Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Classic Bike

The Motor Cycling Club’s Exeter Trial starts around midnight and comes to an end the following afternoon, but my journey to the finish line of this year’s event actually took eleven years. When I started the project to revive my 1981 Moto Morini Camel (CB October 2011, see right) it was meant to be ready in time to compete in the 2012 running of the Exeter. We actually made it to the start of the event (and the finish) this January, so now it finally feels like mission accomplished. The story of the whole ordeal starts on page 66. I’ve caught up on my sleep since then. With that ambition fulfilled, it’s time to think about a new project (on present form you can expect a report on its conclusion…

AS A 14-YEAR-OLD spectator, my first sighting of Geoff Ward was 1952’s Sunbeam Point to Point, the most prestigious national scramble in Britain, held on War Department land at Longmoor, Hants. Riding Taylor Matterson’s 350 & 500 AJS machines, he won both races, simply pulverising all opposition. His display of strength and bravery that day is an abiding memory. Geoff sadly died during October, aged 93 in his beloved Barnstaple. He was a three-time ACU British Scrambles Champion in the early 1950s, going on to create many successful businesses, initially in Bucks and Berks, then further expanded after moving to north Devon over half a century ago. Behind these bare facts was an exceptional man. With an absentee father, and with a mother who tragically died before he was ten,…

BSA’s new Gold Star came remarkably close to pipping the market-leading Royal Enfield Interceptor in the pair’s first full comparison test. Classic Bike’s sister title Bike found that BSA’s 652cc single-cylinder motor was almost as powerful as the 648cc Enfield parallel twin, with the Gold Star putting down 42.7bhp on Bike’s dyno, compared to the Interceptor’s 43.6bhp. “The BSA motor surprised all the test riders,” says Bike contributing editor John Westlake. “Rather than being outgunned by the Enfield, it felt just as strong in the low- and mid-range, and wasn’t far away at the top end. Also, it’s remarkably smooth for a single, with only a small amount of vibration coming through the ’bars The BSA engine is based on the watercooled Rotax unit that powered BMW’s 1993 Funduro –…

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO classic.bike@ bauermedia.co.uk Classic life goes on I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the ‘Kindred Spirit’ article in February’s Classic Bike, featuring Jonathan Bentman’s Norton Model 7. My dad passed away in March 2022, leaving me with three classic bikes, including a 1956 Norton Dominator. He also left me with a complete set of Classic Bike magazines from issue one. I’ve spent the last year enjoying his bikes on the road, as I promised him I would. At 39 years old, having previously only owned modern Japanese bikes, I have a lot to learn – but that’s part of the fun. Jonathan’s sentence about ‘handwritten labels on the wiring’ struck a chord – my dad lives on in his bikes and I’ll continue to…

Rupert’s A65 is by no means a one-off – back in the day, Americans bought hundreds of bikes in the UK to tour Europe. “I worked in L Stevens Ltd in London in the late 1960s and early 1970s,” says Peter Archer. “It was originally a Velocette dealer, then it got BSA and Triumph and we used to sell shedloads of those to Americans – at one time they were coming over here in hoards. Some might have gone through the factory, but a lot wrote to us direct to order the bikes – they’d let us know when they were coming and we’d get the bike ready. “Some of them arrived late in the evening and kipped in the showroom overnight, because they had nowhere else to stay. Then…

Museo della Motocicletta Frera The museum was opened in 2005, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the factory existing in this location. It consists of two rooms with a connecting bridge on the top floor above the local library and a café. The larger room has an almost complete range of Frera and Leonardo Frera motorcycles, while the smaller room and bridge showcase a wide range of other Italian models. 1905 Frera-Zedel Corrado Frera was a bicycle manufacturer who began making motorcycles in the first decade of the 20th century. This very early bike uses a Swiss-made 300cc 2hp Zedel engine in a loop frame, with belt drive from the engine, although it retained bicycle pedals. In 1906 production continued with a new company name, SAF – Societa Anonima Frera. Frera…

Exhaust Snaking two-into-one was made from 1.5in dairy pipe, a very high quality and expensive stainless steel. The natty little silencer is alloy with a stainless end cap and sounds fabulous. Lubrication Nine-litre fuel tank and underseat oil tank, with removeable cartridge filter, are fabricated into the frame. Box-section swingarm is also self-fabricated in 6082 alloy. Drive Final-drive crossover shaft is also the swingarm pivot. Eccentric location provides gearbox-to-shaft chain adjustment, while shaft-to-rear-wheel chain tension is always constant. Engine TR6 engine has 750 alloy barrels, Thunder Engineering conrods and forged pistons with Bonneville cams and Mikuni carb. It’s isolastically mounted to minimise vibes. Chassis Monocoque chassis, made from TIG-welded 6082 alloy, gives 128kg weight fully fuelled. Geometry is the same as a Kawasaki KLX450. As a regular greenlaner, Jeff Elliot…

SEND YOUR PROBLEMS TO classicbike.workshop@bauermedia.co.uk 1 Check new guides for concentricity – they should be right... but any more than a thou runout will probably call for wasteful recutting to seat the valve. 2 Heat alloy heads for fitting/removal (iron is OK cold). Ovens work better than gas torches, but avoid exceeding 200°C or you could affect the heat treatment of the alloy. 3 Stepped drift is fine for removal, knocking out the old guides before the head cools. But it’s a bit harsh for fitting and can damage – even shatter – anew guide. 4 Guide fitting/removal drawbar tools are good – but the time taken to wind each guide home allows the head to cool, and it may need reheating halfway through. 5 I prefer using a hand…

Look at this marvellous tool! Created by the ever-ingenious Steve Marks of ‘The Magneto Guys’, it’s based on an elderly Drummond lathe. Steve says the advantage of this model Drummond is that the lead screw (the connection between the chuck and the moveable saddle, used for thread cutting) runs up the centre of the bed, making it relatively easy for a bevel gear fitted to the lead screw to engage another on the rotating wheel he’s fitted to the lathe bed. The wheel is tee slotted so that the connecting rod can be adjusted nearer or further from the centre of the wheel, altering the stroke. With the usual saddle drive removed, it’s free to slide up and down the bed, driven by the conrod attached to the wheel. Steve…

Here’s something rare for fans of Meriden’s finest. This one-year-only 1953 T100C is on sale at Cheltenham-based We Sell Classic Bikes. And although 25 grand is a lot for a 500 Triumph, the T100C really is something special. When Triumph – acompany known for its aversion to road racing – won the 1947 Manx Grand Prix with a one-off special in hands of Ernie Lyons, they celebrated the victory by producing a limited number of replicas, available only to active racers. Known as the GP, the over-the-counter racers were only available for 1947/48 – and by 1950, would-be competitors had to order the factory speed kit and instal it in their own engine. But for 1953, Triumph relented and produced the street-legal T100C, with all the speed kit parts already…

PRICES MINT A1/2 £12,000-£14,000 MkII £5000-£6000 GOOD A1/2 £6000-£8000 MkII £2500-£3000 PROJECT A1/2 £2000-£4000 MkII £1500-£2000 1977-1980 | 1015cc | 83bhp | 240kg | 127mph HOW DO YOU make a good thing better? Well, in the case of Kawasaki’s Z1, you make it bigger, torquier and better handling. That’s what the second generation superbike from the big K brings to the party. The 1015cc Z1000 A models are better to ride than the original Z1, and boast many improvements. Out on the road, the A1’s engine swiftly displays its credentials. Slightly smaller carbs, full circle crank webs and a new exhaust system result in noticeably more torque than the Z900 it replaced. Yet, with the 4mm increase in bore diameter increasing the capacity by 112cc, there’s more…

AUCTION EXPERT The sale of the Dr Peter and UlrikeBühner collection in Paris went incredibly well, although it was, under-standably, a very emotional experience for the Bühner family. For myself, it was enormously encouraging to see the continuing interest in pioneer and vintage era machines and we had over 300 registered bidders for a sale comprising 48 motorcycles. All of them were serious collectors and very focused, but the continued support for events in which these glorious machines can be ridden means that we’ll be seeing them – and riding them – for years to come. One of them, the star of the sale of course, was the 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller – amachine from the dawn of motorcycling in the late 19th century. It got me thinking about the…

I know, I know – you can’t even see the bike here. I only remember it was some horrible little moped. Not mine because, on my dad’s bad advice, I bought a Lambretta. Then I offended the old man and got a Honda CB160. We’re all about 17 here, at high school, technically in the sixth form, but only due to the school feeling sorry for us and giving us another chance to take our O-levels. What crap students we were. And poor. We couldn’t afford something new like an Yamaha FS1-E – we had to make do with old Motobecanes and suchlike. I’m third from the left. We lived in and around the small Suffolk town of Stowmarket, in a time that seems remarkably innocent now. About the most…

Don Cox PAGE 58 Don’s been a bike racing journalist since 1977, but his interest in the sport goes back to earlier eras. Over the years he’s obsessively tracked down people who really knew Keith Campbell, Australia’s first bike racing world champion. Bob Dixon PAGE 28 Bob’s restoration of a lightweight Laverda trail bike is even further behind schedule than Hugo’s Camel. The trip to Andy Orton’s workshop to ride his Triumph Tiger Trail might inspire him to get the little Lav back onto the bench. Phil Aynsley PAGE 39 Another Aussie contributor, Phil travels the world photographing amazing bike collections, like the fantastic Frera museum in this month’s issue. He’s already planning his summer excursion to more European bike museums.…

Think you can reassemble a Vincent engine? Vincent Spares Ltd, the club-owned parts supplier, is looking for another mechanic to work alongside their existing team at their Desborough, Northamptonshire headquarters. Vincent Spares’ Bob Patchett explains: “The demand for workshop services has snowballed – and so we’re looking for another mechanic to join our in-house team. If you’ve got some experience with British classics, we’d love to hear from you. We can help with specific training on Vincents.’ It this sounds like your dream job, then call Bob on 01536 312220.…

RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH I’ve been riding for 25 years now; my first bike was a Yamaha XS650, but it blew a piston not long after I got it. I bought this 1980 Suzuki GS550T specifically to take to the Piston Rally in Spain; I had wanted to ride in the Picos mountains for years – and this was the ideal opportunity. After much trawling on the internet, my husband found this GS – it’s a Canadian import and it’s was really good round the mountain roads. All I had to remember was to ride on the right! Linda Prince, Selby, Yorkshire GET THE KETTLE ON, WE’LL BE DOWN TO SEE YOU... Just bought Classic Bike today and was chuffed to bits to find my Suzuki ramblings on the back…

Randy Mamola burst onto the 500cc GP scene in 1980 as a lairy 20-year-old, coming second in the world championship to Kenny Roberts in his first full season despite not knowing half the tracks. It was an extraordinary debut and, from a European perspective, he seemed to have materialised from nowhere. But Randy is keen to point out it wasn’t a sudden rise to glory from his point of view. “Between the ages of 12 and 16, I won over 600 dirt track trophies and came first over 400 times,” he says between mouthfuls of pizza in a restaurant near the NEC, where he’s due to do a publicity event at the big motorcycle show. I try and work out how many wins a week that is (two every week…

Mates may have nicknamed him ‘Shambles Campbells’ due to the state of his equipment after long trips to Scandinavia, but the little-known Australian Keith Cambell was a fast and successful privateer as well as Guzzi’s last world champion. In fact, he was the first road racing world champion on two or three wheels from a country other than Austria, Germany, Great Britain or Italy. Campbell was 19 when he sailed from Port Melbourne to compete in the 1951 Manx Grand Prix. Many teenage Australian road racers have left the country since, notably double world champion Casey Stoner, but Campbell was the only one who did it solo rather than with one or both parents or a manager/mechanic. That showed remarkable commitment and resilience, qualities honed by losing his mother when…

YOU MAY HAVE noticed from workshop photos that I have a vapour blaster. This big green cabinet is a Vaqua Kompact I bought years ago. Vapour blasters are great – it’s not really ‘vapour’, more like a jet wash with very fine glass bead mixed into the water. It’s a gentle process that discourages the blast media from embedding in the metal or removing material, so you can blast pretty much any engine component. Given that the process spotlights any damage, cracks etc, it’s a great tool to have. Shame it doesn’t work... well, it switches on and sprays stuff about, but there’s never enough ‘oomph’ to do the job. It’s a white elephant – and having been offered a more useful piece of equipment that I need to house,…

SEND YOUR PROBLEMS TO classicbike.workshop@bauermedia.co.uk Christer Christensson in Sweden has bought a 1961 Triumph Thunderbird which is fitted with a 500cc Tiger 100 engine. He has a 1969 TR6C 650cc motor and asks if it will fit the frame. Well it should, because the change to unit construction of engine and gearbox in 1962 made the 650 engine two inches (50mm) shorter than the pre-unit 650. I’ve never seen a unit engine in a pre-unit frame, as the unit frame is the better handler, but there’s no reason not to do it. One thing, though – to prevent a drive chain being overloaded by suspension movement, the gearbox sprocket needs to be as close to the swingarm pivot as possible. With the extra space of the pre-unit frame, that would…

Bob Parkinson picked up a rev counter drive box for his 1968 Enfield Interceptor, but it was in poor condition. The helical gears are damaged (but turn smoothly) and one of the brass discs that support the gear is missing. He’s found new core plugs to reassemble it, but asks if anyone does spares and should he lubricate the box with grease or a thick oil? Originally right-angle drives like this were also used for speedos. Bob’s is bronze; most have soft Mazak bodies. There’s a variety of ratios, body types, clock and anti-clock rotation and as many different internals. I’ve never heard of anyone making replacements and you’d be lucky to find the right bits secondhand. But being lightly loaded, a bit of damage to the gears isn’t too…

PART 6 B limey,” said Will, as we ploughed step-by-step through his 650 Triumph engine assembly. “I don’t know how I’m going to remember all of this!” Well, I hope I’ll be around a while yet to remind him – but the funny thing is, having owned and ridden a similar Triumph since I was 21, I haven’t stripped the engine since 1990, so I’m not much more familiar with the unit 650 than Will. But that’s not really the point. You see, my aim is to teach Will to build a reliable Triumph. Old bikes respond to treatment, just like the horses they once replaced. They will go fast and far, but won’t tolerate merciless thrashing or their grooming being overlooked. While post-war Japan provided precision and reliability in…

£900 1989 Kawasaki ZX-10 There may be 73,000 miles on the clock, but a 14,000-mile engine was installed in 2021. A little scruffy, but on the button and MoT’d until June. Loads of spares come with it, too. 07305 107949 £895 1959 James Cadet Garage-find 150cc model in what looks to be complete and original condition. The bike has a new (age-related) registration number and looks ideal for an ‘oily-rag’ restoration. 01473 737676 £995 1985 Montesa 330 Very tidy condition. Starts but won’t run for more than a few seconds. Seals, carb, electrics? If you’re handy with the spanners and multimeter, this looks a great machine for twinshock trials. 07411 364803 £695 1989 Kawasaki GPz400 Japanese import 400 has no documents , but has been UK…

TIMELINE 1977 The Z1000 A1 replaces the 903cc Z900 A4 at the top of Kawasaki’s range. An increase in bore bumps the engine up to 1015cc. Four-into-two-exhaust system and disc rear brake. A custom-styled KZ1000 LTD model is also made available in the USA. 1978 Z1000 A2 model released. Front brake calipers are repositioned behind the fork sliders, lower handlebars on UK models and a revised front brake master cylinder. The café racer-styled Z1-R, with four-into-one exhaust, handlebar fairing and cast alloy wheels, is introduced for 1978. 1979 Z1000 A3 MkII introduced. Restyled, angular body, squared-off camshaft covers and revised exhaust give it an all-new look that moves away from the original Z1 styling. Larger, 28mm carbs and power up to a claimed 93bhp make it the most powerful Zed…

One of the highlights of Bonhams’ Spring Sale is a 1963 Honda CR72 250cc (below) ridden by six-time world champion Jim Redman in his home country of Rhodesia during the ’60s – and, following a comprehensive 30-year restoration, in various classic races between 2008 and 2014. It’s estimated at £120,000-150,000. Bonhams can also celebrate the success of their recent sale of the Dr Peter and Ulrike Bühner collection in Paris. All bar one of the 48 bikes from the collection sold, ranging from a 1950 Gold-Rad bicycle with Victoria engine attachment (€920), to the exceptional Hildebrand & Wolfmüller (see below). It was a stunning collection of veteran, vintage and pre-war machinery and the sale at The Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris did it full justice. Auction dates March 9 Dorset…

March 2023 LAST LAP NEWS EVENTS LETTERS Steve Lomas, 1979 Honda XL500S Former speedway professional and owner of wheelbuilders Five One Wheels, Steve has probably been racing at Mablethorpe longer than anyone else here today – 40 years he reckons. His Honda, which he’s owned since 1989, is immaculately prepared and he remains seriously fast. A big crash last season left him with a permanently dislocated left collarbone, but he certainly hasn’t let that stop him. “I’ve been developing the bike since 1989 and I’ve lost track of how many engines and frames it’s been through,” Steve laughs. “It’s like Trigger’s broom. If I’m honest, I’ve gone so far with tuning it now, it’s right on the edge in terms of reliability. But once you’ve had the extra power, it’s…

Hailwood’s Suzuki runs again A new TT gallery will open at the Manx Museum in Douglas, in time for the 2023 TT. Mike Hailwood’s 1979 Senior TT winning Suzuki RG500 will be star exhibit, and the bike’s been inspected and run before going on display. Go to Youtube: ‘Mike Hailwood Suzuki RG500’ to hear it on the dyno. Don’t pass on this one Three days riding your classic bike on Lake District passes, on a free-to-enter event sponsored by The Coniston Brewing Co? Count us in. Westmorland Motor Club’s new Three-Day Rally Tour happens on April 18-20, inspired by the routes (now all tarmac) used by a 1920s ISDT event. Post-ride libations at the Black Bull, Coniston. Entries at westmorlandmotorclub.com. But be quick. See it while you can High overheads…

Classic Bike RECOMMENDS Bottle the essence of hill climbing and this is where you’ll find it. North of Bude, near Bideford, North Devon, it’s the tightest, gnarliest climb on the National Hill Climb Association calendar. And that’s saying something. The hill rises from sea level at the start, outside the Hartland Quay Hotel by the seashore, to a finish by a beauty spot 472 metres and 76m of elevation later. Bookending the NHCA season (the final 2023 event will be here on October 1), it is a firm favourite among competitors. For spectators it’s one of the best. Oddly enough, the Hartland Quay Hotel has something to do with the attraction. If you like a pint of Doom Bar and a crab sandwich, you could not be better placed. However,…

EARLY TALENT Randy left school at 16 and immediately became a pro racer, finishing second in the AMA 250 championship in his debut year and winning it the next. That got him into the American Transatlantic team (above with Mike Baldwin). BEATING BARRY The Transatlantic Trophies of 1979 and 1980 demonstrated just how good Randy was – he regularly beat both Barry Sheene (above right) and Kenny Roberts (left, with Randy behind). Randy didn’t like the 750s though, calling them ‘diesels’. GLORY YEARS If you discount Randy’s time on the underpowered and fragile Cagiva, he was on the podium in 52 per cent of the 500cc GP races he entered – a phenomenal record. Here he’s celebrating victory in the 1987 Japanese GP. KEEPING BUSY After retiring from GP racing…

Two re-registration questions this month. Geoff Dean is putting a 1948 Norton ES2 engine into a 1957 plunger Model 19 frame, but friends warn he’ll get a Q-plate because the bike’s a ‘bitsa’ (bits-a this and that). Geoff asks how complete the bike will need to be for inspection and how ‘original’. “For example, I’m planning on fitting a Brooklands can exhaust; would this compromise my chance of getting an age-related plate?” Similarly, Dave Robinson wants to build a bike from leftovers of a 1927 500cc BSA restoration. “I’ve got a 1924 frame – but I’m using a later engine and wheels with proper brakes. The bike will all be 1920s, just not 1924 – who would date it fairly, so I don’t cop a Q-plate?” Q-plates are issued to…

Robert Diss has an electrical problem the other to produce full output. This is with his Ariel Leader. Since converting completely different to the 6v system, the system to 12v, he finds the charge where these wires are routed separately doesn’t balance the headlight’s demand through the headlight switch. at normal riding speeds. This is despite Assuming that’s all OK, it is possible having upgraded from a 120 to a 180 watt for a diode to fail in a rectifier, causing it alternator, and it never having been a to go ‘half wave’ – still working, but at problem with the original 6v system. 50% reduced output. A 120w alternator should be well able One other thing; the Lucas 180w to power a 60/55 watt halogen headlight, alternator was a…

TANKING ALONG John Wright’s Triumph T150 Trident is in regular use, but needs the bottom cutting out of the tank for repairs. He asks whether the 650 twin tank will fit, should he run into problems. Well, the shell shape for export model tanks looks similar between the two models – Triumph may well have used the same press tools – and both have a two bolt front mounting below and single rear. But photos show that the rear bracket is significantly longer than on the twin – no doubt the bigger triple motor needs a longer frame. The bracket problem could probably be worked around, but I think fuel tap position would be more difficult. It varies on twin tanks between single and twin carb models, but the taps…

BUYING SELLING AUCTIONS ANALYSIS PLUS KAWASAKI Z1000 BUYING GUIDE. P98 Compiled by Gez Kane What’s the attraction? Italian four-stroke 250s of the 1960s and ’70s are ideal for anyone looking for a bike with good looks, genuine presence and useful performance. Ducati and Aermacchi singles both have a strong sporting heritage, with the sweet handling inherent from that. Either would be a rewarding bike to own, ride, fettle and ogle in garage. Which is the obvious choice? The Ducati. That’s firstly because it says ‘Ducati’ on the tank, but also because of sensational looks and slightly superior performance from the overhead-cam engine. They’re also more common in the UK. The early Diana models are particularly attractive, and they were followed by the 250 MkIII and 250 Mach 1, with the…

ANDY TIERNAN CLASSICS I think I was 12 years old whenI sold my first classic bike. Only, of course they weren’t ‘classic’ bikes back then in the late ’60s – just old bikes that nobody wanted. It was inevitable – my dad was an ex-wartime dispatch rider, my uncle was also into bikes, and I grew up surrounded by them. I’d spot an old bike in someone’s garden and just knock on the door. I could buy them for next to nothing, tidy them up, get them going and sell them on. After school, I got an apprenticeship in Ipswich. But as soon as I’d finished it, I was back to the bikes. I was fed up with being told what to do and started trading bikes and parts from…

£57,726 1972 Honda CL350 Flying Dragon Honda’s psychedelic Flying Dragon body sets, supplied to dealers in 1972/’73 as optional parts for CL350 and CL450 models, seem to have found their place in the hearts of collectors in the last few years. Each paintwork set is unique, thanks to the parts being dipped into a tank of water with swirls of paint floating on the surface. The bodywork on this bike is genuine Honda NOS, as is the exhaust system and many other parts fitted during a meticulous restoration by Vintage Motorcycle Rescue, in California. The bike has won numerous awards on the US show circuit, including best Japanese production machine at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering. £17,755 1987 Suzuki GSX-R1100 It had to happen – and it has. Japanese bikes of…

MY FIRST GETAWAY BIKE This is me at the age of 12 on our first bike – I bought it with my brother for 10 guilders (around two quid, I think). We cleaned the carb, pumped up the tyres and did small trips in the neighbourhood. We got chased by the cops, but they were on bicycles – typical Dutch! – so even on a 200cc Francis-Barnett it wasn’t hard to lose them. Kees Hoekstra, France THAT’S MY BOY! The Triumph Tiger Cub photographed here (left) was the bike I learnt to ride on in the local quarry when I was nine. The Garelli Tiger Cross (above) was my 1974 sports moped. That’s my proud dad, who was about to jump on his Bonneville and follow me to make sure…