Classic Bike Guide

To Zimmer Frame and Beyond….

Here, Tim explains what, how and why the bike has been improved for today and into retirement.

“Well, none of us are getting any younger and my knees aren’t too clever. So, over the past four years, putting the Rapide back on the road, we looked forward a decade and considered what my requirements would be then,” Tim explained as we visually toured his pride and joy – starting with the wheels.

Q: I noted the front tyre is 20in, with the rear 19-in. The Avons you have fitted offer a very period tread pattern; were these easily obtained?

A: I managed to get this set from a vintage tyre outlet at Beaulieu that makes them in batches, so I snapped these up.

Q: With the wheels, did you have to start from scratch and use the hubs you had collected over the years?

There were some damaged alloy rims in Greece. The old boy thought they were used for racing on the ice and certainly not salvageable. There were also some studded tyres, but we left it all behind. The hubs were already in my stores,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Classic Bike Guide

Classic Bike Guide7 min read
Pre-trip Prep
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN GOING away on a bike trip involved strapping a set of builders’ waterproofs to the seat, attaching a tent and a sleeping bag above the headlight, finding some way of carrying a Watneys Party Seven without it bouncing off the bac
Classic Bike Guide3 min read
Oli’s Opinion
AN OLD FRIEND VISITED THIS MONTH. Steve was a drinking and riding buddy back in the late 1980s, and we would hack around on bikes, mine being selection of knackered old nails and Steve’s an immaculate Kawasaki Z750LTD factory custom. In the early 199
Classic Bike Guide3 min read
Anything To Say?
Email || editor@classicbikeguide.com Write to || Classic Bike Guide, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ An S100 motorcycle care bundle worth £100. Launched in 1980, S100 has become Germany’s number-one motorcycle care brand, collecting well

Related Books & Audiobooks