Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2021 i Motorcycle Classics

Dan Bockmier had a clear vision when he started working on this Norton. “The concept for the bike occurred to me while pondering how conservative Norton was in terms of paint and style. They’re so unlike Triumph, for instance, who had different super sexy two-tone paint schemes every year. Norton was always about engineering and very little sizzle.” A Norton Commando, one of the most powerful and best handling British motorcycles of the late Sixties and Seventies, may not seem very conservative at first glance. Not only does the bike easily keep up with modern traffic, but in the minds of many people, Norton is forever associated with the Commando advertising campaign, which featured sexy women dressed in the latest in mod fashion. However, look at a Norton, and you…

Photographer and custom motorcycle builder Josh Withers of California is no stranger to taking on special requests from interested clients. He’s the first to admit he isn’t getting rich from the motorcycle part of his life, though. In fact, five years ago, when he had just finished one particular commissioned café racer, on social media he joked he’d made 10 cents an hour completing the build. “A guy made a comment that he’d pay me a raise of 15 cents an hour to build him a bike,” Josh recalls. “In jest, I wrote back and said, ‘Sure, I’d do that!’” That guy is Bill Horntvedt of Michigan. Emails were sent back and forth, and several phone calls made. Josh says Bill wanted a BMW café racer based off of a…

As a British fan of Italian bikes, I guess it was inevitable I’d end up owning a Tornado 650, that bipolar bicilindrica from Benelli which, 50 years ago, represented a Latin lesson to Britain’s best in how to make a 650 twin fit for the second half of the 20th century. So back in 1985 I bought one of the last such bikes ever made, a 1973 Tornado 650 S2, ironically enough from British Laverda guru Tim Parker, who was emigrating to the U.S. I guess he’d had the Benelli as a way of reminding himself how technically superior the bikes from Breganze were, at least versus Benelli’s first postwar attempt at building anything bigger than 250cc — whereas in my case, after a decade of racing desmo Ducatis, I…

SPONSORED BY Since we’ve all found ourselves with more time to spend in the garage, maybe you’ve found time to revive that “someday” project bike. In this How To, we’ll show you some of the things you need to do to revive a bike that’s been sitting for a while. The bike in question is my Honda CL450. We’re continuing to work through some issues resulting from its long slumber. You’ll need appropriate wrenches, solvents and oil, and it never hurts to have a shop manual to reference. Any parts needed can be sourced from a variety of our advertisers. Let’s get started with the battery. Unless you’ve periodically charged it, it’s going to be bad. Find out what type, size and voltage before you get started. You’ll need good…

What: Sand Creek National Historic Site, 55411 County Rd W, Eads, Colorado, 81036. (719) 438-5916. How to Get There: Take I-70 east from Denver, grab U.S. Highway 287 south, and then watch for the sign in Eads. It’s about a three-hour ride, and the last 10 miles are on Kiowa County hardpack dirt farm roads. Don’t let the dirt roads scare you; they are easily navigable on any street bike and the destination is worth the ride. Best Kept Secret: Without question, the site itself. Most folks have never heard of the Sand Creek Massacre, or the National Historic Site that honors its victims. Don’t Miss: The Interpretative Tour. Check the National Park Service website (see below) for times. Avoid: Leaving without checking the weather; it can get cold out…

You could argue that Philip Vincent invented the sporttouring motorcycle. The Black Knight and Black Prince of 1955 were the first fully enclosed motorcycles designed for crossing continents in comfort and out of the wind. Sure, you could add windshield, leg shields and hand guards to your Beemer or Beezer but these would have been aftermarket pieces. Then Royal Enfield followed Vincent with their factory optional “Airflow” fairing in 1958, and Velocette with the “Veeline” in 1961. The first mass-produced, factory-faired sport-tourer is generally accepted to be the BMW R100RS of 1977, with Moto Guzzi’s SP1000 close behind. What did Royal Enfield, BMW and Guzzi have in common? They all had access to a wind tunnel! Guzzi learned from their racing experience that fairings can boost speed by streamlining the…

Almost before Tony Cassar comes to a stop and climbs off his handsome Brough Superior, someone from the admiring crowd of Maltese motorcyclists calls out: “That’s an SS100. You lucky man!” With its overhead-valve J.A. Prestwick (JAP) engine, sleek saddle tank and Castle forks, it looks just like the legendary SS100. Announced at the end of 1924, the SS100 was a superbike before anyone even thought of the name. George Brough claimed that it was an exact replica of the bike that Bert Le Vack had used to capture no fewer than nine world speed records at Arpajon, France in July of that year — including a two-way average of 119mph and a best one-way speed of 123.08mph. The 1925 Brough Superior catalogue proudly boasted: “Every SS100 will be dispatched…

El Dorado was the legendary City of Gold of Spanish explorers: but it’s now thought the “golden one” was instead a person, a chief of the Muisca who was ceremonially adorned with gold. Either way, the implication that gold was plentiful in the Americas. Whether or not Moto Guzzi named their 1972 motorcycle Eldorado in the hope it would find them a metaphorical empire of gold, the cycle certainly built a loyal U.S. following that the Mandello marque enjoys to this day. Much of the Eldorado’s commercial success relied on its being chosen as a police bike by the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol. The Eldorado is a direct descendent of Moto Guzzi’s 1967 704cc V7, imported into the U.S. by the Premier Motor Corporation, a division…

We would love to have been a fly on the wall in Munich when the idea of building the new 2021 R18 arose. Because after the 2007-2009 recession, cruiser sales sagged … and never fully recovered. Still, big-displacement cruisers are as American as pickups, Stratocasters and barbecued brisket, and so the segment got BMW thinking. Harley has been Harley since time immemorial, first the Japanese and then Victory and Indian made important inroads, and even Ducati and Triumph build bruiser cruisers. So why not BMW with the ginormous 1,802cc R18? After all, a small piece of a big pie is still a nice meal. And BMW directors, shareholders and dealers would surely love the sound of that. And speaking of sound, you have never heard a BMW like the R18.…

Comando questions Q: I’ve been a fan of Motorcycle Classics since the premiere issue, and your column is always the first thing I look for. I really love my 1979 Suzuki GS1000E, and I’ll never give it up, but a friend had a bright yellow Norton Commando in college, and I’ve always wanted one ever since. Strictly from the standpoint of performance and the joy of riding, what year, model, and upgrades would be the best choice? Do you know of any shops on the west coast or in the Midwest (I live in Alaska) that specialize in Commandos? Other than eBay, where should I be looking for one? Thanks for your advice. Doug/Anchorage, Alaska A: The Roadster models seem to be the most numerous, with the Interstate models scarcer…

New! MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS 2021 CALENDAR Enjoy stunning, classic motorcycles all year long with our 2021 calendar! This Motorcycle Classics calendar features glossy photographs of your favorite bikes. Whether hanging in your man cave, at your desk, or in the garage, this calendar will have you raring to get out on the road. Featuring classic brands such as Ducati, Suzuki, Harley-Davidson, and more, this calendar is perfect for any classic motorcycle enthusiast! Calendar size: 13-3/4’’ x 10-1/2’’ #10492 $19.99 Members: $16.99 THE BUILD: HOW THE MASTERS DESIGN CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES Have you ever dreamed of designing your own motorcycle? In The Build, you’ll get an inside look at how the masters design and build custom motorcycles. This book starts with an explanation of all the different bike styles, and then moves into…

Contender: 1977-1984 BMW R100RS The R100RS defined the sport-touring motorcycle for the best part of a decade; its Hans Muth designed, Pininfarina-windtunnel developed fairing was emulated but its efficiency and effectiveness rarely equaled. The fairing improved fuel consumption over the naked R100/7 by 4mpg at 62mph, and — almost as important — reduced lift on the front and rear wheels by 20-25 percent for added stability at high speeds. The RS arrived in 1977 with wire wheels, dual front discs and a drum rear brake. By 1978 it had gained BMW’s “snowflake” alloy wheels and a rear disc. Improvements over its life included gearshift enhancement, a new crankshaft, lighter clutch and flywheel, an oil cooler, and Nikasil plated cylinders. By then the K100 was ready to replace it — though…

An American who wanted to buy a new motorcycle in 1969 had a lot of choices. Honda was building the CB750, BSA had both a twin and a triple on offer, Kawasaki was selling its iconic H1 500cc 2-stroke, and Norton was selling the Commando twin. Triumph Bonnevilles were popular, as were Ducati singles and BMW twins. Tom Myers walked past all these alluring imports and bought one of the 5,100 Harley XLCH Sportsters produced that year. “My Dad was always a Harley guy,” he explains. More than fifty years later, Tom still has that XLCH. “My first bike was a Yamaha YDS-2, but I lusted after a Sportster since I was very young. After the YDS-2, I had a Sportster, bought used, but it was stolen. Understandably, I was…

If you haven’t done it twice, you haven’t done anything. That’s the cardinal rule, among others, at Bonneville. It’s how land-speed records work. But it’s also an unofficial rule, writ large, for coming back to Bonneville, year after year. Whatever compelled you to fill a van or trailer and get to Bonneville the first time is the same force that draws you back next year. If you’ve given your all to beat a record once, you have to do it again. It sounds less than triumphant, but technically, your record is an average of at least two recorded speeds. You qualify, then you return. Tiny numbers mean everything, even when defined by subjective human benchmarks. Andy Pickett’s goal from last year was to hit 50mph on his 1963 Production Pushrod…

Not only was Mike Hailwood one of the most successful riders in road racing history, he was also one of the most versatile. For Mike not only raced a huge variety of machines throughout his 23-year career, but he often competed on three or four different makes, capacities and/or types in a single day — from a 125cc 2-stroke single to a 500cc 4-stroke inline four. And in true Hailwood style, he won races on most of them. Yet at the outset of his career, it seemed that Mike would forever be dogged by the undeniable advantage of being a rich man’s son. Time after time, after he’d proved his riding superiority by winning up to four races in an afternoon in the late 1950s, the critics would scoff that…

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in southeastern Colorado is relatively unknown, a bit out of the way, and one of our more recently designated national historic sites. The story behind it is simultaneously controversial, fascinating, sad and shameful. I had never heard of the Sand Creek Massacre until I rode across Colorado. About 150 miles southeast of Denver, after riding through the small town of Kit Carson, a small sign pointed the way. Sometimes these unknown places make for the best kinds of discoveries, and this was one. The genesis of this story is a familiar one in our history: Gold and silver in California’s Rocky Mountains pulled the population west, the 1858 Pike’s Peak Gold Rush intensified the rush into Colorado, treaties were signed and broken, the Cheyenne…

“You Meet The Nicest People On A Honda” is perhaps the most iconic motorcycle sales slogan ever created, and it certainly is among the most effective. Sales of all motorcycles imported to America in 1959 accounted for approximately 6,300 units. That same year, Honda Motor Co. founded its U.S. distributorship — American Honda — in Los Angeles. By the end of 1963, the first full year that the Nicest People ad appeared in magazines and newspapers across America, total motorcycle sales in the U.S. had soared to about 148,000 units, and, according to author Tetsuo Sakiya in his book Honda Motor (The Men the Management the Machines), those record numbers were “due primarily to Honda Motor.” No doubt, Honda Motor Co. had acted rather boldly when the fledging company decided…