Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i Classic Bike

The 1950 Junior TT was a Norton benefit. After riding for three hours, three minutes and 35 seconds, factory rider Artie Bell won the seven-lap race at an average speed of 86.32 mph. That was two miles per hour faster than the previous year’s record lap. Bell’s team-mates Geoff Duke and Harold Daniell finished second and third. A few days later, at the Senior TT Norton scored another one-two-three victory – this time with Duke leading home Bell and Johnny Lockett. There’s no doubting the riding talent of the Norton team riders, or the professionalism of the team led by Joe Craig (see page 54). Bell had won the North West 200 the previous month and had been victorious at the 1948 Senior TT, Daniell was a multiple TT winner…

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO letters@ classicbike.co.uk GREATGRID PICTURE on pages 16 and 17 of the May issue, entitled: ‘May 15th 1977 Italian Grand Prix, Imola’. I hope you don’t mind, but I have a few corrections which I hope are helpful. The rider in third position on the grid is not (#1) Virginio Ferrari, it is Gianfranco Bonera who is recorded as qualifying third. Virginio Ferrari qualified 10th and is in the correct grid position in the photo. Rider number 27 (#2) is not ‘Tuevo Lansivouri’ (Tuevo is a typo – it’s Teuvo). Lansivouri is Rider number 2 and can be seen on row five. Rider number 27 is Nico Cereghini who qualified 13th and is in his correct position on the grid. Rider number 44 (#3) quoted as unknown,…

Y magnetic attraction on Mark Smith. He’s known as ‘Tommy 10 Bikes’ on the XT500 owners forum (xt500.co), although that doesn’t tell the full story – the current tally actually stands at 18. All bar a couple are XT or TT500s. We’ve featured a couple of Mark’s stunningly accurate restorations in CB in the past. He rattles through restos at an impressive pace, but what do you do if you fancy a change from catalogue-correct builds? Well, in Mark’s case, you immerse yourself in the fascinating world of aftermarket frame kits and hop-up parts. In the late 1970s, American four-stroke freaks wanted to turn their XT/TT500 trailies into competitive motocrossers, desert racers or enduro rides. But to do that the bikes needed some serious reworking, and a cottage industry sprung…

HISTORICAL IMAGES (Reproduced from Mick Duckworth’s new book on Joe Craig, see p37) Joe Craig steered Norton to greatness with unrivalled racing success from the 1930 to the mid-1950s, so when Norton enthusiast Barry Stickland came into possession of a cache of photographs preserved by Joe’s late son Des, he immediately realised their significance. Many of the images recording Norton’s conquering exploits around Europe are thought to have been taken by Craig or his team, while others are family snaps. Most have never been seen before. A selection from the collection has now been collated into a fascinating book by Classic Bike contributor Mick Duckworth, who researched each shot and interviewed the Craig family to fill in the gaps. The next four pages are a taster of his work and…

Is this some sort of joke? A rosette for one of my old bangers at the Southern Classic Bike Show! Although I occasionally enter bikes for display, I wouldn’t say I qualify as an exhibitor. I only did it this time because, after facetiously suggesting a theme of ‘1920s sports bikes’ to organiser Julie Diplock, she took my idea seriously. I mean, it makes perfect sense to me, but I have unusual tastes - what if nobody else brought any 1920s sports bikes? I owed it to Julie to take as many as I could to bulk up the numbers. Exhibitors are busy before a show – especially the first one of the year. However well stored, the bike will need at least a good dusting and more likely a…

HONDA CB250RS Is E10 OK for my CB250? Q Can I safely use E5 super unleaded fuel in my 1980 Honda CB250RS? I was going to use it to avoid the much-publicised pitfalls of E10 unleaded, but a mechanic friend told me he thought that E5 might lead to overheating and even burnt valves or a holed piston. Now I’m torn over knowing what to do for the best. Andy Brown, email A While Honda’s delightful CB250RS is no fire-breathing monster, I would think that its engine would benefit from running on E5 super unleaded, as it is more resistant to the ‘knock’ and ‘pinking’ of pre-ignition and the overheating that can cause. A further benefit is that – for as long as super has less or even no ethanol compared…

A change to the current situation Will thinks he’s chosen the right electrical bits for his Triumph – but electrickery wizard Ferret sparks a change of plan. A full refresh of the system means a bit more expense – but a lot more peace of mind 9 PART ‘IT WILL BE WILL’S DAILY RIDER, SO IT’LL HAVE A BATTERY, BUT HE’D LIKE THE OPTION OF RUNNING IT WITHOUT’ I don’t know how he does it, but however well Iprepare a wiring job, Ferret always manages to spot something wrong. “I’ve been reading this month’s CB,” he announced on the phone. “Is that new alternator you’ve fitted brown?” “Er...” “Well it looks like it, that makes it a 180w single phase for a Commando. What regulator are you using?” “Um, one…

1976 MV Agusta America Magni FOR SALE £85,000 Any MV Agusta is special, but a Magni converted bike is just a little more so. Arturo Magni joined MV in 1950 and, as the head of their revered racing team, guided them to a staggering 270 Grand Prix wins and 75 world championships. When the factory quit racing in 1976, Arturo and his sons set up on their own, producing modified MV fours (and later, other makes of machine) for discerning and well-heeled customers. Magni would supply complete bikes, or a kit of parts for a dealer or customer to fit to a donor machine. Their bespoke frame and swingarm was designed to use chain final drive rather than the original shaft. With many options for tuning, if you could afford…

LAKE DISTRICT THREE-DAY TOUR APRIL 18-20 The Westmorland Motor Club was founded in 1910, and remains highly active. Their two big classic scrambles attract riders from across the country, as does the annual Barbon hillclimb. They also run youth motocross and trials for local riders. The International Three Day Tour is a homage to the first ever International Six Days Trial, which was held in the Lake District in 1913; many of the roads used in the tour are the same as featured in that event 110 years ago, though now they’re now surfaced in more rider-friendly tarmac. “We get a lot of support from riders in the South of England for our scrambles,” says organiser Peter Remington. “So we like to put on something the week before our April…

A BONNIE VIEW FROM THE CONSERVATORY Thanks for the Triumph T140 article in the May issue. I’m lucky enough to own a rather lovely example and find it sits perfectly with my Analog Man sensibilities. It’s fast enough and agile enough. Light enough and easy enough to maintain. It fits perfectly into its charming Isle of Man setting, being perfectly scaled in terms of performance for our twists and turns and occasional short straights. And it’s just lovely to look at. Brian Molyneux, Isle of Man I DIDN’T KNOW THIS EXISTED UNTIL I BOUGHT IT As an octogenarian, I’ve had a 50-year history with Bultacos; riding, restoring, modding and collecting. About 18 months ago, I was fortunate enough to find one I did not know existed. I had been considering…

At the 1950 Senior TT, Norton debuted the remarkable Featherbed frame that revolutionised motorcycle chassis design and Geoff Duke won the race at a canter. The following year, nine of the top ten Senior TT finishers were aboard Norton’s Featherbed-framed single – but an equally audacious chassis design also started the race that year. When Charlie Salt set off down Bray Hill on June 8, 1951 on his Earles BSA, it was the first time an aluminium-framed machine had competed at a Grand Prix. There was one big difference, though – unlike the instant hit of the McCandless-designed Featherbed, it was another 40 years before making motorcycle chassis out of aluminium became common practice. Ernie Earles constructed his first competition bike fitted with a lightweight tubular aluminium frame in 1947…

TRIUMPH GEARBOX Gearbox pawl feedback Graham Hill adds to the letter about gearchange selector pawl escape (Rick’s Fixes April) to say that he once had exactly the same problem with his Triumph Daytona. The problem occurs because the split pin that keeps the pawl in place can break, allowing the pawl to spring out of place, preventing cover removal to fix the problem. Rather than drilling an access hole in the cover, through which to poke the offending pawl, Graham and a neighbour put their heads together to make this special hook tool. He found the cover just came away far enough to wriggle the blade through the slim gap, push the plunger back down and release the cover. Where the oil is separate from the engine, gearboxes tend to…

£695 1987 Kawasaki GT550 If you were a motorcycle courier in the late ’80s, you’ll be familiar with Kawasaki’s durable shaft-drive four. This ‘ride or restore’ proposition starts and runs – always a good starting point. 07881740870 £995 1981 Yamaha XS1100 Scruffy for sure, but it looks to be original and largely complete – apart from the original exhaust. OK, it needs some love lavishing on it, but could make a lovely classic tourer... 07783 14012 5 £995 1985 Yamaha SRX400 Japanese home-market version of the popular SRX600 – and this example looks to be in reasonable condition. A good basis for a café racer project, maybe? tradebikesdirect.co.uk £995 1989 Suzuki GSX750 EF This bike has been stored since 2005 and, judging by the photographs, it looks to be all…

REVIEW BONHAMS: THE SPRING STAFFORD SALE APRIL 22–23 £281,750 1931 Brough Superior SS100 Topping the sale, as predicted, this Brough may have sold for a pretty hefty price – but it is a stunning machine. It was first registered in 1931 as a ‘show model’ (with enhanced finish) to be displayed at the Earl Court Show that year. The bike sports a frame number just one away from that of TE Lawrence’s final Brough Superior and it was original dispatched (some time after the show) attached to a Watsonian sidecar chassis with one-off coachwork. Despite the fact that the ‘show finish’ is concealed under a coat of black paint applied by the vendor, who has owned the bike since 1973, it remains a remarkable bike. £1265 1970 BSA D175 Bantam…

Life in a haze of blue smoke Inspired by your 1973 issue, I thought I’d get out some old photos to send you – especially me and my FS1-E in 1973. I turned 16 in April 1973 and, as was mandatory that year, worked every spare hour (part-time – Iwas still at school) and got a brand new FS1-E. Check out the platform shoes for proper ’70s effect! In April 1974, when I turned 17, I got a one-year-old 125cc Yamaha AS3 and passed my test on that. Still 17, I swapped that for a 500cc Triumph T100SS café racer. At 18 (in the summer of 1975), I got a new Yamaha RD350B (the latest model with six-speed gearbox), had that for two years, then at 20 traded it in…

IF YOU LIVE near a speedway track, consider yourself lucky, as they’re closing at an alarming rate. The recent news that Peterborough and Wolverhampton face closure at the end of 2023 is the latest in a series of blows for the shale flingers. Of the 28 tracks operating in the year 2000, 17 have closed and just five new ones have sprung up. There is now genuine concern about how the sport’s league structure can survive the loss of another two teams for 2024. News of Peterborough’s demise is no surprise, as the East of England Showground’s owners are shutting up shop and putting up houses. The Panthers initially received notice in 2022 before a late one-season reprieve. Losing Wolverhampton, however, is a shock. Its Monmore Green home first staged…

Easy and simple aren’t words in Bimota’s vocabulary. Exotic, experimental, flamboyant and outrageous far better describe the Rimini firm’s output of hand-built motorcycles spanning the last half century. Three co-founders started the company in 1973, with the firm’s name being a composite of their surnames: Valerio Bianchi (BI), Giuseppe Morri (MO), and Massimo Tamburini (TA). Race-style componentry – wheels, swingarms, yokes and footrests – formed the company’s initial output, but the long-term intention was always to create low-volume high-end motorcycles using other manufacturers’ powerplants. It was an idea ripe for its time. During the 1970s the Japanese factories’ focus was engine performance, with chassis development very much an afterthought. This led to a decade of ever faster machines with unsettling, often terrifying handling. And that’s where Bimota came in. With…

UK CHASSIS BUILDERS Dresda > dresda.co.uk > Example price: £2150 (lightweight frame and engine plates) > Lead time: Some products ex-stock, others “a few weeks” The retirement of Dresda main man Dave Degens in the autumn of last year saw the baton being passed along to long-term employee Russell Vann and business partner Guy Fithen, who also did time under the auspices of the legendary Triton builder. Not just Tritons either, as Degens also re-tubed sohc Hondas, Suzuki T500s and more. Vann and Fithen are currently in the process of moving into new premises in Ashford, west London, where production of frame kits, modified chassis and complete bikes will soon recommence. All the Dresda favourites and bolt-on goodies will be offered as well as new takes on the formula with…

THERE CAN BE no debate. Your man Harry Bott has surely selected the finest lightweight touring motorcycle of not so recent times. All 250cc MZs have their merits. The early, wilfully weird ES250/2 will cope with fully-loaded touring trips despite a yawning chasm between third and top cogs. The later ETZ250 will also manage, despite a relatively peaky powerband. The TS250/1 Supa 5 (five-speed) with its fat midrange is the go-to machine. Its oversquare 69 x 65mm piston-port engine is a jewel, more rough-cut amethyst than marquise-cut diamond, yet a gem nonetheless. Its 20bhp is found in the mid reaches of the tacho’s sweep, in a conveniently-coloured green band from 3000-6000rpm. There is over-rev to at least 7k, too. Breathing through a 30mm BVF slide carburettor, the unit will return…

1Remove the brake pads, pump the lever to move the pistons out a little, drain the hydraulic fluid, then crack off the bolts holding the caliper halves together with the unit still mounted. Easier, and avoids the risk of damage holding the caliper in a vice. 2 There always seems to be some brake fluid left in the lines, no matter how thoroughly we think we have drained them. A handy tip is to zip tie a small plastic bag over each banjo to prevent any residual drops falling onto discs, wheels or workbench. 3 Clean the calipers as thoroughly as you can, prior to splitting them. Use piston pliers or a collet-type tool such as this one to pull the pistons. Clean and inspect the pistons. Any pitting in…

BAUER AUTOMOTIVE What’s the attraction? On paper, with their 500cc transverse V-twin engines and shaft drive, these two should have been close competitors in the late-70s and early 80s. Both were a little out of the ordinary in a middleweight sector flooded with across the frame fours and parallel twins, but Honda and Moto Guzzi were always going to do things very differently. So one’s a compact, simple, fine-handling middleweight with a splash of Latin class, while the other is a comfy and capable techno-fest featuring four-valve heads and water cooling. But for today’s buyer, they have something else in common other than engine layout, capacity and final drive. They both offer ton-topping performance, decent handling (more than decent in the case of the V50) and good reliability (apart from…

GODIN SPORTING CARS AND MOTORCYCLES Heading deeper into spring, I’vehad a busy couple of weeks. I was at Goodwood for the Members Meeting – always a pleasure – and then, after a few days back in the office, I went (with my classic car hat on) to the Salon Privé London event in Chelsea, before heading up to Stafford for the weekend. While at these three very different events I was pondering on the changing face of the classic bike market. I’ve been involved in the bike trade for about 36 years now and I’m noticing a shift in terms of what constitutes a classic bike, where the market is going, and where it might be heading. Although the market for (and values of) certain models fluctuates over the years,…

It seems a long time since oursale at the NMM at the end of March, but we’re really only just getting started on putting together our next auction on July 12. The March sale went really well for us, with an 87% sell-through rate, but now we have to build on that. It was great to see so many people back in the saleroom in person, too. But now it’s on to the next one. There’s always about 10 days of post-sale work to get through after any sale – sorting out documentation, transport, invoicing and so on. Then I took the opportunity to take a holiday. Now, with around six weeks before the next sale day, we’re all working flat out pulling it together. Since I’ve been back, I’ve…