Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i Classic Bike

Observe the sense of relief on my face in the picture below. That’s only partly because it has finally stopped raining. We’ve actually made it to the finish of the last off-road section of the Beamish Trial – and at times during the day that didn’t seem likely. From that location, on the edge of Weardale, all that remains is a 20-mile road run to the finish and, against the odds, my BSA Bantam is still running. That’s despite having been subjected to severe abuse and hideous weather for the whole day. It turns out that the Beamish is quite a challenge for a rigid-framed lightweight and now there’s a long list of items suffering from ‘wear and tear’ that need fixing. And unfortunately, the toolbox lid is lost on…

Six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez (Puch Maxi) leads five-time MotoGP winner Miguel Olivera (another mid-’70s Maxi) and MotoGP wonderkid Pedro Acosta (exceedingly rare KTM Mini Cross). Behind them are fellow MotoGP riders Brad Binder and Jorge Martin. The gang were celebrating Austria’s glorious moped past, prior to the recent Austrian MotoGP, where they led a ride-out of hundreds of classic mopedeers around the GP circuit. NEWS IN BRIEF CB400F Fest If you’re partial to a CB400F, there’s only one place to be on Saturday, September 28: David Silver’s Honda Open Day at his Suffolk museum. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the CB, David and his team have gathered over 40 400Fs, ranging from race winners to customs to high-mileage hacks. Entry to the museum is free and there…

I was really fascinated with the article about the BSA race bike with the parallelogram frame (CB August). My grandfather came up with the same idea himself while out of action after breaking his neck at the 1949 Manx GP. He went back to racing in 1953, raced the bike until he patented his idea in December 1954, and in the early ’70s was in talks to sell his idea to Bultaco – but there was a disagreement, he stormed out of the meeting and that was that. He also built a special fork set-up with oil-less forks with extended travel and a central damper. He raced the bike up until the late ’60s and then sold it to a friend who raced up until 1977. Phil Marshall SEND YOUR…

Classic Bike AT LUNCH WITH… For the first time since he was 16, Gerald Davison no longer owns a motorcycle. Sitting down in a restaurant, close to his home on the Isle of Wight, the 81-year-old explains. “There was a silly incident when I dropped my modern Triumph in the workshop doorway and was trapped under the bike. My wife was out, and I didn’t have my phone, so I started tapping out SOS in morse code on the bike’s horn. After ten minutes a chap my age, who must have once been a boy scout too, came looking. He helped me from under the bike, but we couldn’t pick it up. We flagged down some tyre fitters in the road, and I said: ‘Would you mind coming in and…

AJS MODEL 18 Fuel problem or not? I always encourage feedback when I offer advice – sometimes my suggestion was completely wrong, so it’s great to find out the real answer – but I think Fergus Mercer is the first person to come up with the answer before I’d even replied! His 1947 AJS 500 developed a problem that seemed to be fuel starvation. Opening up above 40mph, it would start spluttering – but revived when he backed off. He cleaned out the carb, checking the jetting was correct and fuel taps and lines were clear, but found nothing amiss. In my experience, when you’ve checked everything and found nothing, you’re looking in the wrong place. The textbook answer to Fergus’ problem is to check the breather in the fuel…

Tip Bag up brake-line ends Price Pennies Where? Off your shelf Hydraulic fluid is perhaps the vilest substance to be found anywhere in or around your bike. Seemingly impossible to corral the minute you open up a reservoir or fitting, it gets everywhere, destroying paint and discolouring plastics. Even when you think you’ve drained an hydraulic system, it seems that ever more fluid leaches out. Give yourself half a chance when you’ve had to remove brake calipers by sealing the banjos in plastic bags with cable ties. This will at least prevent the fluid from dripping onto wheels and discs. Tool Pin spanner Price: About a tenner Where? Tool shops, online I originally purchased this because I didn’t want to demolish a Honda wheel bearing retainer when I removed it,…

Rick Parkington 1928 Sunbeam Model 9 Rick has upgraded the Sunbeam using later parts to make it more like the 1928 TT bikes. He reckons he hit 80mph on the West Kent Run. But performance costs – the one-gallon tank ran out after 70 miles. In theory there’s a whole year to prepare mine and Judy’s bikes for every West Kent Run – so why am I always working into the eleventh hour before any event? Vintage bikes are work in progress, because while normal maintenance – tyres, chains, filters, brakes, suspension – is minimal or not applicable, a closer eye is needed on things like tappets, timing, bolt tightness, etc. But moreover, because very few new parts are available there are ‘long-term improvements’ to deal with – making a…

NBS Ingstre, Staffordshire: parts, rebuilds, restoration and servicing. 01889 271818/07958 584889 Muzzi Moto Independent Guzzi dealer (parts & bikes) specialising in bikes from the ’70s-’90s. motoguzzisales.co.uk Motori de Marino Chiddingfold, West Sussex: restorations, bike sales and servicing. 01798 813260 Mike Russell de Clifford A veteran of Three Cross Motorcycles and Moto Corsa, Mike offers repairs and restorations at his Somerset workshop mikerdec.com Moto Guzzi Club GB Lively and welcoming club with local branches and a busy events calendar. motoguzziclub.co.uk Gutsibits Independent supplier of new, used and reconditioned parts for all Guzzis. gutsibits.co.uk Stein Dinse German dealer and parts supplier. stein-dinse.com Harpers Moto Guzzi American Guzzi specialists, with plenty of new and used V50 parts listed. harpermoto.com TLM Dutch-based dealer/parts supplier. tlm.nl…

SOLD FOR £9208 1981 Ducati MHR Iconic Auctioneers Silverstone Festival Sale August 25 This looked like a great way into ownership of a bevel-drive Duke without spending anything like the money a good 900SS would command. OK, so it is essentially a project and will certainly need some time and money spending on it to get it back to presentable condition, but it looks like a pretty good starting point, despite the surface corrosion on the exhaust pipe, brake discs and various other parts. A styling job based on the ‘square case’ 900SS, the Mike Hailwood Replica offers identical performance. This one is UK registered from new, with two previous owners, the odometer shows just 14,000 miles and, while it has been in storage for some time, the engine turns…

SANTA POD is likely the place that comes to mind when you think of UK drag racing. And rightly so. The Bedfordshire venue opened for straightline competition in Easter 1966 and was not only the UK’s but also Europe’s first permanent ¼ and ⅛-mile strip. Every motorsport discipline has its own hallowed venue – and the Pod is to drag racing what Brands Hatch is to short circuits or Hawkstone Park is to motocross. It’s a magical place – not just to UK riders and fans, but continental ones too. Sunday, October 13 sees Santa Pod host the Straightliners 2024 Championship finals, and you really should get down there and take a look – spectator tickets cost £21 from santapodtickets.com. Or have a go yourself. With no fewer than nine…

Morini 250 I took early retirement from my job as a design and technology teacher two years ago and needed a project. I had a Moto Morini 3½ Sport in the ’80s and fancied one again, but the prices were a little too rich. Then this turned up, not too far from me at a price that was worth a gamble. It looked to be a fairly complete pile of bits with no paperwork, but what looked to be a freshly rebuilt engine, so it came home with me. When I got it running, I could hear a knock, so I packed the engine off to Morini specialist Benjy Straw. In the meantime, I got on with stripping, cleaning, painting, plating and refurbishing the remaining parts. The badges and some…

This applies to all the V-twin, beam-framed TZs I’ve owned and raced. To keep one in top condition, don’t just focus on the engine – the chassis parts all need to be looked at in detail too. The engine is hungry for new parts, so keep feeding it the bits it needs. I hear people saying their pistons have done 500 miles, or even 800 miles, and they probably have. But don’t get hung up on making parts last – if you want a fast TZ, you must change them according to the schedules or even earlier. When I refresh the top end, all of it gets changed: gaskets, O-rings, little ends, reeds, rings, pistons, the lot. All of these parts are collectively responsible for keeping the bike as sharp…

Tip Purpose-made peg spanners On the subject of autojumble finds, I was delighted to find this Scott peg spanner a while back. It’s for tightening the rings that hold a ’20s Scott cylinder head ‘water jacket’. When loose you get a water leak – and I’ve found that the notched rings have often been chiselled. Peg spanners are special tools well worth buying. Used quite often in Japanese engines, they are usually done up tight and inaccessible – so while you can make your own, filed or ground from a bit of tube or an old socket, you’re usually better off using one purpose-made for the job. Tool Centre punches You’d think there’s not much to say about centre punches – but the fact is, they do come in different…

PROJECT Harris Magnum Flushed with success after last month’s engine rebuild, Alan and his merry men press on with the build… Alan Seeley 1982-83 Harris Magnum Suzuki A lifetime of poking around inside motorcycles of various vintages has given Al an in-depth experience of spannering. A former staffer on our erstwhile sister magazine Practical Sportsbikes, he’s no stranger when it comes to the innards of Japanese fours. A pivotal moment in the building of Project Magnum is upon us. Time to fit the freshly powder-coated frame to the equally freshly rebuilt engine. It’s been mentioned before but when it comes to assembling a Harris Magnum, frame and engine really need to be conjoined first. That’s because the hand-built chassis wraps tight and close around the engine. Getting an engine into…

Hugo Wilson 1951 BSA Bantam D1 CB’s editor is a BSA Bantam, Morini, Matchless and Honda VFR750 owner with a particular fetish for getting classic bikes dirty. Mission accomplished at the Beamish Trial. The Beamish Trial takes place in early September, but my entry was sent in March, giving me six months to rewire my BSA Bantam project bike and get it sorted. Obviously, life, lethargy and other projects got in the way and it was a last-minute rush to get the bike ready in time. It always is. The Bantam is a rigid-framed 1951 model, but we’ve fitted a later 175cc four-speed engine which should help ascend the hills on the Beamish. The trial has a 100-mile route through the Northern Pennines and includes the challenge of rocky climbs…

If you’re looking for the ultimate vintage-era side-valve Norton single, this might just be it. Norton had made something of a name for sporting side-valve singles as early as 1909, when a 475cc machine joined the 633cc Big Four in their catalogue. In 1911, the bore and stroke dimensions became 79 x 100mm to increase the engine capacity to 490cc and Norton’s Model 16H (the ‘H’ standing for ‘home market’) was on its way. It would remain in production in various guises until 1954 – but it is the vintage models that have become the most prized. Initially offered in single-speed belt-drive form, the bikes proved highly competitive at Brooklands. BS (Brooklands Special) and BRS (Brooklands Road Special) models were offered with engines that had been tested at Brooklands (in…

PRICES V50/V50 MONZA Mint: £3500-4500/£5000-6000 Good: £2500-3000/£4000-4500 Project: £1000-1500/£1000-1500 1976-1986 | 499cc | 45bhp | 157kg | 100mph Moto Guzzi V-twins have a lot going for them. Character, capability, performance and (usually) good reliability. Our production editor, Mark Holmes, has been all over on his almost 50-year-old California and it shows no sign of giving up the ghost any time soon. But the 750, 850 and 1000cc models are big and heavy. So, if big and heavy aren’t your thing, maybe one of Guzzi’s ‘small block’ V50 models might be more to your taste. Swing a leg over a V50 – it won’t be hard with a seat height of just 301/2in – and you’ll immediately be struck by its comparative lack of bulk. Head out on the road and…

1976 The V50 makes its debut at the Cologne Show. 1977 First V50 (and 350cc V35) models go on sale in the UK. 1978 V50 continues unchanged. 1979 The V50II replaces the original V50. Chrome plating on bores replaced by Nikasil. A deeper sump is also fitted. 1980 A sports version of the V50 – the V50 Monza – is launched, with a bikini fairing, rearsets and clip-on handlebars. Claimed power is up to 48bhp at 7600rpm. A new V50III model shares the Monza’s improved engine spec – though with an altered primary drive ratio. Silencers and mudguards redesigned. Steel brake discs replace cast iron rotors. 1982 A custom-styled V50C model is introduced. Camchain reverts to single-row type. 1984 A much revised Monza II – with four-valve cylinder heads –…

1936/2024 Velocette 500 Phil Price, 59, artist from New Zealand This is a replica of a 1936 factory bike. We’ve made it all ourselves – we had all the patterns and castings made and machined everything. The engine, girder forks, frame, wheels, tank… it’s all been made from scratch in home workshops by clever amateur types. That takes a long time – it was three years in the making. In 1936, Velocette made some dohc engines for their 350s and put a swingarm on the 500s at the behest of Stanley Woods. Our bike has the swingarm and the dohc, which Velocette never did, but we’ve managed to squeeze it in. We tried the bike at home in New Zealand on the short circuits and it was pretty good, so…

5 Huggy’s Speed Shop Auto Shindig and Swapmeet, Mallory Park Centre, Mallory Park Circuit, Leicestershire. Autojumble meets party as the Huggy’s crew throw open their doors for another of these popular events. Live music, good food and a great excuse to browse the Aladdin’s cave of bikes, memorabilia and parts that is the Speed Shop – as well as the autojumble outside. 01827 712906 5 Rufforth Autojumble, Rufforth Park, Rufforth, North Yorkshire. rufforthautojumble.com 5 Classic Drive and Ride-in, Lakeland Motor Museum, Blackbarrow, Cumbria. Join around 100 drivers and riders as they converge on the museum. Check out the museum collection too – it includes 100 motorcycles and scooters. lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk 6 Pioneer Run, Tattenham Corner, Epsom to Shoreham Airport, West Sussex. The world’s premier event for veteran (pre-1915) motorcycles. It’s a…

‘The lovely teardrop tank makes the bike surprisingly narrow and shapely from the saddle, the wide ’bars enhancing the effect’ Few could deny that this Peacock Blue Z1B is a glorious thing to look at. To many riders of the 1970s, the designation ‘Z1’ has an almost biblical significance – and it’s been one of the most sought-after Japanese classics for as long as I can remember. Just about the most powerful bike on the road when it first emerged, poor handling gave it a fearsome reputation – but even so, the Zed was proclaimed MCN Machine of the Year from 1973-76. In short, it’s a legend. But I missed all that. By the time I got on the road, we’d entered a new decade and the Z1 had been…

When the internet auction site eBay took off, many people predicted the end of the autojumble. The ability to put ‘a watch’ for an item that will alert you as soon as one pops up for sale beats picking through boxes, doesn’t it? Well, maybe, but autojumbles are social gatherings. Most of us go to see friends, catch up on gossip – and maybe find something we do need at the right price. And while the online ability to search the world makes finding parts easier, others are looking too, making bargains scarce. Plus looking at anything online gobbles up time. Originally, if you looked up ‘vintage BSA’, you’d find flat tank bits, now you’re trawling through endless items from workshop enamel signs to airgun pellets – and besides, there’s…

SUZUKI X7 Bit of a non-starter Q My recently completed Suzuki X7 restoration has been assembled with meticulous attention to detail. Or at least I thought so. However, I don’t have a spark on either cylinder. I can measure some voltage at the ignition coil when I kick the bike over, but plainly it isn’t enough. Swapping the coil and plugs doesn’t make any difference. Del Kennedy, email A Trying to measure voltage at the coil is futile on these self-exciting systems unless you have a peak voltage indicator or attachment for your multimeter. I did make such a device many years ago, but there are other things to check first. Put your multimeter to better use by testing the resistance of the various coils on the stator plate and…

Our Classics The bikes ridden and fettled by the Classic Bike team Dr Stephen Walsh Honda CB350K4 If there’s anyone more enthusiastic about racing classic bikes on closed-roads circuits than Stephen, it’s not someone we’re currently aware of. Competing at the Manx GP is a yearly ambition of his – but it’s not easy… Before getting to my highs and lows at this year’s races, my first thoughts are with the family and friends of Louis O’Regan, my fellow Irish rider who died at Kate’s Cottage. We all know the Manx GP is dangerous, but that does not make things any easier for those left behind. For my part, the danger is not the attraction of our sport. I love it for other reasons. From the start, as you accelerate…

Thanks to volunteers The Beamish Trial is organised by Tom Norman and the South Durham VMCC, supported by many volunteers who turned out on a miserable day to make it happen. They were all smiling, cheerful and helpful (especially those who helped me refit the Bantam chain and push it through the section). Thanks to all of you. The event always takes place in September. vmccsouthdurham.co.uk Belstaff Trialmaster jacket A waxed cotted jacket is essential wear for an event like the Beamish and the weather was a decent test of my new Trialmaster jacket. Belstaff have moved from motorcycle clothing into fashion wear, but this reworking of an old favourite shows they still care about their roots. It now comes with modern D30 elbow and shoulder armour and has a…

ESTIMATE £150,000-200,000 1913 Flying Merkel Twin Seventy-one 471 Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale, October 12-13 Early American motorcycles never seem to go out of fashion – and this Flying Merkel V-twin has a lot going for it. Owned prior to 1998 by legendary stunt man, motorcycle racer, restorer and Steve McQueen buddy, Bud Ekins, the bike was acquired by stunt pilot, historic car racer and motorcycle collector Vic Norman. The engine has been rebuilt and the rear brake improved – Vic has been a regular on the Pioneer Run – but the rest of the bike is preserved rather than restored. Still in its original paint, this is an extraordinary machine with a fabulous history. bonhams.com ESTIMATE £9000-12,000 Unregistered ‘Egli’ Vincent Comet Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale, October 12-13 Built around a…