Innehållsförteckning för May 2019 från Classic Bike Guide

ROYAL ENFIELD AND its parent company Eicher Motors Ltd, has appointed a new CEO. Vinod K Dasari is the new chief executive officer of Royal Enfield, and will also join the board of Eicher Motors as executive director. Siddhartha Lal, the former CEO, will remain the managing director of Eicher Motors. Dasari began his career with General Electric in 1986 and became president of Cummins India Limited and Timken Company, where he was the Global Railroad business president in the United States. He said: “Royal Enfield is an inspiring story and I am very excited to be part of such a fantastic brand. For me, working with a consumer brand will be a tremendous learning opportunity, and professionally, I am looking forward to the challenge of creating a global consumer…

Gonna get me a Bullet I’m not as deeply into motorcycles as I once was and I plan to let all subs other than Motorcycle Classics expire, but I check all the Brit mags when I get to Barnes & Noble. I’ve never had one, but I still retain an undiminished weakness between the ears for the Bullet, so on my last visit I snatched your February issue without looking twice. It seems there are people of low character everywhere – on the phone, on the internet, in the mailbox at the end of my drive, who would eagerly take advantage of the elderly, and now there’s you. Good job, this issue is a keeper. My knee still remembers my SR500 from decades ago, but I know who has a…

THE TR5 PICTURED is due to go under the hammer at Bonhams’ sale at The 39th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show on April 27/28. Imported from the USA, this example was purchased by Bob Gardiner from Bol d’Or Motorcycles in March 1989. Bob restored it to original specification. Last taxed in February 2006 and Mot’d in March 2005, it is almost certain that it has not been used since then. With a guide price of £6,500-8,500, if you are lucky enough to get within a few hundred pounds of that you’ll have scored a gem, as this TR5 is a truly affordable genuine classic.…

A REBEL’S STEED Inspired after seeing Marlon Brando ride a 6T Triumph Thunderbird in The Wild One, James Dean bought a Triumph TR5 Trophy. Phil Stern’s series of iconic photographs of Dean show him on this bike. It was sold after the actor’s death, and then was retrieved, restored and is currently displayed in a glass case at the James Dean Gallery in Fairmount, Indiana. HAPPY DAYS ON A TR5 What might be the most famous TR5 in the world was seen by millions being ridden every week by Henry Winkler as The Fonz, in the popular and long-running American sit-com Happy Days. Legend says that he had to be pushed into shot as he couldn’t ride a motorcycle when the show started. The mildly customized 1949 Trophy TR5 was…

WHEN THE V50 was introduced, testers considered the V-twin to be charming, though a little idiosyncratic on the road. The lack of a shock absorber on the shaft drive was said to cause the back wheel to lock up if you got the revs wrong while changing gear. The bike seen here, a 1983 model didn’t have any such issues, though that could have been down to my desire not to thrash someone else’s motorcycle into the ground, especially as it’s for sale. Treating somebody else’s 35-year-old motorcycle harshly is never a nice thing to do in any case. The bike is an Italian market import which arrived in the UK several years ago. The finish showed that this was a bike that had been carefully looked after by a…

Hailwood must have breathed a huge sigh of relief as the 1967 season drew to an end. Worn out, weary of technical battles with Honda and disappointed at not winning the 500cc championship, the 27-year-old star was ready to start afresh for the 1968 season. Fate, as ever, had other plans, plans that would shape Hailwood’s career for the next decade. For Mike, the late 1960s and early 1970s marked a period of gradual transition: From two wheels to four. It was a transition that saw Hailwood competing at various non-championship events, including the Daytona 200 and even a Swiss hill climb, alongside establishing himself as a racing car driver. Let’s go back to the start... It’s winter 1967 in South Africa, and Mike Hailwood has been nominated not only…

APRIL 2019 25 LE Velo Lancs & S Lakes: Ribchester (meet main car park). Tel: 01772 782516. 27 Pembrokeshire Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Show: 10-4pm Haverhub (The Old Post Office) Haverfordwest, SA61 1BG 27 VMCC (Dorset section) Breakfast Meet: Henstridge Golf and Leisure, Marsh Lane, Henstridge, Somerset, BA8 0TG. Tel: 01258 860864. dorsetvmcc.co.uk/events/ 27 Sunbeam MCC AGM: Llama Centre, Wych Cross, Forest Row, RH18 5JN. 27-28 The Jukebox Show & Retro Fair: Brighton Racecourse, Freshfield Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 9XZ. www.jukeboxfair.co.uk. Tel: 0208 393 2444.Email info@jukeboxfair.co.uk. 27-28 The 39th Carole Nash International Classic Motorcycle Show: Classics, autojumbling, shows and star guests from the world of TT racing. See our news pages for more details. County Showground, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0BD. www.classicbikeshows.com 28 Drive it Day Breakfast Meet: Battlesbridge…

“For me, life is too short to waste two years on a rusty relic, I’d rather be out there riding them” In a recent article I mentioned a friend who plans to ‘restore’ a bike to perfect running condition yet ensure it wears all of its 60-odd years as faithfully as possible, warts an’ all. At the time I questioned whether I could ever own such a machine as, after all, I’m a self-confessed fan of shiny and have always refused to accept motorcycle patina as anything other than the assemblage of rusty and dented metal that it really is. Luckily for me, my current tastes veer towards the vintage, which, if you’re not on an American Facebook page means pre-1931 and not something just out of warranty. Ninety-year-old bikes…

Many thanks to David at F2 Motorcycles Ltd for letting us ride his demo 350 Classic. ‘It’s a shame you can’t buy a new two-stroke’ I heard recently at a show. Well, for those that need to, you can, thanks to Jawa and their UK importer, F2 Motorcycles. The Jawa 350 Classic is almost the same bike the Czech Republic factory have been building since the late 1960s and despite what some may think, is mostly better for this lack of updates. The Jawa was built for transport, as they have always been, and reliable transport at that. So the parallel twin is not some peaky monster, with power only towards the redline. The 350 Classic is built for torque; though admittedly compared to other two-strokes – this is no…

IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CAUSE Frank reveals his passion for one of BSA’s less successful models, the Beagle. If you don’t think fun can come in small packages, think again Lost causes… we all know which bikes were lost causes, although I’d bet that we all have our own lost cause lists, and I’ll bet that they’re not the same. I’d go further – I’d bet that some of the bikes you’d dismiss with a healthy dose of sneer would be bikes I’d happily donate a few shillings to load into The Shed and gaze at in wonder for years to come. Lost causes are the direct opposite to icon bikes – those machines before whose gleam and glamour we genuflect in religious awe. I have of course ridden…

Matchless G15/45 749cc ohv twin || 430lb || 50mpg || 105mph || 1962-63 Conscious of the ever-growing demand for more power – particularly in America – AMC stretched its engine out to 750cc and offered the Matchless G15/45 (there was no AJS equivalent) for sale in the US. It was strangely unsuccessful. Myth suggests that the engine was unreliable, vibratory and not very good, but repatriated bikes are very pleasant, beefy torque-deliverers, and sound in wind and limb. The idea of a 750 twin was resurrected in 1963-64, but the new model used the Norton Atlas engine to power a range of models collectively known as ‘AMC hybrids’. Prices: low £7500 || high £11,000... if you can find one Model 31 (Matchless G12) 646cc (72 x 79.3mm) ohv twin. 430lb…

DOUGLAS The small Bristol manufacturer that always seemed to be in financial difficulty, but which produced some interesting boxer twins, albeit with variable production quality. Despite the BMW-like across-the-frame flat twin design, with the crank’s axis in line with the frame’s centreline, Douglas turned the drive through 90° and used a chain final drive rather than a shaft — unlike Velocette’s flat twins. Douglas bikes are relatively rarely offered for sale outside of the owners’ club, which is the only reliable source of spares. FRANCIS-BARNETT Part of the AMC group, Francis-Barnett built sturdy and plodding two-strokes using both the Piatti-designed AMC engine and the better Villiers unit in a variety of capacities and styles. Not at present very highly regarded by the classic crowd. F-Bs are cheap enough to provide…

JAMES The other AMC two-stroke builder, probably most well known for the Cadet and Captain commuters, which at the time were seen as a trifle dull. Once again, the better buys are those that are powered by Villiers rather than Piatti-designed AMC engines, and the very late (1966) Superswift twin is probably the one to find. Some machines were built with the Villiers 4T unit, which is a little less slow. The James Scooter (which was sold as the Matchless Papoose in the US!) is the one to avoid – unless you truly are a collector of lost causes. However, a lot of low-cost, high-amusement riding can be had from any of the James range, and they can’t depreciate much. Like most British two-strokers, they have a dedicated band of…

ROYAL ENFIELD From its Redditch works, RE built a remarkably wide and always respectable range of sensible staid singles and twins which were at one time mostly famous for their inability to retain oil. The company listed two ranges of singles, one based on the Bullet and the other on the unit-construction Crusader. There was also a rather nice Villiers-powered 250, the Turbo Twin, which is very rare. The twins came in 500, 700 and 750 capacities, arguably the best of which were the late Interceptors, which have Norton forks and front wheel and go as well as they look. All heavy models used the Albion gearbox, which was outdated by 1956 and can be slow through the gears with an odd neutral-finder lever to play with. Spares for most…

Continental 248cc ohv single || 320lb || 65mpg || 80mph || 1962-67 Restyled version of the five-speed Crusader, with more watt, vibration and oil leaks. Many owners ditched the difficult five-speed gear cluster and replaced it with a four-speed set. Oddly heroic semi-racer styling on the GT model proved remarkably popular, and the name lives on in the current new Indian offerings. Prices: low £3000 || high £5500 Squirrel 596cc two-stroke twin || 400lb || 50mpg || 80mph || 1947-mid 60s Quirky, torquey, and for the individualist only. Changes aplenty over the years. Unique. Absorbing to own and rewarding to ride. Prices: low £6000 || high £10,000 S7 490cc ohc in-line twin || 490lb || 55mpg || 80mph || 1946-47 Intended as the ideal touring motorcycle, with a rubber mounted,…

VELOCETTE One of the most individual of English bike builders, Velocette’s great postwar hope was the LE flat twin, which was expected to sell in vast numbers as a bike for everyman. It didn’t, and the Hall Green factory had continual cash-flow difficulties as a result. Even so, it built some great singles until the money finally ran out in 1971. Enthusiasts provide a wide range of improvements for the Veloce original, and all the singles command higher prices than most other Brit equivalents. VINCENT Probably the most widely discussed British marque, this small budder of high-quality, expensive motorcycles soldiered on with high-performance twins until 1955, when even rebadging NSU tiddlers couldn’t save it. Considering their ultra-high value, it is good to see so many on the road. Spares plentiful,…

The sun, as they say, always shines on the righteous. So it seems only right that this 1937 Rudge-Whitworth Ulster is photographed in gleaming sunshine at Davolls classic motorcycles in Billericay, Essex. This model was, after all, the pride and joy of the Coventry-based Rudge-Whitworth factory, born out of self-congratulation. Its name – Ulster – was a celebration of Graham Walker’s factory win at the 1928 Ulster Grand Prix. It was a race in which he set the record pace of 82mph, winning the race at 80.08mph – the first time an international road race had been won at more than 80mph. But it was necessary for the factory to proclaim its victory, as the marque had suffered something of a slump during the 1920s. To understand the creation of…

Caliper kits won’t break the bank ONE OF THE irritating things about working on some 1970s motorcycles is the way you have to buy lots of tiny parts individually. When I rebuilt the front brake caliper on my XS650 I had to buy each seal, bit by bit. Given that working brakes are quite an important part of motorcycle ownership, and that all the various now ancient rubbery bits rot at around the same rate, and the brake nipples are made out of tofu, this is a bit of a pain, as while you have the thing apart you might as well replace everything, right? So when I was planning to rebuild the rear caliper I picked up at the Newark show, I was delighted to spot that Wemoto now…

Eighty-five years ago is a long time; time for many changes to occur. When the Ariel Red Hunter first came out in 1932 the 500cc single was a sporty model, with a four-valve head – a rarity in 1932. Come 1934 the two-valve head became the norm, but to maintain the sporting pretensions of the Red Hunter, Ariel supplied the motorcycle with two pistons – one low compression for normal use, the other a high compression slug for competition. Can you imagine that? Fear spreads through most of us should we determine that our bike needs a new piston – but 85 years ago, the idea of removing the exhaust, the carb, the rocker, pushrods and tubes, cylinder head and barrel, to fit a high compression piston for more oomph…

I’ve been dug-in the past few months, trying to finish a book about the history of café racers, their long bloodline in the industry, and the subcultures that have sprung up surrounding them. Their genotype of brash, peculiarly dressed speed freaks goes far back in time, past the origin of motorcycles themselves, with kindred spirits popping up in literature reaching back centuries. Obviously, a fast horse was the preferred mount before the ‘Noughts, with unsanctioned 19th century riding and illegal carriage racing clubs looking very Fast and Furious, set to a William Tell Overture soundtrack (and yes, steel-tyred carriages drift around corners). The word ‘furious’ actually became a legal definition of speeding in the United Kingdom Stage Carriage Act of 1832, which made it unlawful to endanger the safety of…

As Colin Seeley gazes at the bike that carries his name on the fuel tank his face breaks into a huge smile. “I’ve designed a lot of motorcycles in my time,” he says. “But this is the one I’m most proud of. My company was a minnow compared to mighty Honda but we built a bike that handled better than any CB750 and looked a lot better as well. And it still looks stunning today!” If Colin was smiling, you should have seen the look on owner Jack Machils’ face. He was ecstatic. “What a compliment!” says the Frenchman, who has owned this bike for nine years. The engine was lifted from a 1976 CB750 F1, but the forks and triple discs are off the F2 version. “The engine was…

Tanks a lot to the man in the pub Not a lot has been going on in Oli’s garage this month. The Bonneville needs an oil change and the clutch and throttle cables have been rerouted. Vague plans are being made to swap the clutch springs and plates for a set bought from a chap in a Northumberland pub last summer. In the meantime, a rare replacement petrol tank, found at Stafford last year and which is for his US-Spec BSA Starfire Street Scrambler, is being prepped for a respray to original style. The old one, though original, is riddled with rust worm inside and while the outside has a lovely patina, it does have a tendency to seep fuel from a few locations.…

PARTS Stanchions, springs, seals, dust caps or gaiters, 2 x dowty washers, 400ml of 20W fork oil or ATF TOOLS A good selection of AF spanners, Allen keys and sockets including a 1¼ and 1½ inch sockets or spanners. A small crosshead screwdriver A large old blade screwdriver or two One large and one small large copper/hide/plastic hammer A workbench with a vice (optional) Special tools if available: A fork stanchion puller and a damper rod locking tool…

KING OF SPEEDWAY Tai Woffinden has scooped another award to add to his growing list of honours. The Scunthorpe-born speedway world champion was awarded the prestigious Royal Automobile Club’s Torrens Trophy. The trophy recognises an individual or organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the cause of safe and skilful motorcycling in the United Kingdom, or to have made an outstanding contribution of technical excellence to further the cause of motorcycling in the UK or to have shown outstanding skill in international motorcycling sporting events in the UK. It has only been awarded 11 times in its history and only when the club feels that the achievement justifies it. Last year Woffinden raced in to the history books when he won his third world championship title and became…

ENGINE:499cc OHV parallel twin BORE/STROKE: 63mm x 80mm COMPRESSIONRATIO:6:1 POWER:19bhp TRANSMISSION:Wet multiplate clutch, four gears, chain final drive FRAME: Steel cradle SUSPENSION: Front, telescopic forks, rear rigid (sprung hub as an option) BRAKES: 7in SLS drum front 7in SLS drum rear WHEELS/TYRES: 3x20ins front and 4x19ins rear WHEELBASE: 53ins (1346mm) LENGTH: 80ins (2032mm) SEAT HEIGHT: 31 ins (787mm) DRY WEIGHT: 304 lbs (138 kg) FUEL TANK: 2.5 gallons (11.4 litre) OIL CAPACITY: 6 pts (3.4 litre)…

ENGINE: 490cc OHV V-twin BORE/STROKE: 74mm/57mm CARBURATION: twin 24mm (Mk2) 28mm (Mk3) Dell Ortos COMPRESSION: 10.8:1 TRANSMISSION: five-speed gearbox, shaft drive IGNITION: electronic (MkII) points (MkIII) FRONT WHEEL: 3.60 x 18 REAR WHEEL: 4.00 x 18 FRONT SUSPENSION: Telescopic hydraulic forks REAR SUSPENSION: twin oil-damped shock absorbers FRONT BRAKES: twin 270mm Brembo discs, one disc linked to rear REAR BRAKE: 235mm single disc LENGTH: 84ins (2133mm) SEAT HEIGHT: 30in (762mm) WHEELBASE: 1395mm DRY WEIGHT: 348lb (158kg) FUEL TANK: 3.5 gallons (16l) POWER: 48bhp @ 7500rpm TOP SPEED: 104mph…

ENGINE: Single-cylinder ohv two port specially tuned and bench-tested, bore and stroke 72mm x 85mm 347cc power unit TRANSMISSION: Primary again in aluminium FRAME: Built-in pillion footrests off a cradle frame; sprung-up rear stand; SUSPENSION: Ariel telescopic forks with integral head lamp supports WHEELS: Chrome-plated rims; Dunlop tyres; 3.25 inch by 19 inch rear, 3 inch by 20 inch ribbed front tyre. TANKS: Chrome-plated petrol tank with a 2.5 gallon capacity and a separate oil tank PRICE IN 1946: £138-8s-7d including purchase tax.…

“Your only potential competition would come from a Kawasaki triple fan with a trio flat black Dencos spitting hydrocarboned hate at all and sundry” If you are a lover of brochure perfect machinery then you very probably ought to turn the page now, as I’m about to extol the virtues of café racers...or rather absence of them from the current scene. Yes I know there’s currently a raft of the things on the custom scene but I’m not referring to the hipster, beardy type with man-bun, made-by-someone-else, only paid £10k for it, run it three times a year sort of café racer. If that’s your scene then good luck to you but it’s not how they used to be back in the day. Whilst I can appreciate taking something blatantly…

I wonder how Motor Cycle journalist, Mike Woollett, felt when he had a quick spin on the brand-new Honda CB750 at Brands Hatch on April 9, 1969 – as the bike was en route to being displayed at the motorcycle show in Brighton. Do you think he realised what he was riding and what effect that bike would have on the future of motorcycling? Almost 50 years ago to the day we first saw the CB750 in the flesh in the UK and the Honda Superbike still feels amazing. It’s not the speed or handling and it certainly isn’t the brakes; it's the way it feels so – new. Before the CB bikes were rapidly evolving. Then the CB750 (yes, and soon after the Kawasaki Z900) came along and have…

“When Honda brought out the CB750 he had to have one.” Bimota is the builder of ultra-expensive, exclusive and beautifully built motorcycles that are way beyond the bank balance of many motorcycle enthusiasts. But that has never stopped anyone drooling over the Italian exotica whenever they saw one parked up, or dreaming of owning one after being overtaken through a series of curves just a little too easily. But although Bimota has a formidable reputation thanks to the way its motorcycles handle, the company only came into being because Massimo Tamburini crashed when he found out that the engine of his Honda CB750 had more performance than the chassis could cope with. In 1966 Valerio Bianchi and Giuseppe Morri joined forces with Tamburini to form a company to make air…

BACK IN THE OLD DAYS Before the 1930s, motorcycles often had beaded edge rims to hold the tyres on, as the tyre had no reinforced inner edge. These tyres had to have pressures of between 50-70psi to keep them from falling off the rim when cornering! Since then, most tyres have steel-wired, or ‘wired on’ tyres which keep them securely on the rim with a lot less pressure. HAVE A LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE GOT Tyres are made from rubber, which goes off with time and the sun’s ultra-violet. So for the last 20 years, tyres have had to have their date stamped on the sidewall so we know what we’re buying. This helps in the classic world as many of the old patterns are still used; so if looking…

AJS & MATCHLESS By 1950, Associated MotorCycles Limited in South London was building bikes under both AJS and Matchless badges. At one time, AMC boasted the largest factory in the world dedicated to motorcycle production. In 1953 it acquired the Norton marque, at first keeping production in Birmingham but eventually moving Norton in with AJS and Matchless in 1962. AMC also built James and Francis-Barnett motorcycles (also in the Midlands and not at Plumstead). So the varied range of models offered under the AMC banner stretched from 98cc two-strokes all the way through to stonking 750cc four-stroke Superbikes. The company was also successful in two-wheeled sports, and apart from the dedicated and highly specialised road-racers it also built a lot of competition-based roadsters. The whole lot collapsed in 1966, and…

C15 Star 249cc ohv single || 320lb || 70mpg || 70mph || 1959-67 Redesigned basic 250, with neat but restrained streamlined styling and unit construction. Some suffered bottom end and ignition troubles; most just whined on and on, as the basic design was rugged enough. Massive numbers were sold, which meant that even in the ‘classic’ age they were so plentiful that they are often neglected. Buy with care, 1970s learner riders did terrible things to them. Sports version was the SS80, which was quicker and less reliable. C15T and C15S will cost more. Before paying a lot more for a T or an S, make sure they’re genuine. Prices: low £1500 || high £3250 B33 499cc ohv single || 420lb || 70mpg || 80mph || 1947-59 Enlarged B31, with…

Navigator 349cc ohv twin || 350lb || 65mpg || 75mph || 1960-65 Enlarged and more useful Jubilee with Roadholder forks and an 8in front brake. Enough performance for cruising the byways and excellent handling. Expensive (for a lightweight) but wieldy and manageable. Handsome too, in a baby-Dommi way, and quick enough, if not fast. Prices: low £2500 || high £4000 Models 65/75 248/348cc ohv singles || 340/350lb || 75/65mpg || 63/72mph || 1947-62 A pair of very traditional British singles with a pedigree dating back to Boudica at least. Rugged, simple, immortal and distinctly non-sporting, they were equipped with about the best tele-forks to have been made in Britain; Dowty’s ‘Oleomatic’ (pump-up, air-sprung) units. Worth a ride for these alone. Prices: low £1750 || high £2500 Classic 588cc twin rotary…

Bullet 346cc ohv single || 365lb || 70mpg || 70mph || 1949-63 Enfield’s rather under-rated version of the trad Brit single, distinguished by intriguing detail design. Less-common 500 version with more torque is perhaps a better machine, but both steer extremely well. British-built Bullets much more valued than Indian ones but can benefit from upgrades using later components from Indian machines, notably in the braking department. Tremendously practical machines for the classic rider. Prices: low £2000 || high £4500 Bullet / Electra / Continental 499cc ohv single || 390lb || 80mpg || 80mph || 1955-present Production of Bullets continued in Chennai, India, long after it ended in Blighty. Quality dubious until mid-1990s, incremental improvements since then. Official UK bikes always built to a better standard than grey imports. Electra-X came…