Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Classic Bike Guide

HERE’S TO EVERYONE ENJOYING THE final flurry of nice riding days! Although I do love those surprise autumnal or winter days where the roads are dry and the sun, for a few hours, is our friend. That’s the glory of not having immaculate bikes – they are always available for an impromptu ‘blat’ out. Here at Hullville, we can tell it’s getting colder; not because the bike meets are getting quieter and darker; not because that jacket liner gets put in. We can tell because come late evening, the slugs move into the kitchen. I just cannot find where they come in, slimy little buggers. The kids think it’s hilarious. I don’t. They’ve been seeking warmth for years; just like my BSA not starting when it’s still warm. Dynamo and…

IMPORTERS TAX HIKE TO FOLLOW EU DEPARTURE IF YOU ARE planning on importing a classic motorcycle from Europe, it might be worth getting your wallet out now, as you may have less than a month to do it without incurring extra costs. Cross-border parts buyers and sellers can also expect longer delivery times, as new tax rules relating to the UK leaving the EU come into force. Importing a classic motorcycle more than 30 years old from Europe does not currently incur VAT payable in the UK or Duty. The Government has decided that such machines will still not incur Duty, but will be liable for 5% in VAT. A spokesman for HMRC said: “Vehicles over 30 years may be classified as collectors’ pieces, which incur a 0% duty rate…

MUSEUMS HAVE BEEN ON THE LARGE list of businesses that have been hit hard this year. And while the conference centre attached to the National Motorcycle Museum normally helps massively towards the finances, it too has taken a huge hit. Something has to be done, so the near-impossible task of deciding which bikes need to be sold has had to be made. More than 50 bikes are to be auctioned by Bonhams, in their winter sale, on December 5/6 at Bicester Heritage. For more information, see bonhams.com We couldn’t feature all the bikes, so we’ve chosen models that we like, are interested in or just don’t see that often. Hope you like them. Most, if not all bikes being sold, are models the museum has multiples of, so it’s not…

HONDA’S SIX-CYLINDER, 24-VALVE, FLAGSHIP was the ultimate in two-wheeled experience back in 1978. It was the aircraft carrier of the biking world. The sheer width of its engine and its glittering presence proclaimed to the motorcycling world ‘Beat that – if you can’, and of course no one else could. The successive five years of CBX production saw the bike go from naked to fully faired touring type with pro-link suspension; but ironically it is the early naked Candy Glory Red version which is still the one to attain to. Now that I have said that, CBX fanatics have taken the engine and allowed their fertile imagination to run wild, and I have included a few pictures of customised CBXs to show you what can be done – or if…

MOST OF US LOVE THE BUYING OF SHINY, new bits, painting and polishing our bikes. But the main and most important bit in my mind to repairing, rebuilding and restoring old clunkers comes down to the mechanical restoration, cleaning and returning components to their former mechanical glory. Of course tuning and improving is a different thing and for every change there is often a price to pay in some way, be it function, comfort or reliability – and that’s a different type of fun. At some point all repairs and rebuilds come down to mechanical detail. Nuts, bolts and threads should all be functional and at least as the design intent. This is particularly important for threads on gasket joints, as it means equal torque gives an equal amount of…

Between 1951 and 1953 the small island of Santa Catalina, 27 miles off the West Coast of the USA, hosted the Catalina Grand National enduro, an event designed to test both a rider and machine’s prowess on-road and off. After those first three years, the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) didn’t like the rules the Catalina event ran to, so withdrew their permit. Not put off, the event continued to run independently, growing every year – 1956 saw more than 1000 entrants. The 10-mile lap around the island’s paved roads, dirt tracks and ‘oiled dirt surface’ affected everyone on there and the sheer number of people gave tremendous economic benefits. Because the race had few rules – there were two classes, below and above 250cc – many manufacturers including NSU and…

NOT ALL MOTORCYCLES are glamorous. Some are just there to get the rider to their destination, cheaply and conveniently. Royal Enfield’s 250cc Clipper, launched in 1954, was purpose-built to fill that role. It used an old-fashioned engine with a cast iron barrel and cylinder head which was based heavily on RE’s rigid-framed 350cc Model G, which had decidedly prewar origins. To create the Clipper this engine was installed into a slightly smaller version of the first sprung Bullet frame introduced in 1949. The Clipper also used the gearbox from the Model G. Using 1930s and wartime tech on the Clipper meant it would doggedly keep running, even when crudely maintained by backyard mechanics equipped with big hammers, military surplus spanners and a little skill. The Clipper was extremely cheap, partly…

PETER ‘PIP’ HARRIS WAS A NATIVE OF THE WEST Midlands, brought up in a motorcycle family and encouraged by his dad, who raced an AJS to second in the 1923 350cc Junior TT, to try his hand at grasstrack racing. Having ridden the old chap’s sidecar outfit quite a bit, it was natural that he’d stick to what he knew and in the late 1940s he picked up a Grindley combo, a little known make by Billy Grindley of Prees Heath in Shropshire. With good mate Charlie Billingham keeping the sidecar wheel down, they had enough success in local events to look for something a bit quicker for the 1949 season, and found it in a 596cc Norton outfit that London dealer Jack Surtees – father of multi world champion…

The CBX has, in creative hands, seen some rather exotic customisations; so if you’re a purist rivet counter, this is the time to look away as we view Alan Fisher’s Rau conversion. As you may know, Rau made some great frames back in the 1970s. Alan bought this one from Holland, as the company still continued to make bikes after Rau’s death. It has a Honda VFR swingarm, Triumph 595 rear wheel modified to fit, Showa USD forks, Suzuki front wheel and Wilbers rear shock. The engine came from a low mileage Pro Link – so they do have their uses. And finally we have Paul Pursey’s Moto Martin – with Turbo – that thing has to fly.…

A WELL-THUMBED PICTURE OF A 1967 TR6C Trophy hangs in Allan Seggie’s garage. He’s not a chap to indulge in sentiment, but nevertheless will admit to going giddy at the knees on sight of Triumph’s iconic green and white Street Scrambler. “The majority of TR6C Street Scramblers were made exclusively for the American market,” Allan informed me while I was photographing his Trophy ‘special’ for this month’s build feature. “The yanks loved them,” Allan continued, “and Triumph twins were more popular throughout the Sixties than Harley-Davidson’s own home-grown V-twins. Not only did our vertical twins out-perform and out-handle Harleys, they out-sold them for almost a decade, keeping Triumph buoyant throughout troubled times. But unfortunately for UK enthusiasts, most TR6C production ended up overseas to meet US demand – with…

1923 – almost 100 years ago – is the year we see Fredrick William Dixon on the way to winning the inaugural Sidecar TT race for Douglas, on the RA. The bike was one of the first to be seen with a form of disc brake on the front wheel, hence the name RA – which stood for the Research Association that designed the brake system. The RA had an OHV, wet-sumped engine, 350cc or 500cc, inline boxer with the gearbox mounted above the rear cylinder; quite a machine. TW (Walter) Denny is in the chair, operating a lever to allow the outfit to ‘lean’. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is called trust. The pair atop the Douglas averaged a speed of 55.1mph, and helped Douglas to achieve a superb…

THE ENGINE STARTS WITH A charismatic rock, and if you have never ridden an opposed twin before, it may take you by surprise. Each blip of the throttle pushes the bike to the left. I celebrate this quirkiness. At tickover, around 900rpm, displayed on a digital clock, the bar ends dance around while the instruments vibrate slightly; adding to the appeal. It has character all right, something I was afraid BMW would weaken. It’s a stunning bike in the flesh; clearly inspired by BMW’s early boxer machines from the 1920s and 30s, like the R32 and R5. Elements are almost art deco, like the R7 prototype from 1934. It doesn’t scream at you like a sportsbike. It’s not covered in lavish chrome like a Harley; it doesn’t need neon lights…

“WHY – WHY DO YOU WANT TO RIDE AN old bike?” asked Matt. That’s an easy one, because girls aren’t supposed to ride bikes, let alone classic ones. All dad’s side of the family are into motorbikes so I have always been around them, admiring them. I passed my test 13 years ago and have owned and ridden bikes, but only ever new ones, as I thought classic bikes were out of my ‘league’. Almost as if I wasn’t allowed to ride them because they are reserved for the old boys who rode them originally. Since getting back into the world of motorcycles (and Matt teaching me the difference between a Velocette LE and a Triumph Bonneville) the classics have become a lot more appealing. I struggle with a lot…