Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Classic Bike Guide

1950: Launched in Slate Blue 1951: The Thunderbird got a beefed up crank and con rods and a slightly bigger carburettor and a more attractive colour scheme 1953: An SU carb was fitted to improve fuel consumption 1954: The Thunderbird got an alternator and was joined in Triumph's range by the sportier TllO , losing its place at the top of Triumph's performance tree 1955 : This year, like all Triumph twins, the Thunderbird got a new, heavier swing arm frame, with the sprung hub vanishing into history. There were engine modifications too, with a bigger main bearing and shell big ends 1956: A full width front brake hub arrived, the four bar tank trim was replaced by the "grille" or "mouth organ" style badge and the carb reverted to…

CLASSIC BIKES MAY BE WONDERFUL THINGS indeed, this we know; but great methods for carrying 'stuff, they are not. Nowadays you may park up next to an adventure bike at a bike meet, mocking the lorry container-style panniers and top box fitted; but the owner of said continent-crossing machine can at least store their helmet and bring home some essential supplies . So panniers are useful, but won't they ruin the look of a classic? And where could you find a fitting kit for a bike from the 1950s? Well now ... Craven Equipment was started by Ken Craven, who was a journalist reporting for The Motor Cycle in the Thirties and Forties, and who also loved to travel throughout Europe in that time. He was a reporter in the…

IF YOU'VE GOT A POORLY-FUELLING classic, sometimes it's tempting to simply change the carbs . One common option is to use the venerable Mikuni VM range. This simple, well-designed, round-slide carb has been made for years and will fit pretty much anything built between 1945 and 1980. When the old Mikuni BS38 carbs on my Yamaha XS650 were diagnosed as being on their last legs, I was lucky enough to come across a new set ofVM34s in a kit , complete with cables, inlet rubbers and cone filters, at auction. They were less than the price of a set of jets and diaphragms for the BS38s, so I snapped them up and fitted them. They slotted in place easily, but I did have to ditch the old airbox and instead…

IN 1937, JAMES WAS DOING ALL RIGHT. THEY HAD been building bicycles, motorised bicycles and motorcycles since before 1902 and had a reputation for innovative designs, like the 'Safety', which had hub-centre steering and their own design of engine . They had to move to larger premises in Greet, just south of Small Heath, Birmingham and continued to grow. James bikes were known for quality and in 1911 the company bought Osborn motorcycles, one of the first British small two-stroke manufacturers. But they were also designing and building SOOccV-twins like the Model 7 which later grew to a 750 and with a healthy, broad range, the company enjoyed a good period after the First World War. In 1930, a short-lived manufacturer, Baker Motorcycles was bought, including the patent for their…

TRIKE APPEAL FOR FALKLANDS VETERAN AN APPEAL HAS been launched to help Falklands veteran Simon Weston CBE realise a lifetime's ambition to ride a motorcycle. Known for his charity work and his recovery from severe burn injuries during the Falklands War, the campaign has been launched by industry veteran and record-breaking rider Norman Hyde. Norman said: "I learned of Simon's passion to ride a motorcycle when we met, and that is where the idea started . With the help, kindness and support from fellow motorcycle riders, veterans and friends within the industry, I believe we can make his dream come true ." Simon sustained serious injuries on RFA Sir Galahad in 1982, making it impossible to operate the controls on a traditional motorcycle. Norman, who worked as a development engineer…

KAWASAKI Z750 TWIN IT IS CURIOUS HOW SOME THINGS LODGE IN THE memory. Back in the late 1970s, as I was failing to pay attention in sixth form, I lived next door to a chap who worked for East Midlands Allied Press in Peterborough, more commonly known as EMAP. I had a moped, and he would generously bring home surplus copies of their motorcycle magazines and hand them over. There would be the stodgy and staid Motorcycle Mechanics, offering such delights as showing you how to fit a new cam chain to your CD175. And there was the then-iconoclastic Bike, the attitude of which was much more to my taste. In February 1979, they printed one of their supertests, marking the launch of the new Honda CB7502 and pitting it…

EVERYTHING CHANGES; OF THIS I AM AWARE. However, this month, L. A. Whitmore and Co engineers , in deepest Norfolk, closed its doors after 70 years of business . Current owner since the 1980s John Eggleton, had spent two years trying to sell the business as a going concern, but wasn 't successful. So the equipment - so often the saviour of an old vehicle and worked by seasoned engineers who knew their intricacies intimately, some of which will be older than your cherished classic bike - is to suffer the ignominy of being auctioned off to magpies , looking for a bargain. Based in Briston village, Lenny Whitmore started in between 1949 and 1950, maintaining bicycles, thanks to the neighbouring village of Melton Constable being a large railway junction…

TRIUMPH UK HELD THE BONNEVILLE BUILD-OFF Challenge for the second time this year - the idea being that Triumph dealerships compete to build the best custom bike, based on the current Bonneville range . The trusty public are then asked to vote for the winner. Dealers had to pick any model from the current Bonneville range as their base, then let their creative juices flow. Disappointingly, just nine Triumph dealerships across the UK took the challenge; I suppose the rest were busy selling bikes and dealing with a pandemic ... Of the nine, some seemed to sprinkle a few glitzy trinkets from the accessory catalogue , whereas others stripped, ripped and welded to bring something truly original. Four judges decide the winner: George Clarke, architect from the telly who loves…

THE SALON PRIVÉ IS A CAR concours event primarily, however, with the worldwide issues, shows have been cancelled and more and more vehicle launches were touted to be taking place at the Salon Privé, so I found myself on a damp Wednesday having a look. Cars are the main theme, with many marques introducing new models , including Rolls Royce. There were helicopters for sale, incredible yachts and even a flying car - from the Netherlands, of course . Away from the status symbols though were some simply incredible classic cars, which were a joy to see up closely. Thanks to the virus, space was everywhere and numbers of people were limited, meaning you could really get close and have a good nose around. I appreciate this is a bike…

THE WALLED ONE IT HAD BEEN A GOOD DAY. A COUPLE OF CHUNKY Seventies Japanese classics , and a fine Italian superbike had been ridden . Next, Gary the photographer and I had a rendezvous with John, to capture his 1953 Triumph 6T Thunderbird . It sat there waiting for us, resplendent in glossy black. Where should we take it? "We could go up the hill?" said John, "I know a good spot . Would you like to ride it there? I'll take my 500 twin ."This was an opportunity not to be missed . A tickle of the carb, a swing on the kick-start and the 650 pre-unit engine burbled into life. "Would you like to ride it there? I'll take my 500 twin." This was an opportunity not…

PEOPLE STRIVING LATE INTO THE NIGHT IN out-of-the way workshops were the origins of the British motorcycle industry. Oil-stained and grimy, bending this, turning that and welding the other, their hands built legends and imaginative one-offs. And for some, these efforts have never stopped. Custom builders in particular have often been the holders of the welding torch of innovation, but usually they don't get further than spectacular one-offs. They certainly don't tend to materialise as short-run bespoke production machines. Ben Hall, toiling away in his Worcestershire workshop has managed to turn a one-off custom special, produced to a tighter-than-tight deadline, into a reality you can buy. Ben's company, Valespeed Motorcycles, has built world record breaking sprinters and finely detailed customs. Currently he is converting a Honda Firestorrn engine into the…

WITH THE BOTTOM END BOLTED UP, IT HAS been two months since I looked at the Norton engine - oh I have excuses. So now back to it - but it takes me some time to get back into the swing. It's like spending one day a month driving a different car, or going from a PC to a Mac computer - it just takes a little time to think the way of an old bike designer. But, by first coffee, I was transported back, armed with an old book Nev has just lent me, The Vintage Motorcyclist's Workshop, by Radco. I've just looked it up and even second-hand it's expensive but worth it. With the barrel on, I found new pushrod tube rubbers, but the tubes themselves looked dreadful,…