Classic Motorcycle Mechanics December 2017

GOBERT REP R PLICA KWAK 90 0S

Hybrid ridden!

YAMAHA A FS1 Buyer’s guide e

60S

TW WIN TURBO TREAT!

NUOVO FALCONE Military marvel from Moto Guzzi

FAB FOUR!

Honda’s CB1100RS retro ridden!

FIVE DECADES OF MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS INCLUDING: 00s: Land speed record Suzuki GSX-R. 90s: Suzuki RGV250M Resto.

80s: Yamaha TDR250 tuning. 70s: Yamaha DT175 MX tuning. Also: Fit fork emulators, Q&A: your questions answered and your bikes and memories!

December 2017 Issue 362

December 2017 Issue 362 Publisher: Dan Savage, asavage@mortons.co.uk Contributors: Joe Dick, Kevin Larkins, Ben Walker.

Art Editor: Justin Blackamore Picture Desk: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield, Angie Sisestean Production Editor: Dan Sharp Divisional advertising team leader: Zoe Thurling zthurling@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529412 Advertising: Robert Bee rbee@mortons.co.uk, 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 36 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 36 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-7pm Saturday 8.30am-12:30pm 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 20, 2017 Advertising deadline: November 24, 2017 © 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

Show time: it’s the people that make it…

If you missed the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics show at Stafford, you missed a belter. Beautiful weather, gorgeous bikes and lots to see and do made it the highlight of my year.

So many people behind the scenes make the event run as smoothly as it does, and they should be congratulated. But what really makes the show are the people who come to exhibit: all the clubs who turn up every year to show their amazing array of machines. Without them, we wouldn’t have a show. Suzuki GB need a big thank you here too. They spent a lot of money shipping over Barry Sheene’s 1976 and 1977 500cc championship-winning bikes and it was emotional to see and hear them before they return to the Sheene family home in Australia.

Check out our pics from Stafford on pages 6-7 and 50-51.

The Professional Publishers Association

Member

Allen Millyard

Gary D Chapman

Scoop wrote about the Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone, did us an FS1 buyer’s guide and fitted fork emulators!

There’s no other way of describing him… Allen joins CMM and you can read his first column on page 72.

Last month’s cover by Ian ‘Shroom’ Burgess stopped a run of 16 consecutive covers by D. He’s back!

Off on his holidays…

Jeff Ware

Jovial Jeff gives us a test of a real 1990s superbike – the Kawasaki ZXR750M with an Anthony Gobert twist! See page 52.

Charlie Oakman Charlie and friends are nearly done!

Soon he will be racing. See what he still needs to sort on page 74.

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

www.twitter.com/cmmmag

Steve Cooper

Fast Berk final furlong

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

Editor

BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/

Down Under Contributor

Independent publisher since 1885

Also displaying his amazing creations at Stafford was our new columnist, Allen Millyard.

One of the highlights of the show for me was sitting down with Allen, as he excitedly showed Ralph Ferrand, Pip Higham and myself the progress he’s been making on his latest masterpiece. To say we were all awed by what he’s doing is an understatement. “I wake up in the middle of the night, realise I’ve come up with the solution to a problem and have to pop down to the workshop to check if it works…”

The man is a genius. And he’s going to be with us every month. Check out his first column on page 72.

Genius engineer

Scott Redmond

Snapper in a strop

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH!

Social media mogul Scottie is still madly active on our Facebook feed and he’s talking about big naked bikes in our Marketplace section! What can we say about our tame breaker who has more fingers in more pies than anyone else in the industry? This Essex boy is pukka and wheels and deals like no-one else at the helm of his huge MotoRcom organisation. Do his spanners only spin one way? Find out next month!

Mark Haycock Q&A King

Mark is not only doing his duty on the Q&A pages (from page 62) he’s also giving us lots on his CB750 K2 (page 78.)

Paul Chance

Two-strokes and he’s done!

Our very own 1990s throwback has finished his Suzuki RGV250M two-stroke.

She’s been a pain! See page 64.

Pip Higham

Robert Bee

Stan Stephens

Restored to the back page, our Pip is taking a certain Mr Guy Martin to task… and why not?

Big Bad Bob has returned to his Brad Lackey look-a-likey picture and we have to say it suits. Call him to advertise!

Our Stan is telling us about two specific models this month: the Yamaha TDR250 and DT175 MX.

He’s moved!

Ad Contact

Legendary top tuner

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

Contents 62

64

❙ Q&A

Mark Haycock and you with a page of tips.

❙ SUZUKI RGV250M

Paul Chance finishes the finicky stroker. At last!

68

❙ YAMAHA DT175

72

❙ ALLEN MILLYARD

74

❙ FAST BERK!

78

❙ HONDA CB750 K2

90

❙ FORK EMULATORS

94

Stan Stephens on tuning this off-road gem.

Our new columnist on camshafts!

Charlie Oakman finally finishes the TZR250!

Mark Haycock sorts the front brake caliper. Ish! Scoop on fitting and fettling these handy upgrades.

❙ YAMAHA FS1

Steve Cooper has this guide on Yamaha’s Fizzy grandad.

110 ❙ YAMAHA TDR250

Stan again on his wide torque tune for the TDR!

06 08 10

ARCHIVE

12 14 20

CMM TESTED

22

SHOW US YOURS

26

HONDA CB1100RS

30

MOTO GUZZI NUOVO FALCONE

Farewell to Barry’s bikes.

CMM MARKETPLACE Auctions and big nakeds.

CMM STUFF

New kit, tools and tyres and stuff. Lovely!

We try stuff out.

NEWS

Views, news and what’s on.

FEEDBACK

WIN Bridgestone tyres for star letter!

WIN S-Doc cleaning kit and a Tamiya model bike!

Retro inline four from days of yore! But is it a snore?

Steve Cooper flexes his military muscle.

36 38 46

SUBSCRIBE!

Subscribe for an Xmas gift!

SUZUKI XN85 TURBO John Nutting rides an 80s icon. It’s turbo time!

HIGH SPEED SUZUKI

Nutters again, this time on a very fast four!

50

SUPER STAFFORD

52

KAWASAKI ZXR750/9RM

60

If you missed out, here’s what happened.

A Down Under tribute to Anthony Gobert!

RETRO REBOOT

Kar Lee’s take on what retro Kawasaki SHOULD do.

113 NEXT MONTH

What’s happening in the January CMM?

114 PIP HIGHAM

Pip challenges Guy Martin…

Ooooh! Stand back!

www.classicmechanics.com / 5

The legend that is Oggy with the Sheene machines.

Sheene

machines 6 / classic motorcycle mechanics

W

e should salute Suzuki GB for allowing us to see, hear (and smell) Barry Sheene’s legendary 1976 and 1977 500cc GP title winning machines.

Suzuki’s Tim Davies and his team secured the bikes to be shipped over (at great expense)

from the Sheene family home in Australia to celebrate the 40th anniversaries of Barry’s two world titles. Now – after a busy two show seasons – they will return to Australia.

During their time in the UK, Suzuki got ex-Sheene mechanic Martyn Ogborne and legendary classic spanner-man

Both machines drew a big crowd at Stafford.

The sight, the sound, the smell.

Steve Plater interviews John Reynolds while Tim Davies looks on.

Nigel Everett to restore the 1976 XR14 to working order.

Following 600 hours of hard work the bike was ridden by Barry’s son Freddie at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough – scene to many of Sheene’s victories.

The bikes have helped heap publicity on Suzuki’s Vintage Parts Programme, which helps

keep our chosen classics alive and on the road.

At the 24th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at the Stafford Showground, the British public enjoyed seeing and hearing the brace of title-winners for – possibly – the last time before they return back to the

Sheene family home. For one CMM reader who attended the show, it was a sight and sound never to be forgotten. Pete Smith said: “I was a Barry Sheene fan back in the 1970s and got to see him race at Silverstone at that classic 500cc GP in 1979 and a couple of times at

Scarborough. I’ve seen these bikes at shows over the last couple of years but had to come back to Stafford to see and hear them one more time.

These bikes are a big piece of history for me and it’s great that Suzuki realised this and brought them back to the UK for a while.” cmm www.classicmechanics.com / 7

cmm

Marketplace

Bonhams’ barometer Every month we take a look at the classic motorcycle market with a range of industry experts. This month, Ben Walker from Bonhams auctioneers and our very own Scott Redmond look at the high and low ends of the marketplace.

T

he key advantage of auction sales as a barometer of changing values is the fact that they are public.

Private sales are, of course, private, and the ‘how much?’ prices quoted in dealer advertisements are in many cases no guide to the actual selling price.

So what did we learn from Bonhams’ October sale at Stafford? That provenance, originality, and condition remain as important as ever, and that interest in certain models and market sectors is growing faster than in others.

The latter point is of particular interest to CMM readers, as it is bikes of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s that are showing some of the biggest price increases. And with the cycle of nostalgia getting ever shorter, there have been some significant movements in bikes from the 2000s too. The driving force behind this is demographics: motorcyclists who grew up riding (or lusting after) Japanese and Italian exotica in their youth are now in a position to buy their dream bike.

Landmark models have always been of special interest to enthusiasts and collectors: all the more so if they are in unused condition, so it was no surprise to see the ‘two miles from new’ 1990 Suzuki RG500 Gamma achieve an aboveestimate £31,050. Talking of landmarks, there are none more significant than Honda’s

RC30s always going up in price.

Nearly zero-miler RG bought from Wheels for £26k sold at auction for £31k.

trend-setting CB750: a 1971 ‘K0’ model, the two-owner, 6900-miles-from-new example on offer had lost its original four-into-four exhaust but still made an above-estimate £7820 despite being a restoration project. Another Honda landmark, the VFR750R RC30 has been steadily increasing in value of late, and the 1991 UK-market low-mileage model in the sale – despite showing evidence of repairs and being cosmetically less than perfect – sold for £21,275, a sum that would have purchased a mint example only a few years ago.

No marque is more charismatic than MV Agusta and although it lacked documents and required re-commissioning, the circa 1972 750S on offer went for an eye-watering £84,380, or roughly double what you would have paid for it back in 2007. At the opposite end of the Italian size/ complexity/price scale, the circa 1975 Ducati 450 Desmo (an older restoration) was knocked down for an on-estimate £9200, which made it seem something of a bargain by comparison. Other notable results among the throng of Ducatis present were the 750 F1 Montjuich (number 2 of only 200 made) which sold for £16,100; the 1997 916 Senna II which fetched £18,975; and the 1996 750SS, whose purchaser paid £4370 for the two-owner, 7000-mile example in the sale.

Another landmark model, Yamaha’s TT500 was the competition version of the XT500, Japan’s first successful large-capacity four-stroke dirt bike.

Forming part of an extensive collection of off-roaders offered towards the end of the sale, the original and unrestored example comfortably exceeded its top estimate of £2800, selling for £3565 to a UK-based bidder. And whereas home-based buyers predominated at British auctions 20 years ago, in 2017 at Stafford there were registered bidders from more than two dozen nations, helping to drive the sale to a best-ever total of more than 96% of lots sold, and reflecting the strength of the market. cmm ■ www.bonhams.com

8 / classic motorcycle mechanics

www.classicmechanics.com

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/

www.twitter.com/cmmmag

MUST-HAVE MUSCLE I

f sit up and beg muscle bikes are your thing then you’ll know how practical a big naked Japanese four-potter can be.

Back in the 90s many manufacturers started looking at their past, looking at bikes such as the Z1100R, CB900F and GSX1100 models. Each of the four manufacturers had a dabble at going back to the future and on the whole all of their efforts were decent. Skip forward to 2018 and those retro bikes from the 90s are now fast becoming emerging classics.

Kawasaki was the first to see the gap and rustled up the Zephyr range. Hindsight reveals that they were a little too premature with their 550, 750 and 1100 air-cooled retros that were mostly created with parts by going through the skips around the back of the Kawasaki factory. No offence intended, but the engines in these bikes could all trace their roots back to the mid-70s themselves.

The appetite for retro muscle means that even an 1100 Zephyr is no longer in the cheap seats. Good ones are very hard to come by, possibly due to them being a

slack seller and iffy build quality. Either way £3000 appears to be the going rate for a bike that’s in tip-top condition. That’s about where the ZRX1200 prices start out.

Sadly it’s the ZRX1200S model that props up the ZRX market, a ‘proper’ ZRX1200R with all of its lovely Eddie Lawson rep looks will be nearer the £4000 mark for a bike that’s been well looked after. Prices then run off up to £15,000 for a new and unregistered offering! The ZRX1200 morphed from the ZRX1100; these are pretty much the same bike, but with bigger holes in the barrels on the 1200.

Today, £3000 can bag you a decent XJR1300 (and XJR1200) or even an early CB1300, that’s still a flipping gorgeous bike, the natural progression of the CB1000 Big One, a bike that’s pretty much vanished from the used bike market.

Although Suzuki had its Bandit models it realised that it needed something a bit more retro and the GSX1400 is the biggest of the bunch. However it gets very mixed reviews. It looks great in the traditional blue and white stripes, but less tempting in some of the other colour options. There are plenty who must love

them because prices rarely dip below the three grand mark.

The real beauty of all of these bikes is they all run modern tyre sizes, and despite some being over two decades old you won’t find many that need restoring!

Your biggest problem will be finding an example that hasn’t been treated to an overload of anodised tat, or been semi street fightered.

Manufacturers still churn out new retro models and Kawasaki has gone one further and rebadged its modern naked range with the iconic Zed branding.

This leaves some of us cold, yet to others it’s perfect sense – discuss.

Will we look back and kick ourselves for not buying a 90s retro now? Three grand-ish isn’t a lot of money when you look elsewhere within our classic motorcycling world. 1970s and 1980s muscle bikes are out of reach for many, and new retros like the Z900RS will cost around £10,000 when they hit the showrooms.

For me, big retros are a bit of a bargain, buyy now,, p playy now ((and later). ) Jacks of all trades and master of some! cmm

www.classicmechanics.com / 9

cmm

Stuff

The latest riding kit, toop tools, t ols tyres, retro clothing andd more!

SUZUKI RETRO CLOTHING

Suzuki has a long and proud heritage on which to draw when it comes to its large retro clothing range. From T-shirts to jackets, each item focuses on either a classic Suzuki model or the legendary ‘S’ logo itself.

Typical prices are £26 for the various T-shirts, £54 for an Isle of Man hoodie and £67 for a retro GSX-R jacket. Available in dealerships or online: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Suzuki-Bikes-UK-Official

£26£67

TW STEEL WATCHES

‘Live life at full throttle’ sayeth the advertising blurb for this watch company, alongside pictures of hipsters riding weird V-twin motorcycles on sand. They also do a Valentino Rossi ‘VR46’ range so they are aiming at we motorcyclists. Some of these watches are pricey but nicey and who doesn’t like a nice timepiece?

Maverick pictured is £299 and the Adesso (blue dial) is £545. www.twsteeluk.com FROM

£195

10 / classic motorcycle mechanics

£249.99

STAR WARS HELMET

If you love a certain science fiction film, you can’t have helped but notice the array of helmets that have come along from lid maker HJC. Now the firm’s gone a step further by making the X-Wing pilot’s lid from the original 1977 film Star Wars. This HJC FG-70s Fighter Pilot lid features Kevlar/fibre-glass construction, a drop-down sun visor, which is useful when targeting womp rats or Death Star exhaust ports as well as a partially removable lining, sizes XS to XL. www.oxfordproducts.com

www.classicmechanics.com

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/

www.twitter.com/cmmmag

MAX TORQUE CANS

Since 2001, Martin Leigh and his team have been making top-quality end-cans and downpipes for a wide-range of FROM motorcycles, many of which fit CMM’s modern-classic era machines. We’ve been running a full system with can on our Project Bandit 1200, seen on our Facebook page and the fit and quality are very impressive. www.maxtorquecans.com The Screamer XA7 disc lock alarm features a 100 decibel alarm to deter thieves should it be tampered with. It features a seven mm hardened locking pin, a long-life battery and motion/shock sensors that do the job should any undesirables try and shift your pride and joy. www.oxfordproducts.com

£150

SCREAMER DISC LOCK ALARM

£39.99

LONG REACH PLIE PLIERS ERS This is a set of useful long-rea ach pliers from Laser Tools (part numberr 6684) and they could be very useful to us bike fettlers. They feature a slim design, while the 16in (400mm m in new money) length means they can be very handy in tigh ht spots! Three pliers are include ed with a choice of jaw angle: straight, 90º and 45º. www.lasertools.co.uk

ELSPETH BEARD:

£14.99

LONE RIDER

The story of the first British woman to ride a motorcycle around the world: includes maps and eight pages of pictures. p www.mombooks.com w

£68.42

DUCATI 916

£35

This book on the legendary 916 series has 192 pages with 159 pictures charting the 916 family along with associated models such as the 748 family, S4, ST2 and ST4. www.veloce.co.uk www.classicmechanics.com / 11

cmm

Tested

Riding kit worn, tools twirled & tyres turned

£90

ABBA SUPERBIKE STAND FROM

Yes, I know the bike seen in this ’ere picture is a modern bike – but don’t let that fool you, the Abba superbike stand is a very capable bike stand that can accommodate a wide-range of modern classic machines.

In the five years I’ve had this one, it’s been the stand of choice for a range of bikes from an Aprilia RSV1000 Mille (1998) a 1996 Suzuki GSX-R750 SRAD, a Honda CBR900RR FireBlade (1997) a 1995 Yamaha YZF750R and an array of modern motorcycles too.

The flexibility lies in the way the two halves of the stand slot into the swingarm pivot point. For around £15-£20 you simply purchase an adaptor kit for the bike you own, meaning that you don’t have to buy brand-new stands, like you often have to with dedicated front and rear paddock stands.

You can even buy a ‘dealer kit’ should you wish, with a vast array of adaptors to suit most bikes from the last 30 or so years.

Advantages are many: not least cost (small) storage space when broken down (tiny) and adaptability to suit pretty much any bike you care to buy next. Handy if you’re a serial buyer/flogger like myself. You can even add a ‘Front Lift Arm’ to the basic stand which lifts the front hoop off the floor.

I’ve yet to get that, but may well do to add to the flexible nature of the stand.

Bad points? Not many, but I would say this to any user: as much as it says it’s for easy, single person use, do get used to the setting-up of the bike with the stand first, with a mate there just in case. The setting of the width of the two halves of the stand often has to be pretty spot-on, otherwise when you extend the handle to lift the bike up, it can wobble and sway disconcertingly. A minor niggle after you’ve got used to this most brilliant product.

Bertie Simmonds

■ www.abbastands.co.uk 12 / classic motorcycle mechanics

LIQUI MOLY CHAIN LUBE

and out of favour so it’s been hard to get anything other than chain wax or thick, sticky lube.

This Liqui Moly chain lube in a 250ml aerosol is my discovery of 2017 and I love it. The pros are that it’s relatively cheap and goes on clear and clean without any whiteness that you get with wax.

The downsides are that it does fling around the back of your bike if you’ve not taken off any excess and you do tend to use more than you would with a wax as you can’t always see where you’ve already put it: highly recommended.

For the last few years I’ve been hunting around for a good-quality chain lube and I’ve finally found it.

Y’see, I hate the modern fad for sticky-white chain ‘wax’: stuff that is anti-fling and sticks (literally) to your chain like glue.

That’s all well and good but if it sticks to the chain like that, then grit, detritus and all manner of rubbish can stick to it also, and then you’ve got a grinding paste that’s going to play havoc with your chain and sprockets.

Instead, I always liked the low viscosity lubes that weren’t anti-fling but which kept your chain nice and clean and free from sticky grit, but sadly these ese seem to have been out of fashion

Bertie Simmonds

■ www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk for o p product oduct range a ge see www.bikeittrade.com

SHOEI NXR PARAMETER TC-8

The NXR is Shoei’s replacementt for the old XR-1100 which I’d happily used d for some years. The new helmet takes all the good details from the older one and im mproves on them. It’s quiet, has decent ventilation and is available in seven sizes. The lining is moisture absorbent and quick drying, the visor takes a Pinlock and most importantly the NXR is even more comfortab ble. In fact I’d go so far as to say it’s all dayy comfortable. Quality comes at a price but I’d go for safety, comfort and quietness any day of the week. This helmet has been on test with me for more than a year.

Steve Cooper

■ www.shoeiassured.co.uk or www.feridax.com

£8

FROM

£445