Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i Classic Bike Guide

THE SUMMER MAY BE EBBING AWAY ALL too quickly, but the bike meets have been buzzing and some wonderful machines have been getting out, no doubt some finished thanks to the Government-backed ‘finish your bike’ scheme. Or, at least I think it was called that… Last week there was a twin-BSA A65-engined, original drag bike at our local bike meet, while a couple of weeks ago at another meet, there was a trio of gorgeous, modified Puch Maxi mopeds, a beautiful Rotary Norton F1 - Yamaha FZR1000 EXUP look-a-like, and a BSA with a Ford Kent crossflow engine, mounted transversely. Nev’s been out on his JAP-Ariel, I’ve been falling in love with the B31 again, Maria’s been on her GS500, and there was even a Stanley steam car puffing up…

IN RURAL FLANDERS, MANNEKENSVERE, ALMOST ON the Belgian coast, plans were made by 10 friends to organise a fun old-school event in the future – a race over a freshly cut field, with the help of a farmer who immediately made his land available when he heard about it. The initiators are Ivo and Hans – the first known for his De Coude Scheure establishment opposite the field, and the second for his HD Classics motorcycle shop in Baal, Belgium. “We want to organise an old-fashioned fun event, with a field race for old bikes up to the year 1947. The current circumstances do not allow a large-scale event now, but we want to see if it is possible to have a field race for classics here next year. We…

WHETHER YOU CALL them ‘retros’, ‘modern classics’ or ‘naked’ bikes, one area in which riders have not been best served is the provision of decent on-bike luggage. Craven have plugged this hole with the launch of the new Meteor pannier system Meteor panniers have been designed specially to accommodate the high-rise silencers used on the new ‘classics’ like the Royal Enfield Interceptor. The Meteor is made to sit high enough to avoid fouling the silencer, but narrow enough to avoid spoiling the lines of the bike and making sure there is still enough room for a pillion. In order to maintain the capacity of a standard pannier, the Meteor has been made deeper horizontally, giving a clean finish with the same storage space. Big enough for a full-face crash helmet,…

WITH ACCESS TO motorcycle events and ride-ins restricted, Sammy Miller invited riders of Japanese bikes to join him at his Motorcycle Museum on Sunday, August 30 for a ride-in. Thanks to good weather the museum welcomed hundreds of bikes and their riders. Around 80 pre-1990 bikes were displayed in the museum’s courtyard, whilst those manufactured after 1990 were able to park in the car park. Bikes arrived throughout the morning and the complex drive was filled to capacity by late morning. A great many visitors also arrived to enjoy the bikes and everyone had the opportunity to chat with Sammy. Visitors on classics had an opportunity to win a prize for their bike, and this year judging was undertaken by Sammy himself. Sammy also conducted workshop tours throughout the day.…

BMW WORKSHOP MANUAL VS CLYMER BMW WORKSHOP MANUAL While I have balanced carbs, serviced engines and repaired them since a young whippersnapper, it’s only been possible through what’s been picked up from watching my elders and often, betters. So, with no training and an ‘iffy’ CV, a workshop manual helps no end to bring confidence to a job. John Haynes wrote manuals for more than 1000 different cars and bikes, selling more than 200 million books. His passion for cars led to the Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset, which is always worthy of a visit. Haynes manuals have always been the go-to for UK shed dwellers like myself, and while the brand has often suffered sarcastic abuse for overly explaining really easy jobs, yet skimming over the tricky ones (with…

ALL PROJECTS HAVE THEIR BEGINNINGS. IN THE case of the Wardill 4 it was a small, cardboard Kodak box. Mark Wardill had seen this box as a child and knew it was important to his family, but it was only as an adult that he found it contained a small collection of glass photographic negative plates – and when developed those plates were found to contain a number of photographs of his great-grandfather, Percy Wardill, in the early 1920s; a discovery that uncovered tales of a mysterious motorcycle with the family name on the tank. Research ensued, with ancient and crumbling copies of The Motor Cycle realising some of the scant information about the Wardill. It was enough to encourage Mark, who was at the time more of a custom…

MY VELOCETTE KTS NEEDS CABLES. THESE small jobs seem to take far more time than bolting all the big parts together and are far less enjoyable than seeing a bike taking shape from a pile of bits. The bike needs new cables throughout. Normally I buy new cables to suit where possible as it usually works out cheaper than making your own (some classic Jap bikes excepted). But as with many old bikes, my Velo is not completely standard. I’m not enough of a rivet counter to worry about this, but it does mean standard cables don’t always fit, so making them is the best option. Fortunately I have old cables for the throttle and choke cables I am going to make, which will act as patterns. The first job…

THE CAROLE NASH 27th Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show, one of the best bike shows in the world, is going ahead… but with a twist. Visitors will be welcomed to the show on October 10 and 11 at the Stafford County Showground, but they must have bought their ticket in advance from the website www.staffordclassicbikeshows. com/october You can purchase either a Saturday or Sunday ticket, but if you don’t have a ticket, you will not be allowed into the show. The total number of visitors will be limited on both days to keep everyone safe, allow for social distancing, and keep the show in line with government guidance. Ticket buyers should check out the safety plan at www. mortonsevents.co.uk/covid and see what the organisers are doing, and how those attending can…

THE END OF the line for Royal Enfield’s 500cc unit construction engine is approaching, and the company is marking this with a special limited-edition run of 1,000 Classic ‘Tribute Black’ motorcycles to be released into the European market. The limited-edition ‘Tribute Black’ motorcycle is equipped with a range of accessories designed for the model, including canvas pannier bags with mounting racks, touring mirror kits, a pillion seat and a machined oil filler cap. Each bike will carry a serial numbered plaque. The motorcycles will feature a dual-tone paint scheme, with mudguards and fuel tanks carrying both glossy and matt black finishes, and will showcase Royal Enfield’s hand-painted, pin-striped tank details. CEO of Royal Enfield Vinod Dasari said: “Since 2008, Royal Enfield 500cc motorcycles have proudly set the stage for the…

Vogue 192cc sv I/c flat twin || 330lb || 95mpg || 55mph || 1963-68 An attempt at updating the LE with neat glassfibre bodywork. Very attractive and practical bike, but with less performance than the Ariel Leader. Rare now but charming to ride. Prices: low £3500 || high £5000 Thruxton 499cc ohv single || 390lb || 50mpg || 105mph || 1964-71 Last of the line, and priced alongside BSA Gold Stars and Inter Nortons, with which they share the market’s stratosphere. Often tough to start, requiring ‘The Knowledge’ to make them give their best, they suit spirited riding and are only suited to the truly committed (and wealthy). Prices: low £17,000 || high £25,000+ MSS 499cc ohv single || 400lb || 60mpg || 80mph || 1953-68 Gentle touring 500. The…

MANY YEARS AGO A BEAUTIFUL LADY called Rachel used to teach with me at the training school in Norwich. It was the mid Nineties, everyone seemed to come to our school, training was a lot of fun and the group of instructors were all young, enthusiastic, and loved bikes. Pete had a Z900, Rich had an American Police KZ1000 with titanium under the footboards, Rick had a beautiful Kawasaki ZXR750H1, and Rachel had a 1989 Honda CBR600F. With its all-enclosing bodywork in white with red, it looked great, sounded fab and I was very jealous, while trundling along on my BMW K75RT (I was also dispatching at the time). But just like the Suzuki GSX, CBR1000, ZZR600 and Ducati Paso, enclosed bodywork, like the Triumph bathtubs and Ariels decades before,…

‘HOW CAN THE EQUIVALENT BIKE BE SO large?” I ask Ross, my modern-bike-loving colleague. We are both looking at the brand new, £19,000 BMW R1250RT and alongside, its direct predecessor, a 1989 BMW R100RT. Though the R100 is one of the last, its design harks back to 1978 and further; so effectively they are 40 years apart. “I’m not sure; the new one has lots and lots of gadgets, more power; in fact more everything,” smiles Ross. There have been touring bikes before – look at the Brough Superior with its effortless speed, or the Ascot Pullin with its enclosed bodywork. And look at how many millions of miles folk have managed on Enfields around the world. But BMW made the RT range to appeal to touring riders with a…

YOU WON’T SEE MANY BEESA C15S SECTIONED to show off the inner workings as neatly done as this one. It’s part of Paul Rigby’s collection from vintage through to late classics, but as he’s a man who likes to get out and ride his bikes, this one does rather cramp his style. There’s a big gap in its history, but Paul does remember being asked to weld and re-instate a silencer for a family friend about 30 years ago “so they could re-use it on this bike they were restoring. I never saw the entire bike back then, just various parts. “Twelve months ago the family contacted me and asked if I would be interested in retrieving the bike from the loft. I was glad to help, expecting boxes of…

THE TRIUMPH FACTORY Visitor Experience Exhibit, Shop and Café at Hinckley in Leicestershire will be re-opening on Saturday, October 10. To provide a safe environment for those making the trip, visits to the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience Exhibition will now need to be pre-booked and tickets paid for through the venue website. Admission is £6 for adults, £2.50 for accompanied children, and £15 for families. The shop and café are always free to enter and no pre-booking is required. All visitors must bring and wear face masks or coverings (except for those exempt for medical reasons and children under 11). Visit www. triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/ visitor-experience/information to book your tickets .…

“I CALL HIM ANDROPOV,” SAYS RUSSELL, OWNER OF this splendid green and white Ural 650 flat twin. A reference to Yuri Andropov, the 1980s leader of the Soviet Union, perhaps? “Because bits ‘dropov’ him all the time,” Russell added. Russell has had the Ural for three years and is the 18th owner. “I bought it from a bloke in Camborne in Cornwall. It was advertised as being a runner with an MoT, so I thought I’d ride it back home. When I got there the bloke said, ‘Where’s your van?’. He wasn’t expecting anyone to actually try and ride it.” Russell togged up and hit the road. “I thought I’d just slipstream lorries at around 55mph, but on a couple of occasions I simply couldn’t keep up with them and…

WATCH OUT: These carbs are from our R100. They are similar to those used on the last Triumphs – like the TSS – but they’re not identical, so use this as an introduction, not a guide. Bing did change its carbs over the years, so know what age bike they came from. And later Boxer engines fitted with monoshock rear ends had 32mm carbs, not 40mm like the early ones. Also, US machines had different settings, jets and needles, so watch out if using American workshop manuals, like Clymer. TAKE CARE… When the screw in the piston that holds the needle in place broke, I thought some heat may help it undo. Mazak and heat don’t mix, and the tube that locates the piston in the carb top slightly warped.…