Innehållsförteckning för February 2017 från Real Classic

It’s that time of year again. Time to dig out all the expiring MoT certificates to see when those dates fall due; time to pretend to make decisions about which bikes to put on the road, time to rediscover that modern riding gear is both waterproof and warm. We’re heading towards Spring, which is traditionally the start of the ‘riding season’, although this year’s first month has actually provided some really fine riding weather – at least it has in the soft southerly parts of the country. There are always occasional days in the January darknesses when it’s OK to take out the bike, to wrap up warm and head off somewhere to meet a mate and maybe sup a cup of something hot. This January has been exceptional. I…

John’s photos instantly catapulted me three decades back in time to my teenage years when I was one of those dispatch riders he mentions, racking up a thousand miles a week aboard various examples of CB250RS – the company bike of choice at Teleportation on the Finchley Road. The slim and nimble singles were so much more responsive than the stodgy Superdreams; if there ever was a four-stroke equivalent of a Yamaha LC then you’re looking at it right now. Built between 1982 and 85, the 249cc air-cooled sohc four-valve single thrived on being revved like the very devil. Well, it would, with bore and stroke of 74mm by 59mm. It ran 9.3:1 compression; fuel was fed by 30mm Keihin carb and the five-speed gearbox carried it to 85mph flat-out…

I am sure you will tell me that the Precision motorcycle was manufactured by Frank Baker in Birmingham and not in Northampton, and you would be correct. However there was another motorcycle of this name built between 1902 and 1906 which Grace’s Guide describes as ‘typically primitive and powered by a Minerva engine’. We then need to have a look at an article in the Northampton Chronicle and Echo which tells of a Mr N L Adams from Lowestoft who came to Northampton to work for one of the other local firms, but then set up on his own in Derngate and produced a motorcycle called the Precision. Whether the Northampton Precision and the Birmingham firm are connected is anyone’s guess – maybe you know more? The chances of one…

You may not necessarily have heard of Robbie Allan , but you’re about to. Off-road riders and those living north of the border will know Robbie only too well. He was a remarkable man who pretty much devoted his life not just to riding but to giving back to motorcycling in a way most of us can only dream of. No mean rider, he progressed through both trials and scrambles disciplines, taking second place in both Scottish championships. But he also spread his knowledge around , teaching younger brother Vic Allan to ride scrambles (Vic went on to become four times British Motocross Champion), and running off-road training schools as far back as 1964 . A shrewd and capable organiser, Robbie’s events were always thoughtfully created and a pleasure to…

Although the bike was nowhere near finished, the temptation to see if it would run proved to be too much. The magdyno was fitted and then timed, the carburettor bolted on with a new gasket, new throttle and choke cables made up. And finally new oil lines were made and fitted – the old were completely perished. The old handlebars were replaced with another old set, but they were at least the right shape. A set of old-style Bowden control levers, twistgrip and decompressor were added and everything was connected up. With some oil in the tank we were almost ready to go, but not quite. The timing chest cover had been removed when fitting the magneto and was still ofi, so I took the opportunity to apply a speed…

Riding home, in the rain, from a ‘Santa Claus’ present run to various nephews and nieces, PUB’s modern Suzuki GS500 lost power such that it almost ground to a halt on a hill, having apparently caught the ‘cutting out on one cylinder’ disease from the PUB Vincent. However PUB discovered that with a bit of choke, it would stay running on two cylinders at light throttle openings, which enabled a return to home (relief, and a pat on the tank and all that!). Wet electrics are always a potential issue, and are easily checked, so next day the plug caps were removed, and rubbers stripped off for a thorough clean and dry. One cap measured correctly at about 10k Ohms, but the second was much more, so PUB thought the…

BMW BRAKING I had a similar experience to Frank’s with the brakes on an old BMW. I rode an R51/3, fitted with a Steib sidecar and we were going to the Dragon Rally in the mid-1960s. There were three of us on the outfit when the car in front stopped rapidly. I was riding – luckily the pavement was wide and I put the outfit on the pavement, thus averting an accident! The brakes on my 1951 Speed Twin, also fitted with a sidecar, were definitely better than those on the BMW. The owner of the BMW told me I would have to use the gearbox to slow the bike – not much use in an emergency… Roy Workman, member 109 BLOCKADE BONNIE Further to the blockade Triumph Bonneville article…

FEBRUARY 3RD TO 5TH ➤ The Bremen CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW celebrates Zündapp’s centenary with a special display among the eight halls, also 650-plus exhibitors and international dealers display vintage and classic cars and motorcycles, ‘young classics’ from the 1960s to 1990s, historic motorsports, memorabilia, accessories and spares. 3000 square metres dedicated to two-wheelers. All at the Bremen Exhibition Centre, 90 mins flight from London. classicmotorshow.de FEBRUARY 4TH AND 5TH ➤ The BRISTOL CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE SHOW returns to the Bath and West Showground at Shepton Mallet. Giant indoor show fills half a dozen halls, with stacks of old motorcycles, club stands, trade displays and private entries to admire. Doors open 9.30am each day. Auction bikes can be viewed on Sat between 9.30am and 4pm. Look out for the REALCLASSIC ROADSHOW in…

It never ends, does it? Sometimes, in those deep dark moments when the twin becomes a single and then a nothing, I do wonder why we bother. Why I bother. Even more modern motorcycles aren’t immune – unlike modern cars in my own experience. The last two-wheeled calamastroke I endured was on my modern bike. Unffxable by humans or the application of a decent hammer, as is the modern way. There comes a point, even with the most carefully and religiously and methodically maintained motorcycle at which it needs more than just another patch-up, another heavy service. You’ve been there, I’m sure – I certainly have, and many times. My friends would always justify their purchase of a new machine by insisting that the day the manufacturer’s warranty expired was…