classic motorcycle mechanics september 2014

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

Bertie SimmondsHas just got his [email protected] month...... from Mark Haycock. Is shed thewrong word?

Jon BentmanRoad test [email protected] month...JB goes back to 1991 and looks at therst retro: The Zephyr.

Chris MossTriumph [email protected] month...Mossy has ridden Triumph specialsand twirled spanners on a triple.

Steve CooperOlder/nicer stuff [email protected] month...Scoop has ridden GT125s andresearched XN85s.

Mark HaycockThe Q&A [email protected] month...Hes off-loaded a Yam to Bert and nownishes his Hornet calipers.

John NuttingMaster of [email protected] month...Nutters recalls that perfect classic: theHonda CB400 Four!

Stan StephensFinally, the 3XV [email protected] month...Stan reports back on the race resultsof the TZR250 3XV.

Paul BerrymanKing of [email protected] month...PB nally nishes his Spa Katana - butdoes it go and race?

Niall MackenzieFizzy [email protected] month...Its stripped, dipped and painted thismonth!

Don MorleyLegendary [email protected] month...Dons camera shows us the majesty ofJohn Surtees. Respect.

Karl WebsterDown Under [email protected] month...Webby checks out a VFR750 Honda 6Xrecreation!

Sam DearieAd sales [email protected] month...Advertise with this man! You know itmakes sense...

Publisher: Steve Rose,[email protected]

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Reprographics: Simon Duncan

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CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICSmagazine takes all responsible steps toensure advice and technical tips arewritten by experienced and competentpeople. We also advise readers to seekfurther professional advice if they areunsure at any time. Anything technicalwritten by the editor is exempt hes

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September 2014Issue 323

Independent publisher since 1885

Why not Just Askyour localnewsagent toreserve you acopy each month?

Having trouble nding acopy of this magazine?

Amodern classic Triumph!Its always those that are most deserving thatdont receive. In our little industry ofmotorcycling, its never the people who trulydeserve it that get the glory, but instead thosethat shout the loudest. Its the PR spin, itseems, that gets the gongs.Surely John Bloor is worthy of a knighthood?

We know that hes a shrewd businessmanbuying the Triumph name in 1983 in a bid tomake a good, exportable product. There waslittle in the way of fondness or nostalgia thatdrove him to resurrect the brand it was purebusiness logic but think of the last quarter ofa century without Triumph? It would be asadder place. Now, almost 25 years on, wewanted to celebrate what Bloor and his teamachieved. From small beginnings in the 1980s,

2014 will see them produce more than 60,000motorcycles: theyve even won TTs and Britishchampionships.Now, at CMM we are mainly interested in the

older bikes the rst machines that are nowworthy of classic status, so its to thesemotorcycles that our 18 page Triumph Specialis dedicated, but we would also like to give ashout out to the man behind Triumphsresurgence. In a time when everyones trying torevive a legendary old British marque (usuallywith some overpriced, under-performingspecial that the mainstream bike press aredesperate to ride) Bloor did the job properlyand for that, he deserves a knighthood.

editorBertie Simmonds

Contents26 TRIUMPHANTRETURN

How Hinckley was put on thebike-building map.

30 SUZUKI GT125Scoop tries a twin-tiddlerfor size.

39 NOSTALGIA: 1991Desert Storm and theCBR600FM was king.

44 KAWASAKIZEPHYR 750Jon Bentman on whether thefirst retro can be called aclassic.

52 1996 TRIUMPHT595 SPECIALMossy again this time on aspecial based on the second-generation triple.

57 HONDA VFR750 6XOne Antipodean homage on aVFR racer.

60 HONDA CB400 FOURJohn Nuttings MIRA files onthe marvellous middleweight.

68 HONDA CBR600RRHondas best-sellingmiddleweight reinvented.

06 ARCHIVEJohn Surtees celebrating alegend on two, three and fourwheels.

08 1991 TRIUMPHTRIDENT SPECIALMossy rides an updatedHinckley Triumph.

13 NEWSWhats hot, whats not, whatsnew as well as columnists!

18 CALENDARRemember, remember places togo in September.

20 FEEDBACKYou lick the stamp and tell uswhat you want to see.

22 SHOW US YOURSWe love seeing your bikesin our pages.

WIN10,000

WORTH OFTOOLS!

Yes go on... you maywin! Page 92

Mossy rides an updatedHinckley Triumph.

How Hinckley was put on thebike-building map.

SUZUKI GT125

special based on the second-generation triple.

HONDA VFR750 6X

72 WORKSHOP NEWSOur Pips column along with newmetal bits.

74 BRAKE CALIPERS PART 2Mark Haycock concludes thecaliper overhaul.

78 PROJECT SPA KATPaul Berryman on whether or nothis Kat made the grid for Spa!

82 CARTRIDGEEMULATIONPB again on how to transformolder forks.

87 CLEAN ME!One mans expertise on cleaningshared for us all.

90 PROJECT YAMAHA FS1-ENiall Mackenzies tiddler strippedbare

95 TRIUMPHMAINTENANCE TIPSChris Moss discovers a course forthe early Hinckleytriples and fours.

110 SUZUKI XN85Suzukis Turbo examined by SteveCooper.

124 YAMAHA TZR250 3XVStan Stephens gets the bikenished and it races!

129 COMING CLASSICSMore on which Triumphs are goingto be collectible.More on which Triumphs are goingto be collectible.

Archivecmm

Surtees legend

WORDS AND PICS: DON MORLEY

John Surtees celebrated his 80th birthday inFebruary and 2014 marks the 50th year sincehe captured the Formula 1 title for Ferrari,which made him the only man to have wontitles on two and four wheels.

Back in the early 1950s almost everyworking man was a motorcyclist and so thenational newspapers gave almost as muchcoverage to motorcycle sport as they did tofootball. At the time my big hero was GeoffDuke who was already a multi world championfor Norton, had the looks of a film star,seemed invincible and was christened TheMaestro by the Italians. But we also kepthearing about some kid from down in Londonwho increasingly seemed to be winningeverything down there.

Then came 1953, the fateful year whenGeoff Duke committed what was seen by mostthen as the mortal sin of leaving Norton and(worse) actually signing for the Italian Gilerafirm remember, this wasnt long after theSecond World War.

Surtees took over Dukes old Norton, but thefirst big head to head between the two didntcome until the 1955 BRMC Hutchinson 100road Races held at Silverstone. The event wasin those days the most important road raceseries on the UK mainland, indeed it was theonly one all the big foreign factory teams also

contested apart from the Isle ofMan TT.

I had ridden down with camera toSilverstone from Derbyshire on my little125cc Francis-Barnett two-stroke in veryprobably the worst weather conditions everknown to man (I had crashed en route and hadto bend my bikes forks back by over an inchso I could carry on).

It blew a gale and the rain came downsideways and to cap it all Surtees not only wonthe 250cc race on his NSU, but also actuallysmashed the 350cc lap record despite theterrible conditions while winning on the 350ccJunior Norton. He then just ran rings roundmy hero Duke to likewise win the big race bythe proverbial mile! Sorry John, but I was not ahappy bunny, though I certainly took noticebecause what we then were witnessing was notat all unlike what is happening with MarcMarquez today, but John from then onwardswas often achieving it in three differentcapacity classes.

By then I was on the scene as aphotographer and got to know John, Geoff, andso many of that eras true greats. I rememberbeing faintly amused at the worldwideadulation when Freddie Spencer won both the250 and 500cc titles in 1985 and yet GeoffDuke, Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and especially

6 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Surtees (Ferrari) drives around the outside of Jack Brabhams Lotus at Silverstone.John would go on to win the 1964 Formula One world title.

John Surtees all did the double, sometimesseveral times over. Like the great MikeHailwood, Surtees also raced cars, often at thesame time as racing motorcycles, and as if tojust make life a little bit more difficult evenbuilt the Team Surtees race cars himself.

We talk about Marc Marquez, but John wonthe 350cc world championship three timesand the 500 championship four times, mostlyback-to-back and taking the 1958 and 1959seasons as examples I am as sure as I can be(from my fallible memory) that he won both ofthe 350 and 500cc classes at every singleround, so may I suggest young Marquez stillhas a way to go yet before getting anywherenear John!

Of course, then it does not stop therebecause Surtees also went on to win theFormula One car racing world title, becomingthe only man ever to win world titles on twowheels and four. He also raced sports cars atLe Mans; won the American Can-Amchampionships, raced at Indianapolis andSebring, then built the Surtees race cars forsuch as Mike Hailwood to race.

To summarise, John Surtees is unique andmost likely will always be an absolute one off,certainly in terms of his racing achievements.Whats more, and somewhat amazingly in thisday and age, he is also a very genuine andnice man, albeit though he may not sufferfools. He however remains steadfastly down toearth and devoid of any of the airs and gracesfar lesser beings bestow on themselves, andwhose mechanical knowledge and expertisemust count as genius, and one incidentallywho truly should have been given a welldeserved knighthood many a long year ago.

I count myself very lucky to have not onlymet, but witnessed and photographed so manyof Johns exploits (including photographing hiswedding), and I even think I might just abouthave forgiven him by now for beating GeoffDuke! cmm


John Surtees legendon two wheels, threewheels and four!


This is a trident the hinckley factory could easilyhave ended up producing to bring it into the newMillennium. It really does look and feel like thefinished article, something so sorted it could only havebeen built by pros. Arguably it has, as owner PaulMessenger is an authority on 90s triumphs and reallydoes know his onions as far as early triples are concerned.

his 900 has been parked in his garage since 1991.As soon as he saw hinckleys pre-production offerings atthe neC he rushed along to his dealer to put down adeposit. this is one of the very first bikes from theinitial batch to go on sale. now some mightsay its bordering on sacrilegious to gochopping and changing such an iconic, early-build machine. But as Paul has made his

changes tastefully, mainly using bits from other hinckleymodels, we could argue otherwise.

Look at it: nothing really looks like an aftermarket add-on. it looks like its come out of a factory. the bodywork,from a later 97 trident, looks classy in its lovely yellowfinish and gives the bike a bright and contemporaryappearance. its complemented perfectly by the black

engine and gold wheels using componentsfrom later triumph

early hinckley triumphs feel a bit outdated to ride these days but,like modern Jap classics, if you chuck a few quid at them you canboost their performance so they can feel much more modern. W

ords:Chris

MossPhoto

s:MikeWesto

n1991 TRIUMPH


models. The front carbon mudguard, from a Super 111,sets it all off nicely.

Now Paul has gone non-British with some other parts.Braking is handled by six-piston calipers from a GSX-R1100, and wind-cheating and road illumination isprovided by a fairing and headlight from a little GPz305belt-driven commuter.

What the eye cant see but, as I subsequently learned,the bum can feel, are some subtle engine modifications.The Super 111 cylinder head is ported lightly, and withslipper style, hi-comp pistons from a Daytona 750,power is up to around 115bhp at the crank. BOS endcans also help to flow the gases out into the atmospherea little more freely.

The inoffensive sound they emit reflects the generalnature of the bike, as is apparent after just a few mileson it. The Tridents nicely finished appearance is wellmatched by the sorted way it feels to ride. Easy andnicely balanced, managing the 900 is a doddle. The seatheights a little lofty for my short pins, but once parkedon the plush accommodation, it felt fine and welcomedmany hours of use. Id wager doing big miles on this bikewouldnt strain or tire the limbs much at all. The ridingposition is roomy and that little bit of Kawasaki plasticdiverts the air more effectively than youd expect. Im notsure Id label it as a continent-crosser, but with atankbag and backpack Id happily trot off to have a lookaround Scotland on it.

The civility is emphasised by the well-manneredengine characteristics. The power-boosting mods areobvious from just a few minutes of feeding the enginewith more gas. And thanks to the time Paul has spentjetting the carburation to ensure the fuelling is perfect,the throttle response is beautifully crisp, turning bhp intomph cleanly and promptly. It really is a lovely engine touse. With its broadly spread power, the three-potter isfriendly and flexible and ready to deliver as muchooomph as you want without having to search for it via


extra revs and downchanges. Mind you, doing that doesbring a fair bit of pleasure. Cant yourself forward a bit,wear a slightly more serious expression and spin the 900more keenly, and some healthy performance is delivered.A modern 600 might be able to bugger off into thedistance and quickly put the Tridents pace into context.Yet with its more relaxed way of gaining speed, theressomething a bit more satisfying and unhurried about theway this Triumph whizzes along. It all feels a bit moresocially acceptable.

Youll need to put a bit more effort in whenever theroad becomes a bit more twisty, as by modern standardsthe bike cant hope to match the agility of todays super-flickable bikes. But the counter-steering force hardlywarrants gym membership, and like the shortcomingsof the engine does have a happy trade off. Ride as hardas you fancy, even over battered roads, and the frontwheel will track the way you want it to.

That sort of steering stability without a damper is rarethese days, and I rather like the security and confidenceit inspires. Theres little doubt the suspension mods atboth ends play their part in all this. The Kawasaki ZXR750 springs and preload adjusters make the forks feelquite firm. But they do control the front wheel over thebumps with enough compliance, and thanks to thequality of the Maxton rear shock, which doesnt squatunder power, the front end remains nicely loaded.

Its an impressive setup and way better than thesloppy arrangement on the standard bike. So too is thebraking. Those early-spec two-piston calipers fitted tothe first Tridents were a bit lame to say the least.Needing to stop in a hurry tended to be a fraught affair,

spEcIFIcATIoN

ENGINE

Type: 885cc, liquid-cooled,12-valve, dohc, inline triple

MAxIMuM powEr

115bhp @ 9000rpmMAxIMuM TorquE

70lb-ft @ 7000rpmTrANsMIssIoN

6-speedFINAL DrIvE

chainFrAME

steel tubed spinesuspENsIoN

Front: 43mm telescopicforks, fully adjustable

Rear: rising-rate monoshock,fully adjustable

BrAkEs

Front: twin 310mm discswith six piston calipersRear: single 255mm discwith twin piston caliper

TYrEs

Front: 120/70 x 17Rear: 180/55 x 17sEAT hEIGhT

790mmwhEELBAsE

1490mmDrYwEIGhT

205kgFuEL cApAcITY

25 litres

1991 TrIuMph

We started looking into the idea of expanding Neil Young Hondaaround the end of 1990.We were already a well-established dealer,but werent allowed to take on another Japanese brand. Alreadyknowing new Triumph marketing man Bruno Tagliaferri, from hisHonda days, helped and we decided to do a deal. We liked what we

saw about the rms plans, and when word got out in the press interest fromthe bike-buying public really developed.At our open evening we had a Trophy 1200 painted in a Union Jack design.

The event was a real success and it soon became apparent there was a goodmarket for a British marque. Sales of the rst bikes were good. People also likedthe later Tiger, and that model turned out to be a good bike for us.There were some initial teething troubles (sprag clutches, corrosion, electrical

gremlins, general build quality), and theres no doubt the buyers were helpingwith the nal R&D on the bikes. Even so our customers seemed to be happywith that, especially as Triumph dealt with any warranty issues so well.Our relationship with the factory was brilliant. We loved working with them

you felt you were part of a team and the people at Hinckley were veryaccessible. You could call the factory and get a quick solution to any problems you couldnt do that with Honda.Wed sit in on meetings and were asked foradvice on models. Triumph wanted feedback from dealers and customers andthe big family worked well together.We were told what was going on too.We got involved with the Speed Triple Challenge Series and helped a number

of riders. Typical customers were more conservative and in the 40-plus bracketto begin with. But as the models got more exciting, the age of those buyersdropped into the 25-plus sector. The factory always maintained a healthyrelationship with its customers, and even during T595 frame cracking recall,which it dealt with very well, none of our customers complained. It was good tobe a Triumph dealer in the 90s the non-discounting policy was fair on dealers,the bikes were reliable and popular. On a good summer week wed sell between20 and 30 bikes and these were mostly new ones.

Ex-Triumph dealer Daryll Youngspeaks the early Triumph years

and unless you limited your riding to more sensiblespeeds, there was always a chance of running over theedge. With the six-pot Tokicos Paul has fitted, there areno such worries and the fuller capabilities of his Tridentcan be explored much more fully, and in totalconfidence. They represent a huge improvement andtogether with the extra support offered by the modifiedforks, losing speed is way less worrying.

How well the suspension and brakes complement eachother is typical of the bike as a whole. Nothing standsout, or outperforms any other area of the bike toimbalance it in any way. Its a complete and wellthought-out package that works well and very effectively.If you want to bring a 90s Trident a hell of a lot more up-to-date without losing any of its original appeal, doingwhat Paul has done would prove very fruitful. cmmCheck out Pauls other special on page 52.

IN DETAIL: 1/ Lovely sound from a well-sortedtriple motor. 2/ Clocks are very 1990s and nonethe worse for it. 3/ Factory nish goes right downto the decals.

3

2

1


& events

Pierfrancesco Chili is the guest ofhonour at the 21st Carole NashClassic Motorcycle Mechanics Showon October 18-19 so book now!

The genial Italians careerstretches back into the 1980s, withspells in 500cc Grand Prix, 250GPs and World Superbikes. He isremembered for winning thecontroversial Misano 500cc race,which was held in wet conditionsand with many of the top ridersrefusing to race. However, he is bestknown for his passion anddetermination in the WSB races ofthe 1990s and early 2000s, wherehe was one of the pace-setters in atime when the series could boastriders of the calibre of Carl Fogarty,

Aaron Slight, John Kocinski,Anthony Gobert and Simon Crafar.

The show isnt just about people(although around 30,000 of youvisit) its about machines and youllenjoy every machine from the 1960sthrough to the 1990s. The eventtakes place (as ever) at theStaffordshire County Showgroundand features more than 900 tradestands and autojumble to help youfind that elusive part. Dont forgetthe live action arena, Bonhamsauction and other events yet to beannounced. Gates open from 9am-6pm Saturday and 9-5pm Sunday.

For more information go to:www.classicbikeshows.com

the 21st

chili in Stafford!

The 40th annualGloucestershireSteam & VintageExtravaganza was arip-roaring success.

More than 8000visitors flockedthrough the gate onSunday alone, makingit the best attendedday in the events 40year history. The showsaw approximately12,000 visitorsthroughout theweekend and raisedmoney for both localand national charities.

The show isorganised by TheStroud VintageTransport and EngineClub and sincemoving from itsexisting site atKemble Airfield in2011 to South CerneyAirfield, has grownconsiderably. Thisyear saw 80 steamengines, 400 classiccars, 180 classictractors, 100 vintagecycles and 220classic motorcycles ondisplay.

Plans are alreadyunder way for nextyears show, whichwill take place on theweekend of July 31 August 2, 2015. Sodiarise it now!

Steam andVintageSucceSS!


Last months feature on the XS750 was, I think, alittle harsh on the old warhorse. But while thevenerable, nay venerated Scoop correctly pointed outthat compared to the leaky and unreliable old Tridentthat was still (just about) in production, and therecently announced Jota that was faster (if biggerand costlier), the XS was both a bargain and moreinnovative than either of em. Okay, build quality wasnt ofthe nest which is why caveat emptor is denitely theorder of the day if youre looking to buy one now, but Ihave a soft spot for em which periodically prompts somevicarious tyre-kicking whenever I see one for sale.

But what I most fondly remember about Yamahas triplewas not its turbine-like dohc engine, nor its surprisinglysmooth shaft-drive transmission, but its press launch. At thetime I was in the chaotic, under-resourced throes of a launchof my own, namelyWhich Bike?magazine, so it was bothsomething of a relief and also quite exciting to be invited to jointhe alleged cream of the European press on a charter ight to, of all places,Morocco where we were to confront both the XS750 and the XT500. I say of allplaces because while eminently suited to evaluating the dual-purpose XT, at thetime, and indeed to this day, the North African kingdom was not exactly known forthe quality of its tarmacadam.

Still, this was in the days when a UK press launch usually meant a bimble arounda rain-soaked aireld, a pork pie and a plastic cup of tepid coffee and Yamahas big-wigs had rightly assumed that having being own to an exotic land and put up in aluxury hotel, wed be so starry-eyed that our critical faculties would be suitablydulled. Theyd also taken the precaution of paying the local constabulary to closesome of the countrys better roads so that the progress of a few eager-wristedhacks wouldnt be impeded by the odd donkey cart or camel. And thus it was that Igot my rst taste of riding with admirable irresponsibility i.e. unhindered by speedlimits Yamahas svelte new sport-tourer.

It wasnt however an unmitigated success. They mayve been the best roads thecountry could offer, but they still displayed a myriad of often disturbingly widecracks, and when the wind had a mind to, it blew thick ribbons of sand across ourpath usually just around a blind corner. And well-bribed though the local rozzersmayve been, they didnt manage to restrain some old dear from trudging acrossone particular thoroughfare just as a Dutch Yamaha dealer ew towards her, anincident that was quietly hushed up, although dark rumours about her fate washedaround the press corps after the ying Dutchman was discreetly own home thatsame day.

And talking of accidents, that launch was memorable for another reason thathad nothing to do with the wondrousnesss of the sprauncey new triple.We wereown to Marrakesh in a chartered Airspeed Ambassador, and being something ofan aircraft anorak as well as a muttering rotter, it wasnt lost on me that this wasthe same plane that crashed in Munich killing eight of Manchester Unitedsvictorious Busby Babes in 1958.

Once we were safely in the air, the captain, a large gent with the orid featuresof a man who appreciated the odd gin and tonic, wandered down the aisle to glad-hand the assembled hacks and emboldened by a few g-and-ts myself, I questionedhim on the structural integrity of what was by then a rather old and weary crate.Sensing that he was dealing with a smartarse, the captain patted me on theshoulder with the reassurance that the Ambassador was one of the strongestdesigns around.Why, this one has already crashed once, in South America actually,and after a bit of repair work, its still going strong.Which certainly shut me up andsadly is probably more than can be said for most XS750s.

Was the XS750 as bad as we madeout last month asks Mark Williams?

LAUNCHED IN EXCESS

There were plenty of attractive two-wheelers at theSuffolk VJMC Bike Show back in July. Held as usual atGreat Blakenham Village Hall, it was a big draw thanksto the free entry and autojumble pitches. Here are someof the nicest bikes at the event.

SuffOLkShOW SIzzLeRS

Oh yes, you read right. CMMs own Stan Stephenshas been approached to build a V6 two-stroke.

Based on the Yamaha RD500LC as well as manyexisting tune-up products, the motor will power acustomers project and CMM will be on boardduring the build of the motor. Stan says: Its anambitious project and one Im looking forward togetting my teeth into. I reckon we will be looking at asizable amount of horsepower from the motor itself.

Watch this space!

Stan the man to build a V6

STOPPRESS!


& events

Bear with mehere becauseIm going off on one. Ihave a confession tomake; Ive never really quitegot why everyone raves aboutMeriden twins. See what Imean? For me the stylingnever worked and it was agenuine case of theEmperors new clothes. Evennow I struggle to see what allthe fuss is about.

What works for one rider doesntnecessarily work for anotherbut, if you keep an open mind,sometimes things change. Until theopportunity presented itself I genuinely never reallygrasped the concept that is Honda. My formativeyears in the early 1970s werent exactly glory daysfor the Big Aitch. The CB250 was, to a callow youthat least, a porky old slug. Black Bombers and CB92Benlys were anachronistic weirdos and even theCB750/4 was effectively old hat.

Honda had lost focus and in that snapshot periodthat was my own personal learning curve I wantedglamour, raunchy colour schemes andperformance. At that particular juncture Hondaappeared to offer none of the above. Severaldecades on Hondas make perfect sense. Theopportunity to ride more than a handful hasallowed me to park irrational prejudices andappreciate some of the best engineered machineryever made to a point where several are now on thewanted-before-I stop-riding list.

Over successive decades, the Japanese factorieshave offered an amazing array of widely differingmachinery in a way the British factories sadly neverquite managed. Even the 250cc two-stroke twins ofthe 1970s had their own unique traits that madeeach one different from its marketplace competitor.

For many this is the attraction to owning morethan one make now. The frankly bonkers nature ofa Kawasaki 350 S2 is exquisitely counterpointed bythe almost serene personality of a Suzuki GT380.Neither is better than the other; theyre of equalmerit or validity. Ditto a Kawasaki AR125 versus aYamaha RD125LC; two sides of the same coin.

Brand loyalty served the manufacturers well butit can hog tie you for life if you let it. Thats why thislifelong Yamorak now owns two Suzukis, has beenlooking to buy a Honda CBX750 and still wants tosample a Kawasaki A7 A with a view to long termownership. Its never a good idea to let an irrationalobservation or a skewed rst impression rule yoursubsequent judgement but most of us are guilty ascharged. An early 1960s T120 I just dont want but alate BSA Thunderbolt in orange and white with adove grey frame now were talking. Or a YamahaSRX600, Suzuki GT550J, Honda SL125, KawasakiGA2A. Irrational? You betcha but aint it fun?

The sunny side of the classic world,with the VJMCs Steve Cooper

The SouTh AuSTrAliA VJMC has been out and about for theannual Monday Queens Birthday Holiday ride, which isnt actually onHMs birthday! Check out some of the awesome bikes and roads. Evenan average Oz winter looks better than a typical UK summer. Dont youwish we had roads like this? Or do we? Let us know by telling us whenyoure out and about.

Our thanks to John Drury of Flying Colours for the shots.

Owners of classic and vintage bikes and cars are being encouraged to register theirpride and joy for a riverside event this September in the city of Peterborough.

Held on the riverside embankment, more than 200 vehicles have already registeredfor the very first Peterborough Classic and Vintage Vehicle Show. Organised by the citycouncil, the show is open to classic and vintage bikesand cars, scooters, military and commercial machines.

There is no cost for vehicle admission and the showis free to enter for the public. People bringing theirvehicles have the option to stay overnight with on sitecamping facilities. The family event will also feature ahost, stalls and entertainment.

To register your vehicle for the show and for moreinformation email [email protected] or [email protected], telephone Paula Thacker on: 07885240494.

Peterborough to hostvintage vehicle event

for the very first Peterborough Classic and Vintage Vehicle Show. Organised by the city

www.vjm

c.co

m


05 The 21st Carole Nash EurojumbleSeptember 5-6, Ringwood Road, NetleyMarsh, Hampshire SO40 7GYwww.classicbikeshows.com,01507 529529

05 Autumn NABDnessSeptember 5-8, Enstone Aireld,Chipping Norton, West Oxfordshire OX74NS www.nabd.org.uk, 0844 415 4849

12 The 21st AnniversaryFull Moon RallySeptember 12-14, Balterley Green, NearCrewe, Sign posted from M6 J1601270 764128 or 07923 650443,[email protected]

14 Brighton Burn-Up & Ridewith the RockersAce Cafe, Ace Corner, North Circular,Stonebridge, London NW10 7UDwww.ace-cafe-london.com,0208 961 1000

21 All Day FS1-E Frenzy& Sports MopedsAce Cafe, Ace Corner, North Circular,Stonebridge, London NW10 7UDwww.ace-cafe-london.com,0208 961 1000

21 Fleet Air Arm Great Ride-inand Trade EventFleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton,Somerset BA22 8HTwww.wheelersevents.co.uk, 07933217675

21 Romney Marsh ClassicMotorcycle Bike JumbleMarsh Road, Hamstreet, Kent TN26 2JDwww.elk-promotions.co.uk, 01797344277

28 Leighton Hall Motorcycle SprintLeighton Hall, Carnforth, Lancashire LA59ST www.blacklinesprinting.com,[email protected]

see you there!

SEPTEMBER

19 Peak PerformanceTest & Tune DaySanta Pod Raceway, Aireld Road,Podington, Wellingborough, NorthantsNN29 7XAwww.rwyb.com, 01234 782828

20 Kempton Bike JumbleKempton Park, Staines Road East,Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW65AQ, www.egp-enterprises.co.uk,01344 883961

ThePeterboroughClassicandVintageVehicleShowLovers of classic bikes should pop along to Peterboroughsembankment over the weekend of September 13-14.The citys first vintage and classic vehicle event has already

attracted more than 200 vehicles and organisers want CMMreaders to register and come along. Organised by the city council,the show is open to classic and vintage bikes and cars, scooters,military and commercial machines.There is no cost for vehicle admission and the show is free to

enter for the public. People bringing their vehicles have the optionto stay overnight with onsite camping facilities. The event will alsofeature a host stalls and entertainment.

To register your vehicle for the show and formore information [email protected] [email protected] alternatively,telephone Paula Thacker on: 07885 240494.

September 13-14

FFEEEEDDBBAACCKKPost to Mechanics, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZor email your pictures to [email protected]

Every month were giving away a Scottoiler Bike Care Pack to the writer of the best submitted letter wereceive. The pack contains two litres of Scottoiler FS365; giving you the ultimate in summer and wintercorrosion protection. Simply get in touch by sending emails to: [email protected] or postyour letters to the normal address, giving contact details just in case you are that lucky winner.

WIN a Scottoiler bike care pack


Friends reunitedI am an overseas subscriber fromAustralia and I always lookforward to receiving everymonths copy of CMM. I wasabsolutely blown away by theJuly issue and the RD400 article.I have always been a big fan of

RD400s since owning one newback in the day and was guttedabout selling the last one Iowned when we emigrated fromthe UK in 2005.So you can imagine my surprise

when I saw that the bike featuredin Julys magazine was noneother than my own formercharge!I owned MPK 106W for nearly

10 years and almost bought itwith me to Australia but theother half insisted that I couldtake only one of my two bikeswith me and for some reason(which I still struggle tounderstand), I chose to sell theRD and keep my plastic rocket.

I was pleased to see that thebike is still largely in the originalcondition that I sold it to the newowner in. However, I wassurprised to read that its gearboxwas found to be in pretty poororder and that the swinging armwas bent, as I had been usingthe bike occasionally up until Ileft the country, so it had notbeen in storage as suggested.

It just goes to show how toughthose old RDs really are,although I still cant believe thatI sold it for 750, given whatthey now fetch but thatshindsight for you.

As gutted as I continue to bethat I did not bring 106 toAustralia with me, that blow hasbeen somewhat softened by mysubsequent purchase of a 1980RD400G (3M4 model), which I

am currently in the process ofrestoring. I am only the thirdowner and it has covered just16,000 km (10,000 miles) fromnew but was seized through lackof use when purchased. It hassince been treated to a crankrebuild and stage one tune byyour regular contributor thelegendary Stan Stephens, whokindly did the work in five dayswhen I was back in the UK onbusiness.

On a positive note movingout here means Ive got all-year-round riding weather and aproper workshop for my fleet

including two RDs (350LC andthe 400), a 1974 Kawasaki S3and a 1981 DT175MX. Wouldlove to chat to Peter Spicer aboutour bike!

Mark Leadbeatter

Bertie says: Lovely storyMark, glad you like the mag andhave an RD once more.My uncle and his mates whoworked on/owned RDs raised thegearbox issue, saying they neverhad a problem with them.Instead it was the lead weights inthe crankshaft dropping out thatthey recall with horror.

****PPrriizzee wwiinnnneerr************Casal cool!I was pleasantly surprised to see the Casal SS4mentioned in John Nuttings article My top 10tiddlers in May 2014s CMM. It came 10th butIm pleased it even got a mention. I had one whenI was 16 as I knew the previous owner and he wasmoving on to an RD250 (which I also bought offhim when he moved on to a Z650 over a yearlater). Casals were rare in 1978-79 when I hadmine and when I saw one on eBay three years ago,in orange like the one I had, I had to have it.

It was taxed and tested but in originalunrestored condition. I dont mind that at all, butthere comes a point when you have to tidy themup. I gave it a facelift over last winter and after abit of powder coating and spraying it looks somuch better. It has recently completed a gruelling270-mile ride coast to coast and back in one day(for the second time) with a few friends; greatlaugh and day out, like being 16 again although Iwouldnt have done a trip like that then. I haveattached a couple of pics taken on the morning ofthe coast to coast ride. The Casal shares garagespace with my other steeds: C90 Cub, RD400F,YPVSF1 and TDM850 Mk.2

Kingsley Davies

Bertie says: Brave man, Kingsley, for goingcoast to coast on a tiddler!


Bertie says: Ha! Sorry thatour Retro Reboots cause you somuch angst JT. We will try morefour-strokes in future!

Keep on movingHi there to everyone at ClassicMotorcycle Mechanics. What amagazine. It deals with all thebikes over the decades andbrings back so many memories.However, I have just finishedreading a couple of letterspublished in the June issue, onefrom Alan E Gus Hawkins. Doeshe not realise that the magazineisnt about early-60s bikes butrather the bikes that are all nowfalling into classic status? I amin my fifties now and remembermy first legal road bike (well sortof) a Kawasaki AR 125 yep, Ihad those dreaded L plates. Inow own a GPz900R and aKawasaki ZX-12R and lookforward to the day the ZX12

makes its appearance in yourmag. Whatever you do guysplease dont change yourstructure as the magazineappeals to the majority of us.

Alex Truten

Bertie says: Thanks Alex,look out for the next issue if fastmodern-classic/future classicsare your thing, sir! cmm

In last months CMM there were some criticisms from a reader (ex-reader) Kevin Lay. One was, Im sorry to say that even StanStephens contributions have gone beyond the home restorer. HisTZR article is broadly a list of businesses who have helped with thebike. Firstly I have never consciously aimed my articles at thehome restorer, I explain how an expert would do the job andhopefully there is a lot that readers will learn from that.

Secondly when we do a project bike as I do with the TZR V-twinracer, it is many things: a story that I hope readers nd interesting,which includes how to build the bike, snags that had to be solvedand, in the case of the TZR racer, a report on how it performs inthe races and how with tuning and set-up I hopefully improve it.

I write in CMM for two reasons, one is because I enjoy writingand the other is to pass on my 50 years of experience. I denitelydo not do it for the money. The bike is either mine, or a customersbike. When having work done by other rms we ask them if theywould like to help and obviously they will get amention in the article, if they do a bad job I will alsosay so. What this does is show the readers who wetrust to carry out the work for us and helps us toafford to provide bikes for project bike articles.

Stan Stephens

Stan says

Memories of the middleweight Zed recalled.

Spot on ZedIve just read the July issue andthe article on the little Z650 andcouldnt agree more with thecomments made by JonBentman.

I had a 650 as my first bigbike in the late Seventies. Itstayed with me for 10 years, andI loved it. I went on a four-week,three-thousand-mile jaunt allover Europe in 1979 chasing agaggle of friends on GS1000sand managed admirably on it.

Some 10 years ago I revisitedthose happy days and bought abasket case and spent five yearson a ground-up restoration, butwith a change to floating discs,four pot calipers and up-ratedsuspension. Unfortunately, it nowneeds work again as some fool ina car decided to overtake a buson a blind bend and wrecked it.Im able to report that he got hisass kicked by some very largegentlemen when he tried to driveoff from the scene of theaccident. Great mag, I have beena regular since 2003.

Derek Wait

Bertie says: Lovely that JBsroad test really brought back thememories. Hope youre back onthe road again soon Derek.

No more strokers!Please stop the Reboot pain, ithurts! I tried a few years ago tosatisfy my desire for a two-strokefrom the 1970s and placed anorder for the Bimoto V-Due: weall know how horribly that went.

Now your mag has struck thetwo-stroke chord again via thelovely images in Retro Reboot.First it was the Yam RD500 V4,next the Suzi RGV 600, then theYam RD 350LC and now theAprilia RS250 from the Augustissue. Besides my fantasy bankaccount being emptied my realenvy has peaked. Im not sure ifmy ego or wallet could standanother hit. If only these dreamscould come true, it might happenin the UK but never again here inthe US. But really, keep thesecoming as it mixes emotions andstirs both memories and wishfulthinking.

JT McDonald

Modern classic marvel.

JT reckons weve been teasing him with these!

We want to see YOUR pride and joy in ou

r pages, so you can

share what you rideand restore with fello

w readers.

Email your hi-res shots to bsimmonds@m

ortons.co.uk or mail

in some photos to the address at the fron

t of the mag. Let usknow

what youve done and how youve done it

and send before andafter

shots if you can. Doget in touch. Bertie

Weve teamed up with The Hobby Company

www.hobbyco.net which distributes Tamiya

plastic motorcycle kits in the UK to give our

favourite restoration one of its amazing

motorcycles in miniature. So, send in your

pictures of your bikes and you could win the

chance to indulge in a miniature motorcycle

restoration of your own. Remember to send

your name and address on each submission

so we know where to post the kit.


I had two of these back in the late 1980s and early 90s and really enjoyed owning them.This was the age of the Jellymould, pre FireBlade days. Being 23 years old now, it fallsinto the classic category. This is a 1991 model year Honda CBR1000F-M. I bought thisbike from a motorcycle salvage dealer in Gloucester via the internet in January this year,advertised as a Cat D damaged machine. The top fairing and headlight were broken andmarked down the left-hand side where it had gone over in a low-speed spill, but it was avery genuine standard bike nonetheless, with only 26,000 miles on the clocks, both keysand a complete and untouched original toolkit under the seat. It has taken many manhours to bring it back to its former glory, but Im very pleased with the results, and I amlooking forward to keeping it and using it. These were a popular touring machine backthen with a bombproof Honda motor.

Glenn Reays 1991 Honda CBR1000F-M

KIT WINNER

This is my 1974 Kawasaki S3 400 Triple. I rescued it from a damp shedin New Jersey USA I needed a project to work on at the time. Myoldest daughter was 14 and she helped me restore the bike.Improvements/restoration needs included: a KH one-piece caliper,

drilled rotors, progressive front springs, roller head bearings, rollerswingarm bearings, YSS rear shocks, Weisco pistons, reed valves, portedcylinders, planed heads, custom Stinger exhaust, Barnett clutch, UniPod filters, Boyer ignition, AGM battery, Avon Roadrider tyres, HIDheadlight and Kawasaki electric blue paint and factory decals. The framewas powder coated and all hardware was clear zinced or chromed.The bike runs great and I love riding it in town or on twisty back roads.

I love the magazine hope you publish this, if you like this I have more.

Gary Rennas 1974 Kawasaki S3


Hey CMM! Here are a few pics of my beloved1990 GPz500S, my first big bike.Between the ages of 14 and 18 I had three

50s and a beautiful 1984 (my birth year)RD125, then like a lot of people, I tookdriving lessons and had a string of cars.I always regretted never doing a full bike

licence, so a few Christmases ago I decidedto get my full licence before I turned 30.The GPz is a 586 eBay bargain. After two

months it got an intermittent stalling problemand fixing it has taught me a lot: the CDi unitwas the issue this was after a new battery,coils, leads, plugs, caps etc. and balancingthe carbs.It now runs like a dream. My pal Rob has

just bought a Bandit 600 so we will behaving a top time on our very sorted bikes.

Luke Sheaths 1990Kawasaki GPz500S


I found this bike in the loft of a barn inDonegal on the west coast of Ireland. It was ina very sorry state. I started 18 months agorestoring the Sanglas 400T. Taking it apartwas hard enough but both putting it backtogether with no manual and no partsavailability in the UK was very difficult. Ieventually sourced a guy outside Madrid inSpain he didnt speak English and I didntspeak Spanish. Through the help of Googletranslate we got through! Hope you like it.

Gordon Chambers1973 Sanglas 400T

Martin HochulisKawasaki Z1000RHello from Germany! I wanted to showyou my bike and perhaps maybe youcan help me I really hope so. I justcannot resist Kawasakis Z1000R green or white, it doesnt matter. Thisone is now ready for good times andanother one will be done this comingwinter. The parts situation is still good but I cant seem to find the right brakediscs. I can always get the diameter(280mm) correct, but with sevenfixation holes instead of six! Where canI get two (preferably new) pairs?

I bought the bike in March for 99 off eBay. I was looking to build some sort of cafe racer stylebike, but I wanted something a bit different. I loved the look of the Moto Guzzi bikes with theirV-twin arrangement and the CX500 fitted aesthetically and was more wallet friendly.

As soon as I got the bike home I stripped off as much as I could. Then started to remove anyunnecessary brackets/lumps and bumps from the frame. This included chopping about eightinches off the rear end. I started to make a traditional hump for the rear, made from the engineprotection bars on the bike, but then decided to run the exhaust through the hump. The tank hadholes in from the bolts holding the Honda logo rotting through, but I welded the sides of an olddata cabinet shelf to either side of the tank and sanded and lacquered it.

Replacing the cables led to me realising that the bike had no clutch, so I got a second-handone on eBay for 45. The front end was shot, so a CBR1000 front end for 130 did the job.Everything was done on the cheap with things found in my barn, hence the Barn Built logo!

Charles Stocks Honda CX500 Cafe Racer

Hi, from Queensland! I just thought Idsend you a couple of photos of mynewly finished 1975 Honda XL100. Ittook me two years to restore, coming tome as a barn find, it is currently ondisplay at my mechanics workshop, Icant wait to bring it home and putsome kilometres up on the new clocks.

Terry Chambers1975 Honda XL100

Gordon Chambers


Its June 29, 1990 and the press are gathered to hearthe announcement that Triumph Motorcycles is backin business again.many had heard this same stuff before, and since, and

from a variety of British manufacturers (in fact we stillhear it today), but even then triumph motorcycles lookedlike it was going to be very different.

the company was not aiming at low-volume production,or specials instead the triumph motorcycles thatemerged from the shadow of secrecy had invited membersof the press to an industrial estate in leicestershire tobear witness to its intentions to mass produce Britishdesigned and built motorcycles once more.

What the invited guests saw that day was a brand-new,state-of-the-art motorcycle production facility, ready tomanufacture and assemble a six-strong range of multi-cylinder motorcycles for the 1991 model year; however,seven years of hard work had already been done behindthe scenes to get to this point.

John Bloor, from Bloor holdings, purchased thetriumph name in 1983, keeping the name alive throughformer triumph parts dealer les harris who was allowedto licence-build small numbers of Bonnevilles, but by1988 les had built his last bike.

John Stuart Bloor (known as JSB to his employees)was born in the early 1940s in a south derbyshiremining village. he finished his education at 15 years oldand began his career working for a local buildingcontractor. Just two years later, at 17, he took theplunge and became self-employed, initially as aplasterer, before taking on a project that led him to buildhis first complete house all before his 20th birthday

TRIUMPHANTReTURNits nearly a quarter of a century sincetriumph came back with a bang. how did thecompany do it and how should we appraiseits coming classic models?

WORDS: Bertie SimmondSPHOTOS: mortonS archive/don morley

Above: the Daytonastill looks good today.below: personnelincluded BrunoTagliaferri (right)marketing man fromHonda UK. Theinvestment was huge.


between 90 to 135bhp and would not only be competitivewith anything then produced in Europe, the US or Japan,but also employ the latest market-leading production

processes. The machines would be officiallylaunched at the Cologne show in September1990. The layout of these new triples and fourswas up-to-date, featuring liquid cooling, dohc andfour-valves per cylinder. The frame was a steelspine, upon which the various engines wouldhang. The new factory would produce an annualprojected total of 10,000 bikes, maybe more.Following a factory tour, the journalists were

ushered into a large boardroom, where twomachines were unveiled; one a 750cc naked

three-cylinder roadster, later called Trident, and a fullyfaired three-cylinder sports tourer, later called Trophy.

The original factory on its 10 acre site now looks smallcompared with Factory 2, which was completed in 2000and sits upon a site four times larger than the original.Today Factory 2 offers technology that is as cutting-edgenow, as Factory 1 was back in 1990. Back thenTriumphs Factory 1 could produce up to 200crankcases and cylinder heads per week, by 2010 thatnumber of completed bikes was being crated for deliveryevery day. Production topped 50,000 units a year in2008, while the 10,000 a year mark was reached in themid 1990s in 2014 production will top 60,000. Back inthe early 1990s, the level of investment was thought tobe anything from 60-80 million, with Bloor bankrollingeverything, until Triumph Motorcycles could send out itsfirst invoice in the spring of 1991. The company finallyposted a profit in 2000, after which it is thought around

100 million had been invested in the firm.With the benefit of almost 25 years of hindsight,

we know the rebirth of Triumph Motorcycles has beenone of the biggest successes of British business.Today Triumph has a 29-strong range of motorcycles,covering sportbikes, adventure machines andnakeds; but what of those early machines? What

should you be tucking away for the future?

from this start Bloor Homes blossomed, becoming one ofthe largest privately owned house building companies inthe UK.

Bloor himself was no peddler of dreams he didntdecide to resurrect Triumph because he was a mad-keenbiker, but he says: When I was 16 I used to have aTiger Cub. To be honest, I didnt think a lot of it, aswater used to get into the points. Id be coming backhome from work on a winters night at 6pm I was alwayshaving to pull over and start fiddling with the points. Iwasnt best pleased! Instead, with Bloor Homes doingwell, he wanted to start a business that was one witha completed product, but which could besuccessfully exported abroad.

Bloor had put together a close-knit design anddevelopment team based at Unit 14, Bayton Road,Bedworth and they began working on a new range ofTriumphs. They visited motorcycle factories acrossthe world, some in Japan, some in Europe and theyformulated their own plans for a new range ofmodular Triumphs that would spark the rebirth ofmass-produced British motorcycles.

The approach was called the modular concept,because models would share common parts, be itchassis or engine, from which you could build a numberof different machines. It proved to be a cost-effectiveway of getting a wide range of motorcycles out to thebuying public and a concept that was originally mootedback in 1973 by BSA-Triumphs Bert Hopwood, shortlybefore the firm went bust.

During that June day in 1990 the assembledjournalists were told that Triumph would be producing arange of triple and four-cylinder motorcycles whichwould have a power output of anything

1/ Cologne 1990 -

Triumph had arrived.

2/ Modern technology

was used in the

development and

manufacture of the

motorcycles.

3/ A six-strong range

was launched at

Cologne for the 1991

model year.

Daytona 750 and

1000s are some of the

rarest original models

now. Find one!

Below: Trident Sprint.

1

3

2


Launch machines were long-stroke machines (300cc percylinder) which were the Trophy 1200 four-cylinder (squareheadlight), the Trident 900 triple (naked, round headlight) andthe Trophy 900 three cylinder. Then there were the short-stroke(250cc per cylinder) models: Daytona 1000 Sport four-cylinder,Trident 750 and Daytona 750 triple. Early bikes suffered on buildquality in some areas according to dealers from the day, andboth the Trophy and Daytona (especially the 750).

These early models were plenty fast, with the 900 Trophy andTrident putting out just under 100 claimed bhp, and the Daytona750 around 90bhp (likewise the Trident 750) and the 1000120bhp. The Trophy 4 1200 had around 135bhp, all gures are atthe crank. Heavy bikes, mind: the Trophy 1200 was 240 kilos dryand around 270 kilos fully fuelled. Even the naked Trident 900was 212 kilos sans uids To give you an idea, the Daytona 750triple cost 6149 back in 1991. The early Daytonas are rare withonly around 1000 of both capacities sold.

Triumph started to have some fun with the range movingtowards the mid-1990s. Daytonas now became 900 and 1200cc(the 1200 had a claimed 147bhp at 9500rpm) with the rare SuperIII 900 (9699) still being a bit too lardy to compete with other900cc sportbikes of 1994 such as the FireBlade and Kawasaki ZX-9R. The Speed Triple of the same year is a classic now (especiallythe uber-rare 750 version). While if you want something differentperhaps the rst Tiger giant trailie would suit you? One of thesewas built in 1990, but wasnt released until 1993. cmm

The Launch bikes:

LaTer moduLar machines:

Pick of the rstTriumphs:

Triumph started to have some fun with the range movingtowards the mid-1990s. Daytonas now became 900 and 1200cc(the 1200 had a claimed 147bhp at 9500rpm) with the rare SuperIII 900 (9699) still being a bit too lardy to compete with other900cc sportbikes of 1994 such as the FireBlade and Kawasaki ZX-9R. The Speed Triple of the same year is a classic now (especiallythe uber-rare 750 version). While if you want something differentperhaps the rst Tiger giant trailie would suit you? One of thesewas built in 1990, but wasnt released until 1993. cmm

LaTer moduLar machines:

1991-1995


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If you like your classic bikes standard and originalwed respectfully suggest you look away now.A small group of myopic pedants might argue thatBen Holbrooks Suzuki GT125 is a travesty but here atCMM were in favour of a more eclectic view.

If just one more classic Japanese motorcycle is savedfrom irrational recycling by such techniques as employedhere then it simply has to be a good thing. Furthermorethis Suzuki GT125s restoration began when the ownerwas just 14 years old!

Standing in front of a line of council garages with thesunlight glinting off it, the GT125 looks like its a three-year-old machine that some lucky lad has just purchasedfrom his local dealer. Theres just the odd bit of road dirthere and there, a dab of two-stroke oil, a vague patina ofpetrol around the carbs and (hush my mouth) even aslight tarnishing of alloy if you look hard enough. Thereare three possible scenarios going on here.

Option one means that photographer Joe and I havebeen transported back to the late 1970s, but as I donthave a waist this seems unlikely. Option two suggests thebike has been preserved in a hermetically sealed bag for35 years, but as few people had any love for older 125sback in the 1980s this also seems implausible.So it has to be option three; we are looking at an olderrestoration. And for a first time attempt there is noarguing its a damn fine job. The bike was built to beused and it has been; Ben likes his machines to beridden and, as we can clearly see, brochure correct and100 point perfect doesnt float his boat.

Walk around the bike and one of the first things youpick up on is just how petite the GT125 is. Some bikesseem to be physically bulked up to impress theteenagers, but not this one. Suzuki arguably employedsome of the best motorcycle stylists of the period andthe early GT125s still have a certain vibe to them thatharks back to the very late 1960s.

Our test machine is just before the anodyne corporatelook was adopted and is, in many riders eyes, the

Classic Ride

SUZUKI

WORDS: STEVE COOPER PHOTOS: JOE DICK

Does sir or madam fancy a feisty,tiny tiddler? Then may we

humbly suggest Suzukis GT125.


better for it. The aesthetics are well balanced, thechrome and paint are in proportion, the decals enhancethe tanks profile and the side panels are mercifully notin satin black. Yes this is emphatically 70s styling;whether you like it or not is entirely irrelevant, it is of theperiod as they say.

Eagle-eyed readers might very well by now havespotted the use of cast metal side panel badges. Theperiod norm in the UK would have been a metallisedvinyl graphic, but again Ben decided to do things just alittle differently utilising aftermarket alternatives fromBadge Replicas in Australia. At this point Suzuki wasstill using the faux air inlet in the side panels and fourdecades on they still look good. Of course the bike runsthe ubiquitous Ram-Air cylinder head but you cannothelp thinking it really wasnt needed on a bike with somuch air space around the top end of the motor.

Digging a little deeper into the bikes make-up theresthe odd quirky detail that sticks out. Check out theignition switch. If you know your period Suzukis you spotits a late 60s type unit cunningly mounted between theclocks to keep abreast of the styling trends. A pressedsteel chromed bracket sitting between the handlebar barclamps disguises the fact that Suzuki was using up stockbefore it swapped over to anything like a more modernintegral dash... if it aint broke dont fix it.

Round at the right-hand side you begin to get a betteridea of just how small the bike is when you look at thekick-start lever. Somewhere there has to be a formula forcalculating leverage ratios versus size but wed argue thisis probably the smallest lever the average adult canactually operate safely. The fact that it almost visuallydominates that side of the engine only emphasises howsmall the bike is.

As evidenced by our road test Suzukis GT125 needs to be ridden hard ifyoure serious about getting a wiggle on. Consequently pistons, rings and littleends always take a bashing. Factor in the oil of the period and frankly itsamazing any were left running at all. Just like anything else of the period,mudguards always rotted out along with seat bases. Seized or partially seizedbrake calipers are not unheard of, leading to worn discs.Just like any tiddler, the GT125 always beneted from properly set up

points and ignition timing. Although emphatically not made on the cheap, thesmaller Suzuki twins seem to have been produced on a cost conscious budgetwhich means they can suffer badly from low speed spills or poor storage.Despite relatively low sales volumes in the UK, interest in the GT125 isstarting to pick up. Our good mates at Crooks Suzuki report an increasinginterest in the model of late. Before you ask, no it doesnt have any tinwarebut it might well be worth enquiring about other stuff.

This, of course, means I will now carry out myinfamous impression of a golf ball on a tee. Fuel, ignitionand choke on, flick out the lever a gentle but firm press(not a kick) down and the little motor fires up with asurprisingly raucous burble. Quite why isnt immediatelyobvious but then check out the exhaust system wherethe downpipe melds with the so-called muffler. Theresactually a pronounced opening cone and I wouldnt mindbetting theres a lot more than just a rudimentaryexpansion box going on within that NOS chrome plate.

Clutch engaged, tap down on the gear lever, feed inthe power and... stall it. Try again and more by luck thanjudgment were under way but as I ride out to wherewere taking the riding shots I manage to repeat the deadduck scenario on several more occasions. Ultimately

The GT125s faults and foibles

Classic Ride

Not a standard colour,but theres somethingabout this that reallyappeals!


there are several contributory factors here that take me alittle while to grasp. The clutch bite is more sudden thanI was expecting, the GT125 needs to be given a goodhandful to get it under way and perhaps, mostimportantly, it isnt graced with the torquey same powerdelivery as the outgoing T125 Stinger. Suzukis smallestGT twin is unlike anything else the company had eversold before; well with one possible exception.

As the 1970s picked up a pace Suzuki must haveeyed the upstart Yamaha Company with barely concealedmalevolence. The tuning fork brand had virtually pulledthe rug out from under Suzukis feet in the smallercapacity market and had rapidly gained a reputation forsuper fast lightweights. Given that it was Suzuki that hadinitially championed the sports two-stroke twin this musthave really galled Yamaha. The AS series 125s hadusurped the Stinger and the CS series 180/200s hadoutshone Suzukis T200; the collective response was theGT125 and GT185. The latter arrived a year earlier inthe UK and swiftly gained notoriety for being a bit ofnutter. It was almost inevitable that the 125 would besimilarly tuned to the hilt.

This may very well explain why I subsequently findmyself revving the little bike way beyond where Idnormally feel comfortable for someone elses machine.With Bens blessing I wind the GT125 up to 6000rpmand it finally begins to make sense; another grand on theclock and suddenly it all gels. Work the motor hard andthe GT125 responds accordingly; treat it like you mightan RD125 and youll be cruelly disappointed. Ultimatelytheres nothing wrong with this approach, its justdifferent and once youre dialled in, riding it isremarkably easy if you can mentally block out whatshappening beneath you. With the red zone not even

DISpLAcEmENT124cc

coNfIGuRATIoNAir-cooled two-stroke twin,

piston portedBoRE x STRokE

43 x 43mmcompRESSIoN RATIo

6.8:1cARB

Mikuni VM18SCmAx hp

16hp @ 9500rpmmAx ToRquE

9.4lb-ft @ 9000rpmovERALL LENGTh1915mm/75.4inWhEELBASE

1285mm/50.6inWEIGhT (DRy)108kg/238lbBRAkES

Disc/drim (F&R)TyRES

2.75 x 18 (F) 3.00 x 18 (R)

SpEcIfIcATIoN

125

IN DETAIL: 1/ Get that right-hand needle spinning above six and the funstarts. 2/ Lusty twin meets not-standard side-panel badges. 3/ Chromed toperfection the GTs rear shocks were dog rough at the start.

1

3

2

Ben Holbrooks restoration of his GT125 was a ve-year, on/offjob. The work began when Ben took ownership at just twenty-two. Politely described as dog rough, the bike took a lot of workand parts, but back then there was little serious interest in 1975

tiddlers other than Fizzys et al.Guided and mentored by members of the local Hampshire VJMC, parts from

Stafford autojumble, Crooks Suzuki, eBay, Classic Suzuki Parts NL and thegrapevine were gradually acquired. Age and shot seals dictated a crank rebuildand slowly the bike came together. The guards were toast, as might beexpected, but although the original one piece exhausts would have rechromedBen found NOS replacements cheaper.With new chrome the rebuild acceleratedand the decision was made not to use the NOS Maui blue tank and black sidepanels that had previously been purchased.Ben had taken a shine to a Mini colour called dark silver and so the Suzuki

got a stunning non-standard paint nish. Add in the cast alloy wheels and wecant help thinking young Holbrook has something of an eye for alternativeperiod styling.Which, of course, may be the reason hes now working on a lateKH250 along a similar vein; OEM-style graphics but a non-standard colour andpossibly 350 top end. Nice one Ben; keep up the good work.

Reviving Suzukis GT125


beginning until 10,000rpm theres a hot three grand togo mad in.

The more I ride the bike the more I get it; watch thetacho needle move up the dial, then get ready forgenuine acceleration as the red tip passed six grand.Work it where its happiest beyond seven and everythinghappens just like a pimply youth of the mid 70s mighthave wanted. Handling wise the bike proves to beremarkably stable for a machine that seems like littlemore than a moped on steroids and as might beexpected it turns on a sixpence. Suzuki wisely fitted theGT125 with a disc front brake from day one, unlike thequestionable TLS unit initially fitted to the GT185 stablemate, for which I am eternally grateful. Although the unitlacks feel, it works surprisingly well and better thanseveral of the period.

When I have to hand the keys back to Ben its withmixed feelings. Its a bike Id always wanted to samplegiven that Ive ridden its peers. However, I genuinelyhadnt expected Suzukis GT125 to be quite so much ofa light switch when it came to the power delivery. Logicand a conventional approach to riding a Suzuki GT125need to be parked up by the side of the road. AlthoughIm out by a decade in terms of musicology theres aSmall Faces song that goes around my head every time Ithink back to my morning on Ben Holbrooks brilliantrestoration...

I thought youd listen to my reasonBut now I see, you dont hear a thingTry to make you see, how its got to beYes its all, all or nothingYeah yeah, All or nothingAll or nothing, for me cmm

The GT125 was the third iteration of the 125 two-stroke twins for Suzuki.However, unlike Yamahas constantly evolving AS/RD series and, to a certaindegree, Hondas CBs each of Suzukis offering was markedly different.The story begins in 1967 with the T125, but not the famous Stinger. The

rst Suzuki 125cc road bike was a T250/Super Six/X6 in miniature andchurned out a quoted 14.75bhp at the crank. Information on the bike is scantand to all accounts it was only ever available in Japan. The Mk.1 T125 Stingerwas launched in 1969 with its unique almost horizontal engine. Running analmost identical chassis to the TC120 Trail Cat, the bike ran for just threeyears before production ceased in 1971. However, and perhaps a littlebizarrely, the Mk.2 is the most common and remained on sale in the UK asresidual stocks were used up until late 1972 or early 73.With a semi ofcial two-year gap in 125cc twins, Suzuki launched the

GT125 twelve or so months after its big brother, the GT185. Followingcorporate dictats from 1974 to 77 the GT125 gradually changed appearance,generally following the GT250. The bike remained on sale in various marketspretty much unchanged until the end of the 70s when it was give a shortnew lease of life as the RG125 or RG125E (79/80). Refreshed with a rear seathump and painted front guard the RG125 was revised for 1980 with GSX typegraphics, a boxy tank and rectangular headlight. The bike enjoyed a decentrun but was falling behind. Suzuki had the RG125 Gamma coming and this,together with the GS125, meant there was no market for the tuned twin.

Suzukis tiny twins

Classic Ride


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T he war clouds finally broke (again) over the Middle East whenDesert Shield became Desert Storm. Following on from Iraqipresident Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait in 1990,Desert Shield was a build-up of American, British, French, Saudi,free Kuwaiti and 29 other nations coalition forces in Saudi Arabia.This eventually led to the launch of Desert Storm and the huge aerialbombardment of Iraqi forces from January 17, before the land warbegan on February 24.

The war is thought to have cost the lives of up to 30,000 Iraqisoldiers, around 6000 civilians of all nationalities and around 500Allied servicemen, although its thought around 300 died from eitheraccidents or friendly-fire.

Tension in the Balkans began to reach fever pitch followingclashes between Serbia and her neighbours, and the Birmingham Sixwere released when it was found that evidence was fabricated bypolice. Another big event in 1991 was the break-up of the Soviet

Triumph was reborn, as was the bestall-round bike ever in the Honda

CBR600 F-M. Meanwhile shock andawe was unleashed on Iraq in

Operation Desert Storm.

WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS

PHOTOS: DON MORLEY AND MORTONS ARCHIVE

Kevin Schwantz.

Suzuki RGV250M.

Hizzy wins Supersport TTon new CBR600FM.

Bimota Tesi.

Triumph was reborn, as was the best

PHOTOS: DON MORLEY AND MORTONS ARCHIVE

Triumph was reborn, as was the best

US Navy F14 Tomcatover Kuwait.

Another Honda clean sweepin 1991 F1 TT race: Joey

Dunlop (2nd) Steve Hislop(1st) and Phil McCallen (3rd.)


and the bike was launched to much fanfare atthe Estoril circuit in Portugal. Back then thebike was 4995 new and it helped cement thefact that the CBR600F was the only bike youreally ever needed. Not until the Kawasaki ZX-6R of 1995 was the CBR really challenged.Today you can pick them up for around agrand. Its still a helluva motorcycle, even inthe weird Benetton colours, seen here.

At the other end of the monetary scale wasBimota. In addition to its EXUP powered Dieci(15,000) it also began selling the Tesi 1D in1991. This came in two versions, an 851ccpowered version (103bhp) and a 904ccversion (113bhp) which sold for 22,500 and25,000 respectively! It wasnt the wonderfulDucati water-cooledfour-valve motors that

Union into 15 separate republics, promptingthe final year of the Cold War.

Out on the streets things were hotting up,with some fine motorcycles drawing us intothe dealerships. In sportbike circles, 1991saw the last hurrah of the oil/air-cooled GSX-R750 with the M-model. By now it hadbecome a bloated beast, even if it did stilllook good. Looking better was the KawasakiZXR750J1 especially in blue! Well, orgreen. Those Hoover Pipes never really didgo anywhere but they looked damn good andon the smaller ZXR400 as well. OtherKawasakis launched in this year included theTengai 650 trailie and the Kawasaki Zephyr550, which soon lead to the 750 and the1100 of 1992.

Hondas only new model for 1991 was theHonda CBR600F-M. It actually took some ofthe engine tech found in the next yearsCBR900RR FireBlade and debuted it early.This gave it 100bhp (the same as the VFR750of the time and about 10bhp up on theprevious model CBR). It was a mightilyimportant model for Honda, having beenworked on for four years with around 30 R&Dstaff from Hondas Asaka centre on the project.

The project leader was Ishikawa-san, whoalso headed up the CBR400RR programme

made the bike special, rather the funny frontend where forks were replaced by a hubcentre steering swingarm, where suspensionand steering are independent, designed byPierluigi Martini. He started the project as hisdegree thesis in 1983 thesis in Italian isTesi, hence the name.

Other weird bikes of 1991 included theDucati 907ie, which used the 80bhp 904ccliquid-cooled four-valve V-twin and was areplacement for the Paso. The 907 featuredfuel-injection which is probably why the bikewas 1000 dearer than the old Paso at7599. Weird wasnt just the preserve of theItalians back in 1991. Yamahas bug-eyedurban warrior the Yamaha TDM850 was amarriage between a bored and stroked SuperTenere 750 motor and a sports chassis. Theexcitement of a supersports model combinedwith the relaxed character of a large-capacity,dual-purpose bike, said Yamaha at the time.At 4969 it should have done well enough inthe UK but really only caught on over on theContinent.

Two-strokes were still in evidence, mainlyas pocket rocket 250s and 125 learner legalmachines. Suzukis best-looking RGV the250M with banana swingarm first saw thelight of day, as did the RG125F version for L-Kawasaki ZXR750 J1.

Wayne Rainey made it back-to-back titles on his Yamaha YZR500.

Mick Boddice andDave Wells do thesidecar TT double.

Suzuki GSX-R750M.

Triumph Trident.

Honda CBR600FM inBenetton colours.

Eddie Lawsonon the Cagiva.


platers. Yamahas TZR250 3XV was only animport, while Aprilia was still some way offwith a 250, but delighted us with the AF1Futura 125 and the naked Europa 125. Bothcould be derestricted. For the 250cc four-stroke enthusiast (was there one?) Kawasakibriefly released the ZZ-R250 basically anold GPX250 parallel twin motor withexpensive ZZ-R clothes on, aping the ZZ-R600 and 1100 of the previous year.

Cue much flag-waving from jingoistic bikersas Triumph made a return to volumemotorcycle production. Six motorcycles werereleased at the 1990 Cologne Show for 1991,these were a modular range of machines,taking advantage of similar chassis parts andmarrying them with three or four-cylinderpowerplants. The launch machines includedthe sporty Daytona 750 triple, and Daytona1000 four, the naked Trident 750 and 900triples, and sports-touring Trophy 900 tripleand 1200 four. None of the models werereally going to challenge the Japanese when itcame to technology (and some people felt thebikes were little more than just reverse-engineered Kawasakis) but it proved to be thestart of something big and today these launchmodels and subsequent 1990s HinckleyTriumphs are good value modern classics (see

pages 26, 71, 95 and 129 for more).In racing, 1991 proved to be a classic year.

In Grand Prix, Yamahas Wayne Rainey kepthold of his 500cc title, despite hard-chargingMick Doohan on his Rothmans Honda. In250s Luca Cadalora took the title and LorisCapirossi took the 125s. In World SuperbikeDucatis Doug Polen took the series withteam-mate Raymond Roche second.Kawasakis Rob Phillis (known as Syph to hisfriends) took third.

At the Isle of Man TT it was the RVFs ofSteve Hislop and Carl Fogarty that really puton a show. They dominated the F1 event andwhile Hizzy won by a minute from Foggy, itwas the fighting on the road that took ourbreath away, while the furore over the size ofTrevor Nations fuel tank on his Norton inthird was controversial and he wasdisqualified. In the Senior, Joey Dunlop tookover Foggys bike but was beaten by Hislop.The Scot also won the Supersport 600 race,while other winners included Robert Dunlop(125cc) and Dave Leach (400cc).

People we said goodbye to in 1991 includeballet dancer Margot Fonteyn, writers GrahamGreene and Doctor Seuss, actors WilfredHyde-White and Michael Landon as well asFreddie Mercury and Soichiro Honda. cmm

Tottenham Hotspur won the FA Cupnal against Nottingham Forest atWembley, Ayrton Senna took thelast of his three Formula 1 titleswith his McLaren Honda, while inheavyweight boxing EvanderHolyeld held the IBF,WBA andWBCtitles while Ray Mercer held theWBO title. Confusing as ever, then.Not so at Wimbledon, with GermansMichael Stich and Stef Graf takingmens and womens titles.Meanwhile in snooker, John

Parrot took his only world titlebeating peoples favourite JimmyWhite 16-13 in the nal. Top lmsincluded Terminator 2, OliverStones JFK, Robin Hood Prince ofThieves, The Silence of the Lambsand Robert DeNiro in Cape Fear.Musically, the Robin Hood theme(Everything I Do) I Do It For You wasthe best-selling single for BryanAdams, while other hits werescored by The KLF, Kylie (and Danni)Minogue and Guns N Roses.Albums that became hits includedNirvanas Nevermind, U2s AchtungBaby and REMs Out of Time. Ontelly we were enjoying AdeEdmondson and the late great RikMayall in Bottom, The Darling Budsof May saw Catherine Zeta Jonesrise to fame, while Soldier Soldiermade stars of Robson Green andJerome Flynn. The less said aboutNoels House Party and Mr Blobbythe better

Nirvanas classic album from 1991.

F15E Strike Eagles in Saudi.

Hizzy was indominant form.

Yamaha TDM850.

Mick Doohanon the NSR500.


Kawasaki 750

Kawasakis 1991 homage to its mighty Z1,

the Zephyr 750, is 23

years old. Its got allthe right parts: the ai

r-cooled dohc motor,twin

shocks, Z1-esque teardrop tank. But now,

as then, few of us will

accept it as authentic. The bike is shunne

d by classic circles.

Are we being unfair?



years old. Its got all the right parts: the ai

r-cooled dohc motor, twin








years old. Its got allthe right parts: the ai

r-cooled dohc motor,twin







In the beginning there was, we often forget, a Z2 aswell as a Z1. It was pretty much a Japan-only model,made by Kawasaki to meet with the 750cc limit in itshome market and so not seen anywhere else, and henceeasily overlooked.

it wasnt simply a sleeved-down Z1, with a bore andstroke of 64 x 58mm to make 746cc and produce 69hp as opposed to the 66 x 66mm, 903cc and 82hp of theZ1 it was clearly well-planned and well-executed. Butengine dimensions aside, yes, it was all-but identical tothe Z1. the point being we can confirm 750cc Zs havebeen with us right from the start.

the emergence of the 750cc Z was then, for mostother markets a good few years off. in fact the Z650, in1976, made it to most markets in advance of a 750.We could mention here that there was actually a 750ccZ before the Z750 that we might recall for in 1975kawasaki had made a twin-cylinder Z750 that almostlooked the part and almost went the part but didnt.Producing just 55hp and weighing 218kg it was not a Zfor european tastes. Best forgotten, perhaps.

So the first 750cc Z (four) we saw (in the Uk) arrivedin 1980, being an overbored Z650 (66 x 54mm asagainst 62 x 54mm) and good for a claimed 74hp, up10hp on the smaller sibling. it would be replaced in1982 by the much sportier (and vivid red) gPz750,which by way of racier cams, a higher compression ratioand bigger 34mm CV carbs made a punchier 80hp. itwas of course the middle brother in a trio of sporty gPzsthat ran: 550, 750, 1100. it was air-cooled, dohc andtwin shock, as was the fashion. the gPzs were laterupdated with linkage (uni-trak) suspension and swoopyfairings but their reign was brief, curtailed by the arrivalof the gPz900r in 1984 which set a whole new coursein four-stroke sportsbike design.

Words: Jon Bentman PHoTos: mark manning


By the time of the arrival of the Zephyr in 1991, theKawasaki 750cc story had moved on at least two furthergenerations, first with the all-new GPX750R of 1987 which saw water cooling, four-valves per cylinder andother GPz900R design influences then another leaphad been made with the race replica ZXR750H of 1989,which essentially took the GPXs new-style motor andslotted it into a proper endurance racer set-up, much likeSuzukis GSX-Rs.

The Zephyr was then an antidote to the emerging racereplica movement. It might have been called a retro butKawasaki preferred traditional as its marketingadjective, albeit throwing in vintage good times as a tagline was pretty much confessing to the crime. Its worthmentioning that while for the Zephyr 750 were talking1991, the Zephyr phenomenon had started earlier, in1989 with a 400cc version for the Japanese market, ofcourse. A 550 followed in 1990, then the 750. And ofcourse in 1992 came the 1100.

The Zephyr 750 adopted the authentic 1980sZ/GPz750 air-cooled eight-valve dohc motor (which itself,as mentioned, was for the most part a 1976 Z650 with a+4mm piston). Using smaller Keihin 32mm CV carbs anda higher-compression ratio, the Zephyr was retuned tomake 72hp at 9500rpm. There was a slight externalredesign of the engine too, which allowed rounded endcaps on the cam covers, just like the old Z1/Z2 had.

And perhaps on account of its Japanese market originsit was made just a little smaller than the earlier 750s.With a wheelbase of 1455mm and seat height of770mm it was a good 45mm shorter and 10mm lowerthan a GPz750. Minus fairing and uni-trak rearsuspension it was a good deal lighter too, just 201kg asagainst 219kg of the GPz (claimed, dry weight). Thechassis was a steel double cradle with suitablymodernised (but still traditional) suspension, featuring41mm forks (37mm on the GPz) while the shocks werefancy gas units with five-step preload and four-steprebound and compression (linked) adjustment.Significantly in keeping with many modern retro-themes the wheels were brought up to then modernspec, being 17in, taking a 120/70 front and 150/70rear, as found on many 600 sportsbikes of the era.

Curiously (initially, at least) Kawasaki placed theZephyr moniker across the tank instead of the usual

I keep parts for them and I see them from time to time nearly all arejust hacks, second bikes. Ive not seen any being given the classicrestoration treatment as yet.

Theyre a solid bike though, the engines are good.Worst youll nd isthe camchain tensioner giving up not expensive to replace and on highmileage bikes the primary chain, being non-adjustable, can be noisy.

The Zephyrs get a bad reputation for corrosion but its not that bad,it can be cleaned up.With age the carb diaphragms can split and on rstinvestigation replacement is prohibitively expensive, but Ive got a repairservice on these that can be done for a fraction of the price.

Its a reasonably good sort of bike, it just hasnt ever taken off here,we dont go mad for them the way they do in Japan. But thats the classicscene here were very picky about whats worth good money and whatisnt and it seems we dont want to pay good money for a Zephyr.

I see them from time to timeDave Marsden, Z Power

Kawasaki 750


Kawasaki badge (and apparently copped a barrage oflegal writs from Ford in America). But the details of theZephyr 750s design were pleasing, with conicalinstrument pods, teardrop tank and duck tail seat fairingall recalling the design cues of the Z1.

The Zephyr was a well-rounded design, yet was metwith, at best, measured enthusiasm from the press. Justa few years later a similar concept by Suzuki theBandit would bring rapture, but for Kawasaki faintpraise meant the Zephyr never reached the cult followingit enjoyed at home in Japan. Perhaps it was the lack ofsize and the comparatively mellow power delivery thatdidnt exactly excite (by the early 1990s sportsbikes,with four-valves per cylinder and water cooling, weretuned to be a lot more frenzied, and so were morecaptivating). Kawasaki had nailed the brief, butsomehow the finished article missed the target.

Kawasaki nevertheless responded with positivebulletins reporting strong demand and sell-outs on earlyshipments. The public were, it seemed, slightly moreenthusiastic than the press. But sales quickly slowedand in later years the bikes would hang aroundshowrooms and w

classic motorcycle mechanics september 2014

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