Classic Motorcycle Mechanics December 2019

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Steve Parrish’s first love!

No.386 December 2019

FIIVE DECADES OF MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS INCLUDING: TO OOL OF THE MONTH, WIRING LOOMS. 90s: BMW R1100S, TRIUMPH CR RK CAFÉ RACER, HONDA CRM250 AR. 80s: YAMAHA RZV500R. 70s: HON NDA CL350, KAWASAKI H2C. Also: ALLEN MILLYARD COLUMN. Q&A: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND YOUR BIKES AND MEMORIES!

UK off-sale date – 18/12/2019

£4.40

£160,000 , Honda CB750 Ridden!

December 2019 Issue 386 Publisher: Tim Hartley, thartley@mortons.co.uk Publishing Director: Dan Savage, asavage@mortons.co.uk Designers: 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: Tel: 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 40 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £52.80. Export rates are also available – see page 40 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: December 18, 2019 Advertising deadline: November 28, 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

Get out there, go to events…

I’ve got a terrible secret that I have to admit here. I’m… I’m… I’m a plastic model maker.

There, I’ve said it. Just like you lot, the lovely CMM readers, I have more than one hobby, passion and love (not including the family, pets or a good Chardonnay.)

Some of us love and enjoy DIY (you’re mad); some go fishing (I just preferred to sit there, chatting); maybe we like classic cars (I lost a lot of money on my Lancia Montecarlo and gave up).

Thing is, this passion has been one that’s lasted longer than that of motorcycles but, recently, I’ve realised something important: I’d never been to a plastic kit model show.

I guess it was because I dipped in and out of it over the decades and it wasn’t ‘cool’ to admit. If I tell people I’m a biker, people go ‘ooooh’! To mention that I’m also up to my elbows in Airfix kits, olive drab and duck egg

The Professional Publishers Association

Member

Allen Millyard Show stopping star!

Music Maestro….

Is there no beginning to this man’s talents? A Bloop buyer’s guide, wiring loom machinations and an RD250A ride, to boot! He’s a machine!

You can’t miss the fact that our Allen was one of the guests of the CMM Stafford Show – he’s back with his column this month: coming soon his Pan European!

Our very own Mike Cowton does what many of us should sometimes: ask for help! Read how to fit a gear indicator to a 1990s Suzuki Bandit 600.

CMM’s engine room!

John Nutting

Nutters is a legend… this month he rides a priceless (well, £160K) CB750, doesn’t drop it and still sorts out his CRK Café Racer Triumph. Top man!

Jeff Ware

Jeff gets out a slab, cracks open a tinny and gets on with more work on the Yamaha RZV500R. Hope we got that right…

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

www.twitter.com/cmmmag

Steve Cooper

Down Under dude!

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

Editor

BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/

Suave 70s superstar!

Independent publisher since 1885

blue at weekends seems a bit naff. But it’s not.

It’s the most wonderful hobby and I went to my first big model show EVER this month and had a ball: like-minded people, trade stands that had the latest and greatest products on sale. I spent a packet and came away revitalised.

The point I’m trying to make is – after coming back similarly full of beans from CMM’s Stafford Show – get out there, meet like-minded people and chew the fat, share information, hints, tips, parts and outrageous stories. Below I pay tribute to our lot who put on such great shows.

If you want to get out there in 2020 (it’s not far away) then go to www.classicbikeshows.com and make a large space in your diary.

Mark Haycock

Mortons Events Team

Mike Cowton

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH!

Overworked and un…

(BERTIE, YOU’RE FIRED!) Too many people to be pictured, too many to be named – but you all know who you are. The events team literally fight bad weather, ill-will, sometimes Somme-like ground conditions and turn these into sunshine, smiles and they even give you a push. No team, no Stafford Shows. Respect!

Ralph Ferrand Drinking legend!

Ralph showed the editor how it was done at the Stafford Show, and then sorted part 2 of his BMW R1100 S project and the next instalment of the Kawasaki H2: legend!

Steve Parrish Playing a joker!

Stavros wistfully tells us of his first (real) two-wheeled passion and why he’s bought one: Yamaha YDS3. Fair play!

Finally, the CL350!

CMM’s Donald Trump!

Pip Higham

Lily Schiller

Our brilliant Q&A man serves up the final instalment of his Honda CL350 series and we now look ahead to the Yamaha TX750 next issue.

He’s not orange, he’s not stupid, he’s not ignorant, but he’s ‘our’ Trump: Pip Higham on ‘The Art of the Deal!’ Ha!

If you want to be enshrined in print alongside the best inspirational tests and future classics as well as the best practical how-to guides – speak to our Lil’!

Top ad lady!

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

56

❙ Q&A

58

❙ BMW R1100 S

62

❙ KAWASAKI H2C

Ralph Ferrand on this Teutonic twin, part two!

Our Ralph again on his triple stroker…

66

❙ ALLEN MILLYARD

72

❙ HONDA CL350

76

❙ TOOL OF THE MONTH

78

Talks tiddler V-twins once more…

Mark Haycock finally finishes!

Ralph on chain adjusting tools.

❙ TRIUMPH CRK CAFÉ RACER

John Nutting is getting close on his special.

82

86

Contents

Mark Haycock with a page of tips

❙ YAMAHA YDS3

Steve ‘Stavros’ Parrish on part one of his much-loved machine.

❙ SUZUKI B100/B120P

Steve Cooper with our Bloop guide!

90

❙ WORKSHOP: WIRING

94

❙ SUZUKI GSF600F BANDIT

06

ARCHIVE

08

CMM MARKETPLACE

10 14

108 ❙ YAMAHA RZV500R

Jeff Ware with part three.

What has our cover star done to the CB750 market?

CMM STUFF

New kit, tools and tyres and stuff.

NEWS

Events, news and what’s happening.

20

FEEDBACK

22

SHOW US YOURS

Scoop looms large once more!

Our own Mike Cowton on gear indication!

Two Triumph gems you may have missed!

26 30

WIN Bridgestone tyres for our Star Letter!

WIN S-DOC chain cleaner!

Win Tamiya kit for ‘The Way We Were!’

HONDA CRM250 AR

Reader Keith Dickinson restores this off-roader.

HONDA NT650V DEAUVILLE

Bertie Simmonds rides a much-maligned machine.

34 40 42 44 46 56

YAMAHA RD250A

Steve Cooper rides a legendary learner-legal in Wales.

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DIARY DATES

Some top events to go to in December.

SUPER STAFFORD!

Relive the super show!

HONDA CB750

John Nutting on a very special four!

RETRO SPECTIVE

Ducati’s 1098 is set for classic-dom!

SUZUKI GSX-R1000 107 K5 Why this is a ‘Coming Classic!’

113 NEXT MONTH

What’s happening in the January 2020 issue of CMM.

114 PIP HIGHAM

Pip is our own Donald Trump: It’s ‘the deal!’

www.classicmechanics.com / 5

Hidden gems…

WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PICS: MORTONS ARCHIVE

T

riumph – the ‘new’ Triumph, I mean – effectively turns 30 in 2020 and there are so many great bikes from the Hinckley firm’s first two decades…

Here are two hidden gems that can be bought for peanuts. One is the Sprint RS, a bike I have a soft spot for. I was at the launch in Seville, southern Spain in 1999 and (for my sins) had to ride it back to the UK. In December, in snow…

Ok, so I did cheat by taking the overnight train from Narbonne to Paris, but the miles meant that I could really appreciate the RS’s excellent road manners. m The e RS never had the flair that the Sprint ST had d, mainly as the RS lost the snazzy (and heavier) h single-sided swingarm and half a fairing. The ST was a direct competitor to the Honda VFR800 and many felt it was better than the V4. At its heart was a 955cc three-cylinder motor pumping out around 105-115bhp (depending on spec) and – new – the ST came in at £7999, with the RS R at just £7299.

Itt was strange that the sportier looking RS nevver really took off, as it deserved to do well.

Tod day both the ST and the RS can be had for rela ative peanuts. The ST – a fine sports tourer – ca an be had for around two grand for a really good one, while basket cases of either can start for jusst a few hundred quid: handy as our friends CRK/C Café Racer Kits now make a version for the ‘955 ST’. Either way, we think both the RS and the ST T are well worth a gander.

Triumph Sprint ST

■ Want to get hold of pictures from Morton’s Archive? Then head to: www.mortonsarchive.com www.classicmechanics.com / 7

WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PICS: MORTONS ARCHIVE/JOE DICK, HONDA UK

1998 HONDA Dismiss the Deauville at your peril.

After all, couriers, paramedics and the Police can’t be wrong, right?

I

SPECIFICATION NT650V DEAUVILLE (700V IN BRACKETS) ENGINE TYPE

647cc, liquid-cooled, 6 valve, five-speed, 52-degree V-twin (680.2cc) MAX POWER

56bhp @ 7750rpm (65bhp @ 8000rpm) MAX TORQUE

41lb-ft @ 6250rpm (48.8lb-ft @ 6500rpm) TRANSMISSION

Five-speed

FINAL DRIVE

Shaft

SUSPENSION

Front: 41mm un-adjustable telescopic forks. Rear: monoshock adjustable for pre-load only BRAKES

Front: Twin 296mm discs, with 6-piston calipers with Honda Combined Brake System Rear: Single 276mm disc, dual-piston caliper with CBS TYRES

Front: 120/70 -17 Rear: 150/70 -17 WHEELBASE

1473mm

SEAT HEIGHT

814mm (806mm) WEIGHT (CLAIMED)

233kg (236 kilos) FUEL CAPACITY

19.5 litres

Panniers as standard.

f I’m 100% honest, I have a certain soft spot for the Honda NT650V Deauville. Firstly, I rode its progenitor the Honda Revere for a while in the early 1990s and also owned an Africa Twin, which used the basis of the Revere/Transalp motor at its heart.

It’s fair to say that the original Deauville was christened with a nasty nickname. Yes, it was called the ‘Dullsville’, but we should all remember that it’s still a motorcycle and therefore inherently brilliant as it has only two wheels and this one clearly does what it says on the tin.

Development stemmed from the late 1980s Revere, which mated the un-burstable six-valve V-twin motor also found in the Transalp into a sensible workhorse of a chassis. The bike became a favourite with the courier fraternity in London and other urban centres in the UK where they sprouted a selection of ugly fairings. This is possibly why Honda decided to do the job themselves with 1998 Deauville, which came with similar running gear to the previous Revere, but with a three-quarter fairing, increased lower and mid-range torque, a bigger fuel tank and panniers (19 and 24 litres) as standard.

The Deauville used proven Honda technology and reliability to provide people with an affordable commuter/tourer. Weight was around the 220-230 kilo mark, but the wide bars and upright seating position gave the rider good control at all speeds.

The motor was the 647cc liquid-cooled lump seen in the Revere and Transalp, so it had 56bhp and was plenty reliable. As was the norm at the time, the mainstream bike Press promptly forgot about the Deauville, while those of us on a budget or needing a reliable machine for emergency work, took it to our hearts.

To ride the thing it’s a matter of complete simplicity. Climb aboard and let out the light clutch, check out the simplistic instruments and away you go. The motor is whisper-quiet, the handling is assured, braking is marginal and practicality is good.

That’s about all we can say about the bike – apart from this: consider it a poor man’s Pan European… get a top-box, heated grips and extras, and it becomes even more than the sum of its parts. If it existed today it would probably be fitted with Honda’s DCT system: rev and go! That said, the lack of power of the 650 doesn’t make it the best two-up, loaded up tourer and the un-adjustable/soft forks don’t help either.

Despite this, it wasn’t surprising then that couriers, emergency services, paramedics and various police forces took to the NT650V as a means of transport. Honda UK estimated that more than 5000 people in the UK plumped for a first generation Deauville as their method of transport before the 2006 update.

Even the harshest critic of a Deauville has to admit that, while it can do the job/s it’s been built for, Honda hasn’t ironed out the last vestiges of the Revere’s ‘lack of’ character when designing the Deauville. Another reason is that if the Deauville isn’t looked after, it can dissolve into a ferrous froth that matches the 1998 launch colour of ‘beige’.

Despite all this, both the NT650 and 700V have a loyal following in the UK, thanks to the machine’s dependability and versatility.

The Deauville can have issues. Like some models built in Europe the quality control just isn’t up there with the premium Honda models. That means when you leave these bikes outside, they’re going to rot: www.classicmechanics.com / 31

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