Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Feb 2015

Mackenzie R RD400 pRoject begins! SUZUKI stan stepHens’ V6 RD1200Lc! 200Lc!

GS1000S 000S BUYER’S GUIDE

Knowledge:

Cocoon your bike

Skills:

Two-stroke ignition system

ISSUE NO.328 FEBRUARY 2015

ALL THAT’S BEST IN MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLING

PROJECT BIKES: KAWASAKI ZRX1100, SUZUKI GT500 CAFE RACER, SUZUKI GSX-R1100L ❙ KNOWLEDGE DRILLS ❙ SKILLS REGULATOR/RECTIFIERS ❙ CLASSIFIED BUYING/SELLING TIPS ❙ Q&A YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

February 2015 Issue 328 Publisher: Steve Rose, srose@mortons.co.uk Group production editor: Tim Hartley Contributors: Joe Dick, Mark ‘Weeble’ Manning, Karl Webster Design: Justin Blackamore Reprographics: Simon Duncan

Wes Cooley and the big GS1000S: a generation later and Kevin Schwantz would make that number famous on a raft of Suzukis, both two and four-strokes.

Divisional advertising manager: David England, dengland@mortons.co.uk Advertising: Sam Dearie, Lee Buxton sdearie@mortons.co.uk, lbuxton@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 524004 Subscription manager: Paul Deacon Circulation manager: Steven O’Hara Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Production manager: Craig Lamb Publishing director: Dan Savage Commercial director: Nigel Hole Associate director: Malc Wheeler 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 32 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £49.20. Export rates are also available – see page 32 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Distribution: COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. Tel: 01895 433600 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: Wednesday, February 18, 2015 Advertising deadline: Friday, January 30, 2015 © 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

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Man and machine magic Apologies to our female readers for the headline. We say ‘man’ as in ‘mankind’ as we know there are more than a few brilliant female restorers and riders out there. Respect to you!

The point I’m trying to make is that sometimes, men and machines work in perfect harmony. We’ve all tasted it. We’ve all had that perfect ride where the corners flow and we are inch perfect from kerb to kerb, or we finish that job off and there isn’t any mess, or there aren’t any problems encountered and it all goes like clockwork. Or maybe it’s the end of a restoration and you’re pressing the starter, or heaving down on the kick-start for the first time.

There are other perfect meetings of man and machine, where riders and particular machines

have melded together and become as one in history. Take Wes Cooley and the Suzuki GS1000S: there was never a ‘Wes Cooley Replica’ but we will always associate the double AMA champ with the brand and the bike.

Men and the bond with their bikes is prevalent in this issue. In one feature an Aussie tracks down a Ducati lost for almost 30 years.

In our news section Andy Davis is desperate to find his CBR600 from the 1980s and in his column Pip Higham asks why we name our machines? Why? Because we love our bikes and we have a relationship with them that brings satisfaction and enjoyment.

ds Bertie Simmoneditor

Bertie Simmonds

Jon Bentman

Chris Moss

bertie@classicmechanics.com New Year’s Resolution: bikes, not birds.

There’s a big tree outside my house and they wake me up every morning...

editorial@classicmechanics.com Big JB gets pumped on steroids before mounting the mighty Kawasaki Z1300 for our main test and cover shoot.

editorial@classicmechanics.com Double helping of Mossy this month: first he rides a 90s naked and he gets all nostalgic with us!

Steve Cooper

Mark Haycock

John Nutting

editorial@classicmechanics.com He’s riding a CB350, and giving us a wealth of advice on reg/rectifiers and two-stroke ignition systems. Go Scoop!

editorial@classicmechanics.com Our Q&A Kingpin wants things drilled to perfection this month. Stand to attention you ‘orrible lot!

editorial@classicmechanics.com JN delves deep to tell us all about the nuances of the ultimate Jap classic: the sand-cast CB750!

Stan Stephens

Andy Westlake

Niall Mackenzie

editorial@classicmechanics.com Sauron Stan ignores elf and safety and forges a V6 RD1200LC in the furnaces of Mount Doom. Now we’re Tolkien!

editorial@classicmechanics.com CMM’s ‘man in the south west’ finds a Special K Thai takeaway tiddler that’s utterly delicious!

editorial@classicmechanics.com As he enters his third year with us, he starts his third resto - an RD400! But God, it looks a mess. See page 72.

Don Morley

Alan Dowds

Sam Dearie

editorial@classicmechanics.com The legend of the lens goes back to the time of Wes Cooley and Suzuki’s seminal GS1000S for this issue.

editorial@classicmechanics.com Wee Jock McTight orders out and gets a box full of Chinese con rods! Will they add to the bike, or take away?

sdearie@mortons.co.uk This be the man you go to for all of your advertising needs in CMM. So come on people – give Sam a call.

Idiot editor...

Older/nicer stuff editor

Lord of the (piston) Rings

Ledgendary photographer

Road test editor

Drill Sergeant Haycock!

Doyen of Dorset...

Canny Scot orders a chinky!

Quick Spin Queen

Master of Mira

Project Hunter!

Ad sales giant

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

Contents 06

ARCHIVE

08

1999 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 955I

13

NEWS

18

CALENDAR

20 22 26

68 72

Wes Cooley and the super-cool Suzuki GS1000S.

Mossy mounts a Nineties naked!

Old bikes sought, new cafe racer kits, news and views galore.

80

44

HONDA CB350K4 Steve Cooper rides one.

NOSTALGIA

Chris Moss on how he got into biking. And what happened next.

KAWASAKI Z1300

The mighty majesty of King Kwak – and what went wrong!

Feb is freezing but get out there!

52

READER’S SPECIAL

56

READER’S SPECIAL JARNO SAARINEN REPLICA

FEEDBACK

A tasty tiddler in the shape of the Kawasaki GA290SS.

The build carries on to its finale.

60 66

All your lovely letters for us to show you.

HONDA CB750 SAND-CAST

MIRA Files tells you how to spot a sand-cast.

YAMAHA RD350 YPVS F3 The last hurrah for the LC rebooted.

SHOW US YOURS

Your splendid steeds in all their glory.

DUCATI 750 F1 MONTJUICH

Karl Webster on the Down Under Duke called Monty.

82

❙ TWO-STROKE IGNITION

105 ❙ COMING CLASSICS

86

❙ STAN STEPHENS

106 ❙ SUZUKI GS1000S

88

❙ WORKSHOP: DRILLS

110 ❙ Q&A

90

❙ PROJECT SUZUKI

118 ❙ PROJECT SUZUKI GT500 CAFE RACER

❙ WORKSHOP NEWS

New Laser Tools, Samco hoses and piston ring tools too.

❙ PROJECT MACKENZIE YAMAHA RD400

You can’t keep him away from CMM: new project.

76

30 39

❙ REGULATOR RECTIFIERS Scoop sorts these bloomin’ things.

Our Stan carries on with his V6 RD1200LC build.

Mark Haycock on this most humble of device.

GSX-R1100L

Our Suzuki apprentices on rebuilding the Gixer’s chassis.

❙ ALL YEAR BIKER!

Mossy cocoons his bike from the worst that winter can throw at it.

Scoop again – on replacing and upgrading your ignition system.

94

❙ PROJECT KAWASAKI ZRX1100

Alan Dowds gets more bits for his mighty motor.

Andy Bolas on the fearsomely fast ZX-12R Ninja. It’s 15 this year!

Steve Cooper’s buying guide on the big bruiser.

Our experts answer your questions. So don’t forget to send some in!

A new for 2015 – what will it turn out like?

122 ❙ NEXT MONTH

More drills, thrills and spills with a trick Yamaha FZ750, James Whitham’s X7 and much more! www.classicmechanics.com / 5

so you can joy in our pages, d an e id pr R U YO ers.

We want to see e with fellow read or st re d an e rid u share what yo .co.uk or mail immonds@mortons bs to s ot sh s -re ag. Let us know Email your hi the front of the m at s es dr ad e th and after in some photos to it and send before ne do ve u’ yo w ho and ertie what you’ve done Do get in touch. B shots if you can.

any We’ve teamed up with The Hobby Comp a www.hobbyco.net which distributes Tamiy plastic motorcycle kits in the UK to give our favourite restoration one of its amazing motorcycles in miniature. So, send in your the pictures of your bikes and you could win chance to indulge in a miniature motorcycle restoration of your own. Remember to send your name and address on each submission so we know where to post the kit.

KIT WINNER

Andy Chatwin’s Honda CX500 Cafe Racer I have been a motorcycle mechanic since 1967 and remember when in the late 1970s the CX500 were introduced. I liked the idea of the V-twin engine but wasn’t really a fan of the way it looked (like many other people). Thirty years later, when I had the chance of buying one in a very sorry state, I thought I could turn it in to something a little different.

Having recently seen the CRK CX500 kits it spurred me on to make something of my own design. Having purchased the bike and starting stripping it, I realised the rear part of the frame was even more corroded than first thought. With my trusted angle-grinder I set to and disposed of it having first made a jig for the rear suspension mounts.

Eighteen months with new my own redesigned rear frame section and a lot of head scratching later, I ended up with a rather different looking CX with many home-made parts including footrest hangers, side-panels, radiator grill, seat, clockcases and other things.

22 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Mike Guttridge’s collection It would be fantastic if you could feature my bikes in the ‘show us yours’ part of the magazine. It would be an ambition of mine completed in getting in a bike mag after 30 years of reading them.

The bikes are a 2001 Honda SP-1 with 8000 miles, a 1994 Honda Urban Tiger 100% original with 1800 miles and my baby A 1999 R1 100% original with just 300 miles on the clocks. The guy I bought the R1 off was 67 and had bought it new but had an operation shortly after buying it and was unable to ride it again.

Martin Crampton’s 1986 Kawasaki Gpz750 A3 My dad always restored British bikes when I was young and last year he asked me if I want to buy that old 750 Kawasaki that had been lying at the back of the shed. I figured I’d give it a go, so gave him £400 for it and took it home.

Eight months later and with plenty of spares from eBay, silencers from the USA, downpipes from Germany and some new decals and paint – here she is. And after a good carb clean and set-up she performs lovely! I’m pretty pleased with my first attempt.

Jago Burkes’ Yamaha RD350LC Hybrid I thought you might like to see my 350LC hybrid with F2 YPVS engine and unusual paint job. I got it a good while ago, but the engine was a wreck. All the work was done by Mike Hose Motorcycles – it needed a re-sleeve with a new standard bore, pistons, new water pump, thermostat etc. The bike is now run in and running like it should... do hope you like it!

READER’S SPECIAL

“This is the story of Monty the Ducati 750 F1. A very special machine picked from Bologna, raced at Bathurst, broken, bodged and left for dead. Until now...Meet Monty, the mended Montjuich!”

26 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Words: Karl Webster Photos: Karl Webster, ross Hunter

The 750 F1 was one of the stand-out Ducatis of the 1980s on both road and track which spawned a select few limited-edition racers across the world. Here’s the story of Monty – one very special Duke.

O

ur story starts with ross hunter. ross has an in-depth knowledge of a rare ducati 750 F1 Montjuich, which was later nicknamed Monty. ross himself has been into motorcycles since he was a kid and today restoration sits alongside riding as one of his chief two-wheeled passions. ross has owned a fair few bikes – lC Yamaha, an XJ900, a Kawasaki GPz900r and a bMW. While a motorcycle accident has restricted the riding a little, he still rides and restores. Currently he has a Ducati 748r and a Yamaha rZ500 – like your rD500 in europe – and now this immaculate Ducati 750 F1. so what about this bike? this Ducati 750 F1 Montjuich became famous down under and ross knew its history and its resting place. Displayed at the sydney International Motor show in February 1986, it was featured in the June 1986 issue of two Wheels and bike australia nov-Dec issue 1988. this very bike was also photographed and commented upon in Ian Falloon’s book about two-valve, belt-driven V-twins. this road Montjuich then became a racer: in fact it became the brisbane-based norm Fraser Motorcycles Kwiksnax Ducati F1 racer, which battled in the 1986 aussie superbike series.

Fraser’s manager billy McDonald earmarked one of these machines he saw while visiting Ducati in Italy at the end of 1985. racer Pete byers took the bike to the notorious bathurst circuit for a shakedown race in 1986 but gearing issues on the long straight and a snapped aluminium swingarm meant things weren’t going to go their way. but then again they were on a 80-90bhp Vtwin against 120bhp opposition… by the end of the 1986 racing season, Monty was a bit of a basket case. Its bodywork was in need of repair and it had a blown engine. so it was sent reluctantly back to the importer, a poor example of its former glory days, and sold on. the bike was finally rebuilt by a new owner and many modifications were carried out. Carrillo

Monty will go back to full race livery circa 1986 soon.

rods were fitted, polished cranks, rockers, wild nCr cams, and a Krober static ignition fitted. two inches of solid steel was machined off the left side of the crankshaft, the crankcase also was machined with two inches removed and an aluminium side cover cast and machined to take its place and cover the side.

Cylinder heads were modified but kept the same capacity, ports altered and 41mm lectron carbs were fitted but the extra spark plughole was filled – this being a modification made by bill McDonald during the 1986 race season. these mods gave it an ability to reach high revs fast without dragging the extra weight up to max rpm, although the Monjuich was always considered to be a little peaky anyway. so, the bike is repaired, but then fades into the mists of time – but ross knows about these bikes and he began to do some research. the article in June 1986’s two Wheels explained that this Montjuich was

www.classicmechanics.com / 27

WORDS: JOHN NUTTING PHOTOS: JOe DIck

KNOW YOUR

Following on from our cB750 Buyer’s Guide last month, we’ve been asked about the ultra-rare ‘sand cast’ cB750. John Nutting tells us more.

E

ver since a very early Honda CB750 was sold last year for almost £90,000, the prices being asked for the collectible so-called ‘sand-cast’ fours have gone crazy.

This was a casting technique used by Honda for the early production of cB750s which marks them apart from the later models, and makes them more valuable.

That particular machine was exceptional, as it was one of only four pre-production prototypes made in 1968 by the factory to publicise what would be the first true superbike. Sold on eBay by sand-cast cB750 specialist Vic World, of San Francisco, the bike included handmade components and represented a key moment in the model’s development. even so, the value of the early production cB750 fours quickly jumped, with some being offered for more than £50,000. They haven’t necessarily been sold for as much as that, indeed it’s still possible to secure them at auction for much less, but it can’t be denied that the market for so-called ‘sand-casters’ has been enlivened. Their rarity – just 398 complete machines are listed on the Sandcast Only Owners club global registry – is bound to guarantee that values will continue to rise. All the more reason therefore to know how to identify an authentic example of these increasingly desirable machines, because it’s not as simple as checking VIN numbers.

When Honda developed the cB750, it was in a fast-moving programme that started in 1967 with the target of launching the machine at the Tokyo Automobile Show in 1968. By the beginning of 1969, revised pre-production prototypes were being shown to dealers in the US, and later in europe. Bikes started to roll off the production line in Japan in July 1969 with the first examples reaching europe early in 1970. Development continued as the machines were being made, with detail changes being added on an almost monthly basis so that 45 years later, only

60 / classic motorcycle mechanics

www.classicmechanics.com / 61

Project Kawasaki ZRX1100 part six

Getting there?

Typical Scot, the canny Dowds is ordering a cheap Chinese. Will the ZRX’s guts stand it?

T

his month, we’re not so much talking about the beginning of the end with the ZRX11 turbo beastie: rather, it’s the end of the beginning.

Nearly. With almost all the engine parts in hand, I was very close to starting the motor rebuild. Wiseco pistons, 90% of the gasketry needed, old motor stripped and cleaned up, let’s go!

I ordered a full set of big-end and main bearing shells through Big CC, and Sean there also suggested some heavy-duty cylinder studs. He also ordered up a machined spacer plate to sit under the barrels, lifting them up a tad to lower the compression ratio to suit the turbo install. A small cardboard box of bits, again, but the wrong side of £300 spent. Erk. I was still pensive about the con rods though. Using the stock ones with new bolts 94 / classic motorcycle mechanics

seemed a reasonable plan originally, but now I was lying awake at night, seeing my lovely turbo special ZRX parked at the side of the A3, with a skinny wee stock con rod popping out the front of the crankcases. In this horrid nightmare, the Porsche I had been racing was tootling off down the fast lane, Tarquin the stockbroker laughing his red chinos off at my predicament, as smoking-hot synthetic oil pooled round my Alpinestars.

Spoiling the ship for a ha’penny-worth of tar is the worry. No point saving cash on something as fundamental as the con rods: it’s like building a house extension on shallow footings. But what to do? The ZZ-R1100/ZRX motor is old now, and finding performance rods isn’t a simple job, most suppliers moving on to newer kit. I’d found a place that would make custom rods, Arrow Precision in Hinckley, but I hadn’t the budget for the £1kplus price.

Chatting to James at Big CC revealed another option though. James is building an awesome 450bhp Subaru Impreza, and he told me about the cheap Chinese-made con rods which are popular in the car tuning scene. Apparently, large batches of blank rods are forged en masse in China, then machined by small engineering firms worldwide for different applications. I had a look on the website he suggested, and blow me if I didn’t find a listing for the ZZ-R1100/ZRX11! And for just over £300 posted!

So – a great price, but would they be better than stock? Of course, I’m not expecting them to match the likes of Arrow Precision, or Carrillo, but since I’m not going to be making a 450bhp monster, I’m not necessarily going to need that. Something which has a nice extra safety margin over the stock rods, for a few hundred quid, seemed perfect.

I asked Sean what he thought. He’s the

Simple solutions: When you have the info, source parts from far and wide! On the web!

Pass the powder…

I finally got myself over to Essex to drop off the frame and swingarm and engine cases at Maldon Shot Blasting. Trevor Lodge is the man there, and he was suitably astounded at the ZRX’s horrendous colour scheme. I had a quick tour of the premises, and was mighty impressed with the setup: Trevor’s clearly in demand for some very specialised processes, and the guys there know how to sort out crappy castings and flaky forgings the right way.

I gave Trevor the rough outline, and he was happy to get started on the preparation. Next month, I’ll go up there and follow my bits through the coating processes from start to finish, sweet.

Trevor was shocked.

Frame and engine parts ready to look nicer.

Around £300 all in!

Just as long as they don’t ‘leap out’.

voice of reason here, and has more experience of building turbo motors than I have of sitting at a laptop issuing clever talk on social media (that means ‘a lot’) and he said they would definitely be better than stock. Decision made.

A week later, a heavy little box arrived from Hong Kong, with four smart-looking H-beam rods inside. Maxspeeding is the brand on the box and marked on the rods too, and to my slightly-tutored eye, they looked decent enough.

ARP bolts, bronze bushes in the small ends, a deep ‘H’ section to the rod, and a hightech(ish) surface treatment, which looks a bit like peening, or superfinishing. One worry is the shape of the rods round the bolts – to my mind there are a couple of corners there which look like they could be stress raisers.

But there you have it. I’m going to take them to an engineering shop I know and have them measured for truth, and compare them

Decent looking bolts.

with the stock parts to see if they are at least dimensionally sane. Then, I’ll no doubt throw them in the motor regardless, putting myself in the testing seat for all the budget turbo fans out there… cmm

Overall... not bad for the money. The big test will be later! www.classicmechanics.com / 95

Next month

YAMAHA FZ750 SPECIAL: Paul Berryman on a modernised five-valver from the legend at Lucky Seven.

HONDA CB550 F2: Steve Cooper tries a 550 four for size.

NOSTALGIA: We visit Oswestry Road Racing Museum.

WINFIELD HONDA RC30: A rare racer restored.

HONDA CB400T: Recalled and remembered in MIRA files.

NOSTALGIA: One man and the Suzuki GSX-R750 he’s owned since new.

READER’S SPECIAL: Yamaha XS650 twin.

PLUS!

WORKSHOP: Stan Stephens continues with the V6 RD1200LC build and Mark Haycock gives us the lowdown on drills part two AND begins a CB400F fork overhaul.

FEBRUARY PROJECT BIKES: Suzuki’s young apprentices carry on their GSX-R1100L restoration, Steve Parrish needs to sort the brakes and exhaust on his Loctite Yamaha FZ750... while James Whitham strips his 1981 Suzuki X7. Meanwhile, Paul Berryman’s Suzuki DR600 woes continue!

AND LOTS MORE, DON’T MISS IT!

ON SALE: FEBRUARY 18

122 / classic motorcycle mechanics

All subject to changes because life’s like that, innit?