Classic Motorcycle Mechanics March 2014

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8 / classic motorcycle mechanics

WORDS & PHOTOS: DON MORLEY

Mike ‘The Bike’ I took the first ever shot of Mike Hailwood racing back in 1957 and knew him better than most. He just liked to be one of the boys and was never really happy among the car racing types.

I took him to Daytona, possibly during his ‘retirement’ in the mid 1970s and it seemed no one knew who he was in America which suited Mike just fine. Then (and I will never forget this) we were wandering around the paddock and a lad aged about seven or eight came up to us and asked him for his autograph. We were unsure if he actually knew who Mike was and Mike was a bit awkward about it and went as red as a beetroot, he was actually flustered!

Anyway Mike said something along the lines of: “Look Kenny Roberts is in that garage over there and he really is a big star, come on I will take you over and we will get his autograph for you.” However, the lad persisted and this time quite firmly said: “No Mr Hailwood can I have YOUR autograph please?” Mike of course signed with great pleasure but still could not understand why anyone should want an autograph in his words from “…an old has-been”.

If I recall, he went from the Island in 1978 to Silverstone and raced the same Ducati in the World Championshipcounting Formula One race, and won that as well, much to Honda’s horror! Mike was just so good and so laid back. He was easy-going and so unassuming it just wasn’t true.

Honestly I have never met a nicer more genuine guy. cmm

A legend before a legendary race – Mike Hailwood.

www.classicmechanics.com / 9

1993 HONDA

10 / classic motorcycle mechanics

WORDS: CHRIS MOSS PHOTOS: MIKE WESTON

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ot long after setting off on this 1993 FireBlade, I viewed anyone not looking over to admire the Honda with either contempt or pity. Don’t any of you ignorant gits realise this is one of the most important bikes ever made? I demanded they acknowledge, approve, and salute it. Yes, even those of us who hate fairings or things from the 1990s.

Maybe I was just being an attention-grabbing peacock.

I might have fully understood the massive relevance of this machine, but expecting others would too was perhaps a bit unrealistic. But I so wanted them to be more enlightened, appreciate and value the ’Blade just as wholly as I was doing.

It’s a sign of how much the Honda got hold of me. You can’t ignore the fact that it’s a seminal superbike, a great big living slice of biking history and one that is still affordable. It doesn’t matter if it’s been said a million times. The reality is, in 1992 it changed opinion and philosophy in an unprecedented fashion. So much so that even in 2014, 22 years later, it still

possesses enough influence to completely satisfy its rider, perhaps make him feel a little superior even. This FireBlade is so much more than just a motorbike.

It had been a while since I’d had a spin on a 900, and before too many more miles passed, memories of the earliest rides came flooding back. My first proper go on a FireBlade came at the Catalunya GP track, at the launch of the 1996 model. I’d just missed out on the hullabaloo of the first model, but I was well aware of the huge impact it had made. My high expectations of the ’96 Honda were met fully, as were those of the ’98 version and all the other 1000s I tried after that. As the model range developed, all FireBlades (and Fireblades, no cap ‘B’ after 2004) slowly but surely became more and more refined and easier to get on with.

Thinking back, it’s a wonder the first ’Blade was the firebreather it was. Honda just didn’t make make motorbikes like that. Until then it had built really sorted, usable things that anyone could ride without too much effort or worry. By Honda’s standards the ’92

www.classicmechanics.com / 11

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Student groan What do you do when your student steed has been sat for 14 years? Restore it for use, of course!

Words and Photos: Ian TalboT-Jones

28 / classic motorcycle mechanics

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ack in 1992 I was a full time student, I’d been into motorbikes for some years when the opportunity arose to buy a 1977 Kawasaki Z650 B1. A deal was struck and I paid the princely sum of £270 for the Zed, complete with MoT and road tax.

The bike had been owned by numerous cash-strapped students and was at best described as a total dog. I rode the bike for several years but not having the money to restore it to its former glory, it soon found itself banished to my parents’ shed and neglected.

Then came a familiar story: boy meets girl, boy leaves bike in the shed. The Zed slumbered, while I married and started a family. Fourteen years later after reading a copy of a friend’s Classic Motorcycle Mechanics, I was inspired and the Zed became the focus of my attention and I decided to restore it! Funding would not allow a full-on, concours restoration, so I strived for a presentable, safe and reliable bike, one that I would be proud to ride throughout the summer months.

Firstly, I had to sort out ‘the shed’. I have to admit I am blessed as some years previously we had an extension on our home and fortunately I had had the foresight to include an integral garage. I also fitted central heating, lots of sockets and some good lighting.

Also included were a sink with hot and cold water, kitchen wall units, double glazing and a main area for the hydraulic motorcycle lift bench – which was bought from eBay for just £100 cash! Being middle aged now (and having suffered from a bad back and having had a knee operation) this saves me bending down. The bench sits on a concrete floor which has had laminated floor fitted – so no piles for me! Fitting a window that didn’t open was one mistake, but the wooden garage doors could be partially open on warm days. Curtains gave it a bit of privacy and warmth. Finally a bit of Radio 4 and a well-stocked beer fridge and you’re set.

Tools are vital and restoring bikes to my level needs very few specialist tools. Maybe a torque wrench, a digital vernier gauge etc. Tool management though is vital – I store mine in an orderly and accessible fashion!

So what state was the bike in? The old Zed was looking very sorry for itself. The front brakes were seized making even recovery from the confines of the shed extremely arduous. But in all honestly half the problems evident on inspection were probably present prior to being put in the shed. As well as the brakes, the carbs were bunged up, there was excessive movement in the swingarm, headstock and front wheel bearings a

IN DETAIL 1/ Hey, it doesn’t look too bad from here! 2/ Oh, bugger. Elbow grease required. 3/ Paint and fixings were in a sorry state. 4/ A well-equipped mancave. 5/ Much to do under the surface, but this was to be a ‘working’ bike, not a show-pony.

hardening and degeneration of all rubber components from tyres to the almost rigid airbox hoses. Fortunately a friend had rewired the entire bike shortly prior to the bike’s enforced slumber so I was confident this was in good order.

So what were the biggest issues? The swingarm on a Z650 B1 has phosphor bronze bushes and not the more modern roller bearing system. Eventually I managed to remove the original worn bushes and replace them with the new ones. When the swingarm was fitted however the effort required to move it was immense: there was simply too much friction. The swinger was despatched to a local Southampton precision engineering firm called Mortimer & Spake Engineering Ltd who reamed the swingarm bushes so they were within tolerance.

The other problem was the carbs. For some reason I decided not to go down the logical ultrasonic cleaning route and chose to clean the carbs myself. Three of the four sliders were stuck fast and after trying the usual release agents and carb cleaners, in desperation I reached for a tin of cellulose thinners I’d had in the back of my garage for 20 years. In a spirit of DIY experimentation the acidic qualities of Jif lemon juice were called into action to soak and clean the internal carb jet and needles. Needless to say the carbs never saw professional cleaning and worked fine.

Engine comes out for a good clean and service. www.classicmechanics.com / 29