Classic Bike Guide April 2018

BUY

SELL

GIANT KILLER

RIDE

RESTOR RE

SOLD!

TECH

BMW R65 JAMES CADET RESTO TWINSHOCK FUN IN PLUS THE SUN YAMAHA TRAIL BIKES HOW TO ZINC PLATE

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Damn bikers, always larking around…

NORVIN NIRVANA A classic concoction started by Surtees, perfected for today. Sublime.

SUBSCRIBE! Save more than 20% off the cover price and have it delivered to your door – lovely NEWS What’s been going on in our world WHAT’S ON Where shall we go this weekend?

STEVE COOPER All Steve wants to do is play with bikes – even if some of the bolts aren’t original PAUL MILES Paul gets all flustered over internet misconceptions PAUL D’ORLÉANS Our man Stateside finds himself in China and it’s gone electric BUYING GUIDE – BMW R65 Baby Beemer gives you more bike for your buck PROJECT R65 A main dealer gives customers carte blanche with an R65 project bike

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BUYING GUIDE – YAMAHA AIR-COOLED RD350 From innocent beginnings rose a giant-killing two-stroke BUYING GUIDE – TRIUMPH T140 BONNEVILLE We find the 750 Triumph that makes a great all-rounder SOLD! BUYING AND SELLING AT AUCTION We bring you all the inside information on how to get a bargain at auction FROM THE ARCHIVE A lovely look into the amateur Manx GP from the past MOTO GUZZI V50 Beauty really does come in small packages with the small-block ‘Guzzi YAMAHA TRAIL BIKES Thanks to the USA, Yamaha discovered how to make superb do-it-all off-roaders TWINSHOCK TRAIL RIDING IN SPAIN We find out about a trail riding navigational rally in the Pyrenees with travelling eccentric maths teacher, Austin Vince

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LETTERS Some Amal advice, BMW desert bashing and a Viennese XBR500 PRODUCTS What we’ve been using and whether it’s any good RESTORATION – JAMES CADET Small bikes make a great resto, as this James demonstrates IN THE WORKSHOP – HOW TO ZINC PLATE Want to keep your original fastenings but they look rubbish? We show you how to bring them back to as new IN THE WORKSHOP – HOW TO ASSESS AN ENGINE So you’ve stripped bare your engine – now what? We look at how to assess for a rebuild READER ADS Don’t fight the simple fact you can never have too many bikes…

FRANK WESTWORTH Frank tries to bite his tongue as a friend’s restoration stalls.

SUB AND SASCRIBE VE OVE R

20% OFF COVER THE PRICE

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || APRIL 2018 3

From the archive

WE DON’T KNOW what makes us laugh more – guessing whether these merry souls at a rally in 1964 actually tried to ride off after their photo was taken, or the fact that you probably won’t see six bikers larking around on a Vincent Comet these days… Maybe we could re-create it at the Stafford show next month?

Mortonsarchive.com

6 APRIL 2018 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Drinking officer?

Us?

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || APRIL 2018 7

Welcome

||

EDITOR || Matt Hull editor@classicbikeguide.com

Matt Hull

PUBLISHER || Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER || Kelvin Clements

Money is no object SNOW WILL BE what we remember about last month... but the sun was shining on me as I got to ride a brand-new Norvin. The bike was a revelation to me. I suffered from total sensory overload – the sound, the attention to detail and the sheer riding experience blew me away. Okay, so it is effectively a brand-new bike that features many modern improvements, but it still provided me with an amazing classic experience.

Needless to say, a bespoke classic such as this costs a lot. An awful lot. Start at £40,000 and keep counting if you want a few extras. When you break it down to the parts and the labour required to make such a machine, it’s a bargain – but I fear my bank manager won’t see it like that. If I could, I would, but I can’t. Still, read more about it on page 12.

At the same time, Oli Hulme, Classic Bike Guide’s staff writer (right) was buying another British twin, a Triumph T140, through an auction.

He hadn’t even seen it as he was bidding online, but took a punt and ended up winning the big Triumph. “I expected the bidding to increase way above my ceiling, but it just stopped,” smiled a happy Oli. It was being delivered the next day and I awaited the phone call telling me it wasn’t as good as he’d thought, but no. When the call came I could tell by his voice he was happy. “It’s a cracker!” A 750, twin-carb Triumph, for less than the price of a basket-case 650 Bonneville! They just seem to be the forgotten Triumph and yet are reliable, have a great turn of speed and without much work, could be used every day. If you like the sound of a T140 we’ve got a buyers’ guide on page 56 and a fascinating article on buying and selling at auction on page 64.

Meanwhile, pals at BMW dealer Lind have decided to buy a classic BMW R65. Their idea is to restore it, but for their customers to decide how it gets restored. It’s a nice, unmolested example that could end up being modified into a café racer, or it could be restored to concours. Personally I’d like to see a sympathetic restoration, but it’s down to the vote. However, the bike cost just £1600, for a classic you could still use every day. It even had the original Krauser panniers, toolkit and BMW pump under the seat. There’s a buyers’ guide on page 36.

So, although you can spend £40,000 and more (a famous racing Vincent sold for more than £600,000 last month – the most expensive bike ever), for £3000 or even less you can end up with a really useful bike that should provide

DESIGNER || Michael Baumber PICTURE DESK || Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield EDITORIAL ASSISTANT || Jayne Clements PRODUCTION EDITOR || Sarah Wilkinson 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 PUBLISHING DIRECTOR || Dan Savage COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR || Nigel Hole EDITORIAL ADDRESS Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR

you with a lot of fun. That’s what has struck me this month – the classic bike world really is open to all members, no matter what preferences or how much you have in the bank. And thanks to the hundreds of small companies sourcing and remanufacturing parts for classic bikes, maintaining them is rarely a problem. Anyway, many find the locating of rare parts a challenge.

There’s a James Cadet that’s been lovingly restored on page 100 – if you can find bits for a James, you can get bits for anything.

So when you next hear your modern bikeriding buddy complaining about their £400 major service, or how little their three-year old bike is worth as trade-in, see if you can tempt them into the classic world. They don’t have to spend a fortune, and you’ll have someone to ride with and borrow spanners from.

In other news, as we might say, here at CBG we want to learn more about you – our readers – so we can ensure the magazine and any products associated with it are as relevant as they can be.

To this end we’ve created an online survey – www.classicbikeguide.com – for you to complete.

By way of thanks from us for your completion of the survey, all respondents will be entered into a FREE PRIZE DRAW with a chance of winning a helmet and gloves from Held clothing.

Good luck in the prize draw... stay warm out there!

Matt Hull editor@classicbikeguide.com

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 18 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 18 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 || April 12, 2018 NEXT ISSUE || April 25, 2018

© Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

8 APRIL 2018 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Who’s who ||

COMPLIMENTARY AUCTION APPRAISAL To discuss any aspect of selling or buying collectors motorcycles at auction, please contact the London office or visit bonhams.com/motorcycles to submit a complimentary auction appraisal request.

A CHANCE TO WIN Visit bonhams.com/lovebikes to register for a chance to win a 12 month worldwide motorcycle catalogue subscription.

ENQUIRIES London +44 (0) 20 8963 2817 ukmotorcycles@bonhams.com

THE SPRING STAFFORD SALE Important Collectors’ Motorcycles and Spares Including The Miklos Salamon Motorcycle Collection The International Classic MotorCycle Show Sunday 22 April 2018

Bids +44 (0) 20 7447 7447 bids@bonhams.com CATALOGUE +44 (0) 1666 502 200 subscriptions@bonhams.com LOT PREVIEW bonhams.com/springstafford

CATALOGUE ONLINE REGISTER TO BID

C.1912 BSA 500CC 3½HP £8,000 - 12,000 *

C.1914 CONNAUGHT 225CC £7,000 - 9,000 *

1917 NEW IMPERIAL 8HP MODEL 11 COMBINATION £14,000 - 18,000 *

C.1920 ABC 398CC £6,000 - 9,000 *

C.1922 NIMBUS 746CC FOUR £12,000 - 16,000 *

C.1926 AJS 349CC ‘BIG PORT’ £6,000 - 8,000 *

1929 GRINDLAY PEERLESS 498CC BROOKLANDS ‘HUNDRED MODEL’ (LACEY REPLICA) £45,000 - 55,000 *

1930 COVENTRY EAGLE 996CC FLYING-8 £40,000 - 50,000

1931 BROUGH SUPERIOR 981CC SS100 £170,000 - 220,000 *

1939 OK-SUPREME 350CC ROAD RACING SPECIAL (RRS) £17,000 - 22,000

1952 VINCENT HRD 998CC BLACK SHADOW SERIES-C £60,000 - 80,000

'TELAIO ROSSO', 1971 MOTO GUZZI 749CC V7 SPORT, £24,000 - 30,000

@bonhamsmotoring

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* For details of the charges payable in addition to the final hammer price, please visit bonhams.com/buyersguide

10 APRIL 2018 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

John Surtees is recognised as the original Norvin creator, but many have since mated Norton’s Featherbed frame with Vincent’s formidable V-twin.

After eight years perfecting the package, we try JMC’s example

E

volution is inevitable, which is why modern bikes often look the same, feel the same and handle similarly. But back in the Fifties the British bike industry was still evolving, with some manufacturers better at chassis design, while others had more engine know-how, hence some great, and some not so great specials.

One of the poster bikes of these specials was the Norvin – a Norton Featherbed frame fitted with a Vincent V-twin engine. This was no easy task, as the Vincent engine was enormous and extremely heavy, so while the power was there, many examples were not the greatest at handling.

You can still buy a brand-new Norvin and with modern engineering techniques and a

12 APRIL 2018 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

better understanding of chassis dynamics, they handle better now than ever. One man, John Mossey of JMC Classics, has spent eight years perfecting the design of his JMC Norvins.

“This bike has been built for a customer in Guernsey, who saw our website. He liked the design and had seen an example of our work, but wanted his own touches, like the magnesium racing brakes,” explains John. “The basis is a Burgess Featherbed frame, made to our design.

This enables us to get the Vincent engine to sit more forward and lower than they used to for better handling.

The ideal wheelbase is 55in; the same as a Ducati 900SS, so we mount the swingarm differently and fit the engine so the crankshaft is in line with the wheel axles.

As standard, the engine is too high and they just feel like the front is falling into a corner.

The top left frame rail also has a kink in it to clear the rear carb. It’s made from Reynolds 531 tubing and bronze-brazed – this allows more flex than welding so it’s less prone to cracking.”

The frame holds Minnovation racing yokes, which clamp 38mm Ceriani fully adjustable cartridge forks at a 26° rake, with an Öhlins steering damper. A Beriani WM 2.15 x 18in alloy rim and that beautiful 250mm, four-leading front racing drum sit beneath. That brake costs £2000 – cost.

As standard, JMC uses a Robinson drum that John says “is just as good on the road and is £800 cheaper, but those mag drums do look amazing”.

At the rear a modern touch, again specified by the owner, are the Öhlins shocks. “Öhlins don’t make bespoke shocks, so these are Yamaha XJ1200 units, revalved and fitted with a lighter, 11kg spring and then we machine a preload spacer,” explains John. The wider, WM 2.50 x 18in Beriani wheel carries an Avon