Classic Motorcycle Mechanics - September 2020

YA AMAHA AT 65!

T The best bikes from six-anda a-half decades of brilliance!

YAMAHA THUNDERAC CE

Retro-spective

WIN! WEISE UNION GLOVES, BRIDGESTONE GOODIES, S-DOC CHAIN N CARE KIT

INTERCEPTOR!

AND TAMIYA T KITS!!

FIVE DECADES OF MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS INCLUDING:

YAMAHA RD500 BUYER’S GUIDE

80S

TOOL OF THE MONTH 80s: SUZUKI RG250, YAMAHA RZV500R, SUZUKI RGV250 VJ21, YAMAHA TZR250 3MA 70s: SUZUKI B120P, KAWASAKI Z1000A1 60s: YAMAHA CS3C. ALSO: ALLEN MILLYARD COLUMN Q&A: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND YOUR BIKES AND MEMORIES!

No.395 September 2020

£4.50

Riding Royal Enfield’s retro twin!

September 2020 Issue 395 Publisher: Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk Publishing Director: Dan Savage asavage@mortons.co.uk Designers: Tracey Markham, Michael Baumber, Charlotte Fairman Production Editor: Mike Cowton Divisional Advertising Manager: Thomas Lee tlee@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529412 Advertising: Simon Meyer SMeyer@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529310 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 36 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £52.80. Export rates are also available – see page 38 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, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP 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: September 16, 2020 Advertising deadline: August 27, 2020 © 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

SOS – We NEED you!

It’s fair to say that things have been very different since coronavirus hit way back at the end of Feb/start of March.

As I’ve mentioned before, you’ll have seen some changes here in your magazine. We’ve not been pumping out the size of magazines we’d normally like to in the summer months and we – as a company – haven’t been able to cover quite as wide a variety of machines and motorcycles as a result. But (we hope) to return to normality soon.

Of course, this means our events arm, too…

As you may know, Mortons also organises many classic events during the course of a ‘normal’ year (see www.classicbikeshows.com for more) and we are trying to get SOME shows on before the end of the year – subject to health and safety concerns (see our news pages for more, too).

The big thing I want to say, however, is this: I want to play fair by you – our loyal readers – as

The Professional Publishers Association

Andy Bolas

Mark Haycock

We have to say that Steve Cooper is the backbone of this magazine… Shame he’s spineless when the missus moans at him!

But aren’t we all? She's scary!

Our Andy comes in with some useful comments this issue on whether you should ‘special’ or ‘restore’ a classic.

He’s in the next issue with his own Honda NS250R, too!

We’ve not forgotten the ‘Genius of Guildford’. His projects come back next month. Meanwhile he’s helping us with a dollop of Q&A answers!

Valve seats are on our Ralph’s mind this issue – on a Kawasaki Z1000 A1 no less!

His sort of steed! He’s also sorting out Tool of the Month, too!

Allen Millyard

Zen Zed builder…

We’ve still yet to ride Allen’s masterpiece… we’ve heard Henry ruddy Cole has already been on it! The shame of it! Ha!

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

CMM’s engine room!

Ralph Ferrand

Member

Editor

BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/

Super spanner man!

Independent publisher since 1885

you do with us. We’ve seen a surge in subscriptions where you want to get your fix of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics and (understandably as people have not wanted to venture to the shops) we’ve also seen a slight drop in sales in stores and newsagents during the peak Covid-19 lockdown months.

So how about this… Tell us what YOU want and then subscribe. Not just what you want to see IN the magazine, but what DEALS you want to subscribe to it. I’ve taken the plunge twice recently thanks to gifts and deals, so tell us what would make you take the plunge. C’mon… we need each other.

Oh! And happy 65th to the Yamaha Motor Company… you’ll see a fair few of their best products are in this month’s mag!

Quick Comments

Pip Higham Drag legend!

King of Q&A

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH!

What can we say about our Pip here? Well, he’s got patience in spades – when he’s not restoring his Suzuki B120P (page 62) he’s reminiscing about brother Bill’s brilliance (page 98), and then battling the evil that is the DVLA! The swines!

Mike Baumber

Design Wizard

Amongst others… but this man (a retained firefighter no less) also helps makes this magazine look as good as it can. Bless him!

Scott Redmond Returnee…

Well, kinda! We have lots on the stocks from Scottie so he’s asking whether we should ‘restore’ or ‘make special’ this issue!

Jeff Ware

John Mockett

Simon Meyer

Two dollops of Down Under dude this month: both the four-pot RZV500R and the reverse-cylinder 3MA TZR. As is right and proper! Happy 65th YMC!

This is the man behind our ‘Sprocket’ cartoons… he also helped design the Pro-Am nose fairing for the RD350LC, and designed the Triumph Rocket III!

Yes! This is Simon and he’s new and ready to take your calls to get in front of the most discerning classics audience out there… so ring him!

Down Under dude!

Design legend…

Top Ad Person

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

54

❙ Q&A

56

❙ ALLEN MILLYARD

60

❙ TOOL OF THE MONTH

62

❙ SUZUKI B120P

Allen is back on with his six-cylinder Kawasaki.

Ralph enjoys some Good Vibrations! Oooh-err!

Our Pip on part two: what?

DVLA are rubbish?

66

❙ YAMAHA RZV500R

70

❙ YAMAHA RD500 LC

84

88

92

Contents

Mark Haycock with a page of tips.

Jeff Ware gets closer to the finish line…

Steve Cooper celebrates another classic in Yam’s 65th year!

❙ YAMAHA CS3C

Scoop with another celebratory Yamaha!

06

ARCHIVE

30

SUBSCRIBE!

08 12

CMM STUFF

32

THE BIG QUESTION

18

FEEDBACK

36

HAPPY 65TH YAMAHA

20

SHOW US YOURS

44

ROYAL ENFIELD INTERCEPTOR

To help celebrate 65 years of great Yamahas, here’s the first ever!

New kit, tools and tyres and stuff.

NEWS

Events and news for September 2020!

WIN Bridgestone goodies for our Star Letter!

WIN S-DOC chain cleaner! Win Tamiya kit for ‘The Way We Were!’

❙ KAWASAKI Z1000A Ralph Ferrand sorts out some valve seats!

52

❙ YAMAHA TZR250 3MA

Jeff again on fairing-up the reverse-cylinder.

24 MoreBikes is your complete one-stop shop for everything a biker needs. If it’s on two wheels, it’s in MoreBikes.

READER’S SPECIAL WITH BRIDGESTONE!

Welcome back to our 2020 search for the best special/resto with Bridgestone tyres!

97 98

Save cash! Join CMM EXTRA!

Should you make your project a special or a standard restoration?

Yamaha Motor Company’s finest machines…

John Nutting enjoys a rather fun modern take on a British twin…

YAMAHA YZF1000R THUNDERACE

Cheap and very cheerful…

NEXT MONTH

Check out what’s in the October 2020 issue.

PIP HIGHAM

Pip recalls the genius of his late brother Bill!

www.morebikes.co.uk

www.classicmechanics.com / 5

PHOTOGRAPHS: YAMAHA UK AND MORTONS ARCHIVE

O

n July 1, 2020 Yamaha Motor Company celebrated 65 years of operations. We figured it would be good to help celebrate that with a reminder of the ‘first of the many’, Yamaha’s YA-1: a machine which wasn’t only their first road-going motorcycle, but also their first real ‘racer’.

Yamaha engineers (pictured below) had just six weeks to get their new production machine – the YA-1 – ready for The Third Mount Fuji Ascent Race in 1955. The YA-1’s nickname of ‘The Red Dragonfly’ came from the bike’s colour scheme.

While its contemporaries were often sober and black, this stylish machine with the swooping tear-drop tank was finished in a stunning ‘chestnut red’ and highlighted with cream detailing.

Produced in late 1954 for sale from February 1955, the bike was based on the DKW RT 125 from Germany. Despite being expensive at the time (it cost 138,000 Yen) its early success (11,000 were sold between 1955 and 1958) helped lead to the separation of Yamaha Motor Company from the parent Nippon Gakki concern.

The excellence wasn’t just in the bold colours, but also in the machine’s simplicity: a single downtube frame grasped the 123cc single-cylinder air-cooled motor, which pumped out five horsepower at 5000rpm. Meanwhile, sprung suspension front and rear – at a time when hard-tail rear ends were still common – showed some complexity.

To promote the new machine, it was raced in the production-based 125cc class at The Third Mount Fuji Ascent Race in July 1955, where it won its class with rider Teruo Okada on board. Other YA-1s finished in 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 9th positions. The YA-1 would also take the top three places at the 1st Asama Highlands Race later that same year.

■ Want to get hold of pictures from Mortons Archive? Head to: www.mortonsarchive.com 6 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Rising Son!

www.classicmechanics.com / 7

MAIN TEST

Enfield WORDS: JOHN NUTTING PICS: GARY D CHAPMAN

Royal Enfield’s 650 twins have been a roaring success since they reached dealers in the spring of 2019. So how can a classically-styled machine appeal to such a wide range of riders?

John Nutting rode one to find out

44 / classic motorcycle mechanics

www.classicmechanics.com / 45

ENDOFPREVI EW

I fy oul i k ewhaty ou’ v e r eads of ar ,whynot s ubs c r i be,ort r ya s i ngl ei s s uef r om:

www. c l as s i c magaz i nes . c o. uk