Marley Hillclimb, Great Witley, Worcester. Practice gets underway at 9.30am and racing starts at 12pm. Spectacular action on the hill and there’s a pre-65 trial on Easter Sunday too. redmarleyhillclimb.co.uk 6/7CRMC racing, Pembrey Circuit, Carmarthenshire The Classic Racing Motorcycle Club season gets underway in South Wales. crmc.co.uk 7 Five Valleys Run, Barford Inn, Barford St Martin, Wiltshire. Open to non-members and a great day out in the glorious Wiltshire and Dorset countryside. salisburymotorcycleand lightcarclub.co.uk 7 Straightliners Championship, Santa Pod Raceway, Podington, Wellingborough,…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024BMF ShowIt takes something special to attract visitors to Peterborough, but for years the BMF Rally drew huge crowds to the city’s East of England Showground. Here they could admire some custom bikes, watch moped racing, buy cheap kit from trade stalls and enjoy the delights of the Miss BMF competition. Some attendees even camped at the showground and sampled the evening entertainment on offer too. The event first came to Peterborough in 1977, and at its mid-’90s peak attracted a crowd of 85,000. That’s a lot of people and a lot of bikes. Bad management caused its demise in 2014, but the concept was revived in 2016 as The MCN Festival of Motorcycling – but that’s gone now too. The Showground site is currently being redeveloped for housing. Shame.…1 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Hailwood comebackJUNE 16 1 Huggy’s Auto Shindig and Swapmeet, Huggy’s Speed Shop, Mallory Park Circuit, Leicestershire. huggysspeedshop.co.uk 1-2 The Shetland Classic Motor Show and Tours, Clickimin Leisure Complex, Lerwick, Shetland. This biennial show in a beautiful location has become a significant event and there’s a guided ride-out for classic bikes on Monday and Tuesday after the event itself. shetlandclassicmotorshow.co.uk 1-2 Motofest Coventry, West Midlands. A celebration of Coventry’s contribution to the UK’s two- and four-wheeled moto culture. coventrymotofest.com 2 VJMC Day and Japanese Bike Meet. Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, Bashley, New Milton, Hampshire.Japanese classics get their day in the sun at Sammy’s. sammymiller.co.uk 2 The Masters of Motoring, Bowood Spring Classic Car and Motorcycle Show, Bowood House, Calne, Wiltshire.Classic cars and bikes in a suitably stately…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024MAGIC NUMBER‘I suggested Foggy’ Hoss Elm, boss of Moto Cinelli (the UK Ducati importer) in the 1990s “It was February or March ’93 when I first heard about what would become the 916. The factory showed me some early development photos. It was exciting; I could see how far ahead of its time the bike was, in terms of both styling and design. Before that, our top sports bike was the 888, which was doing well in racing and selling in reasonable numbers for the road – but the expectation around the 916 was something else. “Back then, Ducati wasn’t the huge global brand it is now. For a small Italian factory to create something so far ahead of what the Japanese were producing was simply unheard of. Finally we had…10 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Santa Pod Internationals1 British Bike Day, Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, Bashley, New Milton, Hampshire. sammymiller.co.uk 1 Pioneer Run, from Epsom in Surrey to Brighton, East Sussex. sunbeam-mcc.co.uk 4 The International West Kent Run, The Friars, Aylesford, Maidstone, Kent. iwkr.co.uk 6-8 Goodwood Revival, Goodwood, West Sussex. John Surtees tribute on the 60th anniversary of his Formula One championship. The seven-time motorcycle world champion passed away in 2017. Expect demo laps and displays of his most famous machines. goodwood.com 6-8 Ace Cafe Reunion Weekend, Ace Cafe, Stonebridge, London. Includes Continental Run Ride-In, and Brighton Burn Up on the 8th. london.acecafe.com 7-8 The Auerberg Classic, Bernbeuren, Germany. Hill climb for pre-’79 solos and sidecars – most with racing history. A stunning venue with a twisty two-mile course and a…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Picking projects is a minefieldYou know, projects are not what they were. I keep a folder on my laptop containing a photo record of the worst ‘projects’ I’ve seen come up for sale online. Mostly vintage ‘boardtrackers’ or ‘old school’ choppers – probably because both are popular internet searches and cover so broad a canvas that there’s no textbook right or wrong. Typically, they have an original part, like an original fla-ttank front frame, bulked out with random parts – vintage mower engines, moped forks and bicycle saddles are popular choices. What bothers me is that these horrors often sell – and it will be inexperienced buyers taking the punch. How has our natural caution been so eroded to the extent that, rather than physically going to kick the tyres, we’ll take a chance?…2 min
Classic Bike|April 2024Metric FixesKAWASAKI ZX-7R Starting to annoy me Q My Kawasaki ZX-7R has just had £300 spent on having the carbs professionally rebuilt, yet it still refuses to start. Weirdly it almost catches sometimes, and sometimes runs for a few seconds. It turns over very briskly until eventually the new and fully charged battery goes flat. The valve clearances are bang on, and it has Iovely fresh fuel (the posh stuff) which is definitely getting through because you can smell it coming out of the end-can. I’m at my wits end and getting close to launching the whole thing into a skip. I cannot bring myself to throw yet more money at it. What do I do? Daniel Lee, Facebook A I know from direct experience of the ZX-7R that the rudimentary…4 min
Classic Bike|April 2024What is anodising?The process gets its name from the part being anodised forming the anode in an electrolytic cell. This is made up of a sulphuric acid bath with lead cathodes (-ve) and the aluminium component, the anode (+ve) attached to a DC voltage supply. Oxygen ions are freed from the electrolyte and combine with the aluminium’s atoms on the component’s surface. It’s a most gratifying process for the home bike builder, and if you have a lot of parts to do, you can save money with a DIY kit. 1 This is the kit I opted for, supplied by Gateros Plating (gaterosplating.co.uk) for just under £70 delivered. It consists of a bucket for the etch stripper (1kg sodium hydroxide supplied), another bucket for the anodising tank, five litres of 15% sulphuric…3 min
Classic Bike|April 2024BSA M20 vs Triumph TRWWhat’s the attraction? Classic motorcycling with a welcome touch of side-valve simplicity. The M20 is the ultimate British slogger, with heavy flywheels and delightfully soft power delivery. And the TRW is the ultimate smoothie – a twin with a supremely relaxed feel. Both bikes are relatively easy to work on and parts for both are fairly easy to source too. Some parts for a catalogue-correct resto might prove elusive, but neither bike should never be off the road for long. Which is the obvious choice? The BSA M20 – simple, rugged, reliable and easy to maintain, 126,000 were made and many carried WWII despatch riders dependably about their business. The first M20 appeared in 1937 and was intended as a no-nonsense sidecar tug, with girder forks, a rigid rear end…3 min
Classic Bike|April 2024‘There’s no reason to turn your nose up at a bitsa’The classic bike market is tight for dealers at the moment – but things will improve in time. I’ve been in the motorcycle trade for long enough to know that it moves in cycles. But I’d say the ratio of sellers to buyers calling me at the moment is around 7:3. And all those who are interested in buying are looking for a bargain. The question I’m being asked time and time again is: ‘What are the good value buys in the classic motorcycle market now?’ I think there are still some good buys out there, but it depends what you’re after. If you’ve always lusted after something exotic and you’re after a bike to ride, rather than as an investment, some of the best buys are bikes that aren’t…2 min
