Innehållsförteckning för May - June 2016 från Motorcycle Classics

1 Fresh from Joe Rocket, we ordered up a pair of the new Meteor FX boot. Made of split-grain leather and featuring a DryTech waterproof membrane, the Meteor FX boots are 11 inches tall and feature a full-length zipper that runs up the inside of the ankle, along with a large hook-and-loop flap that closes over the zipper. The toes on each boot feature large rubber gearshift protectors, and the ankle, toe and heel are internally reinforced. The tough, aggressive soles give good grip and the large FullFlex articulation panels on the front and rear offer a full range of motion along with a padded upper cuff for comfort. A shorter mid-height version (the Meteor FX Mid) is also available. A nice, solid, comfortable touring boot at an attractive price.…

• 1982-1983 • 86hp @ 9,000rpm claimed/128mph • 748cc air-cooled DOHC inline four • 5-speed, chain final drive • 527lb (wet)/45-50mpg • Price then/now: $3 399 (1982)/ $1,500-$3,000 1982-1983 Yamaha 750 Maxim The Maxim put a new emphasis on the custom class: comfort. With six-way adjustable handlebars and two-position footpegs, it was a cruiser you could actually tour on. “All bikes would benefit from some form of ergonomic adjustability, and every special-style bike needs it,” said Cycle. Underneath the stepped seat, swooping gas tank and square headlight was essentially a 750 Seca with altered steering geometry and running an 18-inch front/16-inch rear cast alloy wheel combo. The engine was the Seca’s conventional 8-valve air-cooled inline four with a quartet of 32mm Hitachi CV carbs. Both the Seca and Maxim used…

This is not your average Ducati tale. Almost unbelievable, it’s a story with horror movie elements along with a whiff of romantic comedy. Matt Linex isn’t sure which genre this tale best suits. The one thing the college student from Denton, Texas, does know is this — it’s the tale of a rare 1977 Ducati 900 Super Sport that positively changed his life. Setting the stage In 2012, about a week before Halloween, Matt’s cousin invited him and a friend to a pasture party in South Arlington, Texas. After getting off the highway and navigating some back roads, the pair eventually traversed a bumpy and rutted trail. It was dark, muddy and overgrown. Branches were brushing the sides of his Jeep, and a rusted “No Trespassing” sign hanging from a…

Forty-odd years ago, Ducati’s financial health was not all that good, so the Italian government, still suffering the aftermath of Benito Mussolini’s stato corporativo — or corporative state, in which the government oversaw all major businesses — sent in a fellow to fix the problem. That was in 1972. Unfortunately the new general manager, Cristiano de Eccher, knew absolutely nothing about the motorcycle world, having no attachment to the sport, nor any sense of two-wheeled aesthetics. Rather simplistically, he immediately decided that the solutions were to cut costs and sell more motorcycles. So he curtailed the very popular racing program and planned to double production, building 15,000 machines, with half a dozen different models including an enlarged version of the popular 750 twin that should appeal to Americans. “One day…

Not many people have turned down the chance to race for the works Suzuki GP team, forfeited a ride with the Honda factory squad and declined an offer to work as a designer for Yamaha — but Peter Williams did all of those. Son of legendary designer Jack Williams, creator of the G50 Matchless during his time as chief engineer at AMC, Peter is the most illustrious rider/engineer of the modern era, equally expert at both skills after first training as a draftsman, then working for Ford. On the race track, Peter became the eternal runner-up to Agostini’s works MV Agusta triple aboard Tom Arter’s much slower but fine-handling AJS and Matchless singles. These were equipped with the modern-style mag-alloy wheels Peter designed in 1967. He finished second in the…

The forks shown here are off our 1970 Honda CB350 project bike (see Page 71), which, given the state of the rest of the bike, we knew needed new seals at the very least and more likely new fork tubes. Stripping them apart we learned two things: First, early series 1968-1971 CB350 forks are amongst the easiest we’ve ever worked on; and second, yes, we need new fork tubes. To be fair, our original fork tubes are perfectly serviceable. They might not be pretty, but they’re straight and the critical wear surface area where the seal makes contact is fine; it’s just the top third, hidden under the upper fork tube covers, that’s rusty. Although we’ll be swapping in a new set of fork tubes from Forking by Frank, what…

What: Utah SR 12 and SR 24 through Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park. The area offers a magnificent display of pastel hues, dramatic rock formations and scenic vistas, all punctuated by a most enjoyable set of twisties. How to Get There: From the north, grab SR 24 south from I-70. From the south, pick up SR 143 from I-15 to Panguitch. Best Kept Secret: The Cowboy’s Smokehouse Café in Panguitch. Everything is good, so bring an appetite! Avoid: Not making this ride. These are roads you need to experience. More Info: nps.gov/brca/index.htm, nps.gov/care/index.htm, 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM (available at amazon.com), visitutah.com More Photos: californiascooterco.com/blog/?p=17576…

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Maybe, but when I snapped this photo of Daytona 200 winner Cal Rayborn talking to an elderly gentlemen in between practice sessions for the Ontario 250 road race in 1971, I never thought that I’d be writing any words about the older guy wearing many hats (well, two hats, but you get the picture). It was Rayborn’s intense expression that caught my eye in the first place; the senior citizen wearing the Goodyear hat on top of another hat only added color to the black-and-white photo’s composition. Or so I thought at the time. Later, I learned that the elderly gent was none other than Dudley Perkins, one of the first Harley-Davidson dealers — ever. Indeed, Mr. Perkins had…

By the end of the 1970s, every Big Four bike maker built a “Universal Japanese Motorcycle,” an acrossthe-frame inline four — the format Honda pioneered in 1969 with the CB750 Four. Not surprisingly, Big Red threw down the gauntlet once more at the start of the 1980s with another technological tour de force, the 1982 V45 Sabre/Magna. Said Cycle magazine in its May 1982 issue: “This is the motorcycle everybody else was afraid Honda might build someday.” While the Sabre was meant to satisfy the sporting rider, it was the “custom” Magna that captured the zeitgeist. Upright riding, stepped seats and laid-back bars were the fashion, and the Magna checked all those boxes. The 90-degree V4 engine used four overhead camshafts, each pair spun by a “silent” chain with automatic…

The post-World War II American racing scene was unlike any other before or since. With the war behind them, Americans started shifting their focus from the struggles in Europe and Japan to life back at home. Four years of war had left Americans hungry for diversions, and motorcycle racing kicked back into high gear. The amateur race scene, fueled by the emergence of AMA Class C production-based racing in the 1930s, exploded after World War II, drawing a new roster of riders, many of them fresh from the military. Three of those riders became known as the legendary Indian Wrecking Crew, a trio of racers who tore up tracks across the U.S. on their Indian “Big Base” Scouts. Some 10 years in the making, The Indian Wrecking Crew: An American…

Driven by nostalgia and a desire to own something unique, the collecting game has become a big business, with buyers facing big risks when a bike isn’t all it seems. A combination of increased affluence and more disposable income has seen the prices of rare, older artifacts skyrocket in price in recent years. With many high-end collector cars now out of reach for all but the wealthiest, certain motorcycles are now attracting attention from serious collectors and investors. Motorcycle collecting may still be on the periphery for many, but there are plenty of seriously cashed up collectors fueling this phenomenon. The collecting game Motorcycle collecting mirrors that of cars, but on a much smaller scale. Just as American car collectors favor Detroit muscle cars, much of the U.S. motorcycle collecting…

When is a replica not a replica? When it’s the original, of course! It’s perhaps unfortunate that Philip Vincent chose to call his customer race bike the TT Replica, because the name has been causing confusion ever since. At least one concours judge dismissed Robert Watson’s painstaking TT Replica restoration because he accurately described it as a “Replica” on the entry form. So just to get this straight: TT Replica was the name given to approximately 40 500cc Series A Vincent singles built by Vincent in Stevenage, England, in the late 1930s for sale to amateur racers. They were, just as the name implies, replicas of the factory race bikes that performed so well in the Isle of Man Senior Tourist Trophy race in 1935 and 1936. The Series A…

Good times usually beget the worst ideas. At our 2013 annual ride to southeast Wisconsin, a beerfueled debate broke out about the worst bike people had ever owned. Post-Meriden Triumphs, “free” Japanese barn finds and bikes made of “unobtanium” were all mentioned, but Kris Baustert outdid everybody with the tale of a 1974 Honda CB360 so reviled he named it “Hellbitch.” It stranded him three times and his wife once. Broken down between Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois, Hellbitch and his wife caught a ride home in a windowless van filled with chains from a stranger who turned out to be a carpenter and a good Samaritan. On cue, everyone chimed in with their own tales of CB360 woe. Worst bike ever, they all said. It replaced the beloved CB350,…

More power Q: I have a 1973 Hodaka Wombat that is all stock and in nice shape. It starts right up and runs well up to around 35mph, when it bogs down and won’t go any faster. I was told by a mechanic that the 125 should go to 50mph no problem. Is this normal for stock gearing, or might I have a clogged main jet or some electrical problem? I use premix 36:1. It has a working speedometer and lights. What is a realistic top speed for this bike and how can I get more top end? Bill Baillie/Rhode Island A: Two-stroke engines are very dependent on their exhaust for efficient running, so I’d probably start there. Make sure the baffles are in place and not clogged with carbon…

5/14 The 8th annual The Quail Motorcycle Gathering returns this year to The Quail Lodge in Carmel, California. This year’s features include Pre-1916 Motorcycles, the 40th Anniversary of Superbike, BMW Classics, Extraordinary Bicycles, plus 11 more categories. The $75 ticket includes a barbecue lunch. On the web at signatureevents.peninsula.com 5/21 Head to the Kings Fairgrounds in Hanford, California, for the 48th Annual Hanford Vintage Motorcycle Rally, which will feature an antique and classic motorcycle show, a parts exchange and sale corral, RV hookups, food and more than 150 vendors. On the web at classiccycleevents.com 5/21 Legendary motorcycle racer Malcolm Smith will be the Grand Marshal for the 17th Annual Riding into History Motorcycle Concours at the World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida. RIH begins on Friday with the Grand…

Used first-generation Honda V45 Magnas are fairly plentiful, reflecting their popularity when new. A quick search turned up a half-dozen examples, the lowest priced at $1,100 and the highest at $1,900. Only one of those still wore its factory paint and decals, a not surprising fact given the Magna’s “custom” theme, a look that tends to encourage personalization. Although sporting a black respray and the highest mileage of the Magnas we found (33,400), we liked this bike because it was the only one with a maintenance record. Tires were new Dunlops front and rear, and it had a recent tuneup including a carburetor clean and fresh oil and filters. The seat was a bit threadbare at the edges, and the left muffler had contacted a rider’s boot with burning results,…

Vincents, including Egli-Vincents, continue to command top prices, with 12 sold at Bonhams’ Vegas auction for an average of $129,856 and six at Mecum’s auction for an average of $80,583. It was a good event for Mecum and Bonhams, with combined total sales for both auction houses coming in at $13,854,965 in 2016 against $11,800,000 in 2015, an increase of almost 17.5 percent. Mecum had total sales of $9,054,965 in 2016 against $7,300,000 in 2015, an increase of more than 24 percent. Of 646 bikes offered, 516 sold for an 80 percent sell-through. The average price at Mecum in 2016 was $17,000, $5,000 more than 2015. Bonhams saw a smaller increase, with total sales of $4,800,000 in 2016 against $4,500,000 in 2015, an increase of almost 7 percent. Of 241…

Ridden by Peter Fonda in the epic movie Easy Rider, the Captain America bike is probably the most famous — and infamous — motorcycle in America. The bike made headlines when it sold at auction in 2014, but it wasn’t just the price — $1.3 million, the highest price ever paid for a motorcycle at auction — that made headlines, it was the basic question surrounding it: Was it the real deal? According to published reports, two Captain America bikes were constructed. One was crashed in the movie in the scene where Fonda and co-star Dennis Hopper are shot by a redneck in a truck, and the other was stolen from film stuntman Tex Hall. Actor Dan Haggerty of Grizzly Adam’s fame acquired the crashed bike from Hall, restored it,…

While the mythical dragon may have been rooted in early discoveries of fossilized dinosaur bones, today the image of the dragon is a popular subject in many cultures where it appears in many forms and colors, but symbolically sharing common attributes. In the pantheon of animal imagery originating in the East, the dragon is seen as the master of all primal elements, capable of breathing both fire and ice as well as foreseeing future events and often symbolic of powerful rulers. All the above could also be ascribed to a particular motorcycle, the Honda Red Dragon. But is it myth, or reality? 1965 Honda ad photo The story of the “Red Dragon” begins sometime in the early 1960s when Honda’s star was rising not only over Japan, but casting its…

We still have plenty of work ahead of us on our 1970 Honda CB350, but the project’s turning a corner, quickly shifting from the disassembly and discovery phase to refurbishment, reassembly and the promise of a finished bike. The big excitement of late was getting our wheels back from Buchanan’s Spoke & Rim. As mentioned a few reports back, we originally planned on new replica rims, but when Robert Buchanan suggested keeping the original D.I.D. rims if we could, we took his advice, going with just a relace with new Buchanan’s stainless steel spokes and nipples. The completed wheels look excellent, so we spooned on the new Avon Roadrider tires, then hung the front and rear suspensions in place so we could mount the wheels and have something approximating a…

UTAH STATE ROUTES 12 AND 24 There are places in Utah with scenery and riding that are as close as you can get to heaven without a one-way ticket. State Routes 12 and 24, which run through Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park, take you through just such places. It’s a full-day ride (and perhaps longer if you want to stop and see the sights), but folks, this is as good as it gets. You can spend a day or a week in Bryce, Grand-Staircase Escalante or Capitol Reef, but you can also take in all three in a single day. When we did the ride, we spent the night before in Panguitch, Utah, and the following night in Hanksville, Utah. This is…