Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2019 i Motorcycle Classics

1987-1995 BMW R100GS By the mid-1980s, the G/S had competition from Cagiva, Moto Guzzi and Honda’s XLV750R. But rather than going home, BMW went big: a liter-size boxer with a 34-inch seat height weighing almost 500 pounds. The R100GS “Gelände Sport” (instead of G/S for Gelände/Strasse or Dirt/Street) still aspired to adventure riding, but was even more streetable. The 94mm-bore boxer engine came from the R100RT/RS, but with smaller intake valves and 32mm Bings (down from 40mm) for low-down grunt. A new Marzocchi fork gave 8 inches of travel. Final drive featured the new Paralever anti-jacking combination shaft/single-sided swingarm. Tubeless tires could be used (spokes were attached to the rim outside the bead). A kickstand was stock. “What’s most amazing about the GS is that its versatility costs it nothing,”…

It’s a well-worn cliché, but “race on Sunday, sell on Monday” has been a solid philosophy in motorcycling for over a century. Racing has been a showcase for the technology likely to be seen in future street bikes. Features like disc brakes, monoshock suspension systems and multi-valve cylinder heads all debuted on Grand Prix race bikes before finding their way to the street. But in the 1980s, Grand Prix racing, which was then dominated by 2-strokes, ran into an identity crisis. The major makers were pouring money into 2-stroke engine development to stay ahead of their racing competition, but with the phasing out of 2-stroke street bikes, the expertise gained would no longer translate to production machines. In the U.S., Formula 750, also dominated by 2-strokes, was facing a similar…

Another record is in the books following the 14th Annual Barber Vintage Festival, Oct. 5-7, with event organizer ZOOM Motorsports pegging total attendance at just under 80,000. This year’s festival actually felt smaller to us than the last two, but whatever the case there’s no questioning Barber’s status as the biggest vintage motorcycle event in the U.S., with more going on than you can hope to take in during the three-day festival. Event Grand Marshal Colin Seeley was hosted at Friday night’s Motorcycles by Moonlight museum fundraiser, and he graciously made time to swing by the Motorcycle Classics tent on Saturday, sharing stories of his remarkable career in sidecar racing and frame building with the crowd gathered for our show awards ceremony. Seeley presented our Best Triple award, honoring the…

Giancarlo Morbidelli’s life story is a classic rags-to-riches saga worthy of Hollywood, an archetype of the breed of self-made men from humble backgrounds who turned provincial Italy into the mainstay of the country’s economy in the 1960s and 1970s. Morbidelli was born in 1934 into a family of farmers, and started work at age 16 as an apprentice fitter in a factory making woodworking machinery for the furniture industry, one of the two engineering specialties of his hometown of Pesaro, on the Adriatic Coast just south of Rimini. The other? Motorcycles. Morbidelli started his own woodworking company in the late 1950s, but applying his innate technical brilliance to tune locally built Benelli and Motobi bikes to a succession of race victories was his relief from the punishing days spent building…

After more than 50 years of manufacturing the venerable overhead valve 350cc to 500cc Bullet singles, Indian manufacturer Royal Enfield has finally produced its long-awaited, first-ever parallel-twin models, the 650cc Continental GT and INT650. The overhead cam 650cc Continental GT and Interceptor (known in the U.S. as the INT650, since Honda owns the rights to the Interceptor name) are finally heading for dealerships around the world in early 2019. The company’s dynamic CEO, Siddhartha Lal, believes these new bikes bring the carefree Swingin’ Sixties era back to motorcycling — in price and volume, as well as carefree performance. When deliveries start in January 2019 to the 90-plus dealers in what Lal forecasts will become Royal Enfield’s largest export market, the U.S., followed soon after by its 1,340 outlets elsewhere in…

Suzuki first hinted at a revived Katana at the 2017 EICMA show in Italy when it teased the public with a Katana concept bike dreamed up by Italian sport bike magazine Motociclismo. Last October, Suzuki made the concept a reality when it debuted the 2020 Katana at the 2018 Intermot show in Cologne, Germany. Looking strikingly similar to Motociclismo’s 2017 concept, the new Katana’s bodywork takes its styling cues from the late, great GS-based Katana, last produced in 2000. Based on the current Suzuki GSX-S1000F, the new Katana features that bike’s twin-spar aluminum frame and 148 horsepower, 999cc fuel-injected double overhead cam four. As such, it boasts features owners of original Katanas could only dream of, including ABS and a three-mode traction control system. Suzuki hasn’t announced pricing, but the…

With a 4-speed gearbox, a full windshield, underseat luggage capacity and trendsetting indicators, it was hardly surprising that the Maico Mobil was classed as a “two-wheeled car” when it was launched at the Reutlingen Show in 1950 in Germany. Manufactured in 1958, the bike shown here was one of the last of the 200cc singles to emerge from the Maico factory at Wurtemberg in Germany. This MB200 has been owned by scooter enthusiast Simon Balistrari since 2013, and until the day of my visit, it had been parked in Simon and his wife Elaine’s dining room, so this was its first outing on the road. Understandably, both he and I were keen to fire up the 2-stroke and put it into action. In the beginning Before we don our helmet…

A ride along the Jersey shore is a different kind of motorcycle adventure. It’s not focused on twisties or mountain scenery. Instead, your ride north on the Jersey shore will showcase magnificent seaside homes on the left, the mighty Atlantic Ocean on the right, and the sounds and smells of boardwalks, pizza, salt air, and what can only be described as the best seafood in the world. Any motorcycle will do, but it’s sometimes a slow putt through surface street traffic (New Jersey is our most densely populated state). A good day ride is to find your way to Point Pleasant along SR 34 and SR 35, turning left when you hit the ocean and following Ocean Avenue north along the eastern edge of our continent. The highway numbers change…

One of the most prolific and versatile motorcycle racers of all time never won a national championship of consequence. That man is David Aldana, whose professional motorcycle-racing career spanned four decades. Fans of the movie On Any Sunday recall Aldana, probably for the first time, when he challenged BSA teammates Dick Mann and Jim Rice and eventual champion Gene Romero for the 1970 AMA Grand National title that served as the movie’s common theme thread. Those same movie viewers watched in slack-jawed awe as time and again Aldana walked away from some spectacular crashes. Crashes and other on-track antics gained Aldana his reputation as a rather flamboyant and colorful character. No matter how spectacular the spill, Aldana seemed invincible, as if he were Gumby and Superman rolled into one, earning…

“The real difficulty in changing the course of any enterprise lies not in developing new ideas, but in escaping from old ones,” wrote economist John Maynard Keynes. It was BMW that escaped from the “old” idea that dual-sport motorcycles should be dirt-bike based — which explains why many of today’s two-wheeled SUVs are really street bikes gone rogue rather than super-sized scramblers in civvies. And the granddaddy of heavy-duty dual sports was BMW’s own R80 G/S. BMW had no dirt bikes in its portfolio, so in creating a dual-sport motorcycle it was logical for them to start with a street machine. In doing so, they created the now vast market for adventure motorcycles and inspired imitators from almost every bike brand. The starting point for the G/S was the engine…

2019 Las Vegas auctions Auction houses Mecum and Bonhams are busy getting ready for the 2019 Las Vegas motorcycle auctions. Bonhams’ one-day auction takes place on Thursday, Jan. 24, at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino, and Mecum will return with another massive portfolio of bikes, with 1,750 machines scheduled to go under the hammer during Mecum’s six-day mega-auction, Jan. 22-27, at South Point Hotel & Casino. Headlining the Mecum auction (mecum.com) will be 238 motorcycles from the MC Collection in Stockholm, Sweden. Established in 1999 by Swedish vintage motorcycle enthusiasts Christer Christensson and Ove Johansson, the MC Collection is staggering in its breadth, and bikes on offer range from the world’s first production motorcycle, an 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller, to a 1989 BMW K1. Also to be sold…

In February 1968, Honda released two versions of its new overhead cam 350cc twin — the scrambler-styled CL and the CB road bike — and they immediately started selling in large numbers. Estimates vary, but it’s believed that around 650,000 Honda 350s were sold worldwide during the six years that all variants of the model were in production. Decades later, an amazing number have survived, even after being put away wet — or being left out on the street and not put away at all. The key to the 350’s reliability and longevity was over-engineering. In 1968, Cycle magazine took its test 350 to a shop in Pennsylvania for a teardown, and the editors were duly impressed by the engine’s four huge crankshaft main bearings, bearing supports and its massive…

There it was. Just another old Craigslist motorboat. Faded and forlorn, a 1970 Chrysler Sport Fury lazing in an equally fusty dirt lot, its formerly gleaming Pirates Gold, 16-foot hull chalky and dull, its interior moldy, and its 85 horsepower Magnaforce outboard engine entangled in creeping vines. Once a catalyst for family fun, it was now neglected and needy, like a dusty, swaybacked nag. Its time, quite sadly, had passed. Or had it? I’m a hard-ass in some ways; a vigorous competitor in the waves, on the track and in defending moral principle. But I’m a total softy when it comes to those suffering undeserved misfortune … and also neglected machinery. I fell in love. I opened my wallet. I bought it. Superficially, I had merely fallen for a needy…

The Manx Norton has no rivals for the accolade of being the ultimate British racing single, whether in 350cc or 500cc guise. As a production race bike, only the later Yamaha TZ250/350 can match its global appeal and formidable record of success over such an extended period in the hands of its customers. Way back when In 1950 Norton introduced the “double-knocker” Manx engine (the nickname it received due to its new double overhead cam design). Combined with the Ulster-built Featherbed frame designed by the McCandless brothers, it enabled the Bracebridge Street factory to keep abreast of the emerging European multi-cylinder opposition for a few extra years, providing Geoff Duke with the means to take both 350cc and 500cc World Championships in 1951, and the 350cc title again in 1952.…

TWALD is all about old bikes. Anyone can go for a weekend’s ride on something that left the factory a few years ago. But to do it on a bike that is as old or even older than you are? That takes dedication and enthusiasm — and maybe a small amount of poor decision making. So you’re going to catch a little flak if you show up on something you bought last Thursday. And if you have the audacity to trailer a modern bike to TWALD? You’re in for some humiliation in front of 80 of your closest friends. TWALD 2018 turned out to be a great time, despite Wisconsin’s Driftless region being slammed by the second 100-year flood in the last 10 years. Road closures and destroyed bridges made…

What: Sandy Hook, the Atlantic Highlands, and the Gateway National Recreation Area. How to Get There: Pick up New Jersey SR 36 anywhere along the Jersey shore, and head north (if you’re south of Sandy Hook), or south (if you’re north of Sandy Hook). Best Kept Secret: Bahrs Landing in Highland. Try anything on the menu; everything is magnificent. If you want something truly special, lobster preceded by a cup of clam chowder is just what the doctor ordered. Avoid: Leaving without checking the weather: New Jersey can get cold and icy during the winter. More Photos: bit.ly/nj-shore More Info: nps.gov/gate/index.htm…

Triumph wiring Q: I recently acquired a 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee. The engine number does not match the bike. I was able to contact the owner and he told me the engine was replaced by the Triumph dealer under warranty after only 200 miles because of a poor engine case casting causing oil to leak in on the points. Have you ever come across this? The dealer, Free State Cycle in Bladensburg, Maryland, is no longer in business, so I can’t contact them for confirmation. Any help would be appreciated. The bike has been sitting for a number of years and it is going to take some work to get it back on the road. I enjoy the challenge. There is nothing more satisfying than hearing a long dead…

Yamaha fan Thanks for the great article on the RD400 (November/December 2018). All true! Here’s mine, a 1977 original, with only 1,600 miles on it. It is nearly perfect, and I even have the original battery (dry), which has never been charged. I spent more time with the RZ variants, and my son raced to an amateur national championship in 1994 on our 75 horsepower rocket! Long live 2-strokes! Gordon King/Folly Beach, South Carolina What horn? I just finished reading The Duke of Oil about the RD400C. As a Yamaha mechanic/owner/racer throughout the mid-1970s, I rode a lot of RDs. I wholeheartedly agree with the horn assessment. Being young and even dumber than I am now, I never even thought about putting a louder horn on an RD. My technique…

First-generation BMW R80 G/S models aren’t as rare as you might think. Although the first-gen R80 G/S wasn’t exactly a high-production model, BMW built almost 22,000 of them. And while many were ridden hard and put away wet, there are plenty around thanks to their high build quality and unique status as the forerunner to the now ubiquitous dual-sport adventure bike. Considered special since new, they continue to command ever higher prices. This eBay offering was for sale in San Francisco, California. Showing 74,000 miles on the clock it was described as “well cared for and in excellent condition.” Equipped with the large Paris-Dakar gas tank and dual seat, it was said to be fully serviced. Although certainly a good looking machine, we’re amazed someone thought it was $14,979 nice.…

On Sept. 13, 1948, Roland “Rollie” Free, riding prone on a specially prepared Vincent Black Shadow considered the first Black Lightning, and wearing nothing more than a pair of beach shoes and a bathing suit and cap, made his historic 150.313mph land speed record run on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The image of Free tearing across the Salt Flats on the “Bathing Suit Bike” is indelibly etched into the motorcycle community’s collective psyche, a vision of speed and outrageous daring that’s never been equaled in the 70 years since. Recently released on Vimeo, Black Lightning: The Rollie Free Story, details Rollie Free’s life and the facts of his epic 1948 Bonneville run. Produced and directed by motorsports film producer Zach Siglow, the documentary-style, 35-minute tribute features interviews and insights from…

Sidney Morton Biberman may not be a household name, but as Vincent owners and aficionados know, “Big Sid” was one of the marque’s most famous and respected tuners and restorers. At almost 6 foot 5 inches and 300 pounds in his prime, he was a larger than life presence on the dragstrip, at rallies and on the international Vincent scene for more than half a century. Sid grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, developing an early love of motorcycles as a teenager. As a 20-year-old in 1950, Sid rode his first Vincent, a friend’s Black Shadow, and was profoundly impressed by the machine’s performance and engineering excellence. By 1953, Sid had bought himself a red Vincent Rapide, joined the Vincent Owners Club and, while stationed in Germany as an American serviceman,…

One of the most intriguing chapters in the history of multi-cylinder Grand Prix racing is Ducati’s 125cc 4-cylinder. First sketched out on paper by Fabio Taglioni in the 1950s, then half-heartedly developed to a semi-prototype stage in 1958, the project was revived in 1965. It underwent a year of testing and development, but was never raced. After being sent around the motorcycle show circuit it mysteriously disappeared. In 1989 the engine was discovered in Latvia and later the frame uncovered in Yugoslavia. In 2000 the machine was restored back to original condition and it now resides in the Morbidelli Museum in Pesaro, Italy. What were the circumstances that led to its creation? What made it so special in Ducati’s history but so quickly forgotten? Was it a potential world beater?…

The 16th edition of the Harvest Classic European and Vintage Motorcycle Rally took place under cool gray skies in the tiny Texas Hill Country town of Luckenbach, Oct. 19-20. The word is out about this great event and folks are coming from all over the U.S. to join the party. It’s grown from a small regional gathering to a nationally recognized event, but it still feels more like a big ol’ Texas family reunion than a fancy motorcycle show. As with previous rallies, attractions included a trials competition, a raffle and auction, live music, Globe of Death performances, a 100cc Fun Run on Friday and a BBQ dinner on Saturday. A post-BBQ double-feature in the dance hall featured two films: a short titled Black Lightning: The Rollie Free Story followed…

Down an alley off Main Street in Willoughby, Ohio, stands an innocuous, two-story brick building. Inside lies the culmination of one man’s 35-year obsession with a unique and groundbreaking motorcycle, Suzuki’s incredible Katana. The obsession began in 1982 when Ken Edgar, then just 14 years old, first laid his eyes on the then-new and radically designed Suzuki Katana. The name, borrowed from a Japanese samurai sword, made the new bike’s mission clear. Edgar was thunderstruck. And while many teenage boys develop an attachment or fascination with a particular motorcycle or car, with the passing of time the attraction and excitement fades. In Ken’s case, however, it just got stronger. After four summers of working landscaping, scrounging and saving, Ken bought his first Katana. It was used and not in the…

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.…

BMW K75 shocks Some enthusiasts might scoff at the notion of including BMW’s 1985-1995 K75 triple in a classic motorcycle magazine, but the truth is, it has become something of a classic, and rightly so. Introduced for the 1985 model year, the K75 was a smaller version of the revolutionary 4-cylinder K100 introduced just two years before, which featured a fuel injected, double overhead cam, water-cooled inline four — lying on its side. Except for its shaft drive, it was unlike any motorcycle BMW had ever made, and rumors quickly circulated that BMW had a smaller companion to the big four in the works. Nobody expected a triple, however, yet for all its visual and technical similarities to the bigger K100, the K75 proved to have its own distinct character.…