Innehållsförteckning för August 2022 från Real Classic

Well, goodness – this has suddenly evolved into a sort-of Royal Enfield Bonanza issue. And that’s come as something of a surprise – even to us! So…welcome, gentle reader, to a totally unplanned super special bonus RE RC. Three of a kind; same name on the tank but about as different as bikes can get. You may be entirely and understandably surprised to learn that we apply a lot of thought before planning an issue. Well, to be fair, Rowena does. I prefer to nod encouragingly and make ‘Hmmm…’noises when she reveals to a startled me what she thinks would be a great mix of machinery for the next issue. This happens well in advance of actually starting work on that particular issue – in fact, assuming that you’re reading…

Is single better? Probably not if you are, to paraphrase Peter Cook in the one-legged Tarzan sketch with Dudley Moore, a ‘uni-sinister’ like the fellow who happened to buy my 1974 Triumph Trident, and who goes by the self-anointed nickname of Timmy Five Toes. You may have guessed by now that the buyer in question has but one leg, in which situation duality is definitely better than singularity. Undaunted by this rather obvious handicap, Timmy was adamant that he wanted the Trident, the deal was done, and a cheque written. Then presented to the bank. And it bounced. Oh, how the missus and I laughed – it was all a gag. But no, shortly afterwards Timmy was on the phone having received the same news, and was trying to pay…

You have to believe in luck and good fortune when you ake a risk with an old Brit bike you haven’t seen or tested – some things are just meant to be. I have owned a few Royal Enfield 250 sports singles. My favourite model is the ‘jelly-mould’ Continental from 1963, with its sculptured fuel tank and paired Smiths instruments. It’s a handsome bike by all accounts with lots of chrome, available originally in gold or blaze (a brown-reddish colour). These 250s have the infamous five-speed gearbox which can be made to work if set up properly and if there isn’t too much wear to the components, especially on the dogs of the layshaft. I did 7000 miles on my first jelly-mould between 2007 and when I sold it in…

I first met Chris Williams back in 1991. I’d been out of motorcycling for a year or so and had just purchased a bike to work on. Chris, on the other hand, had a handsome but slightly grubby Honda GL1000, one of the first from 1975. He and I struck up a friendship that grew over the years. Chris loved his Gold Wing, having owned it since May 1984. He used the GL for commuting in his early working years, and the odd trip abroad with his better half, Sue. As the years passed, Chris purchased more modern motorcycles to tour on but always retained the Gold Wing, although it was rarely used. Each time he did use it, a refurbishment of carbs or brakes was required. In 2006 the…

As a boy, Chris Reynolds was captivated by the golden era of Brooklands racers. ‘I visited Beaulieu and saw EJ Tubbs’ nickel-plated Brooklands track bike,’ remembers Chris. ‘I read the book ‘50 Years of Brooklands’ and was fascinated by the mention of LWE Hartley’s Zoomer 90mph sidevalve Ariel. My mum and dad had a BSA M21 /Watsonian combination, and sidevalve engines fascinated me. As the years wore on and I started riding, then earning, I fancied building a Brooklands racer.’ So that’s how Chris came to place a wanted advert in 1965 for a suitable sidevalve to convert into his dream racer. But what’s all this about Tubbs and Hartley and the Zoomer? Well, marque specialist Laurence (LWE) Hartley was involved with Ariel motorcycles for over four decades, while his…

A key path to profitability in the global motorcycle industry is to produce as many different variations on a theme as possible, by using essentially the same mechanical platform to spawn differing but distinctive models appealing to diverse customer groups. Obvious, maybe – but few companies have been as adept at this, and in such volume, as Royal Enfield. The new Scram 411 urban hotrod derived from its Himalayan ADV / adventure bike is the Indian company’s latest proof of this expertise – and all on its usual affordable basis for Western customers. Despite including the tail end of the Covid pandemic, global RE sales in 2021 amounted to 600,888 units, up 11.9% vs. 2020, while still well down on the all-time record year of 846,000 motorcycles in 2018. See…

At the tender age of 17 my first proper motorcycle was an eye-catching orange and white Suzuki TS125. The little 2-stroke never let me down and eagerly transported me to wherever I needed to go, be that work or fun, hooning around the local quarry or loaded up with fishing tackle. In no time I had passed my test and moved on to bigger British iron, but I never forgot the little Suzuki. 46 years later during lockdown, the thought of another 2-stroke in the form of a project began to take shape. I realised that aged 63 my shape had changed somewhat from a youthful beanpole, and that a 125cc would be slightly underpowered. Being on a budget, I focused on Suzuki, ignoring the 550 and 750 GT models…

In 1965, with the demise of my only transport, a 1953 Triumph Thunderbird, I needed a bike urgently. Off I went to my dealer of choice, Ron Harvey Motorcycles in Rugeley, to see what he had available. Prominently displayed in the window was a lovely BSA A7 Shooting Star. It had Norton-style straight bars and Matchless mega exhausts. This was the bike for me, so a deal was done and the A7 was mine. From the logbook the previous owner was Mick Andrews – maybe the trials star? Or I may be wrong. The A7 proved to be good, though it did tend to eat exhaust valves – I suspect that was something to do with the megas – but it did sound great. That sound wasn’t appreciated by everyone,…

In 1992 Geoff was offered a ride on a Norton Interpol 2 which had formally been an RAC patrol bike. He loved the air-cooled rotary engine, finding it incredibly smooth. He decided that he wanted one but, as is common with most of us, a lack of money got in the way. By 1996, his financial position had improved somewhat and he placed a wanted advert for one. A local seller got in touch – to offer Geoff the same bike that he’d ridden several years before! Time had not been kind to the object of his desires and there was water in the engine, which had seized solid. Geoff had a lot of work on his hands if he was ever to achieve his ambition of riding his own…

In which Odgie disregards both conventional wisdom and common sense. What could possibly go wrong…? The Real Reader will recall that a while back I’d built a nice little lightweight Can-Am flat tracker, using an ex-military Bombardier as the start of the project; the frame and cycle parts are virtually a direct copy of the 1974 MX/Enduro bike, while the disc-valve motor is just a detuned version of the same thing. You’ll find the series starting in RC191. As I’d mentioned in the last part, I was getting the throttle wide open against the stop at times on the straights. That didn’t really suit me. For one thing, part of the fun of riding flat track, or indeed anywhere off road, is playing with the throttle, searching for the grip…

Casting caution to wherever caution gets cast to (and there must be a lot of it there, wherever it is) I ordered a shiny new Amal 389 Monobloc carb for the most excellent Matchless which is in pride of place on the bench. Of course I did. Expensive, however, at around £250, but grim experience prevented me from buying a used one online (unseen only, of course, which can have unfortunate results), and the lack of local jumbles means that I can’t find one locally to actually examine before purchase. The new device arrived pronto, prompting me to detach the throttle and choke cables from the original. Easy stuff, correct? Of course the cables aren’t either original or indeed right for the bike / carb /control arrangement. No problem at…