Supercharged record-breaker! Yamaha XS500 SPECTACULAR BROOKLANDS TRIUMPH
FUN AND FRUITY 500
DECEMBER 2018 BUY SELL RIDE RESTORE
No. 332 December 2018 £4.30 UK Off-sale date 28/12/2018
PRINTED IN THE UK
YOUR GUIDE TO THE ELEGANTLY DIFFERENT BRITISH TWIN
Hailwood’s bikes
TWO HONDA WINS IN A DAY
Wartime workhorse
WHY YOU NEED A BSA M20
// HOW TO REBUILD A TWOSTROKE // SORTING YOUR SPARES // TRIUMPH T21 REBUILD
Welcome
Have we ever had it so good? ONE OF LIFE’S commandments if you want to avoid pain and loss: never buy a project bike. And never, never buy a project bike in bits. And never, ever, ever buy a project bike in bits with no paperwork and no certainty that it is original, complete or indeed any damn good. So guess what I’ve done? Yup. I’ve bought a bike in bits and boxes. A Norton ES2, no less. Let me explain – or attempt to explain – at least to myself. I wanted a bike that we could restore in the magazine next year. One that would bring the sort of jobs and issues that many of us come across, so that it was as relevant to as many readers as possible. Ideally it would be a complete bike in one piece, so that you could see how it came apart, the condition tell a little about its previous life and I could get a feel for it. Still no idea why when B31 is running like a dream, Honda needs rebuilding, G3L needs the oil leak fixed, GS project is in a million parts, CZ parts are littering my kitchen and daughter’s Morris Minor needs welding. Humph. But I like Norton’s ES2 and one came up. It wasn’t on the other side of the country, the owner, Pete, had a totally understandable reason why he had it and why it was in bits, plus he kindly showed me a couple of previous restorations he had done. As a retired engineer, they were beautiful; so I now have a goal. Hopefully they’ll be some interesting features as we get cracking with the bike, plus I’ll have a great thumper to ride around on with that evocative name adorning the tank. Any stories about life with an ES2 greatly received and we’d love to see any pictures you have of them. However, life with an old bike demands more than just a bike, a helmet and a cheeky grin. You need an amount of mechanical knowledge with the want to learn more. You need somewhere to perform such tasks, tools to fill such a space and time to keep your steed as one should. You also, if totally honest, need a more reliable/comfortable/faster/ practical mode of transport for many tasks. Triumph and Royal Enfield – both names of old, but both providing bikes for those without space, without tools, the knowledge or the time needed to keep an old bike moving. I’ve just returned from that big London, after being kindly invited by Triumph Motorcycles for a sneek (with the rest of Europe’s motorcycle press) peek at the new Triumph 1200 Scrambler. With the 90bhp engine from their Thruxton R, a new frame to cope with the 21in front wheel and high suspension, the Scrambler is much more than a set of high pipes and some pseudo-knobblie
tyres. The thought behind the Scrambler actually being able to – scramble – is great. If it rides as well as it looks I think Triumph have another success. Even a jaded seen-itall-before hack like myself came away thinking ‘I’d like that’. Think flat cap-wearing BMW GS with less weather protection but more character. No price yet, but our guess is £12-14000. It was also great to read about the new Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT models last month. And at a price just released starting at £5500 it means those on the lookout for a modern retro bike have never had it so good; whatever your budget. That’s less than many restoration projects would cost. And electric start, modern tyres and brakes, cruising speed of other people on the road and posterior-friendly saddles. Where do I sign? What, you say? I’ve bought another project? What have I just done… Oh well! At least you can have a laugh along the way. Enjoy the issue – I fancy a Sunbeam now… And M20s… Be good
Matt Hull editor@classicbikeguide.com
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE ||DECEMBER 2018 3
Contents
#010 006 010 020 024 028 034
From the archive
American stuntmen on Beezas!
Supercharged record-breaker
The intriguing story behind two young men’s battle with a speed record at Brooklands
We’re giving away a limited edition T-shirt when you subscribe to Classic Bike Guide!
News
Classic Bike Guide's Winter Classic at Newark is coming; the Classic Dirt Bike Show needs your bike and Kawasaki have brought out the new W800
What is the Stafford show?
This autumn’s Stafford show was another hit; but if you’ve never been, what are you missing?
National Motorcycle Museum open day
Buying guide: BSA M20
This side valve slogger just keeps going and can be a great classic buy. We look at what it’s like to live with one
4 DECEMBER 2018 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE
Buying guide: Yamaha XS500 It was quick, it handled well and looked great. But we look at why Yamaha’s XS500 wasn’t the biggest seller
082
Buying guide: Sunbeam S8
088
066
Archive poster: Sunbeam S8
092
068
If the S7 was a brave, if slightly floored design, the S8 had that same ethos with any issues sorted out. A true gentleman’s ride?
Sunbeam S8 running gear straight from the original brochure
Steve Cooper
Steve is getting a little fed up with the classic naysayers…
070
Paul Miles
072
Paul D’Orleans
074
Paul revisits his own motorcycle test and recalls falling off…
The electric bikes are coming and Paul sees some parallels with when motorcycling started
Hailwood’s bikes part four
This month Rachael Clegg looks at 1961 and Mike the Bike winning two races in a day at the TT
New Retro: Royal Enfield 500 Classic
A truly modern classic, does the 500 Classic give you the best of both worlds?
058
Subscribe now!
This free, one-day event gets better every year and is always worth a visit
040
050
Products
We look at a great tent for bikers, the best bike design book around and lots of other potential Christmas presents!
Restoring a Triumph T21
A couple find a ‘barn find’ T21 is more work than originally thought
100
Boxes of bits!
106
Rebuild a two-stroke part 3
112
Reader adverts
129
Next month
130
Frank’s last word
Steve Cooper works out what’s best with all your leftover parts In our final episode, we get the stroker engine back together
Winter is coming and we all need something in the shed to fiddle with – go on, buy a project What goodies you can look forward to in next month’s Classic Bike Guide Frank finds his world has for a long time evolved around tyres
#028 #050
#034 #058
#082
#040 #074
#100
#092
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE ||DECEMBER 2018 5
From our archive
DAREDEVILS HELP BSA SHINE IN NORTH AMERICA This night-time photograph is taken from just before one of the many shows of the HOLLYWOOD DAREDEVILS, a team of stunt riders and drivers that performed using cars and bikes during their shows across the US and Canada in the late 1940s and 1950s. The shows wowed the crowds with carefully choreographed stunts, great riding and driving, plus lots of larking around, fire, jumps and crashing into all manner of things. They had been using Indian motorcycles, but thanks to their success – the year before this photograph they had more than 300,000 people come to see them and in this year they were planning 250 shows with an average of 3000 people coming to see each show – Herbert Radmore, seen to the right of the four riders, who was the Vice President of Arlington Cycle and Sports Limited from Montreal in Canada which distributed BSA motorcycles in Canada and saw the chance for some marketing, supplied the Daredevils with B33 bikes for all their shows that year.
mortonsarchive.com
6 DECEMBER 2018 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE ||DECEMBER 2018 7
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE ||DECEMBER 2018 9
Triumph marks Bonnie’s birthday
Off-road legends confirmed for Telford in Europe, including how Bengt Aberg 2019’S CLASSIC DIRT Bike Show will beat him to the 1969 crown, and of his celebrate the off-road machines of 50 experiences with the BSA competition years ago and so the organisers are on the hunt for classic trials, scramblers and shop until its closure in 1971. Dozens of clubs and private owners will other off-roaders from 1969. be showing off their beautifully prepared Sponsored by Hagon Shocks, the event will be held on February 16/17, 2019, with off-road machines at the show, while hundreds of traders will be offering dirt the clock being turned back to 1969. biking kit – from new bikes, parts and Show consultant Alan Wright can be accessories to riding gear and even project contacted with offers of 1969 machinery bikes if you’re up for a challenge. on 01789 751422 – they do not need to Plus, why not have a rumble in the be concours, just solid examples of that autojumble, starting at 9am, and get your year’s offerings. hands on an off-road bargain? Two iconic all-time off-road champs Lastly, join the throng on the Saturday have been confirmed as guests of evening, where the two off-road legends honour at the show, to be held at Telford will recount memories of their exploits to International Centre. Multiple world, assembled guests during a three-course, indoor and British trials champion Dougie sit-down meal for just £33. Lampkin will be appearing on stage with Exhibition manager Nick Mowbray said: commentator Jack Burnicle, who will “Guests will hear fascinating tales from probe into the highs and lows of how legends in the off-road industry during the Dougie got to the top. evening. The Classic Dirt Bike Show dinner And BSA works team motocrosser is an exceptional event in the off-road John Banks, who won four British scene and is not to be missed!” championships and narrowly missed Further details of advance ticket out on two world 500cc titles, will be sales and the dinner can be found at interviewed by Jack Burnicle each day, classicbikeshows.com. providing a first-hand account of his years
Kawasaki W800 twin’s welcome return! KAWASAKI HAS RELAUNCHED the W800 parallel twin with two new models, the W800 Street and W800 CAFE. The new Euro4 compliant twins are ‘90 per cent’ new with a whole host of styling, technical and practical changes, many of which are, at first, hard to detect. Sharing a new chassis, each machine has powerful new ABS brakes, including a rear disc for the first time. Lighting is taken care of with LED
bulbs. The W800 Street is a wide-barred naked roadster, while the W800 CAFE has a cockpit fairing, cafe racer seat and other cafe racer heritage fittings. Extras include factory carriers and crash bars. Both the stripped-for-action 773cc bevel driven camshaft W800 Street and the W800 CAFE can trace their roots back over half a century to the original 1966 W1 650; at the time the BSA A10 based W1 was the largest capacity four-stroke machine manufactured in Japan. Being fully A2 licence compliant the new W800 Street and W800 CAFE have been designed to attract new riders as well as tempting existing licence holders who are attracted by a motorcycle that is classic-styled but modern and reliable.
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IN CELEBRATION OF the Triumph Bonneville’s 60th birthday in 2019, Triumph is to make two special editions of its 1200cc T120 twin. The Bonneville T120 Diamond Edition features a oneoff premium paint scheme and a high specification finish and detailing. The Diamond Edition has a white and silver tank design and Bonneville T120 Diamond logo on the side panels. There are chrome four-bar Triumph tank badges, inspired by a Triumph look that goes even further back than 1959 and were first seen on the Speed Twin. The bike features chrome engine covers and badges and a home chainguard. Nine hundred Diamond Edition bikes will be made. Triumph has also launched the Bonneville T120 Ace, built to celebrate the very first generation of cafe racers and London’s Ace Cafe, dressed in subdued matt grey paint, with an Ace Cafe themed detailing, with plenty of black paint on the engine casings. The mudguards are slimmed down and there are Ace Cafe and Bonneville T120 graphics. The T120 Ace will be built in a limited run of 1,400 machines. Both machines are based around the T120 platform, with 1200cc twin cylinder engines, ride-by-wire fuel-injection and engine management system, a six-speed gearbox and 270-degree crankshafts. Peashooter style exhausts have a twinskin design to cover all the pipework that is needed to control emissions, which Triumph say retain a deep and rich exhaust note. The latest T120 engine is said to be 13% better at controlling emissions and conserving fuel than the previous generation and has a new extended service interval of 10,000 miles. Triumph is also trying to tempt buyers with a £1,000 clothing and accessories deal when buying a machine from the Street Twin range. Buyers will get a £1,000 voucher to purchase official Triumph clothing and accessories. This offer is available to those buying a Street Twin or Street Scrambler using Triumph’s Tristar finance package. The offer ends on December 31.
Classic news
Prices of new Enfield twins revealed our customers across Europe.” THE ROYAL ENFIELD 650 twins will arrive Aimed clearly at the modern classic in UK dealerships in January for potential marketplace, the Continental GT 650 has purchasers to inspect and order. Priced on an optional single seat, sculpted fuel tank, the road at between £5,500 for the base rearset footrests and race-style clip-on level Interceptor INT 650 and £6,200 for handlebars. The Interceptor INT 650, the top of the range Continental GT 650, meanwhile, harks back to Royal Enfield’s dealers are taking bookings and inquiries 1960s twins and has a rounded exportnow. Europe is the first region where type tank with traditional knee recesses, a customers can place confirmed orders, to comfortable quilted dual seat and wide, be followed by India. The twins will come braced handlebars reminiscent of the street with a three-year warranty and roadside scrambler style that emerged in 1960s assistance service. California. There is no indication of the The most expensive Interceptor will be delivery date for the first twins. a chrome tanked offering at £5,990, while Royal Enfield released the prices at this the basic GT café racer will cost £5700. year’s EICMA exhibition in Milan, where Royal Enfield has also produced over 40 accessories that will have a two-year warranty. they had an unheralded surprise – a new concept bobber-styled V-twin. ‘Concept Siddhartha Lal, CEO of Royal Enfield Kx’ was developed from scratch in just said: “The Twin motorcycles are authentic six months during the summer and was in inspiration and modern at the core and inspired by Royal Enfield’s original Model mark the beginning of a new chapter at Royal Enfield. These are our first truly global KX of the late 1930s, a mighty, 1,140cc line of products and will play a very strategic side valve machine that was described in role in ushering the next set of Royal contemporary advertising material as being ‘the last word in luxury motorcycling’. Enfield owners across the world. The Kx has a low-slung, girder-forked We are extremely happy to look with copper, bronze and leather trim make these motorcycles and a single-sided swing arm. The 838cc available first to our engine for the project, which includes a riding enthusiasts here front mounted oil tank, like the original in Europe. KX, was developed in partnership with US “We strongly manufacturer Polaris. The Kx was created believe that the as a design exercise for the Royal Enfield 650 Twins will be an attractive, team, and as an inspiration for further Royal Enfield products. It is not designed to be put evocative into production. motorcycle for
Bike importer blames Brexit for closure THE IMPORTER OF Mash and SWM motorcycles, HQB, has announced that they have ceased trading. In a strongly worded Facebook post, bosses at the Hampshire company put the blame for their closure largely on the impact that delays in the Brexit negotiations were having on the business, saying a reduction in the buying power of the pound for their Italian and French brands had reduced profit margins significantly, while, at the same time, fewer people were making purchases of new motorcycles owing to financial uncertainty brought on by the long-running negotiations. The death of one of the company’s codirectors and shareholders earlier this year and bad debts in excess of £50k have also been a factor.
26 DECEMBER 2018 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE
HQB have been working with both manufacturers to find alternative importers for the UK. Any new importer will, by law, have to accept responsibility for all previously sold machines which are still within warranty. The negotiations with other importers will also include the purchase of all spare parts and support materials currently in the UK. A new Mash importer is expected to be revealed at the Motorcycle Live show at the NEC.
VMCC steps up fight over regulations THE VINTAGE MOTOR Cycle Club has formed a Regulatory Advisory Group, which will work with and through other organisations to tackle regulatory threats to vintage and classic motorcycling. The group will report directly to the club’s directors. At present, it has four members: Roger Bibbings, David Giles, Dennis Beale and Bernard Kuropka, with VMCC Journal editor Peter Henshaw acting as the information provider and keeper of key documents. As work progresses, more volunteers with appropriate knowledge, skills and experience will be drawn in. Actions so far have included: a VMCC submission to the Department for Transport on ethanol in fuel; assessing how VMCC members might be affected by Transport for London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone; actively engaging with the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC); and informal dialogue started with the BMF, MAG, the TRF and the Land Access and Recreation Association (LARA). Alastair Alexander, VMCC President said: “The VMCC’s membership is increasingly aware of changes in legislation, regulation and environmental pressures affecting the use of older vehicles. Ultra-low emission zones, the introduction of E10 petrol and the electrification of vehicles will all impact on our members’ interests and other challenges will inevitably follow. “In response to a membership-wide consultation on the future direction for the club, the directors have agreed to the establishment of a Regulatory Advisory Group which will work closely with the wider old vehicle club movement. The new group represents a strengthening of activity in this area for the benefit of our members. We hope that it might attract new members keen to join us and be kept up to date on developments through our monthly Journal, website and Members’ Forum.”
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#48
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