Innehållsförteckning för September 2024 från Real Classic

Over confidence is a marvellous thing. Just when we think we know everything – everything about our bikes, that is – along comes a moment of complete bafflement. One of those moments when a chap wonders whether brain fade really has set in or whether the earth has indeed moved in a mysterious way. Picture this. I’d dropped by Ace Mosickles in exotic sun-lashed Bude to negotiate an MoT for the A65 BSA which recently took up residence in The Shed. You may have already read about it, depending on which order you read the magazine in. It’s red and it’s good looking (all proud owners say this, of course) and it’s not registered for use on British roads. To fix that deplorable state of affairs the bike needs an…

RealClassic SUZUKI CAVALCADE I don’t usually name my bikes. My well-worn 1972 Moto Guzzi Eldorado that I’ve flogged over a hundred thousand miles of Canada’s back roads is still just 'the Guzzi’ or 'the Eldo’. Hence I found myself slightly astonished to have given a name to my big Suzuki. Almost from the moment I first rode the 1986 Suzuki Cavalcade, it became 'The Colossus of Roads’. In this little tale I hope to explain how this behemoth of a motorcycle – a kind of bike disdained by many – makes perfect sense for the riding I do. It’s a 160 mile ride from where I live, close to the eastern end of Lake Ontario, to Algonquin Provincial Park – a massive, unpopulated, forested wilderness containing over 1500 lakes. If you…

PART FIVE The old Ewarts-type petrol tap had been stored in a jar for two years, lovingly rejuvenated inapetrol / two-stroke oil mix to swell and lube the aged but still-tight cork. I was about to fit it to the tank when the brass gauze filter fell out. An attempt at soldering resulted in a large hole in the gauze, so I ordered a new lever tap from RGM. Meanwhile, the four tank mounting rubbers were placed on the top frame rails and the tank was rested on top to establish the final position of the rubbers. The tank was lifted off again and each rubber secured to the frame with clear silicone sealant and left to cure overnight. Tank on, tap fitted and connected to the carb, Doris was…

1974 MOTOBI TORNADO S2 I know that I’ve ridden a few Benellis down the very many years. A 4-pot 250, for example, and a seriously serious 6-pot 750 – that remarkable machine was followed a little later by an even bigger 6-potter, which looked even more remarkable. At some point I must have ridden a Benelli 650 twin, too, although to be quite honest I don’t remember it at all. Lost adrift on a memory ocean of the very British machines it was intended to compete with. But I do know that I’ve never ridden the Motobi equivalent. From fervent study of the test victim itself and of images galore, I do believe that the Motobi Tornado is as different from its Benelli stablemate as the Matchless G12 is from…

The Sammy Miller Museum in New Milton, Hampshire, UK is crammed full of interesting machines - including one of the biggest collections of exotic racing bikes in the world, and all are runners! These include the V8 Moto Guzzi, AJS Porcupine, Mondial 250 with dustbin fairing, Nortons, Ducatis, Suzukis, Hondas, Velocettes and many more! The Road Bike Hall includes a huge collection of factory prototypes and exotic designs from all over the world, and of course there are plenty of dirtbikes and trial icons, too – over 400 bikes in total. The Museum is open to visitors daily from 10am every day at New Milton, Hampshire B25 5SZ. 01425 620777 / www.sammymiller.co.uk…

RealClassic BSA A7SS Until a couple of years ago, the BSA brand was probably unfamiliar to most motorcyclists under the age of 60. After all, the original British bike manufacturer’s last models left the Birmingham Small Arms factory in 1973. Fifty years later the BSA name and Gold Star model have been resurrected in the shape of a 650cc single-cylinder bike with styling cues direct from the late 1950s. So why is it that I, whose motorcycling history didn’t start until after the demise of the original BSA models, have such a passion for these oily old clunkers? Motorbikes weren’t mentioned much in our family when I was young. Me and dad took the mickey out of my big sister when she regularly returned from meeting her boyfriend, only minutes after…

RealClassic WHAT: Norton Day WHEN: Saturday 28 September WHERE: The National Motorcycle Museum, B92 0EJ WHEN: 9am to 5pm WEB: nortonownersclub.org Even if you’ve never owned a Norton motorcycle, you must’ve heard the brilliant slogan penned by the company’s marketing magician Mike Jackson in the early 1970s. All that torque about Norton has inspired the Norton Owners Club to lay on an entire day of talking Norton on Saturday 28 September at the National Motorcycle Museum near the NEC. You don’t need to be a club member or have a Norton in the garage to join the fun - although NOC members will benefit from a nifty discount on museum admission for that day only, and pay just £5 instead of the usual £15 entry fee. This open-to-everyone event will celebrate the rich heritage of…

RealClassic OLLIE HULME What should one do when one comes across a somewhat iffy, old-fashioned, street custom made from a superannuated Honda and a stationary engine? Dereck, the builder of this spectacular machine, the Listerlicious, did something so delicious that it won best bike at a local show. The story of Listerlicious the Diesel Chopper started when in late 2020 Dereck got his hands on a 1980s Honda Nighthawk 650. Or 'W*nky old piece of sh*t half-finished project’, as he put it. The frame had been inexpertly butchered, and the machine had been painted a horrible shade of orangey brown with a ghastly silver frame. Fortunately Dereck had a solution in mind. And it involved a battered Lister LT1 single-cylinder diesel engine built in 1973 and rescued from a cement…

RealClassic HONDA DN-01 I first saw illustrations of what was going to be an entirely unique motorcycle in 2005 at my local Honda dealer. The drawings suggested it would probably have a V4 750 engine and some very shapely bodywork. It struck me that this would be a very good bike for my commute – I changed machines every two years back then, after they’d done 26,000 miles or more. The concept DN-01 – which stands for 'Dream Number One’ – was revealed at the 2005 Tokyo Motorcycle Show, alongside a scooter equipped with a 900cc engine. The concept DN-01 had the front brake lever in the normal place… and then there was the rear brake lever on the left of the handlebars! The advertising at the time promoted the DN-01…

RealClassic ROYAL ENFIELD 250 Back in the mists of time – well, the late 1960s or early 1970s – a rather sad Royal Enfield Crusader was traded in for a newer machine. The Crusader obviously wasn’t considered up to retail standard, and so was relegated to the back of a shed and forgotten about. Fast forward to November 2022. Two intrepid explorers ventured to a far-off farm with a view to purchasing an equally forlorn looking BMW. On arriving at said destination, they were greeted by the amazing sight of literally hundreds of machines in various states of decay and neglect. A deal was struck for the BMW, but on further exploration several more machines were of interest to the awestruck duo – MZs aplenty, a Jawa 350, and a brace…

BIKES WANTS ANY CLASSIC BIKE WANTED, in any condition. Alan, 07398 052043, Lancashire (And BIG THANKS for the Little Bar! Typing Person)…

RealClassic TT FLAT-TRACKER PART SIX Right, after lots of sidetracking, we’re back on track – the right track, the track that leads us to our destination, Starfire TT junction. And in case you missed it (or it’s slipped your mind) this type of TT has nothing to do with the Isle of Man. The flat-track TT is an idea imported from America, where it forms part of the flat-track championship. The TT course is a kidney-shaped oval with a jump, right turns and hard landings. It’s (in)famous for breaking old bikes and even not-so-old bodies. Speaking of old… the older I get, the more I like to stick to just one thing, one project. Building two bikes this winter (both to a deadline as well – eeek!), along with breaking off…

FRANK WESTWORTH It should have felt like something of a triumph. There I sat, aboard an unusually purple Triumph – the 1972 T120V which has graced these pages before – with the engine ticking over smoothly if not quietly beneath me. It wasn’t even raining, and the mighty Atlantic ocean stretched away in the mists as I looked towards America. America is quite a way away from Bude, but there’s no shame in being optimistic. The bike was running nicely, and I was returning from a gentle amble up and over the moors, where once wartime bombers operated; presumably their eagle-eyed pilots could somehow see through the relentless Atlantic mists. So all was well with the world? I pulled in the clutch, clicked into gear and headed back to RCHQ…