Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2019 i Classic Bike Guide

AS THIS MAGAZINE arrives on the newsstand, one of the great classic motorcycling mysteries may have been solved. Is a sparkling nut and bolt rebuild better and more valuable than an unrestored bike? Sometimes the old ones really are the best and you don’t want to mess with them. That is the case with this Brough Superior. Unusually, it has been restored to look unrestored by the leading marque restoration specialist, Simon Miles. It was estimated to sell for £100,000-£150,000 by H&H Classics on July 30 at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. The work to restore this bike to look used cost more than a normal restoration and a lot of original parts were used. It is one of only two bikes restored by Simon Miles to retain the…

BMW HAVE LAUNCHED an exclusive retro model to mark the 50th anniversary of the /5 series and 50 years of BMW Motorrad production in Berlin Spandau. The machine, dubbed the R nineT /5 has classic lines and an air-cooled engine. When BMW car production increased in the 1960s, production of BMW motorcycles was moved to Berlin. Operations got underway in 1969 with some 400 staff and a new series: the 5-series models which came with a new chassis, engine and an up-to-date modern design. BMW’s /5 series made a lasting impact on the expanding motorcycle market of the time. The /5 models were an instant success and helped cement BMW’s future as a motorcycle manufacturer. The R nineT /5 anniversary model features a 1170cc 110bhp Boxer engine, 17in wheels, ABS…

A COLD WAR ERA scooter has been reborn with a new electric powerplant. The curious-looking Cezeta debuted in 1957 with a long front section terminating in a low headlight. The Cezeta looked like nothing else on earth and was affectionately dubbed “The Pig”. It stayed in production for seven years and 120,000 were built. The 175cc scooter was also built under licence in New Zealand. In early 2012, the rights to the Cezeta name and design were purchased by Prague-based British expatriate, Neil Eamonn Smith. Smith set up Cezeta Motors in 2013 to begin the production of a new generation of scooters under the Cezeta name and the first of this new generation has debuted as the electrically powered hand-built Type 506 after a successful crowdfunding campaign. Cezeta say it…

Merlin Buxton wax jacket LADIES, I AM pleased to announce that we have indeed found a beautiful wax jacket that doesn’t presume we don’t have a chest or hips! Curvy, straight or pear-shaped, this jacket is tailored to fit us all, with adjustable waist and cuff drawstrings hidden in the lining. This mid-length waxed cotton jacket is a stylish way to bring back a classic look with the comfort we crave. While I think this look is pretty, it is also surprisingly practical. If the Halley Stevenson’s waxed cotton outer layer doesn’t keep you dry, the Reissa breathable waterproof membrane is there to back it up without being hot and sweaty. So far I have been a mostly fair weather rider but I have to admit I was completely dry…

Yamaha RD400 If you can find a good one, you may have found a little piece of heaven Laverda SF and SFC A beautiful heavyweight Italian 1970s twin that stirs the soul Triumph TRW Triumph’s war horse could have been a brilliant civilian bike Should you be tempted, here are a few tips to stop you getting carried away… Speak to those in the know – clubs, owners, specialists. Is this the bike for you? Get some quotes – how much are parts, how easy are they to work on and how much will it cost to insure? See if you can have a go on one. This may be tricky, but if you have comprehensive insurance a kind owner or dealer may let you try one out. If you…

ENGINE: 499cc 63x80mm side-valve vertical twin. LUBRICATION: Dry-sump POWER: 16bhp CARBURETTOR: Solex IGNITION: BT-H magneto ELECTRICS: BT-H alternator TRANSMISSION: four-speed gearbox, four plate wet clutch FUEL CAPACITY: 31/8 gallons 14 litres TYRES: Front 3.25x19in Rear 4.00x19in BRAKES: 7in diameter SLS front and rear. SUSPENSION: Triumph telescopic fork with hydraulic damping. Rigid rear WHEELBASE: 53in/1346mm GROUND CLEARANCE: 61/4in/158mm unladen. HEIGHT: 31in/787mm WEIGHT: 366lb/166kg fully equipped MAXIMUM SPEED: 72 mph…

AN INVITATION TO RIDE IN THE REMOTE, rural wilds of New York’s Catskill mountains was too tempting to pass, regardless it involved renting a car on the 4th of July weekend in New York City: impossible. Livingston Manor, our destination and starting point for a weekend ride, can only be reached by car, as no rail service comes near. That’s unusual for the East Coast, which has an excellent rail system, unlike my home state of California, which is pathetically served. Queries to friends revealed New Jersey was the only solution for a car, so a $60 Lyft ride to a rental agency across the Hudson river set the tone for our modestly exorbitant adventure. Our host was filmmaker Ultan Guilfoyle, who curated the Art of the Motorcycle exhibition in…

WHAT IS IT? The carburettor feeds the engine. It mixes fuel with air to the correct amount for the engine at that moment supplying exactly what it needs, and when. It works by the engine sucking the mixture as the piston heads down the stroke of the bore, acting as a pump. INLET The main bore of a carburettor is shaped to create a venturi effect, by narrowing in the middle to speed the flow of air up. At this point, the petrol is drawn in from the float chamber via a jet, by the pressure created from the narrowing of the venturi. The diameter of the inlet bore is dependent on the size and requirements of the engine, with smaller diameters more suited to smaller engines, or lesser power…

THE BORDERS CLASSIC Bike Show in the Welsh Marches is one of the longest established classic shows in the calendar. The show, founded by Jim Reynolds in the mid-1980s, has gone from strength to strength and has the advantage of being in the heart of some of the best biking country in the UK, being both out of the way and easy to get at. 2019’s show is on Sunday, September 8 and raises money for the PTA at the show’s location, The Lacon Childe School in Cleobury Mortimer. This year the show is also raising money for the Midlands Air Ambulance. The PTA will be organising the event as Jim Reynolds has retired after more than three decades. He will be guest of honour and present the trophies. The…

THOUSANDS OF VISITORS from across Europe are expected at The Carole Nash Eurojumble on September 6/7. The EuroJumble is one of the UK’s biggest bike autojumbles, making it the ideal destination for visitors and traders to buy and sell. Held at Netley Marsh near Southampton, this outdoor event gathers enthusiasts from the UK and from far and wide across the continent. The Netley Marsh treasure trove delivers biking goodies and memorabilia which you may not find on the high street or from internet sellers and the presence of stallholders from across the channel makes it a good source for parts rarely found in the UK. Showgoers can camp at Netley Marsh on the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. At £60 for two people, campers can enjoy a break away while…

PRESCOTT IS A STUNNING VENUE FOR a festival of motorcycling. No soggy field or echoing agricultural shed this, but rather the home of the Bugatti Trust, set in the wooded acres of a Cotswold estate, sheltered from the very worst weather an English summer can provide. And there’s a fabulous switchback of a hill climb track snaking through the trees to challenge anyone who thinks they can ride a bit. If you are jaded with the serried ranks of beautifully restored but ultra-familiar classics common at bigger bike shows, there was plenty to catch the eye. A sprinkling of traders, including the ubiquitous cleaners of glasses and a few sellers of budget tools shared the outdoor spaces with the likes of Steve Parrish selling books, and dealers in modern Triumphs…

I NOW KNOW WHY SO MANY HAVE WAXED lyrical about the smell of Castrol R. This early castor oil-based lubricant not only led to many advances for the internal combustion engine, but also creates a wonderful aura from the smell it leaves behind any machine using it. And at the Vintage Motor Cycle Club’s Festival of 1000 bikes, that aura, held, it seems by the banking surrounding the ‘friendly circuit’ and its picturesque lake within, perfectly matched the bikes going around. For those who have never been, the Festival of 1000 bikes is a celebration of classic bikes like no other. There are club stands with a hugely varied array of bikes and club members are only too pleased to chat about their favoured marque. Even the bike park has…

THE NAMING OF MOTORCYCLES usually follows a series of conventions. There’s the racing links – Bonneville, Le Mans and Montjuic. There are names that are supposed to represent the machine and rider’s vision – Dominator, Thunderbolt or Fireblade. And there’s those with seemingly random collections of letters – CB, XS, SS and Z. As far as we can tell there’s only one motorcycle that is named after its ability to stop. The SF in Laverda 750SF stands for Super Freni, or in English, Super Brakes. The 750SF’s brakes were a bit special, it has to be said. Not many manufacturers would have considered that the Grimeca or Ceriani drums used on most of their top end rivals were not good enough and built their own, better, stopper. And then they…

“Also under the same heading, in Yamaha world at least, is the ‘matching numbers’ scenario.” MONEY, MONEY, MONEY The cost of classics then and now, Steve weighs it all up. ALTHOUGH MOST OF US NEVER GOT INTO classic motorcycles because of the money it is almost inevitable that, nowadays, that sordid subject will raise its ugly head. Before you start firing off angry-grams about the subject know this – nothing ever was cheap back in the day and little has changed. In fact, if you look at the appropriate data, in general, new motorcycles actually cost less now than they did then. Don’t believe me? Then check for yourself. I own a modern 700cc Yamaha and its purchase price was almost the same (given inflation, RPI, wages etc), as the…

“I SAY, THAT’S A VERY BRIGHT-LOOKING BIKE!” exclaimed the husband of the fifty-something couple as they walked past the Fleur-de-Lys pub, on the Stratford Canal. “What is it?” Before I could answer, his smartly-dressed wife did it for me. “It’s the new Norton V4 that I saw a programme about on the BBC, after they did rather well in the Isle of Man TT Races last summer. I was hoping to see one of them one day – how does it go? It looks very fast. After reminding myself not to judge a book by its cover, I had to admit to Mrs Diana Williams that, yes, the new Norton V4-SS is indeed very fast, and to husband Ray that its trademark chrome paint scheme is indeed very bright, as…

EDITOR || Matt Hull editor@classicbikeguide.com PUBLISHER || Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk ART EDITOR || Kelvin Clements DESIGNER || Tim Pipes PICTURE DESK || Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield EDITORIAL ASSISTANT || Jayne Clements PRODUCTION EDITOR || Sarah Wilkinson GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER || Sue Keily ADVERTISING || Kieron Deekens 01507 529413 kdeekens@mortons.co.uk ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES || Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER || Paul Deacon CIRCULATION MANAGER || Steven O’Hara MARKETING MANAGER || Charlotte Park PUBLISHING DIRECTOR || Dan Savage COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR || Nigel Hole PRINTED BY || William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton. ISSN No 0959-7123…

TWO INTREPID CLASSIC racers from the West Country are heading across the Atlantic to the Bonneville Salt Flats to try and break two land speed records. Team Wildcard is comprised of two shed-based racers, Phil Betty and Miki Sprosen, who will be taking a much-modified early 1960s Triumph T21 350 and a 1971 650cc Triumph Bonneville T120R to the famous speed venue in August. The venture started four years ago when the duo took a trip to Pendine Sands to check out Straightliners record racing on the beach. Inspired by their trip to the Welsh beach, by 2016 both riders were competing in top speed racing with Straightliners on the beach and used that as a way of finding out what would be needed for them to successfully compete in…

THE NAVIGATIONAL TRIAL Herefordshire on the Edge attracted 92 entries on classic machines, ranging from the 1920s through to the 1990s. This event, organised by the Herefordshire section of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club, provided its usual challenge to riders and machines, with unscheduled heavy rain adding to the difficulties. There were some wonderful performances, Colin Durnall rode his 1937 350cc hand change Red Panther from Wolverhampton to the start in Leintwardine, visited an amazing 24 of the 32 checkpoints to win a gold medal and then rode it home. Terry Pickering visited every single checkpoint on his 1972 GT550 Suzuki, one of only three riders to do so. Just 43 riders completed the event with 22 winning gold medals, six winning silvers and 15 taking home bronze. Twelve riders…

Steve’s start-up with style A business start-up with a difference… that’s the story of Steve McFarlane, and his engineering skill in producing electric starters for BSAs is now helping riders of a certain vintage. Having already run and then sold his previous company (SRM Engineering) during the 1980s and early 90s (he designed the needle roller timing side main bearing conversion for the BSA A10, along with many other improved products for these bikes), it was in 2008 when Steve took another engineering leap. At the Isle of Man BSA International Rally that year, Dave Brady and several others were talking about the need for an electric start. With dodgy knees, hips and other bodily parts starting to give way, the strain of kick starting was proving too much. In…

AUGUST 2019 2 SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE 2 Bike Night: Jacks Hill Cafe, A5 Watling Street, Towcester, Northants NN12 8ET. www.jackshill.co.uk. 2-4 Drunken Monkey Rock Festival: festival site, Welland Road, Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, WR8 0SW. www.drunkenmonkeyrockfest.co.uk. 2-4 Withernsea Music & Bike Fest: The Promenade, Withernsea, E Yorks HU19 2DS. www.withernseafestivals.co.uk. 2-4 The Yorkshire Pudding Rally: Escrick Estate, Escrick, Selby, N Yorks YO19 6EA. www.mapevents.co.uk. 2-4 The 45th Annual Gloucestershire Vintage & Country Extravaganza: South Cerney Airfield, Cirencester. 3 YOUR OLD BIKE MART WITH YOU TODAY 3-4 Donington Classic Motorcycle Festival: Donington Park, Castle Donington, Derbyshire DE74 2RP. www.donington-park.co.uk 3-4 LlanBikeFest: Starring TT legend Ian Hutchinson, LlanBikeFest is a family-friendly Festival, with hundreds of bikes on display, tons of trials and bike action, children’s entertainment and music. Now in its…

Constellation gearbox mods I found reading about the Royal Enfield (Constellation) on page 36 of the June issue of Classic Bike Guide very interesting. It reminded me of when my two boys and I rode Enfield bullets in trials and wrestled with the awful gear change of the Albion gearbox where in the end, in frustration, I tore the thing apart to try to ascertain what could be done to improve the situation. It is many years ago that I delved into this problem, but was somewhat amazed that the remedy was fairly simple and could have, should have, been put right by Albion. I refer to the two selector plates in the box that needed a small amount of attention, but was probably thought to be too expensive to…

IT’S THE BIKE SHOW SEASON! UP AND DOWN THE country, village hall caretakers are desperately trying to render their wooden floors oil-proof, before dozens of clunky, incontinent old motorcycles descend upon them for the annual local show. Bits of cardboard boxes are cut up and distributed to the exhibitors, most of whom have chosen to completely ignore the regulations stating that tanks have to be drained and batteries removed before being displayed. No village hall? No problem, we’ll use that patch of grass, ta. I wonder why those local chaps wearing funny white clothes are waving bats at us? Mind you, this is a nice flat bit, perfect for the centrestand to dig into. Pity then, the poor chap lumbered with being the show organiser. Having requested that everybody arrive…

Bought the wrong cable? Damn. I recently bought a new front brake cable from Draganfly Motorcycles for the B31, as retardation was getting worse. Though true to form, I didn’t get around to fitting it until the old one snapped – twit. “Never mind, I have one at home,” I thought. But my bike has the 8in front hub, so it didn’t fit. It was long enough though, so the outer sheath just needed shortening. The rubber was removed with a knife, then a hacksaw blade was used to cut the metal spiral; being extremely careful not to catch the cable. And by careful, I mean it. I had the cable pressed right in, so once cut I could inspect the cable to make sure I hadn’t caught it –…

TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST, I’D THOUGHT THAT BY the time a chap had reached that dizzying stage in his life when he’s eligible for the state pension, there would be no more surprises. The surprises jar would have emptied long ago. That frisson of bewilderment, that twingle of excitement at discovering a bold new thing would have gone, along with the ability to devour a bottle of sour mash in a single hour and to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Or something like that. But no. Despite hovering disturbingly close to that biblical three score and ten, I must confess that life is still peculiarly packed with surprises. There’s a cautionary note here, of course. Memory weakens with the passing of the years and bottles of sour mash,…