Classic Motorcycle Mechanics October 2019

HONDA FT500 F 50 YAMAHA XS65 80s

Buyer’s guide

70s

WEISE JEANS, BRIDGESTONE TYRES, S-DOC CLEANING KIT!

FIVE DECADES OF MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS INCLUDING:

B lackbird Best value Honda ever?

90s: YAMAHA FAZER 600, KAWASAKI ZXR750J 80s: YAMAHA TZR250, SUZUKI RM80X, YAMAHA RZV500R 70s: HONDA CL350, KAWASAKI H2C, HONDA CB750 K2 60s: YAMAHA YDS1 Also: ALLEN MILLYARD COLUMN Q&A: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND YOUR BIKES AND MEMORIES!

No.384 October 2019

& Strip inverted forks

UK off-sale date – 16/10/2019

£4.40

g gu n i d i el

de

W

WIN!

Ridden!

Month 2019 Issue 384 Publisher: Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk Publishing director: Dan Savage asavage@mortons.co.uk Designers: Charlotte Fairman, Jake Sidebotham, Michael Baumber Picture Desk: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Production editor: Mike Cowton Divisional advertising manager: Zoe Thurling zthurling@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529412 Advertising sales: 01507 529575 Subscription manager: Paul Deacon Circulation manager: Steven O’Hara 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 74 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £52.80. Export rates are also available – see page 74 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 Distribution: Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. Tel: 0203 787 9001 Subscription agents: CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS MAGAZINE, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Printed: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton Published date: CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS MAGAZINE is published on the third Wednesday of every month Next issue: October 16, 2019 Advertising deadline: September 26, 2019 © 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. ISSN 0959-0900 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS magazine takes all responsible steps to ensure advice and technical tips are written by experienced and competent people. We also advise readers to seek further professional advice if they are unsure at any time. Anything technical written by the editor is exempt – he’s rubbish with spanners CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS (USPS:729-550) is published monthly

by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $60 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS, Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com

Of its time, or timeless?

A couple of things strike a chord with us this month. Firstly, let’s take a look at Honda’s FT500.

Steve Cooper makes a case for how good this little single-cylinder is to ride and how fine it looks. Clearly, back in the day it seemed to be a bit of an odd man out – who wanted a single-cylinder do-it-all bike back in the 1980s?

Looking back with a rose-tinted visor (or goggles in Scoop’s case) would be one thing, but instead tested in this very day and age, Mr. Cooper came away feeling rather impressed by the little Honda.

Time sometimes alters our view of things.

More than 20 years ago I rode a Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 and was less than impressed – which was strange as I simply loved the looks.

Recently, I rode a mate’s tricked-up version and fell back in love with it. Hmmm… shame prices

Tony Greenslade

Mark Haycock

We may rib him over his holidays, but he grafts: XS650 guide, YDS1 project, FT500 test and his inane warblings in news.

It’s the (no) calm before the Spa storm as the team prepares itself for the big event with a shakedown at Cadwell Park.

Mark finishes his CB750K2 clutch, helps you out with the Q&A page and gives us the latest on his current project: the Honda CL350.

Holiday rep

Mike ‘Boothy’ Booth is helped by his dad and his uncle to get his ‘shed’ sorted in time for the Classic TT race. Can they do it?

Independent publisher since 1885

Allen Millyard

Engineer extraordinaire!

Allen shows us the finished V-twin Velo motor and others that he’s made before! He’s one of our Stafford star guests! See page 24.

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

Why not Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month?

www.twitter.com/cmmmag

Steve Cooper

Fast Bloke

The Professional Publishers Association

Editor

BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/

Mike Booth

Member

are on the up (like my beloved ZRX11/12…).

One bike that, for me, has always been simply stunning is Honda’s CBR1100XX Super Blackbird. I was one of the lucky recipients of one as a test bike in mid-1997. I rode it daily, loved it, crashed it (breaking my arm), but always wanted another and bought one in 2010 for a song.

Today these amazing machines have enviable build quality, 164bhp, are comfy enough, can tour two up, entertain in the twisties and they’re cheap as chips! Go on, treat yourself…

Team Allspeed

Jim Lindsay Weld done that man!

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH!

Jim is one of the many legends that type for us here at CMM. The former editor of the weekly biking newspaper has recently embarked on a welding course and decided to give us the benefit of his wisdom and experience in a two-part series of features for you, the dear reader. So, for part one, head to page 106 – and wear all your safety kit!

Q&A wizard

Ralph Ferrand Kawasaki King

Double helpings from Ralph again. This time he tells us how to strip and sort inverted forks, while continuing with his H2C!

Alan Dowds

The big stud!

Big Al’s annoyed with studs, to say the least. He tried everything to shift them – but did it work? Check out page 76.

Jeff Ware

Lily Schiller

Lloyd Davies

Jeff is on with part three of his Suzuki RM80X and part two of the Yamaha RZV500R saga.

Is the RZ what it’s supposed to be?

She’s new to the CMM team and she’s the person to go to when it comes to booking ads in your favourite modern classic motorcycle magazine!

It’s lovely when we hear such tales: Lloyd sold his Fizzy in 1984, but found it last year and restored it back to its former glory!

Down Under dude!

Top ad lady!

Friends reunited!

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

56

❙ Q&A

58

❙ HONDA CB750 K2

62

❙ KAWASAKI H2 C

66

❙ ALLEN MILLYARD

70

❙ WORKSHOP: INVERTED FORKS

Mark Haycock with a page of tips Mark Haycock finishes the K2’s clutch Ralph back with his Purple Pain!

Allen on the Velo and other V-twins

Ralph on how to sort them

76

❙ YAMAHA FZS600 FAZER

80

❙ SUZUKI RM80X

84

❙ YAMAHA XS650

88

92

Alan Dowds is having exhaust issues: oh dear!

Jeff Ware looks inside the motor

Steve Cooper with a buyer’s guide

❙ YAMAHA YDS1

Scoop with part two of this legendary Yam

❙ YAMAHA TZR250

Tony Greenslade and Team Allspeed go race!

106 ❙ WELDING PART 1

Jim Lindsay with the basics

112 ❙ KAWASAKI ZXR750J

Mike Booth gets the bike finished

116 ❙ YAMAHA RZ500R Jeff again with part 2!

120 ❙ HONDA CL350

Mark Haycock back with his Honda

06 08

Contents ARCHIVE

Allen Millyard’s marvels!

CMM MARKETPLACE What will a Blackbird set you back?

10

CMM STUFF

14

NEWS

20

FEEDBACK

22

SHOW US YOURS

New kit, tools and tyres and stuff Events, news and what’s happening WIN Bridgestone tyres for our Star Letter!

WIN S-DOC cleaning gear!

Win Tamiya kit for ‘The Way We Were!’

24

STAFFORD PREVIEW!

28

DIARY DATES

What’s happening at this year’s show?

Some top events to go to this October

30

YAMAHA FS1-E DX

34

HONDA FT500

42 46 54

Reader Lloyd Davies finds his first bike!

Steve Cooper on this quirky Honda single

OLIVER’S MOUNT

Racing returns to Scarborough

LAVERDA SFC750 REPLICA

Scoop rides a challenging machine!

RETRO SPECTIVE Why we love Honda’s Blackbird

74 SUBSCRIBE! 119 NEXT MONTH

Subscribe and save cash!

What’s happening in the November 2019 CMM?

122 PIP HIGHAM

Pip heads to a bike night

www.classicmechanics.com / 5

O

ur very own Allen Millyard will be guest of honour at this year’s 26th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show.

Allen has been a contributor to CMM for a number of years and is known as the best specials builder in the business! Over more than 25 years he’s produced dozens of Kawasaki fours, fives, Honda V-twins as well as V8 and V12 Kawasakis, the Viper V10, the Flying Millyard five-litre V-twin and the six-cylinder RC374 ‘Hailwood Tribute’ and Velocette V-twin – which you can see finished on page 70.

You can meet the genius engineer at The 26th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show on October 19-20 and see some of his amazing creations that he will be bringing along. For CMM EXTRA subscribers, soon you’ll be able to check out an exclusive interview with Allen we did especially as a preview to the show, so keep ’em peeled!

For more on what’s happening at the show, check out pages 26-28, and to book tickets go to: https://www. staffordclassicbikeshows.com

A number of Allen's creations will be at Stafford.

Come and meet All en at Stafford.

It

lled off the could have ro

uction line...

Kawasaki prod

â– Want to get hold of pictures from Mortons Archive? Then head to: www.mortonsarchive.com www.classicmechanics.com / 7

cmm

Marketplace

Bye, bye Blackbird…

With a decade-long lifespan, there’s a Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird out there for everybody…

WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PICS: MORTONS ARCHIVE/HONDA UK

C

ourtesy of a Honda Blackbird, I have some metalwork in my left arm.

Actually, courtesy of my stupidity and a myopic Volkswagen Caddy driver, I have a piece of metalwork in my left arm, but you know what I mean. I was riding a Honda Blackbird at the time of the incident, but never held a grudge against the bike itself. I love them so much I’ve owned two of them and would love a third.

And here’s why. It’s a beautiful bike to look at.

With an 11-year lifespan, the bike changed little on the outside and it looked classy. Better still, the amazing build quality meant that a well-looked-after Blackbird still looks fresh and new today.

At its heart was typical tech for the mid 1990s: 16 valves, inline four cylinder, DOHC. It produced a stonking 164 claimed bhp with 91ft/lb of torque.

The frame was as common as muck, wide ally beam frame – not that you could see it much as most of the bike was covered with slippery, shark-like bodywork, along with two snouts for a Honda ram-air system. Two polished cans jutted from the back of the bike to make the thing look classy as hell.

Suspension was 43mm Showa right-way-up forks and a chunky swingarm equipped with Pro-Link rear suspension.

Yes, it was big and heavy – 223 kilos with a 1490mm wheelbase – but when you rode it, you realised that the mass was hidden well. Ok, so if you rode it with any gusto the long hero blobs would ground out (they were there to protect the fairing, which ground away next) but ride it like it was meant to be and you’d be fine.

The big thing was the quality feel of the bike itself. Even today you can have a mint 1996/97 bike alongside a late model 2007/2008/2009 machine (some hung around in dealers for an extra year or so) and you couldn’t really tell the difference. Changes were few as the bike was pretty much spot on as was. The 42mm Keihins were replaced with a fuel-injection system for 1999 along with other changes which were mainly minor, aside from an update to the ram-air system, two more litres in the tank (up to 24), twin stacked (rather than side-byside) tail lights and some revision to the linked brake system. For 2001 a new LCD speedo dash was also introduced.

Yes, those linked brakes. The Dual Combined

8 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Brake System effectively used four of the six pots at the front and two at the rear when using the front brake lever and two at the front and four at the back with the rear pedal. Some loved it, some loathed it. To be honest, you got used to it, although some owners eventually ‘de-linked’ theirs.

Riding the bike is simply stunning – even today. That motor is as smooth as silk (Honda used two counter-balancers) and it pulls well from low down, before a dip at 5000rpm (dialled out with a Dynojet kit/FI changes) before screaming to the peak power at 10,000rpm. The seating position is comfortable enough, although you’re still in a half-crouch compared to, say, a modern adventure bike. Taller riders swear by a ‘doublebubble’ raised screen to avoid the wind at speed. Brakes and suspension work well enough, although the forks were a little on the soft side even back in the day – they can be transformed with heavier weight fork oil (10w) with uprated 9-9.5kilo springs – don’t use progressive springs, they don’t seem to work. Mirrors are brilliant, too.

Price-wise, these amazing machines have still yet to see prices stiffen up.

With a price tag new of £9495 on

Buy Now

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