E E E G F3R2PA
KE I B H DE S TI UI I BR G
BUY
SELL
RIDE
RESTORE
KAWASAKI Z1 Celebratingtheold and ridingthe new Z900RS
RATION RESTO
TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN
TECH
RATION RESTO
PARIS SHOW
KAWASAKI KH400
BUYIN
G GUID
E
004 010 016 020 026 030 038 044 052 060 066 068 070 072 074 084 086 092 096 106 110 112 130
FROM THE ARCHIVE A little snowy out there? Look at all the fun they used to have! TRIUMPH DAYTONA 500 In 1984, Judith Bonser bought a new Triumph Daytona 500, and still has it. Hang on – 1984? SUBSCRIBE! Oh go on, no more chasing through the magazines at the supermarket, let us come to you NEWS We’ve got new bikes, old bikes, Welsh road racing and so much more. Move over News at Ten! SALON MOTO LÉGENDE We take a look at the Paris classic bike show and find some gems BUYERS GUIDE – HONDA CL350 It was never imported over here, but Honda’s US market pseudo scrambler makes a great buy now BUYERS GUIDE – TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN Charming and dainty, with good acceleration, the Speed Twin even came with a dress to keep you clean BUYERS GUIDE – KAWASAKI KH400 From under the shadow of its bigger brother, the KH400 shined with better manners and almost as much performance KAWASAKI Z900RS Does the new Z900RS make a good modern bike and please lovers of the original Z? We test it to find out Z1 – THE BEGINNING Is the original always the best? We take a look at the Z1 family and see just why it’s so highly regarded FROM THE ARCHIVE One for the Kawasaki fans – the original marketing poster STEVE COOPER Our voice from the VJMC asks: Are bikes really a safe investment? PAUL MILES Paul – what’s wrong with you? – you’ve bought a bike that’s not spotless! PAUL D’ORLEANS Paul goes right back to the beginning of his riding story ROYAL ENFIELD AND THE INTERCEPTOR We take a fascinating look at the Interceptor and Royal Enfield at that time. Did you know they had an underground factory? WHAT’S ON It may be cold out there, but we bring you what’s happening in the world of old bikes BSA ROUND TANK Would you dare take a vintage bike as your first restoration? Dean May has – brave man! PRODUCTS Spend all that Christmas money! DUCATI 900SS A truly magnificent restoration of a magnificent motorcycle IN THE WORKSHOP – SERVICE YOUR BRAKE DRUMS It’s dirty but easy to make sure you can stop LETTERS What have you been up to over Christmas? Tell us all! READER ADVERTS How much? Do I really need that kidney? FRANK WESTWORTH Oh no, someone’s told Frank about custom bikes…
The CBG subscriptions stand was busy at the Winter Classic Show at Newark, as we decided to strip our Honda CL350 on the stand! Thanks to all of you that came to say hello, told us about your bikes and asked questions. Happy New Year!
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CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || FEBRUARY 2018 3
From the archive
Chilly greetings from the Mortons archive!
While most of our bikes are safely tucked away, we trawled through the archives to find some braver (or crazier) souls from days gone by‌ y
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || FEBRUARY 2018 5
Welcome
||
Who’s who ||
EDITOR || Matt Hull editor@classicbikeguide.com
Matt Hull
PUBLISHER || Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER || Kelvin Clements
MoT exempt – hurrah! Or is it?
DESIGNER || Michael Baumber PICTURE DESK || Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield EDITORIAL ASSISTANT || Jayne Clements PRODUCTION EDITOR || Sarah Wilkinson
I DON’T WATCH the news any more. It gives me a little more time in the workshop, and to my less-than-academic mind it seems the world is run by sociopaths trying to look after themselves or their mates, at the expense of the rest of us. Have you watched a session in Parliament recently? If my children acted like our supposed representatives do, they’d be sent to bed with no tea. At least I don't have to worry about Brexit. It won’t affect Norfolk, no one with any power knows where we are… One minor bit of news I couldn’t escape is the scrapping of MoT tests for bikes and cars over the age of 40 from later this year. How and why, when funding for the National Health Service and the nation’s schools is all many can talk about, this became a blip on the powers-that-be radar, heaven only knows. But it’s nice to have some good news. Or is it? Of the three annual costs – insurance, tax and MoT – most of us now only have to worry about the former. But is saving £27.50 on an MoT really worth it? Firstly, no matter how good you are with the spanners, I’ve always found it comforting that someone totally independent is casting an eye over my bike. I used to train new riders and the pupil bikes were Mot’d every six months as I did the servicing and they got a lot of use and abuse – just in case. Some may say that MoT testers are ‘fishing for work’, but this is nonsense. The VOSA system is so automated it has to be by the book. A little known fact is that if an MoT tester is unsure about an element of a bike, if something is borderline, then they always have to pass it, with an advisory note to highlight the issue. Secondly, and more serious, is that the majority of the MoT test is to check the machine is roadworthy. Yes, it’s only a test of the bike at that time, but this is also a legal requirement at all times. How often do you check your tyre tread and rear lights before heading off? I know we should do, but. Many times has a bike passed an MoT, only to have a bulb blow on the way home, and of course no one has ever used WD40 to swell a leaking fork seal just enough to pass the annual ministry test… But in all seriousness there was recently a legal case where a classic bike had been hit,
DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER || Billy Manning ADVERTISING || Leon Currie 01507 529413 lcurrie@mortons.co.uk Kieron Deekens 01507 529576 kdeekens@mortons.co.uk ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES || Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER || Paul Deacon CIRCULATION MANAGER || Steven O’Hara MARKETING MANAGER || Charlotte Park COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR || Nigel Hole PUBLISHING DIRECTOR || Dan Savage
“Cracked frame? Don’t worry, boy – it’s more than 40 years old, no one’ll see it and doesn’t need an MoT any more…”
while stationary, at a T-junction. On the face of it, quite clear where to apportion the blame. But in court, the rider was asked if the bike was roadworthy. “Of course”, the owner said. “Where’s the proof?” the magistrate asked. And of course, without an MoT certificate there is no proof of roadworthiness, other than the owner’s word... which isn’t worth a bean. Compensation was halved because of this. £27.50 isn’t that much. It’s cheaper than an hourly rate of most bike shops, so personally I will still be getting my 40-year-old bikes MoT’d. It’s a fresh pair of eyes, it’s peace of mind, that piece of paper may one day be needed, I always get a nice cuppa and enjoy chatting nonsense about old bikes and the price of fish. We’ve got some great bikes in this month, hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think of the new Kawasaki – yes it’s only classic in looks, but sometimes it’s nice to turn a key rather than finding TDC, tickling, setting timing and kicking… Oh, and happy new year! May it be full of riding, fixing and fettling. Be good. Matt Hull editor@classicbikeguide.com
EDITORIAL ADDRESS Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR WEBSITE www.classicbikeguide.com GENERAL QUERIES AND BACK ISSUES 01507 529529 24hr answerphone Email: help@classicmagazines.co.uk Web: www.classicmagazines.co.uk SUBSCRIPTION Full subscription rates (but see page 16 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 16 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. DISTRIBUTION Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. 0203 787 9001 USA SUBSCRIPTIONS CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE (USPS:002-674) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $54 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com PRINTED BY || William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton. ISSN No 0959-7123
ADVERT DEADLINE || February 8, 2018 NEXT ISSUE || February 28, 2018
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CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || FEBRUARY 2018 9
Triumph Daytona T100R In 1984 Judith Bonser saw a brand new Triumph Daytona in the window of The Motor Cycle Shop in High Road, Leytonstone, East London. It didn’t matter that she was only 17 years old or that she didn’t have any money. That bike was going to be hers. WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY PHILLIP TOOTH
H
ang on a minute – a new Daytona for sale in 1984? Didn’t production end in September 1973 when NVT, the parent group of Norton, Villiers, Triumph and BSA, announced that the Meriden factory would close and production move to the BSA works at Small Heath? The Meriden workers had responded by locking the gates and began their famous sit-in, which would last until 1975. Although a few Daytona models might have appeared in dealers’ showrooms later that year they would have been old stock, because after the sit-in the factory only built the larger twins. So what was the story? It was Ted Bloomfield, boss of MCS, another North London bike shop, that was the reason. This strongly opinionated Brit bike enthusiast opened his first shop in 1958 when he was 20 years old and specialised in Triumph, Norton and BSA. In the 1980s the British motorcycle industry was on the ropes, but Ted kept his customers on the road with workshop facilities, a reliable supply of spare parts, and by selling repatriated BSA A65 police bikes from Libya and Saudi Arabia, BSA B40 army bikes from Holland and Triumph TR7 750s from Germany. And he cleared out the Metropolitan Police stores when they changed to BMW. Ted owned three houses behind the main shop and it took 13 people, three hours to carry those police parts inside. In 1984 his stock had a retail value of over £2,000,000 and filled every room of the three houses, including the toilets and bathrooms. Ted was also sourcing Triumph spares from PS-Motors. When the Meriden workers started their sit-in at Factory No1, NVT boss Dennis Poore sold Factory No2, along with tons of spare parts for the Daytona and other models, to Busder Reinhardt, the Triumph importer for Denmark. The factories were on opposite sides of the road, so ‘Buster’ didn’t have far to look for someone to head up his new business. Jack Shortland left his job as Triumph’s spares manager and became the S in PS-Motors. The huge stockpile included crankcases and flywheel assemblies, fork legs in their triple clamps, wheels complete with hubs and brakes, gear sets and frames, tanks, seats, electrics... Ted realised that there were enough new parts to begin making a batch of Daytona T100R, T140 Bonneville and TR7 Adventurer motorcycles and put his workshop manager, Matt Colling, in charge of the project. “I worked in another of Ted’s shops, on the other side of the road,” recalls Matt. “Our target was to build one new bike a week.” The first engine made from new parts was stamped T100R with number 58001, and the second 58002. There was no twoletter prefix indicating the month and year of production. “I didn’t want them confused with factory machines,”
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || FEBRUARY 2018 11
explains Matt. Both motorcycles were fitted with electronic ignition, but neither had flashing indicators even though they were standard for the 1971 models. Although everyone thought that there were plenty of new parts, there was a shortage of cylinder heads. “I can’t be certain, but I think we only made four Daytonas and then perhaps five Adventurers,” says Matt, who later took over MCS and relocated to Cornwall with about 200 tonnes of Triumph, Norton and BSA spares. So back to Judith’s story... The first of those new bikes was on display when Judith walked into MCS with her boyfriend, who needed some parts for his BSA A10. “One had an argosy blue and ice white gas tank but I wasn’t interested in that. As soon as I saw the Daytona with the vermilion and silver tank I fell in love with it,” she recalls. “I had to have it.” But there was a problem – the £1800 price tag. To put that into perspective, for £30 less Jude could have bought a new CBX550F with a dohc 16-valve four-cylinder engine; air assisted front forks, TRAC torsion reactive anti-dive control and inboard twin discs up front. Oh, and electric start. Honda’s 120mph middleweight sportster had been voted Bike of the Year, but that didn’t impress Jude either. “The people we hung around with all rode British bikes. I had a Suzuki GP 100 but it was a given that I’d get a Brit bike as soon as I passed my test.” It doesn’t matter how tough parents think they are, a daughter will usually get her way. “I tried to get a bank loan, but I needed my parents to act as guarantors. That was the hard part – I went on and on and on until they gave in. It took me three years of sticking components onto printed circuit boards to pay it all back.” After Jude took delivery of her Daytona on May 26 it became her daily ride. “It never let me down and I loved riding it, but towards the end of the 1980s my circumstances changed and I parked it at the back of the garage, only bringing it out for the occasional Sunday blast.” Roll on 33 years and the Daytona was looking a bit scruffy. It was time to call in the men from FD Motorcycles. Partners Nick Rowe and Andy Brown started their business over 30 years ago, and Andy
12 FEBRUARY 2018 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE
In 1973 a new Daytona would set you back £474, including taxes.
used to work a few days a week for MCS, so these guys know their Brit bikes. It was Andy who stripped and rebuilt the engine and transmission. “Everything was in good condition so I just put it back together properly, like I do with all the bikes we work on,” he says. Just put it back properly? Come on, Andy. You must have done more than that? “Well, I measured the cams and valves, checked that the compression ratio was 9.75:1. The engine is standard, like all the ones FD Motorcycles builds. And they don’t leak oil.” But what about those inserts in the exhaust ports? “Well, the stock exhaust pipes are a push fit in the ports but after a while the alloy wears and the pipes rattle so I screw-cut the ports and made screw-in bronze inserts. Then I used springs hooked into stainless steel wire loops that I TIG-welded to the pipes so that they are pulled home tight.” Is there anything else that you’ve put back together properly? How about the silencers? “Oh, I made the plates which mount the silencers to the frame through Commando rubber mounts.” The new-old-stock chrome plated mudguards had been replaced with stainless ones in the late 1980s, but the curve didn’t follow the line of the tyres so Andy sorted that as well, re-fitting and rubber-mounting them. He also made another press tool so he could make a better rear light and number plate mount. The crankcase breather pipe now feeds into the oil tank. “I like the bikes I build to look tidy,” adds Andy. To check if a bike is as tidy as one Andy builds, look under the seat. It takes care and time to make electrics look this neat. “Jude wanted to run with a daytime headlamp and for me to fit indicators, so I took off the Lucas Rita electronic ignition and installed a stock twin contact breaker system,” he continues. “Otherwise I’d have had to upgrade the charging system as well.” Because Jude found the twistgrip rather heavy, Andy fitted lighter throttle springs to the