August 2023

Issue 430

Publisher: Tim Hartley

thartley@mortons.co.uk
Publishing Director: Dan Savage
asavage@mortons.co.uk
Designer: Michael Baumber
Production Editor: Mike Cowton
Group Advertising Manager:
Sue Keily
Advertising: Owen Hibbert
OHibbert@mortons.co.uk
Tel: 01507 529310
Sales and Distribution Manager:
Carl Smith
Marketing Manager: Charlotte Park
Commercial Director: Nigel Hole
Editorial address:
CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS
MAGAZINE, Media Centre,
Morton Way, Horncastle,
Lincolnshire LN9 6JR
Website: www.classicmechanics.com
General enquiries and back issues:
Tel: 01507 529529 24-hour answer
phone help@classicmagazines.co.uk
www.classicmagazines.co.uk
Archivist: Jane Skayman
jskayman@mortons.co.uk,
01507 529423
Subscription: Full subscription rates
(but see page 94 for offer): (12 months
12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK

Retro IS here to stay…

£52.80. Export rates are also available
– see page 94 for more details. UK
subscriptions are zero-rated for the
purposes of Value Added Tax
Customer services:
Tel: 01507 529529
Lines are open:
Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm Old is good. Old stuff is cool and also retro is like the legendary Kat of old, albeit with all
Distribution: Seymour Distribution Ltd,
2 East Poultry Avenue, London here to stay; that is stuff that looks old but modern conveniences on board.
EC1A 9PT. Tel 020 7429 4000
Subscription agents: CLASSIC
benefits from being new… This year we hope to get our Kat out to the
MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS
MAGAZINE, Media Centre, Morton
Look at the new Triumphs in our news likes of Pip Higham (legendary Suzuki lover/
Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR section: modern bikes, with classic looks and tuner/engineer and drag racer) as well as to
Printed: Acorn Web Offset Ltd
Normanton, West Yorkshire both can be ridden by fledgling bikers. This is John Nutting who has much knowledge of the
Published date: CLASSIC
MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS
good for all of us; more bikers getting on original bike. We will also check out the likes of
MAGAZINE is published on the third machines that look old. Hopefully they’ll also Honda’s CL500 – their latest take on the
Wednesday of every month
Next issue: get into ‘real’ older bikes. ‘scrambler’ phenomenon.
August 16, 2023
Advertising deadline:
Retro isn’t just confined to bikes. A few Naturally, we’re not going to abandon the
July 27, 2023 mates of mine have ‘modern’ takes on classics original (and best) classics. Why would we? We
© Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights and an original, too: think Minis and Fiat 500s… will continue to do our best to provide all the
reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or transmitted in One of my other hobbies is video gaming. I’ve classic bikes from the last six (or so) decades.
any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, got a ‘retro’ cabinet on which I play some old Remember, we need you to tell us what YOU
recording, or any information
storage retrieval system without games, but with the benefit of modern want in the mag and to take part in these new
prior permission in writing from the
publisher. ISSN 0959-0900 electronics. sections. Contact me at: bsimmonds@mortons.
CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS
magazine takes all responsible steps
Of course, some people don’t like it… Purists co.uk
to ensure advice and technical tips are
written by experienced and competent
will moan, and that’s fair enough, but we can all
people. We also advise readers to seek blissfully co-exist. This month you’ll see we
further professional advice if they are
unsure at any time. Anything technical have a couple of pages on the ‘new’ Suzuki
written by the editor is exempt – he’s
rubbish with spanners. Katana. Of course, it’s not really like an old
Katana, but it does a good job of looking kinda Editor
BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/ www.twitter.com/cmmmag

Mark Haycock Andrew Davies Kev Raymond

Q&A King! Super Shed Man! Bay Watch Babe…
Our Mark gives us a page of Q&A this Our very first ‘Show Us Yer Shed’ entrant Kev is back with an extended (due to
month and will be returning next issue lets us see inside his workshop – and he popular consent) Bay Watch this month.
with more of his Honda ST70 project. earns a £50 Machine Mart voucher! He also shows us his ‘lost’ project!

Steve Cooper Pip Higham

CMM’s fave slug balancer Andy Bolas EMPLOYEE
OF THE Are you sitting comfortably?
King of the 1990s! MONTH! …then Pip will begin! He shows us how
Scoop loves his tiddler two-stroke twins
– and he seems to have sparked a bit of Our Andy loves a bit of to make a perfect perch for our
a love affair with this Suzuki… 1990s nostalgia so it was fitting that posterior on a proper classic machine.
he’d get a pop on that nearly-bike of
1994 – the Kawasaki ZX-9R B1. It was

Independent publisher since 1885

Ralph Ferrand never a Blade beater, but what IS it?
According to Andy a bloomin’ fast, brilliant road bike…
Paul Bryant
Workshop warrior! Another Top Snapper
The Ralph-meister is back with part two Paul Bryant is a legend – he shot the
of his comprehensive workshop building pair of Kawasakis for this month’s
series. He’s also testing a tool – again… pull-out poster. Lovely job!

Having trouble finding a copy

of this magazine? Paul Berryman Jarrod Cotter Owen Hibbert
Ducati dude… Aviation author! CMM Ad Lad!
Why not Just
Ask your local PB is at a loss as to why his Ducati S2R We are proud to have this man as a WE NEED YOU! Contact Owen to
newsagent to is ‘at a loss’ on power. Then he finds out. reader: a renowned aviation author and advertise in CMM! Please stick with us,
reserve you a copy lover of Yamaha’s RD-LC series.
each month? Italian mistresses are fickle friends… both advertisers and subscribers.

www.classicmechanics.com / 3
48

52
❙ TOOL OF THE MONTH
What tool is our very own Ralph
on about this issue?
❙ Q&A
Mark Haycock with a page of tips
Contents
56 ❙ SUZUKI TR750
Malc Shaw goes mad when the
006 ARCHIVE We go back in time
once more…
034 SUZUKI KATANA
Welcome to our new
retro long-termer
triple doesn’t start!
60 ❙ KAWASAKI Z900
Ralph Ferrand is back with the
stocker of his two projects
008 CMM STUFF
New kit, tools and tyres
and tested stuff
036 SUZUKI GT185
Steve Cooper checks out
this cheeky two-stroke twin
64 ❙ TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE
Rob Bean is back with his racer
project: does three go into one? 012 NEWS News and happenings
for August 2023!
044 HONDA VTR1100
FIRESTORM
Kar Lee ups the ante with
68 ❙ BAY WATCH!
this rebooted V-twin

018 FEEDBACK
Kev Raymond looks at what
projects are out there…
72 ❙ SUZUKI GS1000S
A buyer’s guide on this big, brutal
What are you all talking
about this month? 054 KAWASAKI H2
Welcome to our new
centrefold – pop it up

020 SHOW US YOURS

Suzook… on your wall
86 ❙ BUILD A WORKSHOP We want to see what’s in your
Ralph Ferrand on part two of shed and see what you looked

92
building your ideal workshop
❙ SHOW US YER SHED!
like back in the day!
094 SUBSCRIBE AND WIN!
Subscribe and win prizes!
Show it and get a £50 voucher
from Machine Mart 024 BRIDGESTONE BIKE
OF THE YEAR
96 ❙ DUCATI S2R
Our very own PB is back with the
A rather mint Yamah
RD250LC! 105 NEXT MONTH
What’s happening in the
September 2023 issue!

028 KAWASAKI ZX-9R B1 106 PIP HIGHAM

Bologna bullet. It leaks!
100 ❙ WORKSHOP: SEAT Nearly three decades on
RESTORATION – can the Ninja cut it? Pip warns us all of a
Pip Higham explains how coming project….

To pre-order your next issue of

Classic Motorcycle Mechanics head to
classicmagazines.co.uk/pre-order-cmm
Alternatively, scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today. We will send it directly to you!

www.classicmechanics.com / 5
 The King’s
reign…

6 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 B
a legend…
y the time Kenny Roberts headed
into his final season of world
championship racing he was already
The three-time champion was riding a
Yaamaha OW70 V4 (seen here at the 1983
Trransatlantic Match Races at Donington)
which, for the first time, was using the
De eltabox aluminium beam frame, attached
to
o a 17-inch front wheel. Running in a
Marlboro-backed team alongside fellow
a
alifornian Eddie Lawson (and with
iacomo Agostini as team boss), many felt
h was Kenny’s best chance of
his
Kenny0R50o0cbc erts ecapturing his crown after Suzuki’s two
t
tles in 1981 and 1982.
World But up against the King was the new
1978-79-8
Champion retender: Freddie Spencer, and he was
er
Three-time Daytona 200 winn rmed with the more agile, but less
owerful, Honda NS500 three-cylinder.
Sppencer would take the first three wins of
the season, with Kenny taking a win in
Germany where Freddie could only finish
fourth. A late run of form would also see
Roberts take a trio of back-to-back wins in
Holland, Belgium and Britain.
With the season already being hailed as
a classic, the series went to the
penultimate round at Anderstorp, Sweden,
which would be the turning point of the
championship. Spencer was two points
ahead and on the last lap of the race
■ Want to get hold of pictures from Mortons
Archive? Then head to: www.mortonsarchive.com
slipstreamed Roberts into a 90-degree
right-hander and pushed them both wide
and off track on the exit of the corner.
Freddie was able to scramble back on to
the Tarmac first and take the win ahead of
Kenny, who was not happy with his
countryman’s tactics. He’d say later: “That
was my mistake to underestimate what
Freddie would do to win that race.”
To secure a fourth 500cc world title,
Kenny would have to win at the final race
of the year at the Imola circuit, with
Freddie no better than third. It wasn’t
to be.
Winning the last 500cc race of his
career, Kenny would lose the overall
championship to Spencer by just two
points as the youngster finished in second.
In a poignant moment on the rostrum,
Kenny would wear a crown and be joined
on the podium by his son, Kenny Junior,
who would go on to
win the 2000 500ccc
World Championship,
making them the
only father and son
to do so.
■ If you want more
stories like this, why
not subscribe to our
sister title Classic
Racer?
www.classicmechanics.com / 7
cmm
Stuff
The latest riding kit, top tools,
tyres, retro clothing and more! £239.99

SHARK SKWAL i3 HELMET

If you want to tell people you’re braking – then
you need this helmet. The SHARK Skwal i3
doesn’t use Bluetooth or wires, but has an
innovative LED system controlled by tech that
uses an inbuilt triaxial accelerometer to
activate the red LEDs on the rear of the
helmet when braking. There are white LEDs
located on the front of the helmet for active
rider visibility to oncoming traffic, too.
You have three modes: white LEDs on front
and red LEDs on back constantly on – smart
brake lights flash when braking. Secondly you
can have white LEDs on front and red LEDs on
back flashing – smart brake lights flash when
braking. Finally, white LEDs on front and red
LEDs on back off – smart brake lights flash
when braking.
The smart brake lights will flash three times
per second under steady braking and five
times per second under hard braking
conditions. The integrated battery is charged
via a USB-C cable with three hours of charge
offering 12 hours of usage. Sleep mode
activates after two minutes of no movement
and after 24 hours the unit will turn off
completely to reserve battery life.
The helmet itself is a Lexan-injected
Polycarbonate shell and features
SHARK’s new patented rapid, no-tool
visor removal system with Pinlock
insert. You’ve also got an anti-fog sun
visor and intercom compatibility. Sizes
from XS-XXL in plain and 13 colours.
www.nevis.uk.com

LASER TOOLS
TOOL BOXES
These stylish and robust
organiser tool boxes are
ideal for carrying hand
tools, cordless power
tools, drill bits, sockets
and consumables. The
380mm-wide example
(part number 8651)
features a fold-down tool
organiser that holds drill
bits and screwdrivers,
plus a slide-out removable
tray for keeping smaller
tools, screws, nuts, etc.
The larger 500mm box
£51.82
(part number 8652)
features a slide-out
organiser suitable for drill
bits, hex keys, etc., plus
the removable tray for
keeping your smaller tools
and odds and sods in.
Both boxes are
manufactured from
impact-resistant
polypropylene and
feature non-slip
rubber feet. The
smaller costs £51.82
and the larger £68.59.
www.lasertools.co.uk
TUCANO URBANO
FLOWMOTION
JACKET
The Flowmotion Jacket is a brand-
new mesh jacket which claims that
its fashionable look will help you
blend into the urban environment. It’s
a Class AA certification, high-
ventilation 3D mesh jacket with
softshell inserts, plus ultra-light
and ventilated removable
Aerosoft armour in the shoulders
and elbows. Sounds like this is
perfect for the hot summer weather
we’ve been having recently. You’ve
got a nice removable hood, too. £239.99
It comes in classic blue and black
for the men’s version, and black
only for the women’s version,
but – if you really want to stand
out – then boys and girls can
also plump for the yellow.
Striking…
www.tucanourbano.com/en/

8 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 www.classicmechanics.com www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/ www.twitter.com/cmmmag

£179.99
SEGURA FUNKY £430

FALCO PATROL BOOT
These boots offer a classic look with
plenty of pukka biker protection. So,
you’ve got an oil-treated leather upper
with a ‘High-Tex’ waterproof membrane
and a dual-compound rubber sole. For
protection these CE-approved boots have
reinforced toe and heel areas, D3O ankle
cup inserts, laces closure and a heat-
printed gear-pad. They come in UK sizes
6-12.
www.bikerheadz.co.uk/
JACKET
Available in all the normal sizes
(XS-4XL – that’s 31.5 to 50-inch
chest) – as well as in Navy,
Black/White and Brown
colours, this stylish jacket is
also full of safety tech. It’s a
CE-approved jacket made
from buffalo leather with a
soft neoprene colour. It’s
got a full thermal lining
with a fixed mesh liner. With
CE shoulder and elbow
protectors and a pocket for a
back protector, it has adjustable
cuffs/hips, five outer and two inner
pockets.
www.bikerheadz.co.uk/

BLACK STEEL TOP RACKS £239.99 KAWASAKI

Z900RS T-SHIRT
These be lovely motorcycle racks If you love the big Kawasaki Zeds
made from tough and durable from the first in 1972 through to
steel, with a black weatherproof the latest Z900RS then this is the
finish. They are ergonomically T-shirt for you. Emblazoned with
designed to provide a secure, the logo ‘Z900RS – THE LEGEND IS
stable mounting point for a BACK!’ those with keen eyes will
motorcycle top-box or to fix notice this is a
luggage safely to. Easy to install, customised
fitments cover some of the most Z900RS with
popular 125cc scooters and a four-in-four
motorcycles on the market exhaust and
including Honda’s CB125R, MSX spoke wheels
and PCX 125, the new Monkey Clever. Availab
and Yamaha’s N-Max 125. in sizes S to
Ranging from £55 (PCX) up to 3XL and in
£90.08 for the Yamaha. black and olivve.
ve
£55.50 www.wemoto.com/ www.Z900.us..
€27.50

LASER TRK FRONT £104.39

HEAVY-DUTY SHEARS CALIPER KITS
When you need something stronger Another superb
than scissors but not as strong as Wemoto family of
tin-snips, try these heavy-duty, replacement parts are
multi-purpose shears (part number these Honda front
8613.) Fitted with stainless steel caliper and pad kits
blades and suitable for cutting cable, from TRK. Models
wire gauze, hose, plastic, gaskets compatible include
and leather, the spring-loaded Honda’s CB250; 350 (1974-1979); CB400 F1-F2
handles make these 200mm (early to late 1970s 400 Four (1975-1979);
long shears easy to use, models); Honda’s CB500 CJ250 (1977-1979); and
especially with the soft-grip Four (K0-K3 – 1971-77); the finally the CJ360T (1978).
handles that also feature a CB500 T DOHC twin Rule of thumb prize is
convenient safety lock. (1975-77); CB550 F-F2 around £104.39.
www.lasertools.co.uk
£25.92 (1975-1980); the K0-K3 www.wemoto.com/

www.classicmechanics.com / 9
cmm
Tested
Riding kit worn, tools
twirled & tyres turned
SEALEY
ROTARY TOOL
For the last three or four years this has
been one of my most used tools. I’ve used it
to cut things, chamfer things, remove things
and do the general work-a-day odds and
sods we need from a good rotary tool.
Sealey marketed this as a ‘12-volt
49-piece Cordless Rotary Tool & Engraver
Kit’ (CP1207KIT) and back then (circa 2019)
it was retailing for around £100.
Firstly, you get a very handy canvas bag,
in which all the various bits can be handily
stored, including the base-plate charger
which has a simple ‘red’ and ‘green’ pair of
charging lights. This base-plate charger
apparently can charge the battery in just
one hour and you even get two li-ion 1.5Ah
batteries, so you’re never short of power.
You do also have a useful LED power light/
battery indicator on the tool itself, so you
know when you’re about to conk out.
The main item itself is a compact,
lightweight, cordless, multipurpose rotary
tool ‘and engraver’ (probably the one thing
I’ve never done with it) and it has what
Sealey describes as ‘a comfortable
composite housing with a soft grip to
reduce vibration’. It does feel a tad
‘lightweight’ when it’s in your hands (don’t
we all sometimes prefer a bit of ‘weight’ to
such things?) but in the three years I’ve
been using it, it’s never let me down and it’s
easy to hold steady in one or both hands.
On the housing you’ve got a chunky
‘On-Off’ switch and then the six-speed
slider control. It’s not just a ‘one to six’ but
a wheel which gives you perfect rpm
control in between. As the name suggests
you get lots of bits and tips/wheels/pieces/
attachments to use, including sanding discs,
dressing stones and a chuck spanner. Fast
tool changes are achieved with the
quick-release collet and spindle lock.
The array of tools is impressive and you
simply use the spanner to fully
tighten each one in the chuck.
You’ve also got a useful pot of
cutting discs. One thing I
will say is (obvious I
know) do use gloves
and suitable eye
10 / classic motorcycle mechanics
£85-£100
protection because
as handy as the
cutting discs are,
they can break. I’ve
had one do that but it
was a particularly tricky
bit of metal I was cutting and
I’m quite heavy-handed.
Good points: There are many. I do
suffer from vibration making my left hand
go numb (on a bike and when using tools)
but this doesn’t give me any issues –
perhaps it’s the ‘soft grip’ on the casing.
Also I like the fact that the charging station
and batteries can be used with a number of
other Sealey tools. I’ve also yet to have any
issue with the normal ‘rechargeable’
problem of limited battery life as the years
go by. And they do seem to charge in an
hour, as advertised.
Bad points: Well, the elephant in the room
is those similar tools which begin with ‘D’.
Personally, having owned one of those, too,
the Sealey rotary tool looks at least as good
quality and performs just as well, but for a
cheaper price than I paid (admittedly many
moons ago) for a similar Dremel (oops) kit in
a nice plastic box, but I’ve yet to sample any
of Dremel’s modern offerings. All I know is
that this Sealey cordless tool works and
works extremely well, and is dependable –
so it’s very highly recommended.
Do shop around as I’ve recently seen this
wonderful canvas bag bundle of fun for just
£85 on a very popular website…
Bertie Simmonds
www.sealey.co.uk
cmm
m
N ws
Latest retro Triumphs revealed
Easy-going modern retros are big business
right now – just ask Royal Enfield, who is
selling thousands of itsr Interceptors and
Meteors. Triumph has quite rightly done
well with its own range of modern retro/
classic machines, such as the Thruxton and
Bonneville, and now – in collaboration with
India’s Bajaj Auto – it hase two, new
machines to enter the fray.
The Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler
400 X are 398cc single-cylinder four-
strokes and (handily for riding laws) pump
out around 40bhp, a tad below the 47bhp
A2 licence bracket. The motors are
liquid-cooled (but with a ‘finned’ look to
the barrel), fuel-injected, DOHC, with a
finger-follower valve-train, six-speed
PETER STARR: NOVEMBER 1942-JULY 2023
Legendary two-wheeled
filmmaker, stunt rider, DJ,
author, inventor and journalist
Peter Starr has died, aged 80. Born in the
Midlands, he attended school and technical
college in Coventry during the late 1950s
and 1960s but ended up making
groundbreaking motorcycle films in
Hollywood! Gaining a passion for
motorcycles from one of his teachers, the
young Starr would sneak rides on his
friend’s 125cc BSA Bantam before Peter
himself would ride, then race and even
work for Triumph.
12 / classic motorcycle mechanics
gearbox, with a torque-assist aid for
back-shifting and 10,000 miles between
services. The chassis is tubular steel, with
a bolt-on rear sub-frame.
As the names suggest the Speed is the
roadster/café racer, tipping the scales at
around 170 kilos wet and with a seat
height of 790mm. It has 17-inch rims, a
single rear shock and 43mm front forks.
The Scrambler is nine kilos heavier, has a
taller 835mm seat height and a 19-inch
front wheel with look-alike knobbly tyres
and a larger single front disc (320mm
compared to the Speed’s 300mm). Both
have a ‘modern-classic’ mixed analogue/
LCD display and basic electronics.
Both machines were designed by
After spending six years in the USA as a
travelling disc jockey, he would meet the
legendary off-road racer and stunt rider Bud
Ekins and later get involved in making a
film about the International Six Day Trial.
Starr would produce and direct the
resulting film called Bad Rock. He’d found
his niche – one of many!
Further films would lay the foundation for
1979’s Take it to the Limit. Starr would
make more than 40 motorcycle films and
win 14 international film awards. And as a
motorcycle stunt rider he appeared in films
such as Batman and Robin, Apollo 13 and
Triumph UK but production will be carried
out by both Bajaj in India and Triumph in
their Thailand and Indian manufacturing
plants. No prices yet, but expect them in
dealers by the end of the year. Go to:
www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk for more.
CMM will be running our own mini-fleet
of retro/modern-classics in 2023 and we
want you to get involved. If you’ve bought
something that resembles an old bike, but
is, say, less than a decade old, tell us about
it! If you’ve lived with a modern incarnation
of the Triumph Bonneville for a few years,
let us know, or maybe Suzuki’s new Katana,
or the Kawasaki Z900RS, or – anything.
Drop us a line at: BSimmonds@mortons.
co.uk
L th l Weapon
Lethal W 3 as well
3, ll as building
b ildi
specialist bike rigs for use in filming.
Peter was diagnosed with prostate cancer
in 2004 but beat it and always had a
positive mind-set. We express our
condolences to Peter’s family and friends.
cmm
News
Yamaha celebrates
25 years of the R1
It’s a quarter-of-a-century since Kunihiko Miwa also opted for an
Yamaha’s groundbreaking YZF-R1 ingenious vertically stacked gearbox
was released back in 1998. (a world first) which resulted in a
At launch, the Yamaha R1 set new lighter, shorter engine that allowed
standards of performance and for a longer swingarm, enhancing
innovation in the litre-class sports traction while maintaining a
category and continued to do so. The conventional sports bike wheelbase.
machine is still going strong today The 4XV also introduced an
both on road and track: the R1 won all-new aluminium Deltabox II
the 2021 World Superbike chassis; a heavily braced alloy
championship and the last two swingarm; a Yamaha Monoshock
British Superbike championships. It shock absorber; and upside-down
also won its first Isle of Man TT race 41mm fully adjustable front forks
back in 1999 in the hands of the developed in collaboration with
late, great, David Jefferies who took Öhlins. The bike weighed just 177
an R1 treble: Formula One, kilos but pumped out around 150
Production and Senior TTs. It last claimed bhp. Best of all, it was
won in the hands of John probably the most beautiful sports
McGuinness in 2005. machine to have come out of Japan.
The first version – the 4XV – used Since then, successive versions
a compact and lightweight 998cc, have improved the breed. Today’s R1
liquid-cooled, 20-valve, double and R1M models are still at the
overhead camshaft, four-cylinder cutting-edge of sports bike design.
engine which featured a five-valve- We will be featuring the ‘classic’
per-cylinder head with redesigned models of YZF-R1 (1998-2008
valve sizes to boost torque and models) in future issues before the
improved porting. Project Leader end of the year.
PRE-ORDER YOUR CMM!
Want the next issue of CMM? Of course you do! Then
it’s simple. Subscribing is best but, failing that, why
not pre-order? Simply scan the fuzzy circular thing
with your smartphone (c’mon, we’ve all got one)
aand off you pop! Alternatively, if
yyou like what you see coming up
in the next issue (see page 105
for more) then go to: www.
classicmagazines.co.uk/issue/
preorder where you can
pre-order all of Mortons’
wonderful magazines. Even ones
about trains, cars or towpaths…
14 / classic motorcycle mechanics
The sunny side of the classic world,
with the VJMC’s Steve Cooper
H ow many of us are
genuine motorcycle
engineers?
It’s debatable if there are
any viable statistics available but
even if there are, chances are few – if
any – have a qualification in classic
motorcycle engineering. Some of
those with the relevant skills will
have been properly trained via
apprenticeships, ONCs, C&Gs, et al, but
the vast majority are likely to have learnt
their craft ‘on the job’ at the hands of
time-served bike shop mechanics. Many
of those working on machines back
in 60s, 70s and 80s probably almost
fell into their roles via an unhealthy
teenage interest in motorcycles. Many a Saturday
lad went on to be mechanic, parts guy, or
salesman – it was simply the way of things back
then. Times change and where customers can be
litigious they generally are, hence formal training,
certificates on the wall, etc., later on.
If you’re of a certain age, once your bike was
out of warranty you probably did some, most, or
all of your servicing depending upon your skills
and ability. Teenagers on less than £55 a week
soon became proficient enough in simple, basic,
maintenance and gradually moved on to more
technically involved stuff. Once you’d mastered
the black art of boiling chains in Linklyfe you’d
move on to things like carburettor overhauls,
bleeding brake hydraulics, etc. Only a lucky few
had the resources to own a dial gauge and buzzer
box – they could properly set up two-stroke timing
and were able to earn some decent beer money
sorting their mates’ bikes out for them.
Decades on, CMM’s demographic is likely to be
home-schooled fettlers and that’s no bad thing. By
now most of us have grasped the basics and
probably progressed a fair way with our
knowledge, skill set and expertise. That said,
there’s always something new to learn – as long
as you have an open mind. Not everyone is a
natural DIY mechanic and that’s absolutely fine. If
checking your brakes/tyres, topping up the fluids
and cleaning you classic is about where you’re at,
then good on you, at least you’re doing something.
Gaining confidence in day-to-day tasks can lead to
expanding your abilities, whereby you’ll start to
look at valve clearances, points and timing, etc.
The autodidact route is one many have travelled
and it’s a good path to follow.
You may never carry out a complete engine
refurbishment, construct your own wiring loom,
rebuild a master cylinder or strip down a set of
forks, but it really doesn’t matter. An appreciation
of old bikes, an outline idea of how they work and
an ability to keep them that way is more than
good enough for many of us. Learn if you can,
spanner when there’s opportunity, but never
feel pressurised to go exceed what you’re
comfortable with.
www.vjmc.com ❙ 01454 501310
 cmm
News
ARDINGLY
SUMMER SHOW
A pair of ex-Barry Sheene race
bikes are among the many
exhibits at the Ardingly
Summer Show on Sunday, July
30. Both machines are from
the 1973 season, when
Sheene won the newly-
introduced Formula 750
European Championship. The
tubular-framed Seeley Suzuki
TR500 was one of his most
successful motorcycles, also
carrying him to the Shell Sport
Championship, King of Brands
and MCN Man of the Year.
The other race bike is a
Taunton Classic MC run!
Following a successful return
in 2022, the Taunton Classic
Motorcycle Club’s Exmoor Run
will be taking place on Sunday,
August 13.
Starting from Sheppy’s Cider
Farm near Taunton, the event
has been a mainstay of the
classic bike calendar in the
south west since 1994,
attracting riders from across
the country. This year’s route
will be in the region of 100
miles and will take riders along
the beautiful North Somerset
coast, stopping for coffee along
the way, before heading south
over the glorious Exmoor
16 / classic motorcycle mechanics
Seeley TR500 1973
Monocoque – the only original
of this type ridden by Sheene.
Also confirmed for the show iss
a Suzuki TR750 XR11, raced
in the 1975 Transatlantic
Trophy by Stan Woods, who
was the only British rider to
achieve first place that year (at
the Oulton Park leg).
There is no age restriction
on machines entered for
display at the July Ardingly
Show, but post-1994
motorcycles are expected to be
of interest. Motorcycles can be
ssubmitted free of
ccharge using an
oonline form on the
EElk Promotions
wwebsite and owners of
d
display bikes also get
into the event for
f
free.
The main bike
s
show is held in the
large Jubilee Hall,
National Park to Dulverton
where lunch can be purchased.
An alternative route brings
riders back to Sheppy’s where
a charity raffle and
refreshments will close the
day.
The beneficiaries from funds
raised from this year’s event
are the Dorset and Somerset
Air Ambulance and
Freewheelers Blood Bikes.
Awards will also be presented
across a variety of classes, so if
you have something special
hidden away perhaps the
Exmoor Run is the excuse you
need to pull the cover off!
What’s
on
alongside club stands and
selected traders. Bike jumblers
and traders, tons of classic
motorcycles, new and used
spares, clothing and
accessories are spread across
five halls around the
showground. Refreshments are
available from a variety of
carefully chosen food stalls.
The South of England
Showground can be found at
Ardingly, near Gatwick, RH17
6TL – eight miles from M23
junction 10, and clearly
signposted. Gates open at
10am. Tickets cost £7 for
adults. Accompanied children
under 16 get in for free,
parking is free, and well-
behaved dogs are welcome. To
find out more visit www.
elk-promotions.co.uk
The event is pre-
registration only with no entries
being accepted on the day.
Details can be found on www.
eventbrite.co.uk and searching
for ‘Exmoor Run’.
www.classicmechanics.com / 17
 Post to Mechanics, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ
or email your pictures to editorial@classicmechanics.com

We love to hear from you, so why not let us know what you
like, or dislike, in YOUR magazine. Simply get in touch by
sending emails to: letters@classicmechanics.com or direct
to the editor at BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk or post your
letters to the normal address.
The best will win one of our lovely T-shirts!

Brave? Or too soon? She’s more than 15 years old… Classic!

Oooh… what have you done? That bike
on the cover of CMM is a bit new, isn’t
it? Okay – then I realise it IS 15 years
old (doesn’t time fly) but I do really want
to see stuff older than that in the
magazine. A bit older… I think 20 years
is a classic – or older, of course.
That said, there was plenty of other
stuff I could get my teeth into. I used to
own one of the little Honda CB400s – it
was a grey import from the 1990s which
I managed to buy when I was getting
back into biking in the early noughties.
It was a great little machine and it was
easy enough to get parts for, too.
I quite enjoyed the new sections of
the mag as well – loved seeing Pip
Higham’s shed… well, palatial workshop
more like! It’s like being a nosey parker
seeing inside another bloke’s man cave
(sorry Pip) but it also gives me a boost to
sort out my (much smaller) shed.
I enjoyed Ralph’s rambles on building
his workshop and loved the pull-out of
the Sean Emmett wheelie on the
FireBlade, but you really need to ensure
that adverts are on either side of it, or
we won’t want to rip the thing out and
put it on our walls! Sort it out,
Simmonds! Ha!
Jack Groom
Bertie says: “Jack! Thanks for the
feedback, and (I know this gets boring)
we follow the VJMC’s 15-year rule. BUT
we will stay honest with all the classics
from the 1950s through to 15 years ago.
Good point about the poster – we will
see what we can do for the next issue.”

Our lovely Issues with the X7!

Our PB – legend!
readers!
Dear CMMers,
Paul Berryman
here, author of
‘The Longest
Day’ where I
took my
Honda
CBR600F
from Land’s
End to John
O’Groats in a day.
I just wanted to give my heartfelt
thanks to those of you who added to my
total on the Just Giving page after reading
the article about my ride on the longest
day up in the June issue – the total
jumped by £100 after the article. Thanks
to you I’m now only a whisker away from
finally making the total I set myself last
year, which, given the lack of pounds in
all our pockets, is frankly brilliant to see.
The CBR continues to plough on, and if
Bertie allows it, will even continue in the
workshop pages of CMM in the future!
Paul Berryman
Bertie says: “Our readers are indeed
brilliant and of course we will allow your
CBR to be in the mag!”
Really enjoyed the May issue. With regard
t the X7, there is one major thing to check
to
aand that is the play on the front sprocket/
driveshaft spline. These can get quite worn,
d
leading to annoying transmission lash when
rriding. New drive-shafts are virtually
eextinct.
Other parts that are very difficult to find
aare: rear mudguard; chain-guard; rear
indicator brackets; seat lock; air-box;
kick-start (and when this wears, it will
damage your exhaust); gear lever; genuine are available. Oh, and centre-stand bushes
fuel tap; genuine horn; left-hand engine can sometimes be very worn and stuck in
cover; Suzuki logo cap on instruments; the stand.
warning lights cover; brake master cylinder Ignition and rectifier can be swapped for
reservoir and cap; right-hand switchgear; pattern parts, but you need to make a new
right-hand muffler connector cover; bracket (see photo). Pattern coils and
right-hand engine emblem; right-hand rewound stators are also available.
footrest rubber; headlamp lens; rim and Attached are photos of my pride and joy
bowl! Pattern looms and left-hand X7, before and after – bought as a very
switchgear sscruffy Swedish import.
Dean Faria
Bertie
says: “Thanks
for that extra
fo
in
nfo Dean
– maybe we
make an X7 a
m
pu
ull-out soon?”

Dean’s X7 ‘before’.
18 / classic motorcycle mechanics
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Sports tourers?
I write further to the letter by John Charles,
‘Praise for the Pan’. I concur entirely with
John’s points and have only just returned to
CMM after a few years’ absence having by
chance read the BMW project
articles. We are not all
SHARE YOUR PROJECT WITH THE WORLD!
SEE PAGE 94 FOR DETAILS
C’mon John! Classic sports-tourers are cool!
sports-bike riders, nor riders of that new
breed, ‘sports-sourers’ – it is either a sports
or touring bike, not both! Meanwhile, I’ll
enjoy my trial subscription and if I don’t see
the slippery slope of bias to sports-bikes I’ll
take out a full subscription!
John Gerrard
Bertie says: “Thanks for joining us John,
we hope we can keep you happy with a good
blend which will include tourers, cruisers,
modern retros and some sports ikes! BUT
– come on… sports tourers was and still
is a segment of the marketplace, surely?
Bikes like the VFR750/800 and the
ZZ-R600 and 1100 are surely sports-
tourers?

Cheers, chaps! Super is sorted!

Top work
Darren and DK!
I don’t usually do this kind of
thing, write to magazines, but
after reading your story about
Darren and DK Motorcycles it
just made me smile. Something
I haven’t done lately.
It actually doesn’t surprise me
that DK opened their doors to
Darren. I have used them many
times over many years and never
have I had a bad word to say
about them. Well done DK and
Darren, and John McGuinness
isn’t a bad lad to have as a hero.
I like to think I had a very small
hand in helping John in his early
days – he wouldn’t even know
himself.
I’m currently restoring a 1981
Kawasaki Z400J to match the
one I had. It’s taking a while but
life gets in the way. DK have
supplied many parts to me for
this – I should also give Z-Power
a shout out.
I love the magazine and look
forward to getting home from
work and finding it waiting for
me. The pic is of me in July
1981 on my Z400J, OAO 830W.
I couldn’t wait until August 1 for
an X-reg!
Ken Moore
Bertie says: “Ken – top
shot, but… You can’t leave us
hanging like that! How did you
help John McGuinness’ career?”
Please send my thanks to
Mark Haycock or Steve
Cooper for pointing me in
the right direction to sort
out my poor starting
problem with my Honda
CB125T Super Dream. I
noticed the dealer who
supplied the bike had
replaced the diaphragm/
throttle valve before
supplying the bike. I
detected a small area of
diaphragm was not glued to
the valve; a spot of UHU
Scoop’s sportster!
Reading this month’s
magazine I see Steve
Cooper is embarking on
building a sort of single
cylinder two-stroke race
replica. His chum Ferret
suggested he use the spare
Suzuki engine and Steve
went on to buy an old
Ducati twin!
This type of build is
superb. I have been
building ‘bitsas’ for years; I
am really looking forward to
his progress. May I suggest
when it comes to wiring as
this will be quite simple on
seems to have solved the
problem for now. Many
thanks and fingers crossed!
Keith Bugler
Bertie says: “They
know their stuff!”
What will it look like?
this machine, get the Ferret
to teach Steve how to do
this himself. I read so often
about people doing projects
only to read where they
have sent parts off. We all
have our limitations but just
to try brings such joy upon
completion. This is an ideal
opportunity for us all to
enjoy and learn.
Duncan Rhoades
Bertie says: “We shall
see what Scoop does! In
other news, we do hope to
have a regular column from
‘The Ferret’ soon!”

Cool Ken in 81!

 ide and joy in our
We want to see YOUR pr
what you ride and what
pages, so you can share
hi-res
low readers. Email your
you restore/build with fel me
rtons.co.uk or mail in so
shots to bsimmonds@mo t us know
the front of the mag. Le
photos at the address at before
you’ve done it and send
what you’ve done, how cause the
n. Do get in touch – be
and after shots if you ca
a free T-shirt!
best of the month gets

E R
WINN

TIM MACLEAN’S 1980 HONDA CX500

Hi CMM! This is my newly restored
'butchered classic’. It’s a 1980 Honda
CX500 which I have ‘CBX-ed’! I bought
this in 1988 but then in 1991 I trashed
my Honda CBX750F and decided to
graft the fairing on but with the original
CX clocks as my skills and tech weren't
up to what it is now. Oh, and the
front-end is off a 1983 CX500
Eurosport. The rear-end has been
converted from drum to disc brake. Also
a big shout-out to Paul at Brabow
Engineering, Gloucester, and Viking
Motorcycle Seats in Sevenoaks, Kent.

20 / classic motorcycle mechanics

PETER THORNE’S
COLLECTION
I last sent you photos of my collection
which you featured in CMM in April
2018; that was the month of my 60th
birthday! Move forward five years and I
have just celebrated my 65th birthday
and I’m now retired. All the bikes from
2018 have been moved on and a new lot
of restorations (Yamaha RD350, Yamaha
SRX, the Kawasaki Zephyr was already tidy
when I got it) have been completed. Spot
the similarities between the old collection
and the new: Kawasaki Z four-cylinder
650/750; iconic Japanese midweight
400/350; Yamaha SRX-6; I wish I had
JAMES SELFRIDGE’S HONDA CB750 F1
I have a bit of a bike collection, many of
them having been featured in this very
magazine and this is the one that
started it. In 2016, after lots of
research, too much alcohol and ‘eBay
fingers’, I purchased a long-abandoned
Honda CB750 F1.
I travelled to Nottingham from
Bedfordshire to collect it and as you
can see from the pics it was in a bit of
a poor state. Although practical
minded, I am by no means a mechanic
so this was a great machine to have as
a first project and to learn from.
During the strip-down I discovered
the service history book (stamped up to
the correct mileage) and noted that the
engine was in great shape and
responded well to a good service. The
tank required a fair bit of work at the
body shop as I was returning it to its
original yellow. The forks were badly
pitted (off to Philpots), and the wheel
rims and spokes were shot and needed
replacing.
As things went on, I’m sure David
Silver Spares had me on their ‘favourite
customers’ list! There were various
slightly ‘iffy’ modifications done to the
old girl over the years that needed
rectifying (and more research) and
several other parts that required
rechroming or replacing. The frame
remains in its original paint and I
managed to source new old stock
SAM RATAJCZAK’S
kept the one from 2018. I also have a
1980 Yamaha RD400 coming soon that I DUCATI 748
restored in 1999 and have bought back
again for the sixth time for the price I sold Hello from
it for in 2001! I’ll send some before and Belgium! This is my
after photos once I have tidied it up again; pride and joy! It
hopefully it will look like it did after the was purchased in
last resto! 2018 and was a
little bit out of
shape, track-dayed
and neglected, but
the engine
sounded good and with 36,000km on the
parts over a period of time from around odometer the price was right at 2600
the world as I wanted to keep the bike Euros. This was the bike I was dreaming
completely stock, with the exception of of in the 1990s, but hey, this is a Ducati
the exhaust which is near impossible to 748, for expert mechanics, only or so I
find and I think the aftermarket item is thought. I then did lots of research,
perfectly acceptable. looked at YouTube tutorials, and indulged
The finished bike starts, runs and in a lot of trial and error, and thanks to
stops superbly and I thoroughly enjoy the ducatiforum.co.uk I got through all
riding it. the various issues.
The same with all my mad bike Modern techniques I used included
projects (RD250, GPZ900R TOP GUN, using 3D printing technology to guide
Honda CB900 café racer, etc.). None of seals in their chambers and iPhone apps
them would be possible without the to measure tension on the desmo belts.
help, guidance and sheer banter from The engine parts are so beautifully
my best mate Rick, whose bike has also designed and developed, pure 100 per
featured in these very pages and, of cent race pedigree. Everyone is always
course, this great magazine! talking about the looks, but the
engineering of this bike is superb! After
the mechanics were done I upgraded the
lights to LED, worked on the fairing,
purchased some wheels, and swapped
the brittle air-box and breather pipes with
carbon ones. In the winter I had it
checked over by Ducati Zolder. They
congratulated me on the job I did. The
moral of this story is: don’t be afraid, if
you have the passion you can rebuild
everything. If I can do it, everybody can.
JOSH PEARCE’S
2000 KAWASAKI
ZRX1100R
Just a line on my Kawasaki ZRX1100R,
which I love. It’s got a full stainless
exhaust, K&N filter pods and Corbin seat.
www.classicmechanics.com / 21
 The way
we were…
Send us your nostalgic snaps of you
with your steed! Either send to me
back in the day
at bsimmonds@
ebook page. C’mon,
mortons.co.uk or via our vibrant Fac
our first pick!
we’ll send you a T-shirt if you are

Mark Buckmaster says: “I what we were doing but he happened to

remember my Dad taking this photo but
I thought it had long gone. However,
looking through some old photo albums
at my mother’s I was delighted to come
across it. This is me aged 16 on my first
bike, a Suzuki AP50, in August 1976,
although I traded in the bike the
following summer for a Honda CB175. I
still have the crash helmet; it is a Nolan
Guardsman and was £19.95, which was
a lot of money for a 16-year-old back
then! It was on show in the window of
Clarke and Greenshields (or the name
could have been changed to Peters of
Stevenage) in Stevenage town centre
and I saved up the money from a
butcher’s boy job of £3.50 a week, plus
50p pocket money.
I lived in Stevenage and my girlfriend
lived in Luton. Riding back from hers on
my AP50, I ran out of petrol on the
A505 towards Hitchin. I started to push
the bike towards Hitchin, when a
Kawasaki Z900 pulled over and offered
to give me a tow. We both didn’t know
have a length of rope, which he
proceeded to tie on his rack and my WINN
handlebars. He then towed me faster ER
than my little Suzuki could do under its
own steam! I was absolutely petrified,
as it dawned on me what would happen
if I lost control. I know now that what
you should do is wrap the rope around
the handlebars and hold it and if
anything should go wrong, you just let
go of the rope. Anyhow, we arrived
safely in Hitchin and the rider even gave
me 50p to buy a gallon of petrol.
I’ve kept riding all through the years
and turn 63 in June. Now I ride a 2019
Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor, which I
did the NC500 on in July last year with
a friend on his Aprilia Tuono, and we I thoroughly enjoy; any readers who
will be doing a week’s tour of Wales at are nearby are welcome to pop in and
the end of June this year. In addition to say hello.
the Interceptor I have a 1980 Kawasaki I always look forward to CMM coming
Z650; a 1975 Honda 400/4; a 1978 through the door each month and in my
MZ TS150; and a 1964 Matchless G2. humble opinion I think you have about
I also volunteer at the nearby Norfolk the right balance in the bikes and items
Motorcycle Museum every Friday, which you cover.”

Keith Russell says: “Here are a few

photos of me and my friends back in
the 1980s. This one is 1983 in
Edinburgh – I’m scaring myself on the
X7. My mate called ‘Ob’ (short for
obnoxious) is on the GSX250, and my
good friend still, Fraser, on the GS550.
There’s also a static shot from the same
day. Here’s another one on my GPz750
on holiday in Norway – that would have
been around 1988. The bike was
custom painted by my brother, Steve, at
Spray-It-Again in Stirling. Happy days!”

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/ www.twitter.com/cmmmag

22 / classic motorcycle mechanics

www.classicmechanics.com / 23
 CMM BIKE OF THE YEAR

Pro-Am glam
CMM reader Jarrod Cotter gives us a look at his latest
Yamaha RD250LC, which he thinks is the best LC
he’s ever owned. But first (being an author) he also
wants to give us some LC history…
WORDS AND PICS: JARROD COTTER

W hen they first arrived in the early 1980s

the Yamaha RD250/350LC series was a
revelation as it was such a breakthrough
in design for a road-going machine.
The LC family offered so much more than good
looks, too, as the technological advantages over its
air-cooled predecessors were outstanding. For those
who don’t know, the RD LC was based directly on
Yamaha’s TZ road racers. It boasts a liquid-cooled
piston-ported two-stroke twin-cylinder engine and
Yamaha’s monoshock suspension system which took
the TZ and YZR road racers to repeated world titles.
The liquid-cooled engine has lightweight pistons
and connecting rods originally with silver-plated
bearing retainers in the big-end. The rigid crankshaft
assembly is strengthened to cope with the engine’s
relative power output. It is equipped with a frontal
radiator and the liquid-cooling allows the highly-
tuned engine to run at the optimum operating
temperature without loss of reliability or the need for
constant maintenance. Reed-valves help to maintain
low-speed torque without sacrificing top-end power.
Carburetion is through twin Mikuni carburettors. The
gearbox is six-speed, the clutch is a wet multi-plate,
and the final drive is by chain.
A significant contribution to the engine’s flexible
power characteristics is the use of an advanced-for-
its-day Capacitor Discharge Ignition (CDI) system.
This maintains a hot, fat spark throughout the
rev-range, ensuring clean combustion. The CDI
system incorporates an electronic advance
mechanism which provides an effective boost to
peak performance. The exhausts are matt black
expansion chamber style, upswept for additional

24 / classic motorcycle mechanics

ground clearance. The wheels are Yamaha’s italic
design, which are cast in alloy and finished in matt
black and silver.
The RD250LC has a single front disc and a
waterproof, dustproof, rear drum. However, the
RD350LC has twin front discs. A triangulated rear
sub-frame carries the rear wheel, which is
suspended by a long spring and shock absorber unit
running under the tank to the steering head.
Compared to the more conventional twin suspension
units of the time, this system provided not only long
rear-wheel travel, but also more positive damping
which allows the wheel to follow more closely and
safely the variations in road surface. The monoshock
unit has five settings so that the suspension can be
set up to suit the rider and varying loads or road
conditions.
All this may be dated by today’s technology, but in
the 1980s it was cutting-edge technology. It was
this that led me to quickly gain an affinity with the
RD250/350LC, and was the reason why I had
several examples throughout the decade and into the ABOVE: The two-stroke twin is a
1990s. I still am a real LC aficionado, too! veritable powerhouse – around
I had been without an LC for some years, as 47bhp.
overseas service with the military, a young family
and a mortgage put paid to my ability to own a bike BELOW: Original manual.
for a lengthy period. However, the time was now
right to get a bike again and it had to be a 40-or-so-
year-old LC! I didn’t mind if it was a 250 or 350, as
I had owned both back in the 1980s and had just as
much fun on either. What I did want, however, was a
restored example which was in totally standard
configuration. Back in the day it was very often the
trend to remove stuff and replace it with bolt-on
goodies. The standard air-box and the standard
exhausts were frequent losses, being replaced with
K&N filters and Allspeed or Micron exhausts
respectively. The centre-stand was also often
removed to save a bit of weight! Wheels were
another consideration. These were often painted in a
bright colour to match some aspect of the LC’s
attractive paintwork and I wanted nice, original matt ABOVE: Classic LC showroom-standard examples of RD350LCs
black with silver-rimmed wheels. So I began clocks. demanding a very high asking price of almost
searching listings of LCs. £15,000. I wanted something in between that had
It was a minefield of bikes ranging from a bare BELOW: The RD just been restored to a reasonable standard or was in
frame with a V5 logbook for around £1000 to ‘looks right’. good original condition. Bikes I saw in the latter
category, though, often seemed to be let down by
some glitch that put me off them.
Eventually I saw a suitable candidate, a 1983
RD250LC that had been imported to the UK in
2017. It was finished in my favourite LC livery, the
black with two-tone red striping and gold pinstripes
– the ‘Mars Bar’!
The bike was for sale at a dealer’s shop in
Derbyshire for £6750 and was advertised as having
had a front-to-back rebuild, which included the
engine and crank, paintwork, brakes and suspension,
and the exhausts were newly painted, too. It seemed
ideal…
When I saw it, the bike immediately brought back
many memories of 1980s motorcycling, as it
glistened in the lights of the showroom. The dealer
started it up for me and the engine sounded nice,
with no nasty knocks or rattles as it had only just
been run-in after its rebuild. I paid a deposit and
was once again the proud owner of an RD250LC.
I had the bike couriered to me in a van, as I
hadn’t ridden one for about 25 years. The day of its
arrival dawned and once it was stood on my drive I

www.classicmechanics.com / 25
 CMM BIKE OF THE YEAR
felt a sigh of relief that it had got home safely rather
than being ridden home by a defunct biker!
It was soon ticking over on my drive, with the
familiar smell of a two-stroke filling the air. I wasn’t
going to ride it that day, but rather save that for the
forthcoming weekend when I would once again take
to the road on an LC.
When the weekend arrived I was full of nervous
excitement at the prospect of going out on two
wheels. I started the bike up, dropped it into first
gear and as I released the clutch and wound the
throttle open it was immediately like being on a
time machine.
I wasn’t disappointed with the LC’s performance;
as the rev counter wound up towards the power-band
the bike pulled me along with a gasp of delight. I
know a more modern bike has far better
performance, but it is the LC that I love and I’m
happy to make do with what was a revelation to me
when I was a teenager.
During the 1980s I always liked LCs fitted with
the Pro-Am bikini fairing and belly pan. I only ever
had a belly-pan fitted to a couple of my LCs, but was
determined to source a fairing and belly-pan for my
latest LC.
While fitting the belly pan was familiar territory to
me, the Pro-Am fairing had a mounting bracket
which affixes to the fork yoke bolts, so I decided to
take it to my local motorcycle mechanic and let him
fit it on safely. I was delighted with the results, as I
think it all makes the LC look that little bit more
glamorous. The belly-pan and fairing tidy up the
look of the bike, and the decals add extra splashes
of colour.
As this LC is somewhat of a luxury for me and not
a workhorse, I decided to winterise it for the
26 / classic motorcycle mechanics
ABOVE: Bikini fairing duration of the inclement weather. To get advice on
and belly-pan add a how to do this I turned to my original 1980s Yamaha
touch of class, we owner’s manual for the RD250/350LC.
think. It states that for long-term storage of 60 days or
more the bike would need some preventative
procedures to insure against deterioration. The first
of these was simply to clean the entire bike
thoroughly. Next the fuel tank is drained, along with
the fuel lines and carburettor bowls.
Then the empty tank should be removed and a
cup of 10W/30 motor oil was to be poured into it.
The tank should then be shaken to coat the inner
surfaces thoroughly with the excess oil being drained
off. The tank could then be reinstalled.
Remove the spark plugs and pour about one
tablespoon of 10W/30 motor oil into each cylinder
before refitting both plugs. With the ignition
switched off, kick the engine over several times to
coat the cylinder walls with oil. Remove the chain,
clean it thoroughly with solvent and then lubricate
it. The chain can then either be refitted or stored in
a plastic bag for safekeeping. All control cables are
lubricated and the bike placed on its centre-stand.
Tie plastic bags over both exhaust pipe outlets to
prevent moisture from entering…
Finally remove the battery and store it in a dry
place which is neither excessively warm or cold;
charge it up initially and recharge it once a month…
Lots to do, but this means the bike is at its best
when you recommission it for the spring. This is
certainly the best LC I have ever owned. My mounts
of the 1980s were not treated with as much respect,
and I hope to own it for many years to come.
Whatever way I look at it, my newest RD250LC is a
joy to behold and has already provided many new
memorable moments. cmm
www.classicmechanics.com / 27
 CLASSIC RIDE

with
envy!
Since 1992 Honda’s FireBlade had been top big-bore
sportsbike dog and others wanted a slice of the action.
From 1994 there was another 900cc hound in the fight
– the Kawasaki ZX-9R B-1. Andy Bolas asks if this
Ninja was all bark and not enough bite.
WORDS: ANDY BOLAS PICS: GARY CHAPMAN, MORTONS ARCHIVE

28 / classic motorcycle mechanics

B ack in the early 1990s the superbike
scene was on fire with the introduction of
the Honda CBR900RR FireBlade in 1992
and various hot sports 750s doing the rounds.
Then, in 1994 Kawasaki introduced its
big-bore superbike for the 1990s: the ZX-9R, the
first incarnation being the B1. The ZX-9R was
the third generation of Kawasaki’s all-conquering
900s, following on from the Z1 in 1972-73 then
the GPZ900R in 1984, both of which were the
top of the pile when released. Unfortunately
Kawasaki was slightly off target this time with a
bike that put itself between the ZXR750 and
ZZ-R1100, although as we are about to find out,
maybe this wasn’t a bad thing.
The bike was an all-new model with new
aesthetics which trod a careful path between
sports-touring à la ZZ-R and a full-on sports
machine like a ZXR. The looks would be copied
over to the later ZX-6R F1 supersports machine
with much success.
The engine was essentially a bored and stroked
ZXR750 motor with the addition of two ram-air
scoops feeding a 12-litre air-box and 40mm
Keihin carbs helping the bike to produce nearly
140bhp – the UK bike was restricted to 125bhp.
According to Kawasaki’s launch info the frame
was based on the ZXR, too, with the addition of
large Y-shaped aluminium castings for the
swingarm pivot which extend up to support the
seat unit like on the ZZ-R1100, and with a pair
of bolt-on aluminium down tubes extend from
the steering head to cradle the motor in the
frame and apparently increase its rigidity. It’s
also rubber mounted to keep the rider away
from any vibration from the engine.
The multi-adjustable front forks were
taken from the ZXR750R model and are
adjustable for rebound compression and
pre-load. They’re basically just revalved to
suit the ZX9’s extra bulk and the rear shock
is also adjustable for rebound, compression
and pre-load; that’s good in one way but also
gives you so many ways to spoil the ride. And
early launch reports would suggest there was
an issue at the back of the bike – but more on
that later…
Reading between the lines (and checking the
motorcycle history books) Kawasaki probably
already knew that its new bike wasn’t going to be
as sharp as the FireBlade as its launch
information mentioned that the ZX-9R wasn’t a
narrowly-focused and uncompromising machine
that only a skilled few can handle. If you
remember, the Blade was really pushed as a
focused sports machine. Instead, Kawasaki
marketed the first model ZX-9R as a red-blooded
bike and yet one which was street-friendly, with
fully useable all-round performance and I think it
hit the proverbial nail on the head there. Think
more of a classier Suzuki RF900R with less
pillion comfort than a scalpel-sharp Blade
beater... Does this make the Ninja any less of a
bike? No, of course it doesn’t…

www.classicmechanics.com / 29
 CLASSIC RIDE
5 4
But back to that back-end... The bike’s original
Achilles’ heel was a soft and squatting rear-end that
was clearly apparent at the very hot launch in
Malaysia’s Shah Alam circuit. Muzzy Kawasaki World
Superbike riders Scott Russell and Terry Rymer were
running rings around the world’s motorcycle
journalists on the launch, painting black lines
everywhere with that fat 180-section rear tyre. Fun it
may have been, but it pointed to an issue with the
rear shock and swingarm set up and possibly the
rear sprocket position, which was raised by the late,
great John Robinson of Performance Bikes and Dan
Harris from Fast Bikes. Obviously, today – almost 30
years on – many rear shocks would have long since
been swopped out for a newer one…You’d hope eh?
Oh, and – perhaps – an admission of guilt from
Kawasaki came with the later B3 and 4 models
which had a different spring rate and revised
suspension linkage set up.
Our test bike is a one-owner machine with just
under 11k miles and looks pretty much as good an
example as you could get. Back in the early 1990s
there was a lot of political pressure from the EU and
the like to make a blanket 100bhp limit (which was
the upper limit in some European countries,
including France) but in the UK at the time we had
what was called a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ to not
exceed 125bhp. So, lovely bikes such as the Suzuki
GSX-R1100 W and Kawasaki ZZ-R1100 and, of
30 / classic motorcycle mechanics
3
course, the later ZX-9R B1 were ‘restricted’ to ‘just’
125bhp… Still sounds a lot, even today.
Thankfully, our example here today was also
derestricted when it had its first service way back in ABOVE LEFT: Those
1994. Derestriction is carried out by fitting ZXR750 ram-air ducts could
carb tops which supposedly liberates around 140 catch a pigeon!
claimed bhp. Apart from that, the only deviation
from standard I can see is the fitment of braided 1: Simple cockpit
hoses, which is always a bonus. with three dials and
The bike has also been recently recommissioned four idiot lights.
and had new Bridgestone BT-023 tyres so it’s ready
for us to ride. We at CMM can’t say this enough: 2: Standard Kwak
modern tyres give a quantum leap in performance 1990s switch-gear.
(and therefore safety) over what we had before. It’s
the best update you can make, over updated or 3: This bike is as
new suspension. clean as a whistle.
As said, the B1 and B2 models had suspect
handling according to road tests from back in the day, 4: Beautiful 1990s
but as with most issues like this they only occur when graphics: decals can
you’re pushing at ten-tenths and as previously peel!
mentioned the ZX-9R was never going to be as sharp
as a FireBlade. For a start it weighs 30 kilos more at 5: Four-pot Tokicos
215 kilos and has a longer wheelbase by 35mm at later replaced by the
1440mm, although the rake and trail are a little six-pots, then
sportier in comparison at 24 degrees rake and 93mm four-pot Nissins!
trail (the 1994 FireBlade is 24 degrees and 89mm in
comparison.) So although sporty geometry, everything
is a little more laid back and forgiving (probably due
to the weight) which is great for everyday use.
 SPECIFICATION

MAKE
Kawasaki
MODEL
ZX-9R B1
YEARS AVAILABLE
1994-1997
PRICE NEW
£8385 OTR
ENGINE
899cc liquid-cooled 16-valve
DOHC inline 4 cylinder
4 stroke
MAX POWER
139bhp @ 10,500rpm
MAX TORQUE
71lb/ft @ 9500rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
FINAL DRIVE
Chain
SUSPENSION
Front: 41mm USD forks fully
adjustable for preload,
compression and rebound
damping
Rear: Monoshock fully
adjustable for preload,
compression and rebound
damping
BRAKES
Front: 2 x 320mm floating
discs with 4 piston calipers
Rear: 230mm disc with
twin-piston caliper
TYRES
Front: 120/70/17
Rear: 180/55/17
SEAT HEIGHT
800mm
WHEEL BASE
1440mm
DRY WEIGHT
215kg
FUEL CAPACITY
20 litres

Comfort-wise, this isn’t a bad place to be – the B
model Ninjas were, shall we say, more substantial
than the later models, so there’s room to play with,
even if you do need to stretch a bit over that tank.
The cockpit is classic mid-1990s Kwak, so you’ve
not got much to be bothered by. In the smart,
brushed ally housing we have four idiot lights at the
bottom (oil, indicators, neutral, high beam) and
we’ve got three dials. The 190mph speedo on the
left, the mid-set rev-counter and, interestingly for a
bike of its era, we do have a fuel gauge in the
right-hand dial, along with a temperature gauge. We
bet that it’s a typical ‘of its time’ Kawasaki item,
registering FULL until about the last 50 miles of
use! Ahhh… nostalgia!
More nostalgia when we pull on the choke lever
and the bike races on idle, as Kawasakis of this
age do. When she’s warmed up and ready to go,
we can knock off the choke and let her breathe
more easily.
Out on the road and this engine is absolutely
stunning, it really is. It starts pulling from just off
idle all the way to the red-line, which is set at a
dizzy 12,000rpm, with an intoxicating induction roar
through those dual ram-air intakes and producing ABOVE: This is an
ample power and a stunning amount of torque, you almost 30-year-old
never find yourself dancing up and down the gearbox bike with around
on this thing to make progress. This is a good thing, 140bhp… Sod
as sometimes the gearbox felt a little notchy both up traction control.
and down the box.
Just going back to the black hoops, I think the
new tyres seem to suit the bike well. Although the
dry weight of 215 kilos seems pretty hig, it isn’t that
noticeable, especially on the move, and doesn’t feel
any heavier than, say, a ZX-7R. The bike just feels a
little less wheelie-prone or light at the front when
opening the throttle.
So, elephant in the room time, does the beast
handle? Well, I think it does. Of course, I’m not
going to blat about as if the King’s Highway is a
racetrack, but even with a bit of spirited riding it all
seems fine and you can make good progress without
having to push the bike hard, and from what I can
see this bike is still on standard suspension,
including that remote-reservoir rear shock, but it has
been recently serviced. Instead, it is best if you just
ride on the wave of torque provided by that superb
Kawasaki mill.

www.classicmechanics.com / 31
 CLASSIC RIDE

All the old clichés from the 1990s are true with
this engine: overtakes are just a twist of the wrist
away and scenery soon becomes just a green blur.
The carburation is virtually perfect here on our
example, with no glitches or flat-spots. The later
models suffered a little with flat spots due to the
later emissions laws which made Kawasaki run the
bike a little leaner in the mid-range and I can
imagine with the rubbish fuel we have now that this
could be worse, although nothing a jet kit and a good
session on the dyno couldn’t fix.
So, the suspension on this bike felt nice and tight,
with no nasty shocks while out on the road at all – no
pun intended! After testing a ZX-7R recently the
riding position on the 9 is a revelation, being much
more comfy and relaxed. I couldn’t believe how good ABOVE: It may have
these Tokico four-pot calipers are, especially biting been big and heavy
on these big 320mm discs; not sure why you would for the time, but it
need the later (and often troublesome) six-pots when was pretty.
these are this good.
I’ve enjoyed my time on this bike… And while it’s RIGHT: Get ‘er over
clear it never got that close to the FireBlade as the Bolas!
ultimate sportsbike of the time, it has a certain
road-riding charm all of its own. In fact, it reminds BELOW RIGHT:
me a lot of my old Thunderace – but just much Lovely rear three-
better looking. quarters!
Actually, looking at the pictures from the photo-
shoot, the ZX-9R B1 Ninja is MUCH better looking
and the finish is almost as good as the Hondas of the
era, which is a real credit to Kawasaki. cmm

THE KAWASAKI ZX-9R TIMELINE

B-3-B-4 (1996-1997)
Price new: £9545
As B-1/B-2 but with some refinements
including six-pot brakes from Tokico, a tad
more bhp (around two bhp up according to
some sources) and that all-important
suspension change. A new spring (different
rate) was added as well as a redesigned
suspension linkage. Pillion grab rails were
added to the rear and the gearbox (originally a
ZXR unit) was given updates, too. Weight was
also up a kilo or two.

B-1-B-2 (1994-1995) C-1-C-2 (1998-1999)

Colours: Purple/silver, green, black Colours: Black, blue, red, green
Price new: £8095 Price new: £9545
Think of something half ZZ-R1100 and half Here was the first ZX-9R to take on and get close to
ZXR750. Rumours of poor/badly designed beating the Blade. Lighter (183 kilos dry, it was lighter
rear suspension/linkages didn’t help sales, wet than the old model was dry), faster (power up to
but nor did excess weight over the FireBlade. around 143 claimed bhp), and more focused than the
Thing was, it wasn’t really a Blade-beater. previous behemoth B-series of nine-ninja (wheelbase
Instead it was a superb sporty sports-tourer. down 30mm), sadly it was eclipsed by the Yamaha
Still a good choice today as a sports tourer YZF-R1 just weeks after its launch. Didn’t mean it
and can be found for as little as a bag of wasn’t a brilliant bike on the road. Interestingly, this
sand… 215 kilos, 125-140bhp, depending on model went to beefy right-way-up forks, eschewing the
derestriction. inverted originals: function over fashion, at last.

32 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 E-1P-E-2P (2000-2001)
Colours: Purple/dark blue, red/white/black,
green/purple
Price new: £8350
Major aesthetic update saw new plastics at the front
and twin headlamps: internally you got a slightly higher
compression ratio (12.2:1 from 11.5:1) new carbs (CRVD
40mm) liners, intake ports and timing. All this added up
to a slight increase in power and torque. The frame was
also stiffer thanks to bigger front engine mount bolts
and swingarm pivot and wheel spindles now larger in
diameter. Forks were now shorter and the rear shock
had a ride-height adjuster.

F1-P-F-2P (2002-2003)
Colours: Blue, green silver
Price new: £7995
A few small refinements including smoothed-over
aesthetics (including a much nicer tail unit)
without grab-handles and better four-pot Nissin
brakes/320mm discs replacing the old six-pot
Tokicos. Now has a braced swingarm which is
20 per cent stronger than the previous model.
Increased trail and reduced fork offset. Heavier
crank gives the bike a torquey feel… The last of
these machines were being sold for a paltry
£6200 on the road back in the day… peanuts.

www.classicmechanics.com / 33
 RETRO FLEET

of the

It’s fair to say Suzuki’s retro

Katana has been applauded
and derided since its 2019
launch – but what has it
done to the new one?
WORDS AND PICS: BERTIE SIMMONDS

L et’s be honest here, it was always going to be a

difficult gig for Suzuki to bring the legendary
Katana bang up-to-date.
We at CMM did a fair few miles on one and loved
most bits of it and questioned some of it – but
with an updated 2023 model, what’s changed and
what’s not?
Firstly, let’s set our stall out straightaway. We will
be moving the Kat around to various people at CMM
and beyond who this bike is aimed at – so that’s the
many Suzuki/Katana fans out there.
We even hope to drag Pip Higham out of
retirement to maybe run this Kat up and down a
drag-strip or two. We will also have other machines
popping into CMM’s pages – some not brand-new,
but definitely retro. AND we want to hear from you,
too (see news pages for more).
But let’s look at the 2023 Katana first and
foremost. The changes aren’t immediately obvious
from the outside. So, while the 2019/20 machine
was based on that year’s GSX-S1000/F models,
likewise this one is based on the 2021/22
GSX-S1000, so this means it’s Euro-5 friendly and
has updated electronics. It also has two bhp more,
so now pumps out around 150bhp at 11,000rpm
– like you really need it…

34 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 It’s worth talking about that motor for a while; it’s SPECIFICATION
a gem, an absolute legendary powerhouse. Suzuki COST NEW:
knows how to build beautiful motors that really £12,299
stand the test of time (think GSX-R750F, 1100 oil/ ENGINE:
999cc liquid-cooled
air-cooled, as well as the V-twin TL1000) and this inline-four
four-cylinder 999cc motor dates back to the superb SPEC:
GSX-R1000 K5 – a benchmark sports machine from 150bhp/79lb-ft
2005 – but thanks to new camshafts, air-box, KERB WEIGHT:
exhaust and valve springs you get those two extra 215kg
ponies as well as what Suzuki says should be a TANK:
12 litres
broader spread of mid-range torque. We shall see,
SEAT:
over time. 825mm
And let’s be honest: it’s mid-range that you’ll be AVERAGE MPG:
chasing, not top-end, as there’s not a lot of bodywork 49
behind which to hide on the new Katana and the FROM:
seating position keeps you well into the air-flow. This www.bikes.suzuki.co.uk/
is where I feel Suzuki has missed a trick. The old
Kat was a big ol’ bus and that sheer substance also
makes for a good pillion bike. I doubt many people
will want to sit on the back of this Kat, but we shall
see… The rear-end, like most modern naked
machines, is savagely cut short, way before the end
of the rear wheel; it’s fashion, apparently. You also
have a licence plate holder that comes from the
back of the bike’s left-hand side, attached to the
swingarm rather than the bottom of the tail-unit,
showing plenty of that fat Dunlop RoadSport
190-rear section tyre. Love or loath the number
plate holder, there’re a few tail tidies out there that
can sort this if it offends.
Going back to the motor, on the GSX-S and the
Katana people moaned about the low-rpm delivery of
power, saying it was a little snatchy – even if Suzuki ‘firmer’ front suspension and ‘softer’ rear. We’ll see
had altered the throttle cam on the Katana. Suzuki if things are the same on the 2023 bike when we
now says for this model new electronics settings/Low rack up the miles.
RPM Assist and an updated ride-by-wire throttle Does it look the part? I rather think it does…
have fully sorted it – we shall see. You’ve also now We’ve only done ‘delivery’ miles on the Kat from
got a quick-shifter and five-position traction control. Suzuki GB and we need to run it in, but even in that
A couple of things that came in for some criticism short time this bike does get you noticed – just like
stay: that hard-to-see LCD screen seems cluttered, the original Kat did. While the original ‘new’ Kat
but now has a night-time ‘red’ mode, and the fuel came in the classic silver, many were hoping for
tank still stays at 12 litres… You’d fill up the tank some other colours and our one, in a matt/satin blue
and it would give about 90 miles of range – still, this with gold wheels, didn’t thrill me in pictures but
ain’t no tourer, right? does work very well in the flesh. I do wonder what a
Suspension and brakes are as before – so that’s THE GOOD
red one with black wheels would look like, or black
the powerful Brembo monoblocs up-front biting That 150bhp motor with red wheels…
310mm discs and the fully-adjustable KYB So, it’s time to get some miles on the Kat and
suspension front and rear. Again, from the GSX-S/F THE BAD report back, and then we want to ‘spread the love’ so,
Pillion provision
models the suspenders always worked well on that if you’re an old Katana owner, let us know your
model and some would criticise the choppiness with THE UGLY
thoughts. Maybe we can meet up somewhere in the
the Katana thanks to a different seating position, Maybe that hugger? summer and chew the fat over a coffee or three? cmm

www.classicmechanics.com / 35
 CLASSIC RIDE

36 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 Steve rides the final fling of Suzuki’s
GT185 – a deliciously packaged
two-stroke tiddler twin.
WORDS: STEVE COOPER PICS: GARY CHAPMAN

I ’m zooming around East Anglia on David Willis’

GT185E giving it the beans and luxuriating in the
exhaust note as the bike comes on pipe – those
period Allspeeds do make a rather delicious sound
you know!
It’s a fairly warm day and despite doing some
decent runs and fast turnarounds for the riding shots
the little twin hasn’t shown the slightest nuance of
overheating, but I’m pretty certain its reliability has
precious little to do with that strange Ram-Air
cylinder head cowl – more on this later. In fact,
encouraged by its owner, I’m giving the small twin

www.classicmechanics.com / 37
 CLASSIC RIDE
something of a workout to see how it compares to
my own Yamahas of similar capacity… and it’s
stacking up rather well to be honest.
Like most, smaller stink-wheel twins, the GT185E
needs revs to get it off the line and nothing much
significant tends to happen sub 4000rpm. Another
grand on the tacho sees the blue touchpaper starting
to burn, fizzle and then, WHAM, we’re up and away
when the needle hits the magic ‘Number 6’ on the
gauge. According to the spec sheet, maximum
torque arrives just 500 revolutions later with a full
21 horses rearing up on their hind legs at 7500. I’d
liked to have confirmed some or all of this in the
name of journalistic veracity but, to be honest, I’m
simply having too much fun, so sorry about that.
Those aftermarket chambers really do egg you on
and even if they don’t bring too much to the party in
terms of power, torque or ultimate speed, they
definitely put a smile on your dial. I can see why the
kids back in the day spent their pennies on them.
Just like Yamaha CS series 180/200s and later
38 / classic motorcycle mechanics
ABOVE: If only you RD200s, the GT185 runs a chuffing great dynamo
could ‘hear’ this on the end of the crank that doubles up as an
picture... electric starter. Pairs of carbon brushes make
contact with a large, segmented copper rotor or
commutator which is as happy to work as a motor as
it is a current generator. There’s a lot of mass in one
of these units and it acts very much like an external
flywheel to the crank. Yes, it does sap some power
but once moving it also carries some oomph and has
an interesting ‘damping’ effect upon vibration. Bikes
thus equipped tend to be less buzzy than, say, their
125cc equivalents.
Arguabl, the arrangement is a strange one when
the Japanese were already well versed in making
separate, discrete, electric starts. And why fit just
them to the 185 Suzukis and 180/200 Yamahas?
Look a little deeper and you’ll find trail bikes such
as the TC185 and DT125E similarly equipped… just
one of those strange and inexplicable nuances of
Japanese motorcycle manufacture then!
Styling-wise, the GT185E pretty much marks the
 Suzuki GT185 – Before, During and After
Prior to the GT185’s arrival Suzuki had
enjoyed good sales with its T200 aka
Invader aka X5.
Loosely based around the T20 Super
Six 250, it proved to be popular but
only seems to have been on sale
between 1967-69 or 70. The GT185
(sold as the Adventurer stateside)
appeared in brochure form in late 1972
ready for the 1973 model year. The
factory images showed a twin leading
shoe front brake held captive by a
torque-arm, but almost every
production bike had its brake plate
anchored by a slot in the alloy and a
steel lug on the fork leg.
The motor borrowed from the T200
but took the bore and stroke down
from 50x50mm to 49x49mm to give a
quirky 184.8cc engine capacity. 1974
saw the TLS unit dropped in favour of
end of the line before the firm moved over to mainly
four-strokes. The previously mentioned starter
dynamo necessitates a fairly large alloy cover which
dominates the left-hand side of the motor. By the
time the E variant arrived, corporate diktats had
seen the majority of side-panels unpainted and left
in self-finish satin black plastic, but both their
profile, the integral faux louvres and the air-boxes in
front then were the same as those of the original K
model. Other than the cast alloy wheels a lot of
what’s on show is the same or similar to the A, B
and C models, including the huge rear light, black
headlight bowl and brackets. Another change
reflecting the next generation of Suzukis to appear
are the bike’s indicators that have morphed from the
older, globular, style to those used on the X7 250.
And there’re more elements of the later 70s Suzukis
about the 185 when you look a little harder at
features like the gauge faces and the filler cap.
Elsewhere the GT185E chain guard still carries
the same four pressed ribs on its tail that featured
a disc brake, which remained a changing X7 250 which
constant from then on. Other than some say denotes these
minor cosmetic changes nothing much final bikes as E models.
changed until the C model of 1978 1979 saw the launch of an all-new
when a sleeker tank and plastic tail X5 which was back up to 196ccs with
piece were introduced. In one or two the same bore/stroke as the old T200.
markets the 1978 models were rolled The bike lasted until 1983 in a few
out as RG185s, presumably in a bid to markets before being pensioned off in
associate the ageing 185s with the RG favour of a range of four-stroke
race machines; this was something singles. The final iteration of the
Suzuki had been doing for a year or so 185/200 twin was the SB200 – a
on other ageing models. The very last commuter version of the later X5 that
examples came with alloy wheels very failed to sell well in light of the UK’s
similar to those fitted on the game- recently introduced 125cc learner law.
SPECIFICATION
ENGINE TYPE
184.8cc air-cooled,
two-stroke twin, piston-
ported
BORE AND STROKE
49.0 x 49.0mm
CLAIMED HORSEPOWER
21bhp @ 7500rpm
MAXIMUM TORQUE
15.2lb-ft @ 6000rpm
TRANSMISSION TYPE
5 speed
COMPRESSION RATIO
7.0:1
CARBURETION
2 x Mikuni VM20
TYRES
2.75 x 18 (F) 3.00 x 18 (R)
FUEL CAPACITY
2.2 gallons (10 litres)
BRAKES
Disc (F) Drum (R)
DRY WEIGHT
128kg (283lb)
www.classicmechanics.com / 39
 CLASSIC RIDE
The owner’s view
by David Willis
“The criterion was simple – it
had to be a 70s two-stroke
twin and it had to have
expansion chambers. I’d sold
one of my 400/4s, so I had
some cash rattling around. I
really fancied having the sort of
bike I wanted, but couldn’t
afford, in my teens.
I spotted a pair of vintage GT
185 Allspeeds on Facebook
marketplace for a reasonable
price. And I also had my eye on
a GT185E in nearby Essex which
I really fancied.
I like the styling of the late
GT185: they’re often mistaken
for the replacement model, X5.
Ultimately, I bought both the
bike and the pipes.
The bike had really nice
paint, it ran, but my experience
with old two-strokes told me to
expect the worse… I was not
40 / classic motorcycle mechanics
disappointed! One piston had
seized badly, with the rings
stuck and bore badly worn. The
seat was one half early model,
one half late model, crudely
welded together. I stripped the
bike, painted the frame,
blasted/zinced the fasteners,
rebuilt the engine and
concentrated on sorting out
the inevitable bodges. In the
meantime I searched for a late
seat. This was by far the
hardest part to find.
Eventually I found a couple of
pretty poor examples so a work
colleague and I spent hours
cutting rust out and welding
everything up – I was very
happy with the result. Nicely
run in for a thousand miles, I
love the little GT, massive
grin-factor, and lots of
attention when I’m out on it!”
on the first 185K model and most of the initial GT
range. Clearly Suzuki was only upgrading and
updating when it needed to and/or using up odd
stock it had to hand – a plain, non-ribbed guard
had also been used on some mid-70s iterations
of the model.
Peer at the carbs and those rectangular profile
float bowls look rather 80s but they’d been a feature
of every GT185 other than the earliest K model. And
in the same area the castings of the slide chambers
feature distinct vertical ridges, but why? Who knows!
Controls are period Suzuki, effectively generic to the
marque and by this point in the brand’s evolution
it’d finally got the left-hand switch unit sorted. The
lights’ on/off slider had been strategically moved up
and away from the high/low slider. Some earlier
Suzuki models had seen both switches placed side
by side making it perfectly possible to switch the
BELOW: The GT gives
good grin-factor and
looks great.

lights off when actually attempting to turn in high
beam. You can bet that focussed the rider’s mind!
Ultimately it’s the tank and especially the seat
unit that distinguish the post 1977 GT185 models.
Some might argue it was little more than a cynical
ploy that spun out a model possibly well past its
sell-by date. However, it was something the other
players in the same field had also done. Honda had
similarly upgraded the G5 250/360 to produce the
CJ twins; Yamaha reworked the entire set of round
tanked RDs to deliver the coffin tank range; and
Kawasaki had regularly changed and reinvented the
profile of its fearsome triples. Suzuki’s management
revisions managed to wring another two years out
of the basic formula.
In the saddle the bike is small, petite, but
not cramped. As you might expect, the
steering is effortless but it’s not flighty and
soon becomes reassuring once you
acclimatise to the lightweight twin. The
electric foot is instant, reflecting David’s
attention to detail; just the briefest
push has the motor burbling away.
There’s a long throw at the gear lever
which is possibly exacerbated by a
Small, petite, not
cramped: the bike,
not Scoop!
linkage arrangement that sits behind the left-hand
side engine cover but it all works nicely other than
the occasional reluctance to divvy up neutral. The
five ratios all seem decent enough and it’s not long
before we’re making smart-ish progress for the riding
shots. The seat is comfortable enough, yet gives an
impression of being minimally padded, but without
a pre 77 bike for comparison it’s hard to be critical
here. Perhaps where the bike does show its older
heritage is in the suspension department where the
time-honoured phrase of ‘over sprung’ springs
(ahem) to mind. That said, the bike’s handling is
more than up to the job as long as
you’re aware how it is likely to
respond to dramatic changes in
surface conditions. Despite my
apparently dour, on camera,
physiognomy, I’m smiling on the
Small and perfectly
formed.
 CLASSIC RIDE

Ram Air – The Myth

Well, that’s it confirmed – was the final hurrah for the
inside and having a whale of a time. Those handle- Suzuki’s Ram Air cylinder head air-cooled twin and Iwata’s
bars may look a little on the high side but suit the cooling system was just so engineers were concerned
ergonomic triangle of bum, hands, feet well enough much smoke and mirrors then! about noise emissions from
not to cause issues. The brakes are more than up to The system was deleted the top of the motor. Any
the job and even if the front lever feels a little from the final GT125s (aka X4 additional cooling charge was
wooden there’s more than sufficient feedback models) and never appeared probably seen as an
through hand and foot to be able to work out what’s on the post-1975 models of unexpected benefit.
going on. the hugely popular GT250 Ultimately, the idea of Ram
By 1979 time was up on the GT185 – its obvious either. And when the all-new Air cowling was so much more
market place rival, the Yamaha RD200, only had a X7 appeared in 1978 that, too, about marketing artifice than
year to go as well. Suzuki would have one more had simple parallel cylinder anything truly beneficial. It’s
crack at a sub 250 stroker twin before throwing in head fins as per everyone very likely more heat and
the towel. Our GT185E test bike looks sufficiently else’s strokers. The only other energy was expelled by
different from the earlier models to be mistaken for time a forced air-induction teenagers arguing the toss
something else and those elegant alloy wheels cylinder head was utilised was about Suzuki’s unique cowling
somehow lift it out of the 1970s, even if it genuinely by Yamaha on its 1979 than the system ever ejected
is a child of the glam rock era. Daytona Special RD400. This from its alloy castings!
Prices for any of the GT185s seems to be very
fluid at the time of writing but most sit around the
£2500–£3500 mark, making them potentially rather
attractive if you’re in the market for a smaller These will rise in value very soon...
two-stroke twin.
With the bonus of that electric foot it probably
won’t be too long before they begin to gain
popularity with those unable to kick a bike over any
more. So if you were thinking of owning one of
Suzuki’s oft-overlooked stinkwheels twins now might
be a good time to get looking. cmm
 RETRO

Honda
VTR1100 FireStorm
It may have lived in the shadow of the iconic Suzuki TL1000S, but there
was another big V-twin sportsbike from Japan that got there first…
WORDS AND IMAGES: KAR LEE

44 / classic motorcycle mechanics

I
t’s the mid-1990s; Ducati with
Carl Fogarty on board is cleaning
up in World Superbikes and sales
of the beautiful 916 are through the
roof. Ducati can’t cobble them
together fast enough and riders
cannot get enough of the idea of a
big V-twin that goes around corners
really bloody fast.
By 1997 Honda and Suzuki have
entered the V-twin superbike arena
with their road-biased VTR1000
FireStorm and TL1000S
respectively, with the VTR beating
the TL to the showroom floor by just
a few months. The bad boy Suzuki
may have stolen most of the
headlines with its unforgiving rear
shock set up, aggressive riding
position and power delivery to match
with as much at the top as it had in
the middle of the rev-range. The
Honda, however, was the civilised
one that you could take home to
meet your parents with its more
relaxed seating arrangement and
more conservative, midrange-friendly
116bhp claimed power output
compared to the TL’s beefy 125bhp.
L
INA
The FireStorm had an impressive ORIG
eight-year run with just some minor THE
updates in 2001 which included a
bigger fuel tank to address riding
range, fork revisions, and LCD dash
– testament to how right Honda got
the formula first time. While big,
sporty V-twins are no longer in vogue
the way they were back then, we
wondered what the VTR might look
like today if it was still in the Honda
line-up. cmm
The 1997 bike had a frame that used the engine as a semi-stressed member with
the swingarm bolting straight on to the back of the engine. Our bike goes down
CHASSIS
the same route as its successor – the SP1 – with a more conventional twin-spar
beam frame. Honda has used single-sided swingarms on many occasions during
the 1990s from RC30s and 45s to Honda Reveres, so we thought we’d bring
them back. Well it didn’t do the 916 any harm. Adjustable rear-sets are standard,
as they should be on a modern motorcycle.
The original bike used a 996cc powerplant that pumped out 105bhp on the
dyno (116bhp claimed), but a modern 955cc Ducati Panigale V2 with over
ENGINE
20 years of development makes a claimed 153bhp. So, with an 1100cc
capacity and fuel-injection instead of carbs for our concept we’d be looking
at a figure closer to 165bhp. This beast wouldn’t run out of puff at the
higher end of the tacho either – we’d have it strong there, too. Low-slung
stubby exhausts sit either side of the bike in a Panigale-like manner.
Staying mostly faithful to the 1997 machine,
STYLING our bike features a modern twist with the latest
LED projector headlights in the Fireblade-
inspired top cowl. The original VTR’s micro
winglets remain as a further tribute.
What do you think? Reckon Honda should reinvent the FireStorm
for a modern marketplace? Drop us a line at the usual address.
www.classicmechanics.com / 45
46 / classic motorcycle mechanics
www.classicmechanics.com / 47
 We want to see YOUR shed, your workshop, your
garage space, your man/person cave – call it

SHED!
IN CONJUNCTION WITH
what you will! We want to know what you love
and loathe about the space you have to fettle and
– each month – we have a £50 Machine Mart
voucher to give to you if you’re selected! Contact
us at: bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk Don’t forget
the pictures! This month, reader Andrew Davies.
WORDS AND PICS: ANDREW DAVIES

T he story around my shed/

workshop/person cave
goes back to an
entertaining back and forth with
the council.
I wanted to build something
but as we are in a strict
preservation area it was proving
difficult. However, I did have an
old rotten set of stables that I
asked if I could replace. Again I
got refused point blank, without
having full planning permission
which again would most likely
be refused anyways.
So what to do? Well, I was
told by someone in the know
that I could ‘refurbish’ the
stable block. Okay, so I retained
one, single piece of wood and
built around that to the exact
dimensions and style of the old
ones. All the parts arrived and
the builders were suddenly due
when the coronavirus lockdown
struck. Having nothing better to
do myself as a result, I got out
my drill and hammer and did it
myself. Many bruised thumbs
and lessons learned (including
how not to fall off a ladder) and
it was done!

ABOVE: An original bit RIGHT: Tools are shared

of timber was used. between workshop/
shed.
BELOW: If anyone asks,
it’s stables, right?

48 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 SHOW US YER SHED! IN CONJUNCTION WITH

!
Nice collection of bikes: note disc brake key holder

Subsequently I insulated all the walls and the

roof. I also added a small solar power system that
keeps all my bikes and tools charged, as well as
providing power outlets both inside and out for
plug-in equipment including a panel radiator. All the
wiring is from recycled cable I got from the tip along
with the batteries. The floor is the old horse matting
that adds to the heat retention. The bench folds
down and out the way to make it easier to get the
bikes in and out. If I need a more heavy-uty bench
or vice I use my next-door shed which has more DIY
kit – also included in these photos. I’d say around
90 per cent of what I need is in my main bike shed.
I also have the concrete area immediately outside for
washing bikes, etc.
A couple of other things to point out: the old disc
brake on the wall has screws sticking out so it makes
a great key holder. I use locker key elasticated
straps; an absolute boon as you pop them on your WHAT I LOVE ABOVE: VFR, GTS and BELOW: Everything
wrist when parking up to save fumbling about for ABOUT MY SHED: R1200C: respect... has its place.
I know where
which pocket you put them in. The side wall is everything is so I
recycled old CMM calendars. I laminated each don’t get frustrated
month and am slowly filling up the wall… hunting for things!
Pip Higham mentioned music and, yes, I have a
WHAT I LOATHE
rechargeable Bluetooth speaker that I charge up ABOUT MY SHED:
using the USB socket on my three-pin outlet. It’s It’s got to be the
usually playing my riding playlist which can be floor for moving the
bikes about on
anything from ‘Born to be Wild’ through to some
dollies.
perfect gliding synthwave.
Future plans include some new batteries with FAVE TOOL:
more storage as the radiator eats up the power, and My compressor.
a small wind turbine so I get charge and power on From spraying to air
drying, I use it all the
grey days and overnight. Oh, and some lino for the time.
floor so my dollies work better!

www.classicmechanics.com / 49
50 / classic motorcycle mechanics
 Our very own wizened
sages, Messrs Mark
Haycock and Steve
Cooper, are here to
answer all of your
woes, be they
mechanical or
spiritual. Every
month we will be
giving advice, as well as some
general tips. Don’t forget to
send in your own tips, too.

1990 Suzuki DR650

Q: I have changed the clutch on my

1990 DR650 RSE and the problem
is it will not work. It feels like it is
operating but it’s just not working. I’ve
tried moving the clutch arm, etc., but to
no avail. I’ve taken it out to check it’s
correct twice. I’m at a loss. Can you help.
Granville Shillito

A: Well, as far as working on the

DR650 clutch is concerned the
Suzuki manual I have simply says words to
the effect of put it back together just like
it came apart, but in the reverse order: not
very helpful, really.
One point that you might want to bear
in mind is that I have been assured that
there is a mistake in the manual in that
the component known as the wave washer
(it is the slightly bevelled spring ring next
to the ‘seat’, i.e. plain plate, which in turn
bears against the inside of the hub outer
face) is shown the wrong way round; even
less helpful.
I suspect your problem, though, might
be in the last clutch item to be assembled
and that is the little arm which connects
the cable to the vertical rod (which forms
part of the rack and pinion releasing
mechanism) at the top of the outer case.
You are supposed to turn the arm
clockwise and likewise turn the rod
anti-clockwise as far as they both will go
before tightening the small M6 (10mm AF
head) screw and that will ensure that the
clutch is activated as fully as possible.
1978 Kawasaki Z650
Clutch issues with a big thumper...
fiddle with the choke and Zed starting issues?
keep the revs high, around
3500-400, then after
approximately four to five
minutes you can feel the
exhaust header start to get
hot; another couple of
minutes and it is fine and
runs as it should do. It is on
standard points ignition and
B8ES plugs with a standard
air-box and carburettor jets
which were changed for new
ones about a month ago.
Andy Peterson
A: My immediate response to this one
is ‘join the club’ because this is
exactly what I have been experiencing with
work at all so it was time to see what was
going on, and I shall be covering this in a
couple of articles soon.
two of my bikes recently, although they are Looking at the problem rationally, all
twins rather than fours. Until I had time to you have to remember is that what is
look seriously at what was going on, I had needed for the cylinder to work is that
got used to riding away with just one there is compression, a decent spark and

Q: I have a 1978 Kawasaki Z650 B2

US import which runs perfectly and
ticks over smoothly when it is hot. The
problem is that when I start the engine the
number two cylinder does not run. If I
working cylinder, confident in the belief
that the second one would kick in after a
short while – just a couple of hundred
metres or so. That is until one day the
second cylinder steadfastly refused to
the correct mixture of usable petrol vapour
and air – then it MUST work. Well, that is
the theory anyway. In the meantime, I
would concentrate on the ignition system
if I were you. cmm

Send your queries to: bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk or write to Problem Solver, CMM, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ

52 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 join the club

Upgrade to club class...

IF you’re reading these pages, chances are you’re a bona
fide and self-confessed nut about all things biking.
And what’s more, you will not be on your own in that, as
there are many thousands more who are similar to you.
What we definitely know is that there is so much more to
motorcycling than just owning and riding your machine(s).
And being a member of an owners’ club or group can open
up a whole new world of information and camaraderie.
Whether you’re after a sociable experience with events
and rideouts, or just information, the key is the shared
knowledge, support, advice, the fact that due to bulk order-
ing spares may be easier to find. Some give benefits such as
discounts, and regular newsletters help keep you informed.
On these pages are just some of the great clubs and
societies out there... why not give them a call?

www.classicmechanics.com / 53
 Centrefold

Kawasaki’s legendary two-stroke triple Mach IV

Pic: Paul Bryant/Mortons Archive

54 / classic motorcycle mechanics

www.classicmechanics.com / 55

Project Suzuki TR750 part 24
Are you starting?
Well, are ya? Sadly the TR750 isn’t starting
– according to poor old Malc!
W hen the TR fired
up I was naturally
all excited.
Immediately I was in my head
thinking dates for the trip to
BDK and a rolling road session. Once that
was done, I could then concentrate on the
last elements of the build and final
assembly. That was early 2022.
Well, as you know from last time the
water leaks put me massively behind, time
wise. It was not only that. To be honest a
lot of my time and money had to be
directed elsewhere and a couple of
physical problems emerged which slowed
me up more than I would have liked. Life
got in the way of playtime! I have also a
Suzuki GT500 project which was close to
being finished (Bertie promises that you’ll
read about that in these pages at some
point) and I wanted to get that boxed off.
Hopefully that could then be sold and a
bit of cash and space liberated! I don’t
know why I bother sometimes as nothing
seems to go to plan!
56 / classic motorcycle mechanics
WORDS AND PICS: MALC SHAW
I’m not sure that I got particularly
disillusioned but had to take a
pragmatic view. I’m only one man,
with limited resources and time, and
all of these have to be used where I
deem most appropriate at any given
point. I guess this resonates with
many and unfortunately its time on
the projects that suffers. I was not 1
to know, but things on the TR were
only to get worse, but let’s start on a
positive note!
Way back in part 10, I detailed how I construction. I got to thinking that if I
made some mesh air-filter supports that could make a radiused bell-mouth that the
fitted to the carbs. Running without filter fitted over which attached to the
air-filters was never going to be an option. carb, it would possibly work as well and
I had also modified them to reduce their could be made shorter.
length due to space constraints. Initially I I made up one in ally first. As can be
had fired the bike up with no foam filter in seen (Photo1) clearance on the right carb
place and later on did a run with the foam and the frame is minimal. It makes getting
fitted. No appreciable difference was the foam sock over it difficult, plus it
noticed; possibly a dyno would see some doesn’t look very good. Then I got to
but we were not there yet. Having been thinking: as long as the material is
shortened once they were still too long fuel-resistant it does not have to be ally.
and I had put hours into their What I had bought previously was a length
2

3 4

of black Delrin solid round, an engineering

plastic (Photo 2). It’s easy to machine and
if done right has a nice finish. Size-wise it
was on the money. This time I wanted also
to put a radius on the inlet in order to try
and smooth the airflow going in as much
as possible. As the Delrin machine’s much
easier than ally I chanced grinding a tool
to achieve this.
A suitable length was cut off the bar
and mounted in the lathe. Using a boring
bar, it was bored to the internal diameter
of the carb. Then I bored it slightly bigger
to a depth of 10mm so it was a tight fit on
the OD of the carb body (Photo 3). This
ensured the ‘bell-mouth’ pushed on,
seated well, and there was no discernible
lip between the Delrin and the carb inlet.
A small hole was drilled and tapped to
take a grub screw to help keep the
‘bell-mouth’ in place on the carb body.
It was then cut to lengthand turned
round in the lathe, checking it was running 5
true, and the tool I had ground carefully
used to form an internal radius (Photo 4). original filters. The filter socks fit fine; I room (Photo 5). Hopefully it will work
It took a lot less time to make all three remade the right one without the cut okay; again on start-up there seemed to be
than it had done to make even one of the shape in it and I have gained a little more no appreciable difference.

www.classicmechanics.com / 57
 7 8
6

I checked the wheel alignment (main

picture). This is how I did it but I’m not
going to say its the correct method or
should be followed. I have some 50mm
x 50mm ally box lengths. I checked how
straight they were by running a laser line
down them. I was quite surprised how
good they were. Over time I’ve been
building a welding jig which comprises of
machined ally blocks and box ally. These
fit on to a large rectangular piece of tool
pate which is accurately machined with
M12 threaded holes every 100mm (thanks
Darryl). By blocking various bits of ally box
up, using the 90-degree angle blocks on a
fairly flat piece of floor and using the laser,
I was able to utilise the bits I had to make
a sort of frame (Photo 6). This touched the
rear tyre at two points each side and
allowed me to measure the distance from
the long lengths of ally box to two points 9
each side on the front wheel. With the
front wheel straight ahead, the numbers
measured matched. Conclusion: the wheel still would not start. I spoke to Mat at BDK measures 15-42-13. After a trip to Simply
alignment is fairly good. and he was none the wiser but suggested a Bearings website, both are very common
Although way behind time-wise on my good earth strap to the engine. I made one sizes, readily available, and quality ones
schedule, now I could contemplate a trip up knowing from metering out previously are going to set you back less than £10
to BDK and the set up on the dyno. That that the earth to the engine was okay. (Photo 8). It is worth ‘learning’ how to
was until I tried to start it. It would not go I turned my attention to the cover I had measure bearings and search around, as
at all. I could not understand, as it had made for the ignition rota, thinking very often you will find they are common
started and ran okay a number of times possibly it was causing a problem; there or held in stock by bearing companies at a
before. I had not touched anything that was clearance but it still would not start fraction of OEM prices. However, there are
might interfere with the starting. with it off. I looked at the clearances on some bearings that the manufactures use
Something I did notice which had not the ignition rota (Photo 7) and there which are specific only to them.
been prevalent before was as I kicked it appeared to be a bit of a discrepancy The shaft and casing were all
over, the tacho needle would swing round between the three trigger points. There reassembled (Photo 9), installed on the
and, on some occasions, the maximum rev seemed to be some play in the shaft which bike with the ignition system and not
light would flicker. It was doing this on I know on reassembly I had checked and forgetting the oil. After a fair bit of kicking
both maps. felt to be okay; nothing else but to drain over, the TR started, ran fine, but I’m not
The fuel I put in my two-strokes is Esso the oil and remove the cover to install convinced. It’s not starting easily and I am
Synergy Supreme +99. It’s not cheap and new bearings. thinking this is an electrical issue or the
not in all stations. On the pump it does The two bearings required are Suzuki ECU. Unfortunately at present I am
have an E5 sticker but it is ethanol-free part number 09262-30020. This is now completely stuffed. I cannot kick a cotton
according to Esso – it’s also 99 octane. discontinued but measures up at 30-55-9 wall ball let alone a bike over, as recent
I did all the basic checks, nothing. (inside diameter – outside diameter – knee replacement has halted all
Checked every earth, nothing. I height). If it were available, it’s a proceedings, but ‘I’ll be back’! cmm
disconnected every ancillary so only the whopping £30-plus! The other bearing is
ignition system from the Zeeltronic unit Suzuki part number 09262-15027, Thanks to:
was still connected; nothing amiss but it available but £30-plus again! This  Simply Bearings. 01942 269837

58 / classic motorcycle mechanics

www.classicmechanics.com / 59
 WORDS AND PICS: RALPH FERRAND
Project Kawasaki Z900 Stocker part 17 1

Where fuels rush in…

Ralph continues the
restoration of his stock
niner, this month looking
at sorting how the fuel
gets in there.

T he end is very much in

sight for the 1976
Z900 A4 restoration. To
be honest I’m not really into
bikes that are just as they left
the factory and many bikers tend to want
to put their own stamp on their two-
wheeled machines…
With original classic bikes fetching
premium prices, many bikes are now being
taken back to the condition they left the
2
showroom in. Back in the day, tweaks and
performance additions to improve upon the
standard motorcycle were popular, and
bikes that remained ‘as purchased’ seemed heavy and cumbersome standard exhausts Kerker or others the Laser, Piper or other
a bit dull. For instance, most bikes in the (that rotted away in front of your eyes) were brands, all of which let everyone know you
UK have come adorned with a long rear also often skipped in favour of something were there! But this is my only truly
mudguard and bikers have been shortening that looked, sounded and performed better standard bike, though I am currently
them for a more sporty and stylish look. than the gargantuan stock four-into-four building the antidote to it, as a fire-
Zeds came with much shorter chrome rear systems. A whole new industry sprang up: breathing 1970s wild-child of a Z900A4
mudguards elsewhere and UK lads were for me, nothing looked nor sounded as nice with tuned engine, suspension and brakes
not slow to buy the shorter ‘fenders’ for an as a Harris Works Collection pipe. Some painted in purple candy over metal-flake
instant improvement in aesthetics. The preferred the ‘megaphone’ style of the – more on this version soon…

60 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 SUBSCRIBE TODAY
1/ Fitting thinner-walled neoprene fuel hose
is much easier than the big thick stuff car
shops sell. 2/ Using long-nosed pliers to fit
the spring clips. 3/ A bit of lube in the
rubber will always make insertion easier.
4/ Tightening the clips with a JIS
screwdriver.
5 6
5/ These Knipex Plier wrenches are obscenely expensive, but are perfect for so many jobs on a bike including folding these tab washers
against the bolt flats. 6/ No chance of these bolts wriggling free. 7/ Oh bugger – the back of the bolt head picks up on the locking washers.
8/ The only way I have found to cure the problem of bolts deforming the tab washer is to chamfer the inside in the lathe.
Anyways, last time I showed you how I
rebuilt the clutch on this stocker and this
month I’ll kick off by feeding the mighty
Zed some fuel and air by reattaching the
Mikuni VM26 carburettors. I do my very
best to buy fuel that has no or very little
ethanol in it, but sometimes one is caught
out, so it is important to use fuel pipes
that don’t disintegrate when it has
unnatural fuels fed though it, which is why
I tend to use neoprene hose from Japanese
OEM supplier TourMax.
I try and only buy Esso Synergy
Supreme+ 99 as in most of the UK it, at
the time of writing, doesn’t contain the
evil ethanol, which is the enemy of a
classic vehicle, particularly those not used
as daily transport due to the hygroscopic
nature of alcohol. It basically absorbs
water from the atmosphere which will then
corrode your engine and fuel system from
the inside out. Whilst researching this I
contacted ExxonMobil, who own Esso, and
they confirmed that at present their
premium juice is clear of the evil green
washing muck, but for how long is
uncertain. The TourMax pipe is thin-walled
which makes it easier to handle, though
SEE PAGE 94-95 FOR DETAILS
TOP TOOL TIPS • CLASSIC REVIEWS • PROJECT BUILDS
T
4
one needs to be careful not to kink it. I
always use good-quality spring clips which
I fit with long-nosed pliers.
Refitting carbs in a multi-cylinder bike
with a stock air-box is never a walk in the
park, but if the rubbers are elderly, it turns
into a nightmare activity. The rubber stub
mounts that are attached to the cylinder
head get quite warm in use and have fuel
mixture passing through them in use
which is not an environment conducive to 7
a long life for any rubber products, so they
get old and stiff. When I am building a
bike, I always change these for good-
quality replacements, ideally made in
Japan by companies like PMC or TourMax.
The rubbers on the other side that
connect the air-box to the intake of the
carburettors are not to my knowledge
available from anywhere other than from
KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries), but they
aren’t overly expensive and so are well
worth the modest investment. Air leaks
from either set of rubbers will upset the
healthy running of the motor, but air leaks
in the cylinder heads side can cause major
running-in issues and if ignored can
cause expensive engine damage. 8
www.classicmechanics.com / 61
 9
9/ A small chamfer solves the problem.
10/ Who needs CAD? 11/ I love machining
stainless, but plenty of Rocol RTD is called
for if you want your tools to live long and
prosper. 12/ Cutting a thread with a split
die in my old home-brewed die holder.
13/ Plenty of Rocol RTD paste on the blade
of the hacksaw makes it easier and doubles
the blade life. 14/ Carefully drilling the hole
for the split pin in a Vee block.
An easy mistake to make is to forget to
slip the clips on the rubbers before
inserting the carbs. It is a horrible feeling
when having struggled the carbs in place,
suddenly you realise you need to take
them off again to fit the clips you missed!
A mistake you only tend to make once.
Life is much easier if you smear some red
rubber grease in the mouths of all the
rubbers. There are myriad pipe clips out
there, including the ubiquitous Jubilee
clip and its multitudinous clones, but
nothing really looks quite the same as the
stock clips from KHI and even if this
wasn’t a completely standard bike, I would
still use them, though may have changed
the screws for black-plated steel cap
screws. The only problem with cap screws,
11
13
62 / classic motorcycle mechanics
10
and I do love the look of them, is that it is
only too easy to put more pressure on
them than the internal hex can cope with
before rounding out. I tend to do them up
with ball-ended drivers because the
straight ones have a nasty habit of slightly
deforming the head, particularly noticeable
on polished stainless, unless the driver is
exactly in-line with the fastener, which
isn’t always easy in the real world. It must
be remembered, though, that ball-ended
drivers will snap off with too much torque
applied, but that shouldn’t be an issue
with 304 (A2) and 316 (A4) grade screws
in aluminium at the correct torque
settings. As I was using stock clips these
were done up with my excellent Laser
JIS screwdrivers.
12
14
The disc bolts are dissuaded from
autonomously undoing themselves with
three double-ended tab washers. In my
experience the sharp edges of the pattern
bolts pick up on the surface of the locking
device, deforming it as in (Photo 7.) The
only cure that I have come across for this
is to slightly chamfer the rear face of the
bolt head, which in this case I did with a
small square file with the bolt being held
in a slowly turning three-jaw chuck in my
lathe. I could have performed a proper set
up, but time was against me, so I grabbed
a file and the job was finished extremely
quickly. If you do decide to use a file on
your lathe, be very careful not to allow bits
of yourself or your attire to get dragged
into the rotating machinery.
 15/ Facing off the head of the new bolt
in the three-jaw chuck. 16/ A perfect
stainless replica of the original bolt –
cheaper if your time is free.
17/ Trimming the split pin for the rear
brake torque-arm bolt. 18/ Oh dear,
some animal has been at this with a
soldering iron! 19/ The Dyna S wiring
connected up properly.
15 16

For some reason I didn’t have the bolt

that fits the torque swingarm, or perhaps I
just fancied a bit of turning; my memory,
like my hair, isn’t what it once was. A
high-quality engineering drawing was
hastily drafted (Photo 10) and a suitable
piece of hexagonal stainless steel dug out
of my metal store. I could have used mild
steel, but then any time saved in not
having to await delivery of an ordered part
would be lost by the necessity of getting it
zinc-plated. I have had a crack at plating
at home and my experience was that it was
a right royal pain in the nuts, using lots of
nasty fluids all of which seemed to want to
do bad things to my body and I couldn’t
achieve as good a result as the
professionals who don’t charge a king’s
ransom for zinc-plate anyway. Just a
personal point of view, but chrome plating
is a different story: those that do it charge 17
like a wounded rhino and whenever they
get it wrong, they always seem to blame
the customer. Sadly, the chemicals leaving a lovely polishable finish that Japanese-style bullet connectors. It is
required to do a good job are far from needs virtually no maintenance to keep it actually less effort, providing you have the
readily available or affordable, so I tend to looking lovely. No material is without correct tools to do the job properly.
try and remake chrome bits in stainless. issues and the other one to watch is thread Installing a Dyna S is simplicity itself –
Also I don’t have any stock of mild steel galling where the fastener can semi-weld you simply feed it power from the yellow
hex, besides, if you’re going to make itself, but this is easily prevented by using with red stripe feed for the coils and
something it may as well be an upgrade! an anti-seize agent like Ferroslip from connect the other two wires to the
I really enjoy machining stainless, but Molyslip. One tin will literally last you a remaining wires on the coils, one is green
there are some rules. Your tools must be lifetime, unless you are using it on a daily and the other black. The original advance/
properly sharp, because austenitic basis in a factory. Copperslip isn’t retard unit is used, but the cam is
stainless-steel work hardens, so if you try recommended for aluminium, I am told, replaced by the Dyna trigger and the
and drill a hole in it with a blunt drill, not but I’m not entirely sure why to be honest. points plate is replaced with the Dyna
only won’t it cut, but also the attempt will My last job this month was to wire in the unit. I tend to clad the Dyna S wire with a
seriously harden the material making it Dyna S which came with the bike. For heat-resistant sleeve to protect the wires
even harder when you relent and get a some reason I am unable to understand, from the engine heat and it also looks
sharp drill bit. It is tough on tools, but if someone with more enthusiasm than nicer than the standard grey sleeve Dyna
you use good-quality tools and provided knowledge had taken a soldering iron to thought looked okay. The timing can be set
that you use plenty of a top-quality cutting the job, so I removed the mess and statically or dynamically using a timing
agent like Rocol RTD, it cuts like a dream, replaced it with properly crimped 3.9mm strobe light. cmm

18 19

www.classicmechanics.com / 63
 WORDS AND PICS: ROB BEAN
Project Triumph Speed Triple Racer part 2

All change!
He’s got two bikes to make one race bike… Oh, hang on… He’s got three and the
front end from a Fireblade. Just what is going on, Rob?

S o it’s time for an

update on my Speed
Triple race bike, and it
is all change as projects often
are, for good or ill.
media site about power figures I was
informed the factory quoted figures were
not particularly accurate, or often wildly
over-optimistic at best. Also they were
more likely to be crank figures and that I
As you know, I was waiting on race parts would likely find my bike closer to a rear
arriving with more being ordered and wheel power figure of 85bhp and a
whilst waiting for things to arrive I got Daytona likely to be more on the money
busy online learning more about these for my target maximum of 105bhp and
early T500s. It was whilst asking on a not the 120bhp claimed.
Triumph specific page on a popular social With this in mind and having got the
parts donor Daytona running, I
p
decided to call in a favour from
d
ABOVE: Guess from a friend of mine who has a
this pic what new dyno and get some power runs
forks Rob got for done to know exactly what was
his project? what. I took both bikes to Paul
Fryer at Black & White Bikes
RIGHT: The power and he ran them both on the
scores on the dyno. It seems people in
doors: it wasn’t internet land were correct
good at first... regarding my Speed Triple: it
made 86bhp. The Daytona,

64 /
 SUBSCRIBE TODAY
New compression adjusters give finer
adjustment range.
however, was surprising, as after a few
runs clearing out the stale fuel, power was
up to 117bhp with less-than-perfect
fuelling.
A bit more digging and it turns out the
engine in the donor bike has been
breathed-on a bit. Whilst normally a trick
motor would be a nice added bonus it’s
not ideal for my intended purpose! Some
head scratching went on after this because
I wouldn’t be able to get the power up on
the Speed Triple or the weight down
enough to get it close enough to the
power/weight limit to be competitive.
Conversely, it would not be easy to reduce
the power on the Daytona to a point it was
under 105bhp, so this left me a bit stuck.
Then, in extremely lucky fashion, I
happened upon a really low mileage early
standard Daytona that had been lightly
crashed some years ago and then laid up
for a few years. It was really cheap and did
run, so I bought it and with fresh battery
ABOVE: Checking
stanchions are
straight.
RIGHT: Standard fork
length similar to
Fireblade forks.
SEE PAGE 94-95 FOR DETAILS
TOP TOOL TIPS • CLASSIC REVIEWS • PROJECT BUILDS
T
2004-05 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
forks: got to be better than original...
and fuel, I managed to get Paul to do
another quick dyno run. This time a figure
of 107bhp is in the right ballpark and
looking at the torque curve, a 10lb-ft
higher figure across the entire rev-range
over the Speed Triple is going to help no
end, too. This also proved the donor bike
had some engine work, it having more
power and torque right through the range
than the standard bike. Shim stack and cartridge upgrade for
So, I am now going to be turning my better damping.
new Daytona into a Speed Triple race bike;
it will look the same as I intended, but will Now for my next change of direction,
be significantly faster. I will also put the initially I had intended to run the standard
donor Daytona into road Speed Triple guise Triumph forks but was going to have them
as it will be much more fun than the resprung and fitted with a K-Tech SSRK
actual Speedie! Oh, and I will keep the kit; this would give me a much better
trick bits and green bodywork, put the front-end whilst minimising any required
black bits on and sell the T509 to free up engineering work. However, after speaking
some now much-needed funds. Have you with another mate, James ‘Woody’ Wood
all caught up now? Luckily, I hadn’t really who owns JWR Suspension, it was
started any serious work on the original apparent that the Triumph forks use a
race machine. strange tapered end spring and the
ABOVE: Another
bike to break...
LEFT: Hmmm…
Dymags.
www.classicmechanics.com / 65
 weights available did not go high enough
for what I needed. Woody was confident
that other normal springs would likely work
but he would have to strip the forks and
order the K-Tech kit to find out.
Rather than commit to that and later
find out it was a dead-end, I resorted to
scouring the online auction site for a
better option. Eventually I found a
complete front-end from an RR-5 Honda
CBR1000RR Fireblade for reasonable
money. After bombarding the seller with
loads of random questions about bearing
sizes and numerous dimensions, it
appeared the steering stem was the same
length, the disc spacing very similar, the
fork length similar, and the front wheel
spindle the same diameter.
Confident the work to get it to fit
wouldn’t be too tricky, I bought it. Once it
arrived a quick test fit proved it would be
doable, the biggest jobs being to make
spacers to allow the Triumph wheels to fit
and to increase the disc spacing on the
Triumph wheel to align with the new radial
calipers. Before any of that, I took the
forks straight over to JWR. Initially I was
simply going to have them serviced and
resprung but I was talked into also having
a K-Tech SSRK kit fitted.
Woody worked his magic, checking they
were straight, replacing all the bushes,
seals, putting in heavier springs and fitting
the upgrade kit. This will give me much
better damping and much finer adjustment
should I need to fiddle.
Once back home I set about fitting the
new front-end properly. I had to grind the
Fireblade lock-stops off the lower yoke for
clearance and change the top bearing for
one that matched the stem diameter, but
had a larger outside diameter to match the
frame. Luckily one was available off the
shelf. Forks fitted now fitted; they were set
at the same length that I had found
worked well on my previous track-days.
The top yoke fitted nicely with a bit of
gentle ‘fettling’ of the ignition mounts
underneath using my angle grinder. I have
only loosely fitted the front wheel due to
waiting on the aluminium for my spacers
New forks and light wheels: she’s looking saucy!
66 / classic motorcycle mechanics
ABOVE: He hopes to
make one good race
bike from this lot.
LEFT: Nice wheels...
BELOW: New fork
close-up.
to arrive; once I get that I will get those
made and finish the front-end off. I’ve
bought a set of fat bar risers and am
awaiting their arrival, but have put the
Blade bars on for now. I’m going to make
it so I can swap from clip-ons to wide bars
so I can try both and see what works best.
I managed also to remove the Dymags
and the Maxton shock from the donor bike.
Removing the shock was no easy task; I
had to strip the seat unit, wiring and the
undertray off to get it out, but gave them a
good clean up when I did so. The wheels
are much lighter than standard and look
ace – the shock is also very clean and
seems in good order so I will try it out on
the test day. If there are any issues I will
get it serviced before my first race.
I’ve started going over the bike and
cleaning everything up. I took the rad off
to give the cooling system a good flush
through with a hosepipe to get rid of any
trace of coolant as we have to run plain
water for racing. Whilst I had access to the
front of the engine I was really surprised to
find no sign of the usual flaky engine
paint; after a bit of a clean it is virtually
mint, which seems the case with the rest Now I actually have chosen a bike and
of the bike. I have been really lucky with started to make progress with it, I’m a bit
this one: it’s a great base for a race bike. behind where I wanted to be, so I really
need to pull my finger out and abandon
the family! I’ve got a week to get it into a
fit state to take to a dyno to spend some
time mapping the fuelling properly and
then tinkering with the ignition timing to
curb the peak power a bit. I need to get
my head around TuneECU software to do
this, which will let me change the setting
in the standard ECU without the need for
a Power Commander.
Once I’ve done that I have another week
to get it into a rideable state to take it
testing at a Cadwell track-day, which
hopefully all being well will give me
another couple of weeks to address any
issues and get it properly race prepped
before my first race of the year at
Donington. Not a lot to do then… cmm
www.classicmechanics.com / 67
 WORDS: KEV RAYMOND

*and FB Marketplace, and Gumtree, and

anywhere else we spot something we like...
Kev Raymond keeps his eye on the choppy
waters of the classic world to see if any projects,
donors and bargains are out there worthy of
being dragged out of the surf for some
mouth-to-mouth…

Triumph Sprint 900 (choice of two)

Asking: £725

Sometimes when you’re looking for
a specific bike you’ll get a choice of
two or more, same price but with
different problems, and it’s a case of
weighing up which is going to be the
least hassle/cost to get sorted.
These two are perfect examples.
The blue one has a duff starter
clutch – a very common fault on
these, usually down to someone
trying too hard to start them with a
duff battery; they kick back on
compression and shatter the
sprag clutch. The other has
low compression,
apparently. Both of those
are engine out jobs – not
difficult on these but they
are bloody heavy lumps:
but which to choose? The black one
looks cool, it’s a bit newer and
cleaner and it’s lower mileage, but if
it’s low on compression, how
knackered is the rest of the engine?
While a close look at the blue one
shows a lot of furry fasteners that
imply a lack of detail care – should
be a simple fix though: but hang
on... By the time you’ve bought a
new sprag clutch (£220), gaskets and
odds and sods, you’ll probably be up
to around £1200 all in, minimum,
even if you don’t find any other
nasties lurking. With clean, tidy
runners starting at just a few
hundred more, is it worth the
hassle? Keep an eye on the bigger
picture…

68 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 Yamaha SZR660/RD500
Asking: £2595

Advertised as a ‘YZR500
Marlboro replica project’, in
reality it’s the rolling chassis
from a late 1990s SZR660
thumper, with a polished
frame and an Acerbis TZR125
tank. It would be a great
starting point for a RD500-
based project, assuming you
could find a suitable motor.
Otherwise it would make a
pretty serious supermono
race bike with a modern lump in – although to be fair the TZR tank
it (a KTM 690 for example). But is worth a good few quid on its
given you can pick up a own. Better off with a similar
complete, clean, standard SZR rolling chassis (minus tank and a
for the same sort of money, it’s few other bits) from the same
hard to justify the asking price seller for a grand less...

1979 Suzuki GT185 project

Asking: £725

‘These bikes are making £3k to £4k now,’ notes the

marketplace listing (timely as we have one in the mag this
issue). That’s as maybe – old two-strokes do seem to go
for mental money – but this one’s a long way from being in
that ballpark. There’s an awful lot of rusted chrome to
sort out, and that’s never cheap (although the standard
exhausts look surprisingly good), as well as a jigsaw
puzzle of engine bits. There are two engines, although the
barrels we can see in the photos look like they’ve been in
the sea for a while and worryingly neither engine has its
carbs, so you wonder what else is missing. If you know
these inside out and have a stash of parts this might be a
good base for a resto, but we’d want to haggle a fair bit
before loading up the van.

1997 BMW R1100 RT

Asking: £800

Now, we love an old oil-head seller suggests. Might not

BM here at CMM (well, Bertie though – failing wiring is a
does anyway, and I used to problem as they’re getting
have an 1100 RS) but we’re older and that can be a world
including this as an object of pain. Either way, £800 is
lesson in how not to sell a strong money when you can
bike. The poor thing’s ride away on a working one
pictured half stripped, for £1500.
covered in bird shit and
apparently abandoned in
a corner of a scrapyard
(to be fair, I’ve had nights
out that have ended like
that...). How hard would it
be to throw a bucket of
water on it and spend 10
minutes loosely refitting
the bodywork and bags?
The fact it’s a non-
runner might indeed be
something simple, as the

www.classicmechanics.com / 69
 THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Benelli 354/Suzuki GS550 special
Back in the late 1980s I was a
skint student, newly into bikes,
and a friend was selling a Benelli
that was missing its four-cylinder
354cc engine. £25 quid? Done
– and I was – not by my friend, but
by my lack of skill. I could see the
potential for sticking a reliable
 Given up on a project and regretted it later? Tell us about it!
Kawasaki ZX-7R
Asking: £400
It’s pretty horrible, clearly been abused
(looks like it’s been a stunt bike) and it’s not
worth trying to put it back to standard – by
the time you’d sourced bodywork and
lights, plus clocks and all the odds and sods
you’d need, you’d be well out of pocket.
70 / classic motorcycle mechanics
Japanese lump in there, and
indeed a week later I’d squeezed a
Suzuki GS550 unit in without any
great difficulty – in my college
bedroom. But from there to
making it work was a huge leap
and one I never made. At the end
of term we manhandled it
downstairs and into my VW
camper and it got shoved in my
parents’ garage. I made matters
worse later by trying to fit an
FZ600 swingarm and monoshock
and a race seat, but I still didn’t
have a clue. I suppose I must have
sold it at some point but have no
2000 Honda VFR800
recollection at all. If anyone out Asking: £1250
there recognises it, let me know!
This almost had me reaching for my wallet, until
I realised that A) there’s nothing in it, and B) my
wife will kill me if I bring home another project.
I’ve always had a soft spot for old VFRs, and I
have fond memories of riding to Italy on one just
like this many years ago. It looks pretty straight,
the exhaust looks good
(always important on
these) and it has a full
MoT so I could use it
straightaway. Most
importantly though, it’s
a bit tatty so I wouldn’t
feel guilty about
stripping it later to
build an RC30
endurance race replica.
Maybe one day...
MAYBE NOT...
And that’s if it was otherwise tidy. It’s
not. The tank’s rusted out from the inside
by the look of it, and it generally looks like
it was thrown in the canal when the tax
ran out 14 years ago and has only just
been dredged up. God knows what the
engine’s like... Oh, and it’s got no log book.
If it was a horse you’d have to shoot it.
But then again... That’s one of the
best-handling chassis of the 90s right
there, so as a basis for a cheap ZX-9R-
engined track missile, maybe it’ll tempt
someone (coincidentally, there were two
£500 ZX-9Rs on the same Marketplace
results page which unearthed this one).
And that period Yoshi system is worth half
the asking on its own, if the headers are
still sound.
www.classicmechanics.com / 71
GUIDR’S
JOE COOPER
E
DICK
E

E
PHO S: STEV
BUY

TOS:
D
WOR

Power, style and decent handling

– the big Suzuki four has it all.

FAIRING
(S MODEL) CLOCKS
Not the easiest of parts These are known
to find and you’d want to to get quirky or
make sure yours isn’t in a pack up with age
thousand bits and hastily and replacement
glued back together. is extremely rare.
Repair is possible but
potentially expensive.

CARBS
If the bike looks
standard but won’t
run right, check it has
the correct jetting
and not oversized
mains for a four-into-
one pipe.

RUNNING
GEAR
Expect to change fork
seals and swingarm
bearings if the bike’s
been standing.

BRAKES GEARBOX
Budget for a full
If the springs escape
rebuild if the bike
from the clutch
has been standing
basket they can
for ages and poorly
interfere with the
stored.
selector and change
gears at random.

72 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 ‘D o it right, do it strong,’ might very well
be the mantra for Suzuki’s air-cooled,
DOHC fours running two valves per
cylinder. The bikes proved to be stunningly effective,
almost totally bulletproof and unerringly reliable.
Some will argue the firm had to do something
profound after the disaster that was the RE5 rotary
but the reality was a little different. It would have
been either very brave or extremely foolhardy to
gamble your future on such an unproven technology.
Therefore Suzuki had also run a four-stroke
programme in the background while the RE5 was
being developed. This rather fortuitously allowed the
company to uncover the GS400 twin and GS750 in
late 1976, and the pair would become the
foundations of a revitalised model range.
TANK
There has been the ELECTRICS
odd report of stored Over-charging and
bikes’ tanks rotting component frying
out on the rear lower often go with the
corners. Look for territory.
bubbling paint and/or
fuel staining.
It’s a poorly-kept secret that the GS750 was based
around Kawasaki’s Z1 and it was none the worse for
it. What’s not often acknowledged is that Kawasaki
actually took Suzuki to court for plagiarising the Z1’s
design – and won. Where Suzuki really scored was
by getting the three-quarter-litre bike to handle
properly and it’s still referenced as the first big
Japanese four not to have overtly-worrying road
manners. With the GS750 in the bag, Suzuki looked
to be taking on the best from its competitors.
Honda’s GL1000 was selling well; Kawasaki had
upped the Z1’s capacity to a nominal litre; and
Yamaha had joined the party with the XS1100.
Knowing the bottom-end of the GS750 was already
substantial, it was game on. Increasing the stroke of
the 750’s crank by 14.6mm took the motor out to
PANELS,
TANK AND
TRIM
It all really needs to
come with everything
in place and in good
condition.
EXHAUSTS
Always go for original
if you can find if
possible. Quality of
some period after-
market systems was
shocking.
www.classicmechanics.com / 73
 What to buy and how much to pay
Examples of the first 1978 E models, purchased privately, with aftermarket four-into-one exhausts
are out there, running and road legal for around £4000, which isn’t too expensive for what you’re
getting. For that sort of money expect to be buying something original with obvious signs of use.
Unregistered imports with NOVA paperwork in need of some work start as low as £2500. A near-
VARIATIONS ON mint 1980 E from a dealer is likely to be up around £7000 but it would all have to be genuinely
A THEME correct for that price and not too heavily
Recognising the patinated. Prices for the S model seem to be all
innate viability of over the shop with a restored minter on 24,000
the GS1000, Suzuki miles selling at auction in America for $20,000.
decided to broaden Another example in original paint with signs of
the bike’s appeal by use and performance exhaust made $13,000.
fitting it with shaft Here in the UK they were making £13,000 a
drive to deliver the couple of years ago but the entire market
GS1000G in 1980. seems to have cooled somewhat. Figure
Using modified somewhere between £9000 to £11,000, buying
exhausts and inlet on condition and originality.
system the G
majored in mid-
range torque,
making it a rather 997ccs and with a few other, subtle, revisions the
purposeful tourer. GS1000 engine came out lighter in mass that its
Also available was forebear! One notable change was to the cylinder
the GS1000L which head; the 750 runs its cams in dedicated, separate
was a softish bearings but the 1000 simply ran the cams in the
custom take on the bare ally of the head.
original design. Given that you don’t hear anything much about
Pull-back bars, semi- GS1000s destroying their own cylinder heads you
peanut tank, K&Q can conclude the design certainly isn’t
seat, vestigial sissy compromised. In fact the GS1000 was pretty much
bar and shorter an instant success, doing everything the 750 had
exhausts with larger but unquestionably with more power and grunt.
megaphone ends Initially the bike was sold as the GS1000 from
completed the February 1978 and came fitted with conventional
makeover. For the oil-damped shock absorbers. However, feedback
1981 model year suggested customers were not totally happy with
Suzuki’s air-cooled handling so from May of that year the rear units were
fours would be replaced by gas/air units. Thus equipped, the bikes
sporting the TSCC were marketed as GS1000Es.
(Twin Swirl European models came with cast alloy wheels but, Looks a little spindly today...
Combustion apparently, American models had traditionally
Chamber) cylinder spoked wire wheels. Unrestricted models were rated
heads designed by at 90bhp but some were limited to 83bhp in order
Italian motorcycle to comply with specific market legislation. Initially than in the US of A. It took Pops Yoshimura just 50
engineer Vincenzo the motor ran on 26mm Mikunis but these were days to tune the motor, allowing Steve McLaughlin
Piatti. This new top soon changed for 28mm, giving a little more top-end to take the chequered flag at the 1978 Daytona
end boosted urge. The final EN derivatives featured 32mm CV Superbike race, which was the key to sales success
cylinder efficiency carbs in a bid to subtly reduce emissions and the in America. Steve repeated this result with the
and further boosted cylinder heads from these remain in demand as they hugely-influential Suzuka Eight Hour Race in Japan.
power. From here it allow the fitting of huge flat slide carburettors that Legendary Wes Cooley would go on to win the 1979
was a relatively massively aid performance. and 1980 AMA titles with the big GS, while in
small step to the It was always a given that the big four would be Europe Kiwi Graeme Crosby would win the Formula
legendary Target used in anger on race tracks and nowhere more so 1 World Championship in 1980 and 1981 aboard
Design Katanas that the XR69 racing version. Also he rather handily took
further enhanced three TT wins on it.
the reputation of With names such as Sheene, Dunlop, Mamola and
the big air-cooled Grant also associated with the bike, it’s no wonder it
Suzuki fours. retains such an enviable reputation.
Our bike in camera is the iconic GS1000S –
unofficially known as the Wes Cooley replica.
Supposedly it was only given the informal moniker
RIGHT: G-model came after Kawasaki began marketing its Eddie Lawson
with shaft final drive. replica. The S version carries a small handlebar
mounted fairing, fancy paint job and conventional
shock absorbers. No tuning was carried out as
Suzuki probably realised the standard running gear
was only just up to the job as it was.
Not that it mattered then or now – any GS1000 is
a thing of beauty but the ones that look like Wes’ are
something altogether rather special. cmm

74 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 SPECIFICATION

GS1000
1979 MODEL
ENGINE TYPE
Air-cooled, four-stroke, 2
valves per cylinder 982cc
four
BORE AND STROKE
70 x 64.8mm
CLAIMED HORSEPOWER
967hp @ 8200rpm
MAXIMUM TORQUE
61.5lb-ft @ 6,500rpm
TRANSMISSION TYPE
5-speed, chain final drive
COMPRESSION RATIO
9.2:1
CARBURETION
4 x Mikuni VM SS 28mm
TYRES
3.25 V19 (F), 4.00 V18 (R)
FUEL CAPACITY
4.4 gallons (20 litres)
DRY WEIGHT
238kg (524lb)
WHEELBASE
1505mm (59.3in)
OVERALL LENGTH
2220mm (87.4)
PARTS & SERVICES OVERALL WIDTH
775mm (30.5in)
■ Crooks Suzuki OVERALL HEIGHT
www.crooks-suzuki.com 1,250mm (49.2in)
■ CMSNL
www.cmsnl.com
■ Grumpy 1260
www.grumpy1260suzukispares.com
■ Robinsons Foundry Ltd
www.robinsonsfoundry.co.uk
■ Wemoto
www.wemoto.com

RESOURCES
■ www.thegsresources.com
■ www.facebook.com/UkSuzukiGsOwners
■ www.gsthou.com/suzuki-gs1000

www.classicmechanics.com / 75
 servicesguide
To advertise in classifiedmechanics
please contact:
Owen on 01507 529410

BIKE CLEANING BLAST CLEANING

BIKE STANDS BREAKING

BLAST CLEANING CARBURETTORS

76 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 servicesguide
CARBURETTORS DEALER DIRECTORY

CHROMING

ELECTRICAL

ENAMELLING/POWDER COATING

www.classicmechanics.com
DYNO SERVICES LUBRICANTS & FUEL TREATMENTS

www.classicmechanics.com

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servicesguide
PARTS AND SPARES SEATS

SHOCK ABSORBERS STICKERS & GRAPHICS

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RADIATOR

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TOOLS

RESTORATION TRANSPORT

78 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 servicesguide
TRAILERS WEB DIRECTORY

WHEEL BUILDING

TWO STROKE TUNING

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 Workshop
WISDOM
To advertise call
Owen on
01507 529410

We’re CMM readers, we’re more than capable of giving

the spanners a twirl and priming the grease gun... but
once in a while there’s a job that even we know is really
just that step too far.
Yes, a quick tutorial on ‘that facetube’ would be
very handy and you could make a fair fist of it, but
when you want it done just right, when it’s a process
or a treatment that gives your bike that extra touch of
protection and quality, or when you need to know that
safety is absolutely top notch, we all know our limits.
That’s when it’s time to call in the professionals, the
guys and girls who will do a great job in perhaps a tenth
of the time you’d have taken.
With services from wheel building, powder coating
and laser etching, through to rebuilding those brake
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Check out the businesses on this page, and give them
a call – the friendly professionals will make sure your
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 readersbikes&bits
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AJS Model 18S, 1959,
everything restored, high lift
cams, balanced engine, no oil
leaks, goes and looks lovely,
£4500 Tel. 01443 226706.
BSA Super Rocket, 1959,
chrome guards, headlamp, twin
clock, Avons, T/L/S, rack,
dating certificate, V5C, stunning
650cc twin, £7450 Tel. 01723
372219. North Yorks
HONDA CX500B, 1981,
excellent example of classic
motorcycle, all original,
registered as historic no t&t
required, 49,754 miles, £4250
Tel. 07555 674617. Burton on
Trent
HONDA Valkyrie F6C, 1999,
MoT, 63,000 miles, recent
complete strip, service, rebuild
and update by the legendary
VRCC SteveB, parts list
available, £4750 ono Tel. Pete
07875 826773. South Wales
HONDA Goldwing 1000, 1979,
GB registered bike, good
condition, 26,000 miles, been
stored for two years due to
ignition problem but has been
running, £1500 Tel. 07927
404465. Hampshire
HONDA CBX1000, 1979,
historic vehicle, t&t exempt, fully
reconditioned but in original
patina, engine totally refreshed,
runs great with full professional
carb overhaul, £11,500 ono Tel.
07982 247096.
82 / classic motorcycle mechanics
APRILIA Sl1000 Falco, 03
plate, 12 months MoT, Nitron
shock, Oberon clutch slave,
runs very well, owned 6 years,
29,000 miles, £2100 Tel. 07906
970285. Milton Keynes
CAGIVA SST 250cc, single
cylinder 2 stroke, 1981, with vgc,
new rear sprocket, new rear chain,
new fuel tap seal & new spark plug
fitted, 14,825 miles, historic
vehicle on V5, MoT exempt,
£1975 Tel. 02870 355836.
HONDA Shadow VT1100,
1985, 17,953 miles, MoT, good
condition, tyres were changed
in 2022 and the battery earlier
this year, £3200 Tel. 07957
199317. Essex
HONDA NS400R, 1985,
genuine UK bike, very good
condition throughout, 24,000
miles, MoT, runs and rides very
well, no part exchanges thanks,
£7495 Tel. 07525 373753.
Surrey
HONDA CB400F2, 1977, new
tyres, electrics, reconditioned
carbs, alloy rims SS spokes,
35,000 miles, good condition,
spares, £3795 Tel. 07391
901041; 01964 624639
evenings. Hull
HONDA CBR600F, 2000 reg,
good condition, 15,600 miles,
full stainless exhaust, recent
chain/sprockets, clutch, fork
seals, excellent tyres, £1750
ovno Tel. 07564 277551.
Bedfordshire
ARIEL Arrow Sports, stunning,
extensive restoration, matching
numbers, with 12V conversion,
electronic ignition, rewire, new
carb, wheels and tyres,
exhausts, seat, £3350 ono Tel.
07817 257889. Leics
GARELLI Junior Cross, 1969,
good condition, nice bike, got
NOVA certificate, runs and
rides, £1895 Tel. 01209 711459.
Email. 996ff44f@gmail.com
Cornwall
HONDA CB750K2, showing
5900 miles, owned 3 years and
covered 1000 miles in this time,
very good unrestored condition,
£7650 Tel. 07555 537597.
Cornwall
HONDA 550/4 K2 US import,
1976, restoration carried out in
2019, excellent paintwork,
good chrome desirable and
expensive 4 into 4 exhausts,
Tel. John 07786 655418.
HONDA CB500S, 2001, 34,000
miles, new Pirelli Sport Demon
tyres, new brake pads front &
back, recent chain & sprockets,
Brembo brakes, regular oil &
filter changes, £1650 Tel. 01438
871619; 07799 220513.
HONDA CX500 1982 with
Pantera II fairing, 16,700 miles,
stored in dry garage 20 years,
brakes seized, engine does not
currently run, ignition switch
failed, £500 collection only Tel.
01428 712372. Hampshire
BMW R1100S, 2005, Boxer
Cup, MoT July 2024, 18,000
miles, mint condition, Riders
Service Handbooks, toolkit,
history file, full service,
appreciating classic, £7750
Tel. 01744 818644. Cheshire
HONDA CBR600-F, 1998-8,
new tyres, chain, sprockets,
battery, good condition, £1500
Tel. 07770 987305.
HONDA CBX1000, 1980, US
spec, over the last year had
new tyres, brakes, fork seals,
plugs, air filter, paint to freshen
up and the carbs done, 30,000
miles, £15,000 Tel. 07716
726601.
HONDA NT650V, Deauville,
2003, immaculate, 22,500
miles, FSH, main dealer
serviced from new, MoT Dec
2023, Honda topbox, heated
grips, £2450 ovno Tel. 07810
872773. Notts
HONDA CB750 K4, 41,000
original miles, vgc having
recently been subject to a
frame up restoration, new parts
where necessary, with as many
original kept as possible, £9750
Tel. 07833 643673.
HONDA CX500, 1978, 13,757
miles, just had re paint on
wheels, engine frame, has 50
plus ok pressure, good
condition, historic bike Tel.
07548 028097. Devon
BSA Rocket Goldstar Replica,
1953, stunning 650cc twin,
chrome guards, Goldie tank,
Siamese exhaust, Goldie
silencer, twin clocks, new rear
tyres, £6950 Tel. 01723 372219.
North Yorks
HONDA CB750FB, 1982, UK
model, owned 41 years, historical
status, rare machine, completely
rebuilt, powder coated frame,
original Honda exhaust, many
new parts, £5499 Tel. 07746
467511. Manchester
HONDA CBF1000A (ABS),
2006, 66,724 miles, average
condition, runner, MoT, top box
and rack included, fairly recent
new tyre, discs and pads (rear),
£1495 Tel. 07763 638300.
HONDA CB400/F2, 1979,
original UK bike, powder coated
frame, new paint, electronic
ignition, runs and rides well, in
regular use, good condition,
42,000 miles, £4250 ono Tel.
07422 696213. North Yorks
HONDA CBR900R, 1999,
31,500 miles, HPi clear, new A
filter, plugs, radiator, sprocket,
good tyres, uncut, rear number
plate, standard exhaust, rear
hugger, fireblade, tool kit,
£3200 Tel. 07956 147980.
HONDA SL125, 1974, good
condition, runs well, owned 18
years, £2750 Tel. 07885
579678. Warwickshire

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HONDA XLV750R, 1986, the
MCN project bike, owned for 13
years, recent MoT, lots of
spares, £5995 ono Tel. 07935
090753. Isle of Wight
KAWASAKI Z1000, 1977,
Italian import, original condition,
not restored, electronic ignition,
Hagon shocks, brakes
overhauled, all original, 35,000
miles, £8500 Tel. 07432
591252. Durham
NORTON Dominator 99, 1961,
slimline 600cc, twin cylinder,
large history folder, extensive
restoration during 2016, in
private collection, now
recommissioned, £7450 Tel.
01723 372219. North Yorkshire
SUZUKI RV125 Van Van,
outstanding condition, 14,000
miles, 2006, MoT June 2024,
comes with Max Torque, tri-
oval, road legal silencer, £2300
Tel. Simon 07541 083977.
Surrey
TRIUMPH Daytona 750, 1993,
vgc throughout, recently fully
refurbished with £600 of new
parts, runs and rides very
nicely, 63,000 miles, £2250 Tel.
Nick 07525 373753. Surrey
YAMAHA RD125, 1973, very
clean and tidy, new tyres and
tubes, and checked over, 50
years old, very original,
everything works, Yamaha
parts book, £3200 ono Tel.
07710 467529. Lancs
KAWASAKI W800, 2011
sidecar outfit, Squire chair, low
mileage, 15,313 miles, MoT
September 2023, good
condition, complete with riding
gear, locks etc, £5550 ono Tel.
07895 985396. Essex
KAWASAKI Estrella BJ 250cc,
first registered 1995, 2 former
keepers, believed genuine
mileage 14,100, lovely
condition, £2100 Tel. 07415
725482.
ROYAL ENFIELD Crusader,
1962, lightweight, single
cylinder, 250cc, immaculate red
and black paintwork, new tyres,
seat, speedo, Hagon shocks,
V5C, £2950 Tel. 01723 372219.
North Yorkshire
SUZUKI TS125, 1972, vgc, was
going to restore just no time,
some new parts for more
information, contact for details,
£1295 ono Tel. 07939 917033.
Oxfordshire
TRIUMPH T150V Trident, 750cc,
1974, 20,000 miles, V5C, nice
clean unrestored, mostly original
riding bike, CV carbs, electronic
ignition, recent steering head
bearings, £7250 may p/x Tel.
07876 704268. Norfolk
YAMAHA XJ900S, 2002 full
fairing model, serviced, MoT, 3
previous owners, 29,995 miles,
recent new silencers, all in good
order with no known faults,
£1550 ovno Tel. 07779 131808.
KAWASAKI ZZR1100, D2,
1994, MoT, outstanding
condition, totally standard,
17,500 miles, full history every
MoT, £3750 ono Tel. 07577
951045. Tyne & Wear
KAWASAKI W650, 2002, red
and cream, 15,000 miles, very
clean bike, genuine reason for
sale, £3950 Tel. 01291 423392.
Chepstow
SUZUKI Katana, 1995, brand
new, unregistered one (pushed)
miles, all papers, an
appreciating asset in a rising
market, £5650 Tel. 07831
100216.
SUZUKI Bandit 600, 2004,
totally original in black, 11,000
miles, brand new rear tyre, front
tyre all good, £1850 ovno Tel.
Cliff 074805 55720. Essex
TRIUMPH Adventurer, 2002,
900cc, 15,900 miles, 12 months
MoT, excellent condition, dual
seat, never been out in the rain,
£3450 Tel. 01890 752473.
YAMAHA SZR660, 1995,
15,000 miles, new battery, C+S,
Cush drive, fork seals, tyres,
good fun, £1900 Tel. 07892
968360.
readersbikes&bits
KAWASAKI ZZR1200 C1, V5 in
my name, MoT April 2024, just
had oil and filter change, fitted
with Bridgestone BT023, £2300
Tel. 07486 005960. Dorset
MALANCA Competizione 50,
1970, quick & lightweight Italian
sports moped, imported,
mechanically recommissioned &
UK reg as historic vehicle in 2020,
V5, £2600 sell or swap for pre
1990 Tel. Alan 07734 004323.
SUZUKI TS185, 1978, 14,000
miles, owned for 14 years, lovely
condition, loads of ‘brand new
parts fitted’ ie tank, seat,
mudguards, s/panels, fork brace,
£3750 Tel. 07790 585371. Email.
meatloaf7@btinternet.com
SUZUKI Bandit GSF1200,
1997, one owner, 21,000 miles,
full history, new tyres, battery,
air filter, Hagon shock, £3000
Tel. 07789 587032. London
YAMAHA BT1100, 2003, 8
months MoT, fork seals, good
condition, 11,800 miles, shaft
drive, new tyres, new battery,
rides well, good touring bike,
V-Twin, £2450 ono Tel. 07951
974318. Lancs
YAMAHA XS250, 1978, t&t
exempt, electronic ignition,
spare dismantled engine plus
other parts comes with, plus
workshop manual, £1500 ono
Tel. Chris 07969 067318. Email.
cg0406531@gmail.com
www.classicmechanics.com / 83
KAWASAKI KZ900 A4, 1976,
USA Import 2019, 11,000 miles,
sympathetic restoration, all
necessary parts changed to be
road worthy + new exhausts,
runs, 2 owners, £12,600 ono
Tel. Chris 07756 457454. Hants
MOTO MORINI 250cc,
Lightweight V Twin, red
paintwork, alloy wheels, Avons,
front disc rear drum brake,
stainless silencers, V5C,
stunning condition, £4450 Tel.
01723 372219. Yorkshire
SUZUKI EN125 2A, 2007, 2800
miles, ultra reliable, completely
standard, oil change every year
regardless of mileage, just
serviced, new battery, plug and
filter, MoT, £1200 Tel. 07870
677457. West Yorks
TRIUMPH Trophy 1200, 2002,
one owner from new, 68,000
miles, many sensible extras: full
luggage, taller screen (plus
original), heated grips, 12V AUX
socket, spare wheels, £2195
Tel. 07929 630103. Oldham
YAMAHA XJR 1300SP, 2001,
31,500 miles, full stainless
exhaust (standard cans
included), Metmachex
underbraced swinging arm,
MoT, £3200 Tel. Dave 07880
945124. Hampshire
YAMAHA 225XT Serow, 1993,
new tyres, spare tyres, £450
spent on new parts, totally
maintained, excellent ride, disc
rear brake, 15,599kms, £2500
Tel. 07902 306435. Essex
readersbikes&bits
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SUZUKI GT380, 1973, totally YAMAHA XSR700 complete SUZUKI RGV250 VJ22 M or
For Sale original bike, needs carbs Parts For Sale original exhaust system N model in blue and white
BSA A65 Firebird, 1969, balanced, £6000. Tel. 07832 HARLEY-DAVIDSON new (as new), £75. Kawasaki wanted by Suzuki enthusiast,
non running project for 238113. Worcs. brake discs, pair PFM GTR1000, new seat cover, up to £10,000 for the right
sale, engine timing side SUZUKI GSF600, 1997, low HD002-4807, rear Zodiac £15. Manuals for Honda bike, UK only and I’m only
dismantled to check for mileage under 5000, carbs 235473 HDF front, £70 Revere/Deauville 88-05. interested in the banana
wear on crank bush ‘which need overhaul, good tyres the pair. Suzuki Bandit Suzuki GS650 Goldwing arm model, looking for a
is worn’, other than this its and battery, no MoT, runs. bits - new foot pegs, £10. book by Fallon. Tel. 01772 unmolested bike without
a fairly complete bike with Tel. 07810 096605. South New clutch switch, £2.50. 783774. Lancs. a cracked frame, money
V5 and matching engine and Yorkshire. Gear lever, £20. Hendler waiting. Tel. 07810 778654.
frame numbers, £3200 ono. SUZUKI GSF600, 1997, low handlebars, new, £30 can Wanted WANTED LH mirror assy
Tel. 01305 826670. Dorset. mileage under 5000, carbs send pictures. Tel. 07704 BIG BRITISH or Jap for RG250 MK2, required
BSA 650 Lightning (1966), need overhaul, good tyres 343331. Cheshire. motorcycle wanted to complete project, cash
red and chrome tank, V5C and battery, runs, £1200. Tel. HONDA DN-01 (NSA700A8) restoration or nice bike, BSA, waiting. Tel. Dave 07305
historic, has had lots of work 07810 096605. South Yorks. off genuine Honda DN-01 Yamaha, Vincent, Triumph, 065357. Coventry.
done, too much to list in the SUZUKI GT250 X7, 1981 consumbables, have receipt Norton etc, any condition, YAMAHA 900 Diversion,
advert but can be supplied project, V5C present, red, for parts £200, £395 strictly good price paid, genuine red tank cover, cash waiting,
by Email, good condition but requires full reassembly and no offers, buyer collects. buyer. Tel. 07983 301756. plus few bike jackets for sale,
has stood for about twelve restoration, some new parts Also Suzuki 125cc, Van-Van, Derby. contact for details. Tel. 07909
months, comes with a spare definitely needed, rebuilt trioval stainless silencer with BIG BRITISH BIKE wanted 502193. West Yorkshire.
fuel tank and newly powder crank, powdercoated frame, connecting pipe, with receipt, BSA, Triumph, Velocette,
coated rear carrier, £6700 swingarm, stands, yokes, cost, £220 as new, £120 no Vincent, Ariel,etc in any
Miscellaneous
ovno. Tel. 07493 598299. rear brake assembly and offers. Tel. Simon 07541 condition for my next project, BIKER JACKET black,
Cheshire. lots of other bits, wheels 083977. Surrey. or Japanese bike, good price vintage, size 42, good
H A R L E Y - D A V I D S O N powdercoated and polished, HONDA NS400R generator paid can collect. Tel. 07432 condition, waxed regularly,
Sportster XL1200C Custom handbook and Haynes cover, clocks, fork covers, 566835. Tamworth. looked after, all zips good,
Anniversary Edition, 1200cc, manuals, contact for more lock, rear seat cover, air BMW Boxer wanted, padded elbows, back and
2003 (03 reg), 6128 miles, details, £1050. Tel. 07815 box metal, gear lever, right lumber, £60. Tel. 07840
consider anything from early
lovely bike, very low mileage, 502238. Exeter. exhaust, tuned barrels, std 364013. Bucks.
seventies, through to mid
all original and very well SUZUKI GT550J 1972, bore, heads, Honda NSR 250, BOOKS: Sox Gary Hocking,
nineties, rough or mint, or
maintained, bike has been complete bike in pieces CDI PGMII. Tel. Dave 01283 £6. Mike The Bike Again, £5.
even spares considered. Tel.
well looked after, always two tanks, wheels in good 509381. Staffs. Hailwood by Mike, £6. Mike
garaged, good condition, condition, front mudguard John 07836 758534.
KAWASAKI GPZ/2, 1980, Hailwood The Fans Favourite,
long MoT, no advisories, good, rear needs chrome, CLASSIC BIKE wanted by
engines three or four not all £7 all plus p&p. Tel. 07787
recent full service, very clean, powder coated frame with enthusiast in any condition.
complete, good for parts, 525198. West Mids.
£6000. Tel. 07745 134757. NOVA, £3500 ono. Tel. need them gone or casings Tel. 07811 189755. Notts.
MAGAZINES: Classic
Watford. etc. 250 XVS Virago exhausts CLASSIC JAPANESE bike
07940 518787. Wirral. Motorcycle Mechanics
HONDA CL360 Street SUZUKI SV650S 2001, for 2002 model original one wanted consider any make,
2008 to 2016 all perfect, all
Scrambler, 1975, gold, on Sorn, with spares, blue, £350 ono. Tel. 07789 227254. size or condition for my
in CMM binders, buyer to
KAWASAKI Z650SR, 1978, next project, can collect,
American import registered £1000. Tel. 07396 677707. collect from Lincoln, £120
plugs points condenser, sold good price paid. Tel. 07398
on V5/Sorn as historic South Yorks. ono. Tel. 07712 669348.
bike so not needed, £20 + 052043.
vehicle, tax and MoT exempt, SUZUKI T350 1971, WATSONIAN SQUIRE
p&p. Tel. 07747 692052. CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE
used as spare time winter complete bike but engine motorcycle trailer, blue fibre
Email. paulphillips01@yahoo. wanted for my recently
project for last 3 years, in dismantled, £1500 no offers. retired bored father, will
glass, new tyres, new inner
very good condition, 23,000 Tel. 07708 156409. co.uk tubes, new lights, £400 ono.
KAWASAKI Z650SR, 1978, consider anything at all in
miles, some minor upgrades, TRIUMPH Sprint 900, 1993, any condition, please get in
Avon Venom tyre like new,
many receipts, £2950. Tel. bought as donor bike, I’ve Dynatek electronic ignition, 150-80-16, £30. Clutch cable
used wheels, yokes and never fitted may fit other touch if you have something. CX500 Custom Honda £8,
07787 397211. Bristol. Tel. Gary 07799 529325.
HONDA NSR250 MC21 swingarm, excellent basis Kawasaki models of that can send pictures. Tel. 07704
period, £150 + p&p. Tel. HONDA CBI 400F, NC27,
Nova certificate, needs for the CRK kit you wanted 1990 for spares. Tel. 02842
343331. Cheshire.
fairing, tank painted, new to build, was running and 07747 692052. Staffs. Email. YAMAHA XVS650 & 1100
paulphillips01@yahoo.co.uk 757206; 07761 029899.
brakes, pistons, seals, forks, MoT’d when I bought it, County Down.
Haynes Workshop Manual,
vgc, running engine, needs it is dismantled ready for MILLER 6” brass headlight hardback, covers, models
vintage with glass, £100. Tel. HONDA CB50J Sports
work to finish, spares MC21 transport, £400. Tel. Graham moped parts wanted centre
1997 to 2005, unused,
engine, working order with 0781 8265026. 07916 627838. Kent. excellent condition, £14.95.
MIKUNI CARB 32mm stand, side panels, anything
spares, £7000. Tel. 07816 TRIUMPH Bonneville, 2005, Tel. 07399 359072.
black and chrome, MoT complete with manifolds and else you have, complete CLASSIC BIKE
043480. Staffs.
connectors from Triumph bike, basket case etc. Tel.
KAWASAKI A7SS Avenger, March, good condition, MAGAZINES free on
TR6/TR7, less than two years 01253 886276. Lancashire.
1967, 350 rotary valve 2T, 15,000 miles, £3500 ono. collection: Real Classic from
faded paint having spent Tel. Tom 01697 331834. old and hardly used, have HONDA CB900 1981, Super number one. Motorcycle
most of its life in US desert Cumbria. receipts for over £300, will Sport needs rebuilding parts Mechanics in binders. Classic
State, plated parts excellent, VESPA Douglas, 150cc, accept £90. Tel. Steve 01326 have been chromed and Motorcycle Mechanics in
UK registered historic reconditioned engine spares, 290092. Cornwall. stove enameled also some binders. Tel. 01284 762067.
vehicle, fast and loud, £5500 £2500 ono. Tel. 07719 SPARES FOR Honda spares ideal project, £1500. Suffolk.
ono. Tel. 07594 506435. 980700. Staffs. CB250K, CB350K, Kawasaki Tel. 07719 980100. REGISTRATION NUMBER
North Kent. YAMAHA RD350lLC, W650, W800. Tel. 01291 HONDA wanted for a for sale ‘T100 EGO’ ideal for
KAWASAKI Z1R, 1978- matching numbers, UK 423392. Chepstow. restoration project, any any Hinckley T100 Bonnie,
80, 13 litre fuel tank, silver bike, 6 owners, needs slight SUZUKI SP370, 1979, head older model considered the registration is currently
blue, as new condition. Z1R attention lost interest just carb p/tap valves v/springs, such as CB/CG125/175, on a retention document,
silencer, never used, £100. an ornament in the garage, std piston, Sammy Miller CB250/350/400/450/500, £300. Tel. 07473 898600.
Z1R manual, £25. Tel. 01237 £7000. Tel. 07752 502447. exhaust, mudguards, side XL125/250 etc, will travel. Derbyshire.
751354. Devon. Lincolnshire. panels, air box, tool kit box, Tel. 07538 696157. Leicester KAWASAKI Workshop
SUZUKI GT250 X7, I have YAMAHA VIRAGO 535 rear pegs, back light, seat LOOKING FOR Honda Manual from Kawasaki
CB750K7, reg no YLR987S,
standard exhausts as well blue, chrome, needs battery, finishing panels, job lot, £300. dealers for a KZ400, 500,
1992, £500. Tel. 07835 Tel. 01732 458601. Kent. this was my fathers bike, 550 models for sale, £15.
as the Higspeed ones my family would like to once
333662. Lancashire. SUZUKI RG Gamma, 1988, Suzuki Service Manual
fitted, excellent condition, YAMAHA XS750 1979, frame, forks, petrol tank, again own it, last seen as for B120/B100p models
t&t exempt, 14,000 miles, excellent condition, only engine, minus barrels, might a ‘street fighter’ featured dated 1966, £15. Indian
starts stops as it should and 3080 miles, great paint split, like to sell in one lot, in Classic Motorcycle motorcycle spanner, no
sounds amazing with the and chrome, modern tyres, £250. Tel. 07916 627838. Mechanics many years ago, sizes on spanner, very
£800 new Higspeeds fitted, modern pads, electronic Kent. DVLA shows it with no MoT old suit old Indian owner,
little bits need doing, sounds ignition, Hagon shocks, t&t YAMAHA TDR250, 1990, for many years, money is £10. 7 Triumph motorcycle
amazing, any questions just exempt, phone for more complete engine, plus waiting for whoever has it spanner, various sizes
ask, £5995 ovno. Tel. 07788 details, £4000. Tel. 07783 CDI and carbs. Tel. 07403 in storage somewhere. Tel. and ages, £30 Tel. 07929
580874. Southampton. 432870. Essex. 757152. Carmarthenshire. Nick 07712 524922. 747650.
84 / classic motorcycle mechanics
www.classicmechanics.com / 85

Building a workshop part 2
Wooden wonder!
Ralph ropes in his mates to help him build the best
workshop ever – and, if you follow his tips, you can, too.
L ast month in the initial
part of my explanation of
how a non-builder can
create a nice warm and dry
place to fettle classic
motorcycles, I got down and dirty, literally,
with a self-hire mini-excavator, a wheeled
barrow and various basic building tools;
and a Terry for the back-breaking stuff!
In my youth I would happily have mixed
and laid a few tons of concrete, but since
developing osteoporosis and having
multiple spinal fractures, I shy away from
such work. Whilst my friend Terry Davey
(builder) is still extraordinarily fit for a
man of my generation, many of us aren’t,
and choose machines of mass work
output.
There are a few devices that will make
life a great deal easier with a build like
this, and when thinking about the cost of
tools, it’s worth factoring in the day rate of
builders, carpenters or the profit margins
of shed building companies; and if you
86 / classic motorcycle mechanics
have less of a tool collecting addiction
than I do, then you can always flog these
toys off when you’re finished with them. I
was aware that I would be putting in a
billion nails during this project and bought
a cheap secondhand Paslode 1st Fix nail
gun, but it didn’t quite last the first frame
before turning up its toes. I spent lots of
time and money on parts trying to fix it,
but ended up buying a new one thanks to
time constraints. With used gear,
particularly professional tools, one needs
to ask why it is being sold? Oh, and a pair
of Black & Decker Workmates (other
makes are available) are very useful as are
plenty of clamps of various sizes. Cheap
clamps are useless, particularly when you
are trying to straighten out bendy timber.
I bought a top-of-the-range Evolution
Double Bevel Compound Mitre Saw for this
job. At the time of building as a result of the
pandemic, all tools and materials were in
short supply and discounts were thin on the
ground. The saw was superbly accurate and
It is of paramount
importance to stack your
timbers flat and then
cover them with a
tarpaulin to protect them
from drying out unevenly
by the sun.
WORDS AND PICS: RALPH FERRAND
was great for the compound angles I needed
to cut at times. At one point it snatched a
small piece of wood and damaged the main
bearings and destroyed its fence. The motor
is supremely powerful, but I felt that the
parts surrounding it were maybe less strong
than would be ideal. I returned it to the
manufacturer and when it came back, only
some of the complaints had been addressed
and had, what appeared to be, used parts
fitted. I made a fuss and then a new
replacement was sent, which has since
never missed a beat. Overall, for the price, I
think that these saws represent extremely
good value, but I would pay a lot more
money and have a heavier saw were I using
it to make my living. The blades are brilliant
and don’t complain about sawing through
nails and screws when using it for firewood.
When using a lighter-weight saw like this, it
is of great importance to ensure that
anything you cut is very well clamped.
Some of the really cheap saws sold by the
big DIY sheds really are not man enough for
Making up the side framework was fairly straightforward. The The first completed framework for the rear wall. There is one
tin of ‘paint’ in the foreground is the end grain treatment which of the 450mm spacers still in place; the other end had been
must be used on pressure-treated timbers when they are cut. removed after fixing.

150mm 50mm
50mm

6mm
6mm

ABOVE: I made my own sills up using

my very elderly electric planer and a
¼-inch router. Again, it was important to
coat the machined sections in end grain
treatment.

ABOVE RIGHT: The sill installed above

the one-metre side doorway.

LEFT: The framework for the wall in place.

this sort of work and a waste of money.

When cutting the various timbers to
length it is best to clamp the saw on one
workmate and use the other to support the
end of the timber you are cutting. I
clamped a suitable piece of wood to the
second workmate to support the end of the
timbers at the same height as the saw bed.
This made chopping the timbers easy and
ensured that every cut was square. When
cutting loads of timber the same length, I
found it best to cut one, write an ‘S’ (for
standard) on it with a marker and then use
that to mark the remaining timbers for
cutting so they were all identical. timbers. To keep these gaps accurate, I and router. To get the door jam in and still
With the main frames of the shed, I made two pieces of timber precisely get enough insulation into the doors, the
glued and screwed/nailed the ends to the 450mm long, annotated them with an ‘S’ uprights needed to be 150mm x 50mm so
tops and bottoms and ensured that they and used them to space out the vertical the sill needed to be made from 200mm x
were square. As I was insulating the timbers whilst I fixed them to the top and 50mm. To make the taper on the top I just
workshop with solid boards (more about bottom timbers. See Photo 3. dug out my old electric planer, set up an
this later) I set the gap between the vertical Above the doors and below the windows edge guide and drove it along the timber,
timbers the same width as the insulation it is important to fit sills. You can buy the holding it at a slight angle. Once it was
boards are supplied, i.e. 450mm which mouldings but it’s not difficult to make full depth, I sanded a gentle radius on the
gives 500mm centres for 100mm x 50mm them if you have, or can borrow, a plane edge. I then flipped it over and fitted a

www.classicmechanics.com / 87
 This is the sill above the double doors on the side of the shed.
I was drilling the holes for the frame fixings and Gary was The ‘hole’ above was later filled with an argon-filled double-
installing them with the super-powerful Makita impact driver. glazed window.

The roof trusses fabricated one on top of the other so that

they were all the same. All joints were glued for extra strength Here you can see that we have fixed the first three roof
and rigidity. trusses in place.

I am climbing the ladder of the very
expensive-to-hire scaffolding tower.
The end trusses with the ladder bit for
the overhang were difficult to fix in
place due to the extra weight trying to
pull them over the edge, but Gary and
myself managed with many clamps and
some determination.
6mm straight cutter in the router and set
an edge guide so that it cut a 6mm slot to
a 6mm depth 6mm in from the edge. This
acts as a rain drip, to stop water running
underneath the sill and getting where it
shouldn’t. See Photo 4.
I made one roof truss precisely to the
drawing, and before assembling the parts I
again labelled each with an ‘S’ to indicate
that these were the ‘standard’ and I used
these to mark all the other timbers for
cutting, ensuring that they would all be
identical. Once all the timbers were cut I
assembled all the ‘standards’ and as with
the ‘wall’ frames I assembled the trusses
on the ground, on top of the ‘standard’
using plenty of waterproof glue, Paslode
nails and screws. On either end I made an
extra set of trusses which were joined to
the end ones with blocks of wood in a
ladder format for the overhang. The
photographs show this more clearly. The
angle settings on the saw were perfect for
making these parts, ensuring that they
were all cut precisely at the same angle.
For the very acute angles I made up a
sliding jig for a cheap table saw I bought
for this project.
Initially I hired a small alloy scaffold
tower to fit the roof truss fitting, but it was
heinously expensive and later found I
could get a cheapo tower platform from
the online marketplace of one of the
cheap German supermarkets for less
than a weekend’s hire of the small tower,
so the hired tower went back. Although
not as sturdy, it was actually far more
versatile and I still have it should I ever
need another.
With construction like this it really does
help to have friends to help and my chum
Gary Ward was massively helpful with this
build. We kept the trusses vertically
parallel by tacking a long batten along the
ridge. We lifted the 12mm plywood sheets
on to the timbers and secured them with
two-inch nails rapidly punched in with the
Paslode gun. Although good quality,
hardwood-faced ply isn’t designed for a
soaking, so we covered it in breathable
roofing felt as soon as possible, which was
secured by the battens required for the
roofing sheets. Terry the Builder is very
used to dancing around on roofs and was
far more at home than either Gary or
myself and was dragged away from his
beloved concrete blocks and aggregates
when it came to fitting the roof,
particularly given less-than-favourable
weather was heading our way.
As mentioned, I was keen not to upset
my neighbours by creating some super-
ugly building, particularly given I have the
pleasure of living on the edge of a

88 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Screwing a batten along the top of the trusses to keep them
parallel until we have fitted the plywood sheets.
The name is Ferrand, Ralph Ferrand,
licensed to nail!
Terry and myself attaching the battens
to secure the felt; this side is a gentle
slope unlike the front side. Terry can’t
be doing with nail guns…
Somerset village backing on to beautiful
countryside. I did consider a tiled roof, but
they add a great deal of weight to a roof,
not to mention expense, so I chose to use
steel roof sheets that are pressed and
painted to look like old clay pan tiles,
which are lightweight, easy to use, very
hard wearing and are manufactured in
Devon. Their website is super-helpful and
they are more than willing to help you
calculate what you need. For buildings of
this size you give them the full length and
they will make the sheet the exact length
required so there is no cutting required.
They also supply all the flashings, screws,
waterproof washers, etc., and deliver to
your door. The plywood on top of the roof
trusses wasn’t strictly speaking necessary,
but I felt that it would make a better roof.
Breathable roofing felt is very different
to the ‘slaters’ felt when I was young; it’s
very tough and lightweight. The rolls have
printed the overlap required for the
different pitches of roof – a very shallow
angled roof will need the layers of felt to
overlap more than a steeper roof.
Gary and myself attaching the plywood sheets to the trusses
with the mighty Paslode gun.
The front slope is far steeper,
making it more challenging to
attach the felt. Terry was far
happier on the roof than
Gary and myself.
We’re working as fast as
we can, aware of a storm
brewing and the need to
cover up the plywood.
Because of the profile of the roofing
sheets, it was important that the battens
were placed at the pitch required to screw
the roof sheets to. In the olden days, when
one fixed corrugated iron or good old
asbestos roofing sheets, one drilled the top
of the rolls so that the water wouldn’t be
running over the holes, but with these new
systems they are so confident of the
screws and their watertight washers that
they are screwed into the ‘valleys’ so that
the sheet isn’t deformed by the screws
pulling down. The proof, as they say, is in
the pudding and this roof has been as dry
as a Saharan deck chair. Because we were
racing against inclement weather and Here I’m attaching breathable roofing
SWMBO wasn’t around, there was very felt to the sides of the shed to give
little in the way of photography to record better protection.
www.classicmechanics.com / 89
 Attaching the
felt with an
electric tacker
firing 10mm
staples.
Constructing the doors using the same glued and nailed/
screwed method as the main carcass: glued joints are so
much stronger and more rigid.
the roof sheet fitting, save one I took on my
phone of Terry carrying up a sheet.
On Terry’s advice I clad the entire shed in
roofing felt for extra protection. In May
2021 when this project was in progress,
getting timber was a nightmare and I had to
wait over three months for the pressure-
treated extra-thick log lap cladding I
wanted for the walls to arrive.
Because I didn’t want this to stall the
build, the felt enabled me to make the
walls fairly watertight so that I could
continue installing insulation, wiring, etc.,
whilst I awaited the expensive cladding.
All timber was in short supply, but
anything specified above basic stuff was
monstrously expensive with long lead times.
I used an electric staple tacker to affix the
felt to the timbers as a temporary measure;
when the cladding arrived that would
secure it.
Moisture is the sworn enemy of tools and
bike parts, and cold leads to condensation,
so when building a proper workshop, it is
essential to insulate it properly. I used
insulation boards as they are easy to work
with and are very thermally efficient.
Although the timbers were nominally four
inches (100mm), they do vary quite a bit
and as I wanted to bury the wiring behind
the plywood cladding I chose to use 75mm
90 / classic motorcycle mechanics
For the doors I used 50mm Celotex which is easy to cut with
a hand saw.
insulation. This type of insulation is more
commonly referred to as Celotex or
Kingspan which were the market leaders.
As previously mentioned, I put the main
uprights of the frame at 500mm centres
simply because the timber is 50mm thick,
so this left a gap of 450mm and the
material is available 450 x 1200mm sheets
often referred to as ‘batts’, making the job
of stuffing in the boards much easier.
It is easy enough to cut to be fair and the
roof trusses were spaced differently, for
some reason I can no longer recall, so the
ceiling insulation was cut out of 8ft x 4ft
sheets. I just used a cheap builder’s hard
point hand saw for cutting the Celotex.
It is sensible to wear a face mask when
cutting, particularly if like me you’re
asthmatic. Eye protection will also stop the
insulation dust being blown into your eyes
on a windy day. This was one time that
manumatic is king!
I decided to make the doors in the same
manner as the walls because insulation was
key to my design goal and couldn’t see why
they would want to be any thinner. I did,
however, need to sink the log lap cladding
into the framework of the door fronts or
they would not have opened properly, and
this had the bonus of being aesthetically
pleasing, the only downside being that it
Terry carrying a roofing sheet up the
ladder. Note the plastic capped securing
screws in the foreground.
did mean that I only had room to use
50mm Celotex. The doors were a bit fiddly
to make, which was down to the angled
braces to make the doors strong and not
sag. Careful measurement and the powered
mitre saw made cutting accurate angles
that fitted well much easier.
One particular drawback of using modern
pressure-treated timber, when there is a
global shortage, is that you’re using it long
before it has had a chance to dry out
properly. Whilst timber is a great building
material, which would have greater
environmental credentials were it not
shipped all over the world, it is an organic
material which grows and shrinks
depending on the season and moisture
content of the atmosphere around it, so this
must be accounted for when using it.
For example, one needs to allow for
expansion and contraction of both the
building and the doors, and design the door
fits to allow for this without letting in drafts
when shrinkage is at its greatest.
In the wettest of the cold winters since, I
have had to trim some ‘meat’ off the double
doors at the front to get them to shut
properly. When it’s baking hot there is quite
a gap, but there are no drafts because of
the design.
Quite a bit of thought went into the door
 The Celotex was fitted
into the framework. I
added battens to nail the
log lap to. On the inside
there was 12mm
hardwood-faced plywood.

The parts of the outside of the doors that were to be clad with
log lap were also protected with roofing felt.
Again the felt was affixed with my electric staple gun.

construction and whilst many think they

look quite unusual, I consider that the
insulation value of them to be far higher
than any off-the-shelf door I could have
afforded to buy.
I have to admit that they were quite
tricky to make, particularly fitting in the
log-lap cladding, but I really like the look
and I’m sure that they keep the shed
warmer than the alternatives.
Whilst I hate DIY with a passion,
building this workshop has been great fun
with an enormous sense of satisfaction.
The reason I wanted to share the story with
you guys is that it really isn’t that hard to
make a really great workshop that looks
nice and doesn’t require the selling of vital
organs. A shed need not be subject to
planning, nor building regulations.
More on the build next month. cmm

 Roofing sheets from Cladco Roofing At this stage the whole shed was weatherproof, which was as well because the
www.cladco.co.uk British summer brought some horrendous storms and the only rain that came in was
01837 659901 through the glassless windows.

www.classicmechanics.com / 91
 Tool of the month
ccmm
Ralph Ferrand works with tools all day long – he sells them
too at bikerstoolbox.co.uk so he knows what works.
Clarke belt and disc sander: woodworker? Not for me!
A belting sander!
A n industrial linisher is indeed a
very desirable machine for any
workshop, but sadly those of us
without a huge unit with three-phase
electricity together with a limitless budget,
such extravagance is out of reach.
Nowadays, however, Machine Mart can
sell you a four-inch belt sander with
combined six-inch disc sander for only
£150!
Whilst it is sold as a woodworking tool
that’s also fine for non-ferrous metals and
plastics, I have been using a very similar
machine for the last 30 years and it has
92 / classic motorcycle mechanics
been used primarily for metal, both ferrous
and non. I have tended to use finer grit
belts which are great for metal and can be
used as part of the polishing process.
The only reason I can see for suggesting
that one shouldn’t use ferrous metals is that
if you used it for wood and it is covered in
powdered timber, you could generate sparks
with steels that could potentially burn down
your workshop together with your house and
motorcycle collection. If you use dust
extraction and the bag is full of wood fibres,
and you then introduce red-hot chips of
steel, it needs little imagination to see how
with
bad that could end up, particularly with the
fan drawing in air to fuel the burn like a
supercharger.
So, my 30-year-old bit of kit is only
being replaced because the main bearings
and drive belt are cream-crackered and for
the price of a new one, that’s not tired from
overwork, it was a no-brainer. This one will
doubtless see me out, as old folk say. A
linisher/belt sander is so useful for shaping
metal, removing burrs, etc. When using a
TIG welder they are perfect for sharpening
the tungstens, so much better than a
bench grinder.
RIGHT: Setting up the disc sander table
with an engineer’s square.

I secured mine to the bench with

two-inch coach screws, as you don’t want
it wandering off. It comes with a little
table for the disc sander and a guide. It is
important to set the table up with a square
if you want to use it to square stuff up. I
wasn’t expecting much from the disc
sander as the previous incarnation’s
version wasn’t great, but I thought I would
‘square up’ a bit of aluminium alloy box
section on it for a photo and was
pleasantly surprised how well it worked,
particularly as I had only one hand free!
I decided to demonstrate trueing up the
end of a piece of roughly sawn 12mm x
100mm aluminium flat bar stock with the
belt. I tried the fence, but this made it
bite and jiggle, whereas using two hands
to hold the workpiece flat on the belt
worked really well. The fence is probably
great for wood. Yes, I could have filed it
flat, but that requires a huge amount of Squaring up a piece of aluminium alloy box-section
skill and is knackering; I’m not getting
any younger.
Old bike bits often get deep scratches
and when one talks about polishing, most
folk only think of the mops on a spindle,
but polishing is about going down the
abrasive grades, sometimes starting with a
belt as coarse as 80 grit. You have to
remove the surrounding metal to the full
depth of the damage. Once most of the …and now after a rub on the belt. It is
material is removed you then work your not finished, but you can see how well
way through the belt grades, removing the A rough-sawn piece of 12mm x 100mm the belt has flattened the piece, with
abrasive marks. As belts are used, aluminium flat bar stock... just a little bit to go.
particularly on stainless steels, they lose
their ‘sharpness’ or ‘cut’, but are not
discarded, but used as a finer grade.
When polishing parts you finish with the
most worn fine belt before using the
various grades of mops and polishes for a
perfect mirror finish. For linishing, my
friend at Mikey’s Polishing Shop in Bristol
gave me some special grease to apply to
the belts for this purpose; like all polishing
it is a filthy business, but necessary if you
want the pukka bling. I keep some belts
‘clean’ for metal shaping, like the one on
the machine in the photos.
I can strongly recommend this tool for
your workshop, particularly at such a
bargain price, but do bear in mind that if
you do use it for ferrous metals, don’t do
so if there is any flammable stuff around
it, and I think that one should either have
it for metal or woodwork, but not both.
Once you have one you will wonder how A handful of belts in various conditions and grades. The grey-coloured ones have
you ever managed without. cmm polishing grease lubricating them.

www.classicmechanics.com / 93
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for classic and modern machines alike, these seat motorcycle-tyres
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of all, they’re easy to both attach and remove:
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hip, Ridge Jeans have got you covered.
Available in black and blue in sizes for men
and women priced at £139.99. Find out
more at www.weiseclothing.com

A model kit from Tamiya

worth £30-50. If you want
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miniature, you can’t find a
better model kit than Tamiya,
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UK by www.hobbyco.net

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 Flight
or fight?
As PB’s fledgling ownership of the Ducati S2R Monster fails to take him to the
clouds, we find out what’s gone wrong.

Project Ducati S2R part 2

WORDS AND PICS: PAUL BERRYMAN

One of these machines isn’t sat in a puddle of oil – can you guess which?

96 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Makes me shiver when I think about
the ‘spirited ride’ I’d enjoyed
immediately before I noticed engine oil
all over my brand-new back tyre.

W
The now-useless Ducati slave gets

‘ hy did you buy

one of them?’ or
‘Oh no, you
swapped out for something shiny,
better and British made.
The classy Oberon unit installed and
ready.

haven’t have you?’ or simply

just: ‘You’ll regret that!’
First-time Ducati owners will already
understand what happens when you tell
your Japanese bike-owning friends you
now have a Bologna bullet in your garage.
Dull, predictable and inaccurate.
Except, well, read on. I first noticed the
leak when I stopped to take a picture by
RAF Alconbury’s Northrop F-5E gate
guardian, near the end of my second ride
on the bike. This wasn’t even the first leak
I’d had to fix, as after my first ride it was
clear that a seal in the OE Ducati clutch
slave cylinder had gone, and guess what?
Those seals aren’t replaceable – new unit
needed. The bike had been stood for six
years, so rather than start subscribing to
the same old ‘they’re bloody unreliable’
tropes I just shrugged my shoulders and
got it fixed, knowing from owning several
Yamahas with hydraulic clutches that
laying them up for a long time can cause
the exact same issue. At least it looks good (and it really does)...
If you own a Ducati with a hydraulic
clutch that left the showroom a while back,
then you (or the previous owner) will itself. When it had been serviced recently about just how poorly this bike was
probably have had this issue, and the and recommissioned after its lay-up, the running. It took a failed attempt to
chances are it’ll probably have been fixed specialist Ducati workshop (which has accelerate past my mate Brian’s DL650
with the same thing I used – one of UK since closed) hadn’t noticed that the V-Strom on a fast motorway slip-road
company Oberon’s far superior slave standard push-rod had been put in before I realised something was horribly
cylinders. Machined from billet aluminium, back-to-front. They had suggested that it wrong with my Monster. As we both
the classy anodised design and internal was a non-standard push-rod, which opened the taps together I expected to
components are all way better than the needed changing, but in fact it wasn’t. It glide past. Instead, this Ducati simply
mass-produced original item. Once fitted was the right one, just the wrong way couldn’t catch him: eye-opening! That set
the clutch action is smoother and lighter, round, with the two O-rings it carries on me thinking. If you’ve read and
and Oberon confidently claims its unit will the shaft inserted into the clutch end, and remembered Part 1 you’ll know I
outlast the original Ducati item by a not the slave end. innocently opined that the Ducati ran so
considerable margin. Oh, and as if all that This was a simple fix, but one that I only lumpy down low it was almost at the point
isn’t good enough reason to use one, they’re found after buying another push-rod, of stalling around town. You’ll also know I
available in a range of colours and they’re thinking that the ‘non-standard’ item was considered 4th and 5th gear better for
£70 cheaper than the OE unit, at £112.50 behind the new leak. Oh well, I now had motorway work than top. Ha-ha! The clues
instead of £183.17 (prices as of 2023!) the first nugget for the Monster’s spares were there all along. At the time I just
So, back to the second ride, and here box, as well as the beginnings of a thought (having never owned one before)
we are looking at leak #2, which question mark about how that had even that this was what they did. I framed it as
ominously looked like it was also coming become a mistake. Sadly there were more ‘quirky Italian character’ – utter guff. I’d
from the same area of the clutch slave of those question marks to come, and not also experienced some issues on hotter
cylinder, although this time it was oil, not as easy or cheap to fix. Humph. days where the bike got so lumpy it’d start
hydraulic fluid. I limped the bike home as In spite of ‘doing fast motorbikes’ for to cough and felt like it was trying to
I had oil all over the rear tyre, and years, all my previous Japanese-centric blowback through the injector bodies
whipped off the new slave cylinder. The experience was proving useless; I was in under the tank. In spite of spending a
problem was quick to find – as expected it uncharted Ducati-land, and it turns out I decent whack to get it right when I first
was weeping oil from around the push-rod was the victim of being pretty clueless bought it, this bike was just wrong.

www.classicmechanics.com / 97
 I’d actually enjoyed riding the Ducati
immensely, which was the primary reason
that masked the notion it was unwell.
However big the smile had been from
riding it, it was about to get bigger; a deep
inspection was about to reveal this
Monster was truly sick.
Working at an Anglesey track-day
shortly after the embarrassing V-Strom
slip-road incident, I had the good fortune
to be sharing the instructor’s garage with a
bona-fide Ducatisphere legend, Rich
Llewellyn from Luigi Moto in Bristol. Rich
is a man who lives and breathes making
air-cooled Ducati motors fly, and fly bloody
well. The question marks relating to
performance started with his tuned ear
suggesting it didn’t sound right – it was
lumpy, lazy to rev and simply not how it
should be. Long conversations where I Rich Llewellyn’s classy Luigi Moto Monster – thanks to his expertise I realised I had
tapped into his years of experience all some deep-seated issues with my own Monster’s set-up.
pointed to having it baseline checked,
including seeing what map was loaded on
to the Ducati ECU. It is a really crucial Cambridgeshire, I’d have been wheeling anything else at all. Even that first
piece in the jigsaw, as the bike has the the bike into the Louigi moto workshop conversation with Mark Brewin (boss at
open air-box and straight-through almost straight after Anglesey, but it isn’t. BSD) had him raising eyebrows about what
Termignonis and simply won’t perform well Sorry Rich! Dead-local-to-me BSD in this bike was doing; he agreed to give
unless it uses the accompanying map that Peterborough, however, is another everything the once-over.
Ducati performance provided with the repository of solid, long-held Ducati After a few days the results of the
exhaust upgrade. Although the belts had expertise. So, they got the job of listening baseline dyno test and autopsy were in.
been done and the valve clearances to my sad story of being shown a clean The numbers won’t mean anything without
checked in my recommissioning at the pair of panniers by a V-Strom; a run-down context so let me share this bike’s claimed
other Ducati workshop, Rich firmly of what work had happened previously; power when new – 77bhp. That figure, of
suggested a fresh start was needed and how lumpy it felt; and what I wanted to course, is subject to the usual
everything needed looking at. I agreed. achieve, which included a dyno run to see manufacturer over-claim, but is missing
If Bristol had been 100 miles nearer just how sick it was before they did the additional power that can be expected
from the open air-box and straight-through
Termignoni upgrade. So before we get to
the real figures, what would I have
expected if it had been well? I reckoned
about 70-75bhp, whereas, in fact, it
made… (drumroll) just 50bhp! Oh Jesus.
Well, there we have it, it was definitely ill!
Along with proof of its paltry power
output from the wheel of truth came the
diagnosis of why – it wasn’t an easy listen.
For brevity here’s a cut and paste of the
notes I made on my phone during the call:

This may have fuel-injection but

balancing the throttle bodies is still
Into the workshop at BSD in Peterborough. First dyno run was eye-openingly bad. done the old way.

98 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 BSD called – bike dyno reading on
admission – 50bhp
 Valve clearances tight – back cylinder
especially
 Belts – one tooth out on back cylinder
 Mark alignment was ambiguous; this
makes the above more understandable
 Throttle bodies out of sync
 Fuelling was lean – now remapped at
three throttle positions: low, mid, wide
open
 Result – 74bhp at back wheel, mid-
range much stronger
 Bike DID have the Ducati performance
ECU chip
 Clutch P/N 19020161A needed (sad
face in here!).
Wow. That was one sick motorcycle.
Most disappointing is the stuff that should
have been right after the baseline work I’d
had done when I got the bike – valve
clearances and belts could and should
have been perfect, but weren’t, arguably
the throttle body balance, too. The Ducati
performance ECU chip being fitted was
good, but the fact it failed to deliver
enough fuel was bad. However, with the
remedial work finally done correctly, the
final dyno reading was sensational! Who
doesn’t love wheeling a bike out of the
workshop with 48 per cent more power
than when it rolled in?
My first ride on the new and improved
Monster was at Cadwell Park, as I’d picked
it up from BSD on the way to instruct for
the lovely people at Classic Bike Trackdays.
Wow, just WOW! As the phone call had
suggested, it was a very different
motorcycle. It was smoother; it was gutsier;
it was more responsive; it was easier to
ride; and it was way faster. In spite of all its
previous ailments, I had still been in love
with it (I know, amazing) but right now this
bike was tickling parts of me that hadn’t
been tickled before. Brilliant! But, there
was now another small(ish) problem.
The wheel of truth says: FIXED! 48 per
cent more peak power and 36 per cent
more peak torque.
I’m learning that in Ducati-land things
are never completely simple; every upside
seems to have a downside waiting just
round the corner to alleviate any notions
that ownership can be carefree or cheap.
The anti-Ducati protagonists mentioned in
the opening paragraph of this article will
love the closing statement from BSD’s
phone call: “Now it’s making proper power,
the clutch is slipping – you’ll need a new
clutch pack.”
Maybe the harbingers of doom were
right? Maybe this is just an expensive and
never-ending folly? Hmmm. Is this bike
expensive and needy? Well, so far yes. Will
it always be? Well, when I finally get on
top of everything it needs I’m expecting
actually, no, it won’t be.
Those who have already walked the
Ducati path will know just what I’m feeling
– people don’t love this marque for no
reason. A Ducati will poke you in the ribs One tooth out…
then flirt with you until you fall head over
heels with it. From then on, just like me,
you’ll walk into any headwinds with your
head up and your wallet open, maybe even
still smiling! It’ll be the chunky and eager
power-pulses, the booming soundtrack, as
well as the unrelenting shove forwards
from any gear at any speed that do it.
Plus, that first look as the garage door lifts
up to reveal a ruby-red gemstone of Italian
design winking back at you; oh yeah, once
it’s got you, it’s got you good. Annoyingly
expensive and difficult it may be, but this
bike lights me up. I love it.
Now where’s my debit card? I need to
buy a clutch pack… cmm
Thanks to:
 Rich at Louigi Moto in Bristol –
www.louigimoto.com
 Mark and Andy at BSD in Peterborough
– www.BSD.uk.com
 Oberon – www.oberon-performance.co.uk After BSD’s magic tooth fairy had
visited: cock-on.
Finally – the real Monster reveals itself!
(Pic courtesy Classic Bike Trackdays and
Rob Baxter Photography.)
www.classicmechanics.com / 99
 WORDS AND PICS: PIP HIGHAM
Seat fitted on the
‘Muddle’ bike, it’s a bit of a mix!

Sorting yer seat!

We all like a little bit of comfort with our favoured steeds, but what can you do if
your project doesn’t even have a seat? Pip Higham may well have the answers…
So, pull up a seat.

T hat bit that you sit/

Donor seat borrowed from a pal, bit rough.
perch/squat on is pretty
important, I’m sure
you’ll agree. In the few years
that I’ve been fixing up a few
old Ducatis I’ve taken a few different
tracks to ensure I had a pleasant place
to sit.
This is bearing in mind that A) I’m a
short arse, about five foot eight on a good
day and B) fairly light, around 11 stone
(low 70s on the kilogram scale.) I’ve
frequently gone for a fibre-glass base,
courtesy of Lord Ken of Halliwell, which
would then be padded and trimmed to
suit. The riding position provided by this
arrangement is a bit cramped for anyone
of a slightly more robust stature, but suits
me fine.
Back in the day, when we sold lots of
bits for big Kawasakis and Suzukis, we
would frequently be asked for a perch that
allowed Colin Crotchrocket to feel that he

100 / classic motorcycle mechanics

 SUBSCRIBE TODAY
SEE PAGE 94-95 FOR DETAILS
TOP TOOL TIPS • CLASSIC REVIEWS • PROJECT BUILDS
T

A couple of small mild steel components; might need a couple

Oh yes, she’s a rough one. of goes to get them nice, I did!

was less ‘sitting on’ and more ‘sitting in’
his Zed, GS, GSX, whatever. Two Four
accessories sold a great range of Giuliari
seats with fibre-glass base and minimal
padding; we sold a lot. As time went on
the Japanese bikes on offer came with
non-rotting ABS moulded seat bases and
competent, hard-wearing faux leather
coverings... nice. But I encountered a bit
of a problem when I was attempting to
refurb a 250 Monza-tyle Ducati that I was
looking to use on fine days for a womble
around the Dales with The Elf on the
back, The Elf being our Jean, my
longstanding side-kick and featherweight
pillion passenger.
I’d been collecting bits to put the bike
together for a while and had actually
sourced a new seat cover that was correct
for both style and substance, but could I
find a seat frame? Not a chance.
As is usual in these cases I went around
the houses for a week or three before
finally deciding that the best way to
achieve the desired result was to make a
seat base/frame that would take the cover
and fit to the frame. Once I’d made the
decision I assembled the troops: Inverter
MIG, vice, hacksaw, drill, files and a good
selection of lumps of mild steel in various
thicknesses and widths.
The Ducati seat frame is typical of
many similar Italian makes which popped
up in the 1960s: there’s not much foam,
just a sort of skeletal structure featuring
various springs and wires which is then
covered with a substantial chunky sheath
(Oooh Matron) made of a stiff rubber-like
membrane to distribute the load (i.e. my
bum), fitted with a tailored vinyl cover.
These seats were made by a couple of
well-known Italian companies, Giuliari
(there’s that name again) or Radaelli; I
can imagine pallets containing thousands
of seats ready to ship out to Guzzi, Morini
and, of course, Ducati.
The build process would have been
incredibly rapid, the cover being fitted to
the frame and fixed with a dozen or so
simple bent slips of malleable plated mild
steel. I realised that my journey would be
a bit more time-consuming than theirs,
but I had no seat and not much chance of
finding one... let the measuring, chopping
and wrangling begin.
I suppose the best term for the
fabrication procedure is ‘Blacksmithery’.
Starting with 4mm thick strips of mild
steel, I made a cardboard template to give
me the shape of the main side struts.
Then I warmed each one in turn with my
MAPP torch (methylacetylene-propadiene
propane) and tweaked, tapped and tonked
it into the required shape. Now, this is
fine for one side, but the trick is making
the two opposing sides to match, so
patience is required in significant
amounts. If you have a seat to copy (look
after your mates, sometimes they come in
handy in this respect) I’d suggest making
a simple timber jig to help keep the
component parts in the correct
relationship. There are other steel parts
that go to make up the perimeter, but
they’re simple, so always create the shape
first and finally trim to length.
With the various bits held in place with
clamps, mole grips, etc., tack the parts
together. I realise that this falls outside
the normal ‘blow the tyres up and check
the oil’ routine tasks, but I think there are
lots of very talented bods and girls out
there who are well capable of this sort of
fabrication. They simply need (notice I
didn’t say ‘just’ that’s a word best used
sparingly, if at all) a bit of encouragement
to undertake tasks they might never have
considered previously; let’s face it, if the
initial attempt isn’t successful, the cost
has been minimal and with that
experience, the next attempt is much
more likely to succeed... I hope!
The central part of the ‘skeleton’ is

Welding wire spring extenders ready to go. Front-end of the spring assembly.

www.classicmechanics.com / 101
 Simple solutions: Don’t expect to get things bang-on first time. Keep trying!
View from underneath showing layout of two big compression
springs and cross member.
critical to the structural integrity and
eventual comfort of the perch. It has to
have a gentle radius to all the edges so as
not to chafe or scrape the outer cover.
Again, there’s an element of ‘smithing’
involved, and you’ll certainly need to have
a couple of goes at this bit. The flanged
section needs to shrink a little, but in the
absence of complex and expensive press
tools I simply reverted to nicking the outer
edges, tapping them into shape, then
welding and finally sanding (with a flap
disc in my 100mm Makita) the profile as
required. This centre section segregates
the front and rear parts of the seat; it’s
supported by a pair of coil springs which,
in turn, sit on a side-to-side support which
joins the two main side rails.
Setting up the springing is an intriguing
process, as original seats use several
102 / classic motorcycle mechanics
Finished ‘skeleton’ showing fit of all springs.
individual tension springs for both the
front and back sections. By changing the
number of these, and the tension they are
under, it’s quite easy to change the
compliance of the seat. The two
compression springs mentioned previously
could be increased to three or even four to
add a bit of oomph, too.
So, in essence it’s oh-so simple to tailor
the springing to your individual taste/
comfort as a few twists and tweaks will
make a world of difference. I opted for 10
springs front and back; tension springs of
every size, shape and configuration are
widely available and don’t need to be to a
precise length. I cut and shaped short
pieces of 1.5mm stainless steel welding
wire to create the length needed; the
springs need to be under tension as fitted
and the ends of the wire obviously need to
be fashioned in such a way as to be
directed away from the, erm, sensitive
bits. Please accept my apologies if I’ve
dumbed this stuff down, it’s a tricky line
to track. With the frame fully welded and
suitably painted, and the springs laced,
it’s time for a test. Wrap three or four
layers of cloth, old T-shirts or similar, to
simulate the cover and give it a test ‘sit’
and adjustment. As described it’s a piece
of cake, but needs to be done uniformly
for optimal comfort.
For this type of seat, fitting the cover is
the easy bit. Ensure there are no sharp
bits protruding, pop the cover on,
preferably in a warm place, and turn over
the plated clips (nobody will see your
handiwork but you’ll know it’s there). It’ll
take a day or two to ‘smith’ it into
existence but it’s worth the effort. cmm
Cover fitted, all nice and bonny.
www.classicmechanics.com / 103
104 / classic motorcycle mechanics
WITH MORE THAN 30 PAGES
OF PRACTICAL ADVICE!
YAMAHA DT125R: Andy Bolas goes ‘off-the-beaten-track’...
HONDA CB750 DOHC: Steve Cooper rides this fiesty four...
SHOW US YER SHED: WIN a £50 tools voucher if

Next
you show us YOURS!
BUILD YOUR OWN WORKSHOP PART 3:
Ralph Ferrand continues...
THE PERFECT PROJECT: Our new section sees Kev
Raymond look at some project bikes up for sale out there!
BRIDGESTONE/CMM BIKE OF THE YEAR: IN YOUR MILDLY RESTORED CMM!
month
Yamaha’s RD250LC
PROJECT BIKES: We will be showcasing some of the following (space allowing): Pip Higham’s
Suzuki TC305 Laredo, Alan Dowds’ Kawasaki ZRX1100R Turbo, Mark Haycock’s
Honda ST70, Steve Cooper’s Yamaha YL1, or new Ducati/Bultaco special. Perhaps
Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish’s racing Yamaha TD2B and Jeff Ware’s Suzuki GSX-R750 F or his
new Bridgestone BS90. Ralph Ferrand will be back with his Project Z900, David Punshon’s
Honda CB750 DOHC, Malc Shaw with his Suzuki GT500 Café Racer and maybe Taylor
Mackenzie’s Yamaha TY80, and let’s not forget Dave Marsden from Z-Power and his ‘Goose’
Mad Max replica. Oh, and Martin Fox’s Kawasaki GPZ900R TOP GUN special and maybe
even the editor’s Triumph Speed Triple.

WIN!
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o d ie fr om: w w .uk
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C o m fo rt ne
a ridgesto the right to completely
£70, a B nd Tamiya mess up the above list
ra
Oximise s… in a bid to give you the
kit best mix of 1960s,
1970s, 1980s and
1990s machines and
fettling tips!

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cmm
Pip Higham
a
Tuner, engineer, rider
Collection of bits that was once a bike, honest!
Shed heaven!
I ’ve been tapping out a few words for da
boss on the subject of sheds, our places
of tranquillity, well, generally. Make sure
you take part (see page 92) and you’ll get a
voucher worth a few quid!
Brother Bill had several storage spaces
for his bikes, kit and tools and, by
definition, he guarded his stuff very
carefully. I’m sure that you would also
rather keep your stuff than let some ne’er
do well appropriate it without handing over
a bit of old-fashioned cash.
This issue is one that I pondered very
carefully before embarking on the aforesaid
jumble of words. I hate to go there, but I
feel that we must, as security is an area
that plays an irritatingly large part of all of
our lives, with passwords, fingerprint
recognition, CCTV and dozens of keys
being unwelcome necessities.
I hate them all but having been on the
receiving end of nefarious activity I have
my own measures in place to keep my stuff
safe, as I’m sure you have also. Bill’s
techniques were quite conventional, with
lots of locks, steel lock guards and an
alarm with a direct connection to a
nationwide control centre.
Great, but Bill, being Bill, wanted
something a bit more ‘direct’ and sort of
‘hands on’. No tripwires or shark-filled pits;
ever the lateral thinker, Bill hatched a
cunning plan. With a series of pulleys and
some industrial nylon cord, he rigged up a
firing mechanism that triggered a small
deactivated shotgun cartridge. It had been
thoroughly castrated (it had no balls), but
106 / classic motorcycle mechanics
Dismantled, dismembered, dishevelled, manky, I’m
running out of adjectives!
RIGHT: I still like a five
lever padlock and a lump
of hefty chain.
it did retain a small charge and a bit of
shredded paper in place of the ‘shot’. All
he had to do to deactivate it was flip a
small catch inside the main access door
before running the shutter back. The object
of the exercise being that any miscreant
attempting unlawful entry would probably
perform a total evacuation if they triggered
the mechanism; they would also probably
be a bit deaf for a little while, giving them
time to get the shredded paper out of
their hair!
All went well for many months, nobody
broke in, nobody got deafened, until... one
day Bill was halfway back home when he
realised he’d left his digital vernier in the
chapel... wait for it.. Suffice to say, Bill’s
home-made mechanism worked perfectly,
the detonation was heard two streets away,
Bill’s hearing was never quite the same,
but nobody died.
I realise that my purpose in life has
reduced significantly as my physical and
mental ability gently decline into a
(hopefully) comfy armchair, preferably with
sundry MotoGP coverage four or five nights
each week. I attempt to offer the odd tale
about my unblemished youth and the pals
who tried to drag me off the righteous
path, which was generally not too difficult,
it has to be said. And here we go again. I
have a plan so gather round. In my October
2016 column (yes I know, I, too, have
slept since then) I happened to mention
that I fancied recreating Graham’s ‘Spotted
Bike’, an early example of a ‘project’
conceived in a pub by a small group of
youths with little to occupy their minds
apart from bikes and young ladies.
At the time I looked about for suitable
donor material but the cash required for a
pile of mismatched, battered bits gave me
the willies so I more or less binned the
idea until, while chatting to pal o’ mine
Alan Miller from Totnes (AEM Classics), he
came over all humorous and declared that
there just might be a suitable patient in his
latest lucky bag from the land of the free.
But my question is this: Is anybody even
slightly interested in my efforts to recreate
an ancient bike that made little sense 50
years ago, and makes even less now? I’m
guessing probably not, but I’m going to do
it anyway. I reckon I can put the thing
together without burning out my few
remaining grey cells. We’ll see. As someone
much cleverer than me once opined: “What
could possibly go wrong?”
Postscript. Sometime later with a
depleted piggy bank and a substantial pile
of mid-1950s mixed iron and aluminium
cluttering up my shed, I’ve embarked on the
latest madcap adventure (folly?). I’ll save
my observations until I can put together
various words and pictures to chart
progress, or quite possibly, the lack of it!
I sincerely hope that I don’t offend too
many of Bertie’s faithful. If I do, well I
apologise, but look at it this way, we all love
to see others suffer a little bit; believe me,
that box is already filling up! But good for
the grey matter, rekindling memories of
mangy magnetos and clunky crankshafts,
it’s definitely going to be a bumpy ride! cmm