Classic Motorcycle Mechanics - October 2014

STAN STEpHENS REBUIldS AN Rd350lC

BEACHCOMBING WITH SUZUKI’S RV125 VANVAN

OCTOBER 2014

ALL THAT’S BEST IN MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLING

mastering the multimeter

Workshop skills:

Four-stroke oil change

No.324 October 2014

£4.10

■ suzuki gsx-r1100k-m ■ bmw r 60 ■ kawasaki kz750 ■ suzuki gsx1300r hayabusa

Workshop knowledge:

PrOJECT bikEs HONDA CB750 RC42, SUZUKI GSX-R1100L, PROJECT RICKUKI, HONDA VFR400R, SPA KATANA

❙ buyEr’s guiDE HONDA CX500 TURBO ❙ kNOwLEDgE MODERN FUEL TANKS ❙ Q&a YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ❙ CLassiFiEDs

October 2014 Issue 324 Publisher: Steve Rose, srose@mortons.co.uk Group production editor: Tim Hartley Contributors: Mark ‘Weeble’ Manning, Pip Higham, Mark Williams.

Design: Justin Blackamore Reprographics: Simon Duncan Divisional advertising manager: Sandra Fisher, sfisher@mortons.co.uk Advertising: Sam Dearie, Tania Shaw sdearie@mortons.co.uk, tshaw@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, October 15, 2014 Advertising deadline: Friday, September 26, 2014 © 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.

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A cornucopia of classics It’s a joy putting together CMM every month with a rag-tag fugitive band of expert contributors. And with the sheer breadth of years we cover – late 1960s through to the late 1990s – the wide spectrum of biking brilliance is there in abundance every month. Take this issue for instance.

Jon Bentman waxes lyrical about the BMW R60, a machine with just enough power, allied to good handling and excellent ergonomics and reliability. Better than a Norton of some description? Probably, and yet these worthy machines seem to have been overlooked by many. JB opines that this is a shame and that we should open our eyes to bikes which have seemingly dropped below the radar.

John Nutting recalls the story of the wayward later marks of GSX-R1100 and asks why or how

these behemoths turned into bilge tanks and were raced on road tyres (of all things) at the TT. Personally, I’d still love a mint K, L or M 1100 in my garage just for machismo’s sake.

Then our affable North East correspondent Chris Moss recalls the launch of the Suzuki Hayabusa – a 170bhp hyperbike which is now worthy of modern classic status and can be bought for just over two grand. Throw in our Scoop on a KZ750 Kwak twin and Andy Westlake beachcombing on a Suzuki VanVan and all of motorcycling is contained herein. So dive in, enjoy and keep telling us what bikes you want to see in the mag. It’s your CMM, after all...

Bertie Simmonds editor

Bertie Simmonds

Jon Bentman

Chris Moss

bertie@classicmechanics.com This month...

Seriously. £1000-£2000 can get you 130-170bhp. Daft not to.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

While Mossy got 150bhp, JB got about a third of that with the R60. He loved it.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Mossy recalls his time on a Hayabusa and rides one again.

Steve Cooper

Mark Haycock

John Nutting

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Scoop has been riding a KZ750 twin and genning up on the CX Turbo.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

He finally gives us part two of multimetering and talks tanks!

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Nutters recalls the wayward beast which was the late 80s on GSX-R1100s.

Stan Stephens

Paul Berryman

Joe Dick

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

It’s rebuild time for Stan and the Yamaha RD350LC.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Time to sit back and examine the year of the Kat. Road test soon.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Our Joe sorts the gearbox and clutch from his VFR400R.

Don Morley

Andy Westlake

Sam Dearie

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Don recalls trying to talk sense to the TT organisers of the 1980s. Fat chance!

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Our man out west hits the beach on a Suzuki VanVan.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Advertise with this man! You know it makes sense....

Buy a hyperbike

Older/nicer stuff editor

Lord of the LC

Legendary photographer

Road test editor

The Q&A King

King of Kat

Devon correspondent

Beast on a Busa

Master of Mira

Super snapper man!

Ad sales guru

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

Contents

71

❙ WORKSHOP NEWS

74

❙ PROJECT CB750 RC42

Lots of new metal and the AP50 remembered.

He wanted a CBX? This is Scoop’s new scoot.

06 ARCHiVE

44 BMW R 60

78

❙ PROJECT SPA KAT

SuZuKi 08 1999 gSX1300R HAYABuSA

SuZuKi RV125 52 1974 VANVAN

82

❙ PROJECT VFR400R

13

NEWS

57

87

❙ FOuR-STROKE Oil

18

CAlENDAR

20

FEEDBACK

Move over Marquez – Freddie Spencer did the double!

Chris Moss on a modern classic rocketship.

22 30 39

Stafford show update, news and columnists.

October will be the start of our Indian summer. Honest!

More feedback from yours truly: thank you all.

SHOW uS YOuRS

A whole family on two wheels?

Superb.

A terrific Teutonic Boxer twin with our own Jon Bentman.

One man and his beachcombing balloon-tyred bike.

APRiliA RS125/KTM HYBRiD A gorgeous stroker, rebuilt as a thumper.

gSX60 SuZuKi R1100K/l/M

MIRA files marvels at the mammoth GSX-R1100 family.

CBX1000 68 HONDA CAFE RACER

129 COMiNg ClASSiCS

1986

130 NEXT MONTH

Kwak’s big twin ridden and remembered by our Scoop.

Chernobyl and Challenger, VFR and GPX: a memorable year.

Is it just the Hayabusa which is a future speed king collectible?

Exciting news about next month’s magazine! Subscribe now

Joe Dick on his gearbox and clutch swap: fingers crossed.

CHANgE

Scoop’s new scoot gets a transfusion.

90

❙ PROJECT RiCKuKi

92

❙ PROJECT gSX-R1100l

95

❙ STAN STEPHENS –

Our own take on the cafe racer craze with a CBX.

KAWASAKi KZ750

The final instalment on the build by Paul Berryman.

Scoop’s cafe racer getting its fitments and fittings.

The kids from Suzuki’s apprentice programme whip out the motor.

YAMAHA RD350lC

Stan on the rebuild of the perfect 350LC motor.

98

❙ MulTiMETERS

110

❙ HONDA CX500 TuRBO

124

❙

Mark Haycock returns on the wizardry of the multimeter.

Steve Cooper on the next turbo in our series – the humble CX.

TANK FuRORE

Why has removing a tank become a chore, asks Haycock?

126

❙

Q&A

Our experts answer your questions.

What if Honda made a Cafe Racer of the old CBX1000?

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 mail share what yo @mortons.co.uk or ds on m im bs to s shot ag. Let us know Email your hi-res 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.

Lee Samelak’s 1980 Honda CBX1000 I’m serving in the United States Air Force over here in the UK at RAF Mildenhall and wanted to share a few photos of my recently restored 1980 Honda CBX-A. It’s actually more of a ‘resto-mod’ than a restoration, but I would say it is 85% factory correct. The story is that four years ago when I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, I purchased the CBX from a retired marine who ran a motorcycle service shop that catered for the GIs. After taking my 2001 GSX1400 for regular maintenance, he offered the CBX that sat in the store’s front window display to me.

He knew I had a passion for classic Japanese muscle bikes and figured I would be the ideal new owner. In Japan, CBXs are very desirable and he would turn down offers from the locals because he knew the bike would not remain original, since heavily modding classic bikes is very popular there. After taking ownership of the CBX, I put about 15km on it riding the mountain roads up north and along the coast of Okinawa: it’s a small island, so that’s a lot of circles!

I eventually received an assignment in the UK and as the CBX became very dear to me it would also be making the trip.

Unfortunately, after so many years of being in one of the most corrosive environments in the world (middle of the Pacific), the CBX was in need of a frame-up restoration.

22 / classic motorcycle mechanics

any We’ve teamed up with The Hobby Comp a www.hobbyco.net – which distributes Tamiy our give to – UK the in kits cycle motor plastic 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

Practically everything on the bike has either been re-plated, painted, powder coated, polished or replaced with NOS parts. Most of the modifications that depart from stock include upgrading the suspension, braking and ignition systems. I wanted to have a CBX that appeared to be stock, but reliable as well.

One other modification is the use of 1983 CB1100F ‘boomerang’ wheels. I think this adds a nice period-correct mod.

The only part of the bike that didn’t need an overhaul was the engine. All I did was have the silver paint removed so it can be painted black (81/82 CBX engine

scheme), re-seal it and adjust the top end.

The rebuilding of the CBX has been a great learning experience and when I return to the States, I have a 1983 Suzuki GS1100E that I have owned since 1998 to tackle next. I finished the CBX nearly a year after arriving in the UK.

Andrew Sampson’s collection Andy Miller’s 1998 Kawasaki ZRX1100 I was an avid reader back in the mid-Nineties when I had my GPZ750 A2. Two decades, a family and many bikes later, I have rediscovered Classic Motorcycle Mechanics and am very impressed: good job! I have a 1998 ZRX 1100, which I have had since new.

It is immaculate, garaged, covered and is without doubt the best all-round bike I have had. It has only seen rain five times and only done 17,000 miles, but has been on two European tours. I also bought a 1989 FZR1000 EXUP: a right bargain. The engine is very smooth and overall the bike has been looked after – the bodywork is rough, but I’m working on that. Been a long time since I’ve been on an out-and-out sports bike, but what fun and amazingly quick even compared to today’s bikes.

The RD was bought on a whim three years ago as a ‘good runner’, but has been completely rebuilt over the last two winters. Next job will be to fit a set of white bodywork when I can afford to have it painted, and then that’s it.

My little Cub was a present from the missus for 25 years of marriage and it’s been a year getting to this point. It is

almost ready for the MoT, but waiting for a new front brake torque arm at the moment.

I’ve tried to reuse just about everything I can, preferring old Honda to new copy parts – I can’t wait to be tearing up the roads on it! The big Honda CB1300 needed no restoration and is my favourite. The combination of old school and new feeling still gives me a buzz five years on from new.

John Evan’s RD400 and NC35 The two bikes shown have given the youth of two generations no end of fun. The Yamaha is the 1970s icon and the RVF is the baby version of the RC45, both bought as projects. The Yamaha had a broken gearbox and the Honda was a non-runner. With the internet and forums like 400GreyBike.com and the Yamaha Aircooled Club there is a lot of help and advice, and not forgetting Rick Oliver for spares.

The sound they both produce is awesome and with the Yamaha the two-stroke smell is a delight. They are both great bikes to ride. With road tax at £38 a year, agreed valuation on the Yamaha and the never-ending speed restrictions on the roads, I’m glad I no longer have a modern large sports bike. People want to see and hear them and they are a better investment than money in the bank.

www.classicmechanics.com / 23

Classic Ride

WORDS: STEVE COOPER PHOTOS: JOE DICK

Derided and reviled when new, Scoop throws a leg over a KZ750 and comes back smiling.

S

ome bikes just make you smile and big Bill Flanagan’s KZ750 is one of them. For a machine that was pilloried when new, and swiftly assigned knacker status just a few years later, it’s actually a genuinely fine machine.

Tramping around the back roads of Hampshire, I simply cannot resist the urge to run it on hard in the lower gears. It pulls like the proverbial steam train, makes a proper motorcycle sound from its aftermarket pipes and puts a huge grin on these wrinkled old chops. Errr, yes; you could say I’m really enjoying the experience.

The KZ750 was one of those bikes that no one really asked for and even fewer bought, well in the UK at least.

The Japanese really must have thought they were on to something making big twins for us Brits but as the sales books show we never quite got it. It was almost as if we Brits had had a gutful of both designs from postwar through to the early 60s. Somehow our collective motorcycling psyche simply wouldn’t accept any more of the same. If you opened a magazine of the period and it had anything like the Black Bomber, or Yamaha XS range on the pages then you almost instinctively turned the page.

Unless you were perverse... which is where I come in.

30 / classic motorcycle mechanics

I love Black Bombers, adore XS650s, would love to experience a Suzuki GR650 and have always wanted to ride a KZ750. In my world at least these and others are the machines our own industry should have been making in the swinging Sixties. And of course they would have if senior British management and arrogant boards of directors hadn’t got it all so horrendously wrong. As the biking world has seen in the last seven or eight years, there’s a hell of a lot going for a big lusty twin. Low down torque, slim build, ease of use, good fuel economy and of course that legendary punch out of corners all conspires to make for an enjoyable ride.

Meanwhile, back on the road. Our test bike has a really broad saddle which is both comfortable and supportive; it feels as though several hours on board would not be a pain. If, perhaps, there might be a limiting factor it would have to be the handlebars. This is an American market model so comes with the obligatory sit-up-and-beg riding position, which can make riding a little bit of a chore. That said up to 65-70mph the wind blast isn’t actually too bad.

If it were my bike I’d be looking to go for something a little lower but it emphatically suits its owner’s

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44 / classic motorcycle mechanics

BMW survived the Japanese onslaught in the late-60s and early70s by mixing savvy – car-based – new tech with curiously old – even British – tech to create some of the most reliable and best-specced bikes in the market. The R90S would be its crowning glory, but that bike stood on the shoulders of more humble machines like the R60...

Words: Jon BenTMan PHoTos: MaRk Manning

B

efore the Japanese there was the car. The car was the biggest threat to the British and European motorcycle in the 1960s. rising affluence among the working and middle classes meant scooters, motorcycles and sidecars gave way to the practicality and increasing affordability of compact cars.

That was the beginning of the end for the British bike industry, of course – the arrival of the Japanese motorcycle only compounded an already bad situation. it was very nearly the end for BMW too, which was also struggling. in dire financial difficulties the company was very nearly sold to Mercedes before being bought up in 1959 by a banker named Dr Herbert Quandt. at the time BMW was already fairly diversified, as well as the motorcycle division it was also producing aero engines and ‘bubble’ cars (we’d call them micro

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COMPETITION

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HONDA CRF450R Black Edition*

We’ve teamed up with Honda to offer you lucky things the chance to win an off-road bike!

That’s right, you heard correctly… we’ve got a 2014 CRF450R Black Edition, up for grabs in our FREE to enter prize draw!

Matching an agile, state-of-the-art chassis to big-hitting four-stroke power and torque, since its introduction in 2002 the Honda CRF450R has proven itself a complete, winning package. With a host of upgrades, the 2014 CRF450R Black Edition builds on this success…

• Improved bottom-end torque from the 449cc single-cylinder engine

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• Finer feel at partial throttle openings to control drive and manage the available traction

• 240mm wave-pattern disc and twin-piston brake caliper

• Greater top-end power and over-rev • New dual fuel injection timing and updated twin rear silencers • Lighter clutch springs with no loss of durability • 9.35kg aluminium twin-beam frame and swingarm with Pro-Link rear suspension linkage • 48mm air suspension KYB front forks with revised internals for improved damping response

• Lightweight aluminium rims • Black plastics • Holeshot graphics • Talon wheels • Black & red seat cover • Yoshimura exhaust

Enter at the Classic Dirt Bike Magazine stand at the International Dirt Bike Show, where the bike will be on display, or head over to www.dirtbikeshow.co.uk and enter online today. The winner will be the first name selected at random *Competition open to UK applicants only. Specific terms & conditions and general competition terms & conditions apply; visit www.dirtbikeshow.co.uk for full details. Closing date: Monday, December 1, 2014.