Classic Motorcycle Mechanics2 min read
Diary Dates
May 12: VJMC Hampshire Auto-Jumble. At Weyhill County Market (SP11 0PP), just off the A303 on the A342 on the Weyhill to Luggershall Road. Trade pitches are £10, public admission £1. Gates open to the public at 07:30, trade pitches open for set up at
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics2 min read
Harris Performance leaves Hertford
Harris Performance, the manufacturer of sports motorcycles set up by Lester and Steve Harris and Steve Bayford in the early 1970s, is being more closely absorbed into Eicher Motors, the Indian owner of Royal Enfield. It means that the expertise in fr
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics6 min read
Feedback
We love to hear from you, so why not let us know what you like, or dislike, in YOUR magazine. Simply get in touch by sending emails to: letters@classicmechanics.com or direct to the editor at BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk or post your letters to the normal
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics2 min read
Kawasaki 250cc Triple Genealogy…
From technical and performance perspectives there is genuinely no reason whatsoever for the S1 and KH250 to exist. Truth be told, these gorgeous triples aren’t realistically an improvement over their forebearers. Those who know the marque well reckon
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
MAYBE NOT… Move Along, Nothing To See…
Asking: £1999.99 Actually I’ve got nothing against old Wings – they’re tough, reliable, comfortable and handle surprising well for such weighty lumps. I’m less keen on them the later and more motorhome-ish they get. But I couldn’t pass up the chance
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics2 min read
The Latest Riding Kit, Top Tools, Tyres, Retro Clothing And More!
While we’re not quite sure of the names, we do like the look of the latest helmets from NEXX. First up is the X.WED3. A real two-in-one, it converts from an off-road/adventure helmet to a full-face street riding lid without any tools, offering unbeat
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics3 min read
Dinosaurs: A Thing Of The Past?
If it’s a discussion of the way our lives have evolved I’m probably not a very good example. You see, my history is littered with much failure and you could say that far from being the keenest cutting implement in the cutlery drawer I’m more akin to
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics2 min read
Q&A
Q: I have a 1983 Kawasaki GPZA1 Uni-Trak. The problem is it having Keihin carbs as the Haynes Manual gives jet sizes for Mikuni only. Could you help please? The jet sizes on these carbs have been messed with and she’s not running properly. Any help o
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
Carole Nash backs Stafford!
Carole Nash is to return as headline sponsor at The International Classic MotorCycle Show and the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show in 2024. The two shows in April and October, both held at Stafford County Showground, are the largest classic motorcyc
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics2 min read
Scooperman!
Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get an expert in. Yes, it may very well stick in your craw to pay out for certain jobs when you know others can apparently do them DIY, at home, in the shed, etc. However, not all of us have the requisit
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
What To Buy And How Much To Pay
As the saying goes: buy the best and most complete example you can afford – you know it makes sense! And seriously, get input from the hugely knowledgeable Kettle Club. If you fancy a project there’ve been several J models for sale in various conditi
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics2 min read
Playing the Joker
Did legendary racer Phil Read have a love-hate relationship with the Isle of Man or was it just TT race fans that had a love-hate relationship with ‘The Prince of Speed’ himself? This shot, from legendary lensman Nick Nicholls, shows Phil on his Yama
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics3 min read
Subscribe Today And Win
CHOOSE WHICH CMM SUBSCRIPTION SUITS YOU BEST 1: 12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION BEST VALUE 12 print issues for £47 Direct Debit 12 print issues for £52 credit/debit card SAVE £15.40 2: SIX-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION 6 print issues for £25 Direct Debit 6 print issues f
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
New CRMC website!
The Classic Racing Motorcycle Club has a new website up and running. Mark George from the CRMC says: “We hope people will find everything they need to know about racing and parading with the CRMC on the brand-new website, which has a new, fresh look,
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics4 min read
Heart’s Desire!
Looking back, my love affair with this bike started on October 14, 2018… the date is etched in my mind. My friend had been down to Blackpool and purchased the bike itself. He called me to let me know what he had bought. As I was interested in all thi
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics4 min read
Suzuki Gt 750 1972/73
Yes, we all know the later Suzuki GT750s are faster and/or supposedly ‘better’ than the 72/73 models but the J and K models are the purest in terms of sticking to the original brief. It was designer Etsuo Yokouchi, who had previously masterminded the
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics
Publisher: Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk Publishing Director: Dan Savage asavage@mortons.co.uk Designer: Michael Baumber Production Editor: Mike Cowton Group Advertising Manager: Sue Keily Advertising: Owen Hibbert OHibbert@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics5 min read
Sack Truck
Fancy a laugh? Of course you do. I have a feeling that a bit of a chuckle on your part will probably equate to a heap of pain, frustration and befuddlement in roughly equal (and large) proportions, on mine. So basically, you get to laugh at my misfor
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
The Way We Were…
Send us your nostalgic snaps of you back in the day with your steed! Either send to me at bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk or via our vibrant Facebook page. C’mon, we’ll send you a T-shirt if you are our first pick! www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/ www.twit
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics4 min read
Out Of Puff!
As you can imagine, a bike with a 70cc engine is not going to be a record-breaker but Honda claim the top speed to be 48mph, which should mean that it can at least keep up with most traffic on the overcrowded roads where I live. Except that mine only
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics5 min read
Six appeal!
Two Kawasaki KH250s two-stroke triples in the same place on a sunny day – does it get much better than this? A pair of period 250cc learners as close to standard as you might possibly expect from machines that are regularly ridden – and not an after
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics3 min read
Show Us Yours
We want to see YOUR pride and joy in our pages, so you can share what you ride and what you restore/build with fellow readers. Email your hi-res shots to bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk or mail in some photos at the address at the front of the mag. Let us kn
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
New Old Stock, Pattern or Self-sufficiency
Okay, so I like my bikes ‘right’ but sometimes I have to temper the restorer in me with a dose of pragmatism. Authenticity is great but in our world it’s often damn expensive as well. Back when I was doing the Suzuki Stinger I found the rectifier was
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics2 min read
Owners’ stories: Laurence Kelly and Andrew Samways
Laurence Kelly, owner of the blue KH250: “It was April 1977 and just about to leave Thomas Alleyne’s Boys School and what a brilliant time to be 16 with the sports moped revolution in full swing. All I could think of was getting my provisional licenc
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics6 min read
Power Broker!
Last month I left off having had a pretty successful return to racing but with plenty of room for improvement. Suspension wasn’t where it needed to be and neither was ground clearance, both relatively easy to fix, and I had a few weeks to go at it be
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
Next Month
WITH MORE THAN 30 PAGES OF PRACTICAL ADVICE! YAMAHA YZF600R THUNDERCAT: Andy Bolas on the unsung 600 of the 1990s DUCATI SCR350: Steve Cooper rides the original Ducati Scrambler SUZUKI RGV250: Buyer’s Guide on the VJ22 SHOW US YER SHED: WIN a £50 too
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics6 min read
Bolt From The Blue
Last time out, I’d just bought a stunning looking, Sonauto-liveried 1990 Yamaha XTZ750 from eBay, at about half the expected price – £1500. Why so cheap? Well, the bike had a coolant leak which the seller had diagnosed as a head gasket problem and al
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics6 min read
Special K!
Now the stock Z900 is finished I can start what for me is a build I have wanted to do for a very long time. I have built custom bikes for others, but I have never built a full-on Big Zed special for myself before. I’m doing real custom building – by
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics9 min read
Millennium Missile!
Honda’s CBR900RR FireBlade was the archetypal sports-bike of the 1990s and boy did Britain love sports-bikes in the 1990s… Most of the best sellers of the decade were machines of a sporting bent – with the odd budget naked (such as Suzuki’s excellent
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics1 min read
This very FireBlade…
This very nicely turned out Honda CBR900RR-Y FireBlade was bagged by our own Andy Bolas for £1000… Yes, just a grand and, of course, he’s sorted out the issues, which were many. First of all it was fairly tatty and bedecked by stickers, some of which
…Or Discover Something New