Innholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2018 i Motorcycle Classics

The early-mid-1980s were a period of unprecedented domination of the U.S. motorcycle market by Japanese makers. Britain’s motorcycle industry was dead; in Italy, Laverda was dying and Ducati struggled on, seemingly destined for the same fate until rescued by Cagiva in 1985; and Harley was just emerging from its disastrous AMF tenure. BMW offered a viable alternative — but at a premium price. This was the era of the “UJM” — the Universal Japanese Motorcycle — a naked bike with an across-the-frame, air-cooled, 4-cylinder, double overhead cam engine of around 1 liter, mounted in a chassis that never quite seemed up to the engine’s performance potential. These motorcycles were capable of speeds in excess of 130mph, which, just a decade before, would have been racing territory. And they brought with…

3rd Annual Ride ’Em, Don’t Hide ’Em Getaway The 3rd Annual Motorcycle Classics Ride ’Em, Don’t Hide ’Em Getaway at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, is set for Aug. 10-12, 2018. Following up on the great time we had with the first two events, we’re returning to Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands for another perfect weekend of riding and relaxing. The goal for the weekend is pretty simple: hang out with cool people, ride great roads, eat well and share our mutual love of old bikes. Last year’s event drew 53 readers to Seven Springs Mountain Resort, including riders who joined Joel Samick at RetroTours for a back-road romp from the RetroTours headquarters in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, to Seven Springs. Last year’s ride took us south to the…

Sammy Miller’s passion for motorcycles, which led him to achieve success on two wheels in both trials and road racing before assembling one of the world’s finest bike collections, started in Northern Ireland in the post-World War II “My first impressions of anything to do with bike racing were in 1947,” recalls Sammy, now an energetic and enthusiastic 83 years young. “That’s when some of my pals and I rode our bicycles up to the Clady circuit for the first night of practice for the Ulster GP, on the Thursday evening. There we were in the hedge, on the Seven Mile Straight running down to Clady Corner — and the first three bikes that roared past us were the three AJS Porcupines, ridden by Jock West, Ted Frend and Les…

Imagine if you will that it’s April 12, 1939. You’re in Berlin, Germany, standing outside a building known as the SS Hauptamt, the headquarters of the Third Reich’s Schutzstaffel, an organization more familiarly known as the treacherous SS. Nearby, a delivery truck rolls to a stop in front of the building. Strapped to the truck’s flatbed is the very 1939 BMW R51 featured here. Officially, the bike bears frame number 509728 and engine number 504413, signifying that it was manufactured only a few weeks before, on March 24, 1939, to be exact. As the sleek bike is ceremoniously rolled off the truck and onto the cold, hard pavement, an SS officer signs a document confirming the bike’s delivery. The BMW is now part of the Schutzstaffel’s motor pool, and will…

This year commemorates the original Norton Commando’s decade of production, which was kickstarted 50 years ago in April 1968, following the iconic twin-cylinder model’s debut in 750cc guise at London’s Earls Court Show the previous year. To mark the occasion, today’s reborn Norton Motorcycles has introduced a trio of limited edition birthday bikes based on the existing Commando 961 Sport and Café Racer, as well as adding a third new variant named the California. This new version of the Commando 961 is available in a choice of 10 different Seventies-style color schemes ranging from a retro metal-flake red to the red, white and blue combo seen here. The new Norton is distinguished from its sister models by carrying a high-rise handlebar with pulledback grips. Otherwise identical in every way to…

It’s been famously said that as far as internal combustion engines are concerned, there’s no replacement for displacement. But actually, there is. As well as displacement, the power output of an internal combustion engine depends on its volumetric efficiency; that is, the volume of air/fuel mixture that can be fed into the combustion chamber on the induction stroke. In a naturally aspirated engine, volumetric efficiency is sometimes limited by restrictive intake tracts and/or valve timing. Just as important is the density of air the engine is breathing, which depends on temperature and atmospheric pressure. Cold air is more dense than warm air. And atmospheric pressure is affected by altitude — the higher you go, the less dense the air. So how can you improve volumetric efficiency, and therefore increase power,…

What: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. How to Get There: Wyoming Scenic Byway US 189/191 is the hot ticket riding in from the south. From the east, Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway US 26/287 is similarly stunning. Any road through and to this region is breathtaking! Best Kept Secret: Named by French trappers in the 1800s as les trois tétons (the three teats), the tallest 13,775-foot peak became le grand téton (the large teat). Avoid: The winter months and departing for Grand Teton National Park without checking the weather. More Info: nps.gov/grte/index.htm More Photos: californiascooterco.com/blog/?p=26449…

Nighthawk fan I enjoyed your article on the Honda Nighthawk (January/ February 2018). A few years ago I was fortunate to purchase a meticulously maintained 1985 Nighthawk from the original owner, which I rode for a couple of years. As the article states it is a very reliable and trouble-free machine. Dave was wise to change the jets as they are pretty cold-blooded, taking several minutes to warm up. I wish I had thought of that. One thing I found that dramatically improves handling is to drop the triple clamps about ¾ inch. Steven Boggs/Des Moines, Iowa Back on the road This photo is of my 8-month-old grandson Anthony on my 1966 Honda S90. I restored this bike nearly three years ago, largely from a rolling chassis and an engine…

Kawasaki GPz1100s had a well-earned reputation for reliability, with enthusiastic owners routinely piling on 50,000-plus miles before needing any engine work. Unfortunately, that means that today a lot of them are pretty worn out. Not this bike, however. Sold on eBay for $5,800, this first-generation GPz1100 was clearly an enthusiast-owned motorcycle. A time-warp machine, the bodywork was in close to perfect condition, with excellent paint and all the graphics bright and clean, including the decals on the fork and the rear brake master cylinder plate. More amazingly, the engine still sported its apparently original black paint, and the black exhaust — impossible to replace — looked excellent, although there were signs of discoloration and minor surface degradation of the headers. The seat was slightly rumpled, but otherwise clean. Mileage was…

The 2018 show season is fast approaching, making this the perfect time to start making plans to join us at our favorite annual events. First up is the annual Vintage Motofest, June 8-10, 2018, at Road America racetrack outside Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (roadamerica.com), featuring AHRMA vintage racing and the Rockerbox Bike Show. The bike show happens Saturday, and we’ll be there heading up judging and awarding, bestowing the Motorcycle Classics Editor’s Choice award along with trophies for the top bikes in five other categories. Nicknamed “America’s National Park of Speed,” Road America is one of the most historic tracks in the U.S., if not the world. The AHRMA racing on the 4-mile, 14-turn road circuit is spectacular, plus there’s live music, a Saturday microbrew tasting, and an opportunity to lap…

I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king,” sang Frank Sinatra in That’s Life. The same might apply to my motorcycling career, thanks to a longtime interest in vintage dirt bikes, street bikes and road racers, modern superbikes and motocrossers, and even touring. With such schizophrenic tastes, sometimes it’s hard to know what to pursue next. Last year I decided to combine three longtime loves — vintage enduro bikes, touring and motocross — into one grand adventure. “Vintage Tour Cross” was born. The plan was simple enough: Aboard a 1969 Suzuki TS250 Savage, a 1971 OSSA Pioneer 250 Enduro, and a 1975 Honda XL350, we’d load up Aerostich saddlebags, backpacks and sleeping bags, and ride 350 miles over two-lane backroads from Santa Barbara…

The Sammy Miller Museum (sammymiller.co.uk) in New Milton, Hampshire, U.K., is crammed full of interesting machines — including factory prototypes and numerous ingenious designs from all over the world. It also counts as one of the world’s largest collections of exotic racing bikes, all of them in running order and including the legendary Moto Guzzi 500 V8, the supercharged AJS 500 V4 and post-war Porcupine, and innumerable famous bikes from Triumph, Norton, AJS, Velocette and many more. There are also offroad enduro, motocross and trials icons. The museum is open to visitors daily from 10 a.m. year-round.…

It’s about 4,800 miles from my home in Texas to the Isle of Man. Yes, it takes planning and finances to get there, but once you step ashore, smell the sea air and take a look around, you’ll realize you’ve entered moto heaven. When it’s race week on the island, you’ll see classic motorcycles and those who love them in all directions. Birth of the Classic TT Organized motorcycle racing on the Isle of Man started in 1907. The Tourist Trophy (TT) races are traditionally held in June and feature the world’s best professional road racers on top-dollar factory- sponsored machines. Since 1923, there has also been a somewhat lower profile event known as the Manx Grand Prix (MGP). It takes place in late August and features up-and-coming amateur riders…

The International Norton Owners Association offers an enamel pin for those riding a Norton 1,000 miles or more to its annual rally. But the 2003 rally in Lumby, British Columbia, was only 250 miles from my home base in Vancouver. What to do? A group of us from the West Coast British Motorcycle Club decided we could qualify by going the long way round — via Washington state, Oregon, Idaho … and Polson, Montana, to collect fellow Nortoneer Carmine “Maggie” Mowbray. We were all riding 850 Commandos: Steve and I were on our 1974 Mark IIs, while Ian, Geoff and Maggie rode electric-start Mark IIIs. Washington The North Cascades Highway (SR 20) is rated the No. 1 motorcycling road in the state by Destination Highways (destinationhighways.com). Heading east from Burlington,…

Making sure your charging system is working to full capacity is important on a number of fronts. To begin with, there’s the simple issue of generating enough voltage to keep your lights bright. This is particularly important on vintage bikes, which generally have low-capacity charging systems and run low-output headlights, which tend to be dim even with full voltage. And even if your lights are off, there’s the issue of generating enough voltage for proper ignition. If you own a decades-old British twin, chances are good you’ve already ditched the stock ignition points for electronic ignition, a highly recommended upgrade to ensure steady, reliable firing of the spark plugs. However, some electronic ignitions are very sensitive to voltage supply, dropping completely out of circuit if the voltage drops below a…

3/3 Back for its eighth year, check out the Modern Classics Motorcycle Show. This year, in addition to a great collection of bikes from the 1960s through the 1990s, the show will also feature a sampling of machines from the first half of the 20th century. 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 3/9 This year marks the 77th Anniversary of Daytona Bike Week, which runs March 9-18, in Daytona Beach, Florida. The racing kicks off on Saturday night, March 10, with the Daytona Supercross. The American Flat Track series Daytona TT runs on Thursday, March 15. The 2018 Daytona 200 takes place on Saturday, March 17, featuring American Sportbike Racing…

Rider: Steve Anthes, Malo, Washington Age: 68 Occupation: Retired media producer Current rides: 1982 Honda FT500 Ascot, 1984 Honda Gold Wing GL1200 Standard, 2003 Honda Nighthawk 750 Steve's story: “I’m retired, with a lot of time on my hands and cautious not to drive the wife nuts, so every year I find a project bike on Craigslist and make it my winter project. After seven projects, I thought I was done with this phase of late-life crisis, so after finishing refurbishing and selling a 1971 Bultaco Matador, I started looking for a bike ready to ride. I was thinking of a Kawasaki KLR650, but changed my mind when I saw the headline of an ad for a ‘1982 Honda Ascot in mint condition.’ “A couple of pictures from 10 feet…

1982-1983 Suzuki GS1100E Suzuki was last of Japan’s Big Four into the 4-stroke game, but its 4-cylinder GS bikes quickly became the benchmarks in their class. The GS1100E introduced Cosworth-style 4-valve cylinder heads, known as TSCC, or Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber in Suzuki-speak, with simple screw-and-locknut valve adjustment. Fueling was by four 34mm Mikuni carburetors, with sparks provided by transistor ignition. Below, the familiar bulletproof roller-bearing crankshaft drove the 5-speed transmission by helical gear with chain final drive. The sturdy steel tube frame used a box-section alloy swingarm for extra rigidity. Up front, an air-assist Showa fork with “antidive” used hydraulic pressure from the front brake. The triple-disc brakes used floating calipers. Overall, testers liked the 1100: “This GS is the most comfortable, best handling big street bike money can…

“Motorcycle racing in this country, according to a well-known sports writer, is kept alive and supported principally by the county speed cops. When the A.M.A. or some other organization sponsors a motorcycle race, a trick riding contest or a hill climb, the experienced officer-riders are on the spot.” — The Blue Book of Sports, 1931 At that time, a high percentage of those motorcycle officers would have been riding Hendersons. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Henderson, a sturdy, quiet and fast machine (by the standards of the day) was a top choice of police departments all over the U.S., and there weren’t many cars on the road that could outrun one. In recent years, Hendersons have shone on the Cannonball coastto- coast rally for vintage motorcycles, frequently winning and…

“You meet the nicest people on a Honda.” It’s one of the most popular slogans in the history of motorcycling, and Howard Boone’s story validates the claim. As a motorcycle-mad 12-year-old in Montgomery, Alabama, Howard Boone’s first powered two-wheeler was a Honda S90. Howard’s parents didn’t want him to have anything to do with motorcycles, but when they saw the boxes of parts he’d bought from a neighbor and dragged home they said, “Now, that’s a bike you can have.” Obviously, they underestimated young Howard’s determination, because he had the project together and running in less than a weekend. He used the small-bore Honda to explore a network of trails that ran through Montgomery and set up a jump that would land him in the Waller Hardware parking lot. The…

For those who are passionate about vintage and classic motorcycles, this annual event has become the crown jewel of Texas rallies. The Harvest Classic takes place over two days every October in Luckenbach, deep in the heart of Texas. The town consists of a couple of old wooden buildings, has an official population of 3 and sits in the middle of the Hill Country, not far from Austin and San Antonio. Surrounded by some of the best roads in Texas, it’s a perfect setting for a motorcycle rally. Friday’s main attraction was a Fun Run restricted to bikes of 100cc or less, and there were 150 of the little buggers. Event organizer Russell Duke described it as “15,000cc of pure fun!” Later in the day there was live music, and…

Getting on and off the island can be a challenge, especially if you intend to bring your bike, in which case you need to book a ferry crossing from Ireland or the U.K. They fill up early, so arrange that sooner rather than later. You can also fly in from Ireland or the U.K. Bikes and cars can be rented on-island, but again, it’s best to make those arrangements early. For accommodations, there’s everything from posh hotels on the Douglas Promenade to quaint bed-and-breakfasts spread around the Island. There are organizations that can help you find a place (iomtt.com/travel.aspx). If you stay in one of the hotels on the prom in Douglas, the grandstands and start/finish line are within walking distance. There are many great viewing locations around the circuit…

Growing up in the English countryside, just 20 miles from the historic Triumph motorcycle factory at Meriden, meant that as a kid I was well aware of our local hero, Triumph factory tester Percy Tait. Once described as “this ageing juvenile who’s become a legend in his own lifetime,” Percy clocked at least 1,000 miles every week of his life aboard development machinery (including racing weekends, more than a million miles on Triumph twins and triples during a 20-year career) while owning a pig farm in Little Shrewley, the next village over from us. From there he commuted to his day job riding test bikes and factory prototypes that impressed me with their considerable speed and rorty exhaust notes as he blatted past my dad’s car, with me hanging out…

Master cylinder fixes Q: A couple of issues ago, I fielded a question about a pitted master cylinder on a Honda, where the part in question wasn’t available as a replacement. I mentioned that I didn’t know of any places that offered sleeves for Hondas, though I knew of plenty for British bikes. Several readers wrote back with places they knew of that offered that service. Proof, if any were needed, that motorcycle gearheads are the best people. Here’s a sampling. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with solutions to the problem. — Keith Fellenstein A: I had a similar situation on my 1980 Suzuki GS1000 even though it is used regularly. The infamous pitted bore, and since the bike is pretty much made out of unobtainium I had it…

Nestled between Yellowstone National Park and Jackson, northwestern Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park is a marvelous destination made even more wonderful by the incredible riding that is the magic and beauty of northwestern Wyoming. Grand Teton National Park is a great destination, but it should not be an exclusive objective in this part of the world. Yellowstone National Park lies just to the north (see Motorcycle Classics, January/ February 2016), touristy Jackson lies just to the south, and all the surrounding areas are amazing. Grand Teton National Park is bisected by the Snake River flowing south from Yellowstone and framed by the dramatic Teton Range. The area is a delightful succession of breathtaking photo opportunities that include stunning vistas, sharp mountain peaks, pristine lakes, wild animals and beautiful roads. It…