Innholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2017 i Motorcycle Classics

2017 shows and the Motorcycle Classics Ride ’Em, Don’t Hide ’Em Getaway returns Ride ’Em, Don’t Hide ’Em Getaway returns The Motorcycle Classics Ride ’Em, Don’t Hide ’Em Getaway at Seven Springs Resort in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, is set for Aug. 4-6, 2017. Response to last year’s event completely exceeded expectations, so we’re doing it again! The concept is simple; hang out and ride great roads. Eighty-three of you liked the idea enough to make the trek to Southwestern Pennsylvania, with six riders joining Joel Samick for a back-road romp from RetroTours headquarters in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, to Seven Springs. Last year’s ride included visits to Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, Falling Water, plus Coopers Rock — and of course great riding through the Laurel Highlands in Pennsylvania. This is…

Few production motorcycles have achieved the mythical status of the Crocker, of which up to 110 examples were built in Los Angeles, California, between 1936 and 1942, each one unique. The fact that Albert G. Crocker, their creator, was notorious for not numbering his products consecutively means not only that nobody knows exactly how many bikes he actually made, it also gives a hint of the kind of man he was. Rather than concentrating on paperwork, Al Crocker had a single-minded goal: to create the fastest, lightest, most powerful and most sophisticated street motorcycle money could buy. Unfortunately, it was an ambition that ultimately proved inconsistent with making a profit, thanks to his insistence on using high quality materials and components. Forced to compete on price with the much larger…

Comedian Charles Fleischer is credited with the line, “If you remember the ’60s, then you really weren’t there.” It was the decade of mindaltering stimulants (read: drugs) that could erase people’s memories quicker than you could say “clean chalkboard.” The same satirical commentary is valid about sport bike enthusiasts who claim to remember the ’80s, because that was a time when motorcycle manufacturers — in particular the Big Four consisting of Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki — began injecting mega doses of horsepower and handling into their flagship models. Technological changes to sport bikes happened quickly during those years. Welcome to the dawn of the sport bike era, and if you remember those times, then, to paraphrase Fleischer, you weren’t there. Looking back Here’s what’s known about that halcyon era:…

Joe Smith is one of the greatest motorcycle drag racers of his time, but by all rights he should not have lived long enough to see his first Social Security check. His crash in 1967 at Irwindale Raceway in California should have been enough to put him out of the retirement hunt. The high-speed wobble he experienced at over 150mph aboard his Harley-Davison top-fuel drag bike flicked him off the seat as if he were a piece of loose baggage. “I fell off and beat it [the bike] across the line. I was clocked at 145 miles per hour,” recalls Joe, now in his 80s and still cognizant of every last detail of his experiences during those halcyon days when the learning curve for motorcycle drag racers was steep and…

Tried and tested: Fast Lane boots from Bates and Corazzo Enzo gloves Fast Lane boots I’d always wanted a pair of custom boots, specifically sized and cut to fit my feet, and my feet alone. Last year, with plans for my first visit to the Isle of Man Classic TT and Manx GP set in motion, I decided it was finally time so I contacted Dawn and Dana Grindle at Bates Custom Leathers in Lakewood, California, suppliers over the years to some of the greatest names in racing including David Aldana, Kenny Roberts and Giacomo Agostini, to name but a few. After describing my riding style to Dana, we both agreed the Bates Fast Lane Sport Racer was the best fit for my preferred riding, which is sport touring. A…

Star-Crossed Racers: Wes and Leah Orloff This is a love story about three people. No, not that kind of love story, although two of the players happen to be husband and wife. Rather, this love story includes motorcycle racing, with an emphasis on vintage bikes. Meet WFO Racing, composed of Wes and Leah Orloff, with a little help from Dale Coffman. WFO was formed by Wes and Leah to give some off-track substance and meaning to their racing, and their venture includes various other players, too. Phase 1 of the WFO saga actually originated in Japan in 1962 where, as a young GI, Dale and two fellow soldiers raced motorcycles during their military time off. The local Honda distributor sponsored the trio, and they competed with more than a fair…

On Wings of Gold I’m a retired American Honda employee. About five years ago after reading your magazine I went from restoring CX500s my wife and I ride to restoring a 1975 Gold Wing. I have restored five Gold Wings now and it’s gotten to the point where guys are donating bikes for free for me to restore back to showroom condition. I do all the work myself, even painting. I’ve just received two more 1977 Gold Wings which will both be brought back to their former glory. I’ve also started restoring a 1981 CBX too. Keep on bringing a great magazine to my mailbox. Mike McDonough/via email “You are right to focus on the 1970s ...” The R75/5 I enjoy reading about your /5 (Black Side Down, January/February 2017)._I’ve…

Marrying a Greeves frame with a Triumph engine makes for an interesting motorcycle with an interesting name: ook, Grumph. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, grumph is actually a word, defined as “to grunt” — and that turn of phrase is entirely applicable to the machine gracing these pages Not in a hurry to get to the altar, it was a nearly three-decade long engagement before builder Greg Lawless of Wisconsin got this particular Greeves/Triumph combination together. In 1981, a co-worker offered Greg a tired old desert racer. The machine was a 1962 Greeves Hawkstone 24SC powered by a 2-stroke, 250cc Villiers 34A engine. Although mostly complete, all was not well, as the transmission was locked in gear. “He was cleaning out his garage,” Greg recalls. “He didn’t want any money…

When it comes to classic British motorcycles, no brand resonates louder than Triumph. Carrying baggage that might have sunk any other make — think Marlon Brando in The Wild One — from the 1950s through the 1970s Triumph captured the popular imagination in a way no other brand did. And still does today, a fact John Calicchio is counting on. John Calicchio is no newcomer to the Triumph fold. Unlike more recent converts who have discovered the allure of the great twins from Meriden, Calicchio has been a Triumph devotee since his introduction to the brand in 1965. Walking home from school, he watched in awe as a rider flashed by on a 650 Bonneville, front wheel lifted high. Three years later, in 1968, he went to work for Award…

Owners of domestic animals and livestock adjoining the course, please ensure they are secure during the practice and race periods.” That’s not the sort of warning you normally hear blaring from the public address system at a race. But then, this isn’t your normal race. Welcome to the Isle of Man Classic TT. It’s Saturday morning, the first day of racing at the 2016 Isle of Man Classic TT and Manx GP, and our group is struggling for equilibrium as we work our way through the paddock to watch the start of the Senior TT. For the past two days we’ve been riding across England, acclimating ourselves to confusing roundabouts, riding on the “wrong” side of the road, and fighting various problems with our vintage motorcycles. Our ferry has only…

Rebuild Ducati Mikuni BDST flat slide carburetors This How-To might seem a little out of sync with our mission, focusing as it does on a 1992 Ducati 750SS. The name of the magazine is Motorcycle Classics, we hear you say, so isn’t 1992 too new? Believe it or not, it’s been 26 years since Ducati introduced the 750SS for the 1991 year, putting it just inside our general policy of only featuring bikes 25 years old or older. Hard as it is to accept, 1991 was, well, a long time ago. In the motorcycle marketplace, our project 1992 Ducati is just old. It’s at that awkward age where it’s neither fish nor fowl; somewhat ignored by lovers of more vintage machinery yet too outdated to be interesting to riders looking…

California’s Pacific Coast Highway (also known as PCH and officially SR 1) runs almost 656 miles from Capistrano Beach in Southern California to Leggett in Northern California. I’ve ridden most of it, and in my opinion the most beautiful stretch runs from Cambria to Carmel. It’s a 100-mile stretch of motorcycling nirvana with compelling coastal views for nearly its entire length, fantastic curves and a riding experience like no other. You could do it in three hours if you wanted, but there are so many interesting stops that I recommend a full day. Breakfast in Cambria (a delightful little town just north of Morro Bay) is a great way to start this ride. After breakfast, head to San Simeon, a few miles north and home to the famous Hearst Castle.…

One-year wonder: 1982 Honda MB5 How can an engine of only 50cc (just 3 cubic inches!) make enough power to set an average speed of over 85mph on the Isle of Man TT circuit? In 1965, Ralph Bryans did just that on the 50cc, double overhead cam Honda RC115, securing both the rider’s and manufacturer’s ultra-lightweight world championship, the little twin revving to 20,000rpm to produce its 15 horsepower. So don’t dis small bikes It wasn’t a double overhead cam twin that Honda presented to U.S. buyers in 1982, however, but a simple 50cc 2-stroke. It still produced the pulling power of seven horses — just not in quite the same way. In torque-obsessed America, Honda was facing an uphill sales battle with the MB5 — but it was a…

Call it social media synchronicity, but just as I was getting ready to write this story I happened to check Paul d’Orleans’ “thevintagent” Instagram feed. What the heck? Front and center is a photo of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss fame in all their outrageous rock ‘n’ roll glory posing with a 1979 Honda CB400 Hawk. Stanley is crouched on the seat and gas tank, one hand on the handlebar, the other giving a thumb’s up, while Simmons has one spiky boot up on the seat and the other planted on the ground, with his arms outstretched and batwings spread. Paul d’Orleans’ comment under the photo is succinct: “Kissmobile! You will never forget this image. 1979: why oh why a Honda Hawk?” We may never know the whole…

A tiny motorcycle propelled by a 160cc 2-stroke, Devil Lusso Extra looks more toy than transportation, and its name lends itself to groaner puns: “I had a Devil of a time finding parts for this bike!” claims owner Stewart Ingram. Once upon a time, however, this lovely little bit of Italian eye candy was serious transportation. The end of World War II saw Italy caught between advancing Allied forces and slowly retreating German armies. Everything that could be bombed, was. The factories of northern Italy had been turned into rubble, and even though it was one of the richest agricultural regions of the world, many of its people were starving. But Italians spat on their hands and got to work rebuilding their country. And being Italians, they infused beauty and…

Royal Enfield’s quarter-liter café One of motorcycling’s most powerful design icons first appeared on the roads of Britain in the late 1950s: the café racer. The archetype was the BSA Gold Star in Clubman trim, sporting clip-on handlebars mounted on the front fork, a paired speedometer and tachometer, skinny fenders and a swept-back header pipe. In reality, few bikers — especially young bikers — could afford a Goldie, so they made lookalikes. They were often utilitarian machines, wrenched, chopped and welded to emulate the bikes their heroes rode on the Isle of Man or at the local track. Then came a couple of shifts that changed the nature of British motorcycling — with the unintended consequence of creating another classic café bike: the Royal Enfield 250 Continental of 1963. Fast…

“Before you replace the system, run a few tests to see if there’s a simple fix.” Stuck on a Whitworth Q: My 1968 BSA 441 Victor has a nut that I can’t manage to remove. It’s the one down inside the fuel tank that secures the tank to the frame. The nut is rounded off. This seems like an impossible place to reach with my limited collection of tools. Any suggestions? John Grenier/via email A: I’ve run into this problem before, and at the time I had to carefully force a socket over the nut and then carefully unscrew it. An easier way would be to get a set of bolt extractors. These are specially machined sockets made to fit over a rounded bolt head and bite into it so…

Don’t miss these upcoming events! 3/3 Back for its seventh year, the Modern Classics Motorcycle Show will feature “The Quickest and the Fastest” as the featured class, celebrating a selection of period bikes that were acclaimed as the fastest production bikes of their era, as well as a sample of drag bikes from the era. Check out the Friday Night Modern Classics Kickstart Party from 7-10 p.m. at the show’s home, Martin Motorsports in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. On the web at martinmoto.com 3/10 This year marks the 76th Anniversary of Daytona Bike Week, which runs March 10-19 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The racing kicks off on Saturday night, March 11, with the Daytona Supercross. The rebranded American Flat Track series debuts this year with the Daytona TT on Thursday, March 16. The 2017…

Flat out, face down When hot rodders from the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) organized the first Bonneville Nationals speed trials on Utah’s fabled Bonneville Salt Flats in August of 1949, a new era of speed racing was born. Motorcyclists weren’t part of the show until 1951, however, when the four-wheelers invited 10 select bikers, among them a young man from Westminster, California, named Bud Hare. Hare was an innovative genius for his time, creating new and unique ways to squeeze top speed from his Triumph-powered motorcycles. Among his early endeavors were two bikes that allowed the rider to lay prone over the engine to minimize wind resistance. No doubt, Hare was inspired by Rollie Free’s fabled 1948 land speed record at Bonneville, wearing only a swimsuit and helmet for…