VELOCETTE MOTO GUZZI simply red. Very red
No.287March 2015
£4.20
Black aNd gold aNd muddy too
RIDING FASTBACK
NortoN’s sweet 750
TRIALS DOUGLAS off-road twiN re-created BSA STARFIRE || SUZUKI GS750 || SUNBEAM S8 || HARLEY RACER! || INdIAN BoBBER
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || CONTENTS
028
006 008 014 018 020 024 028 032 036
ARCHIVE RETRIEVAL Showing off…
BIG SPENDERS At a bigger Bonhams auction
WEST COUNTRY SHOW We all went to Bristol (nearly all)
SUBS PAGE You know it makes sense. Mostly
NEWS Bikes to win, bikes to stare at and repairing bikes. Everything!
LETTERS Too many for the space; write more!
NORTON COMMANDO A Fastback frenzy, so they say
DRIXTON HONDA Roadster twin engine in a race frame. Great!
COMPETITION DOUGLAS Unlike any other Douglas, possibly
056
040 044 048 052 054 056 064 070
INDIAN ARIEL A bobber of seriously mixed ancestry
BSA STARFIRE Affordable fun from Brum
US SUNBEAM They didn’t build a US-model Sunbeam, of course
PAUL D’ORLEANS Salty stuff indeed
GEORGE COHEN Dressing up to match your wheels?
OFF-ROAD VELO Trad black and gold, with added mud
MOTO GUZZI V700 Very handsome. Very red
HARLEY-DAVIDSON VR1000 A seriously serious thing. Also fast, very fast
082 090 096 098 106 124 130
BUYER’S GUIDE Royal Enfield and Sunbeam 500s
MODEL STUDY Suzuki’s GS750. First of the fours
CLUB SPOT London Douglas Club; take a bow
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE A short guide to Euro-cycles
READER ADS Lots. Lots. Lots
ETHANOL How to evade its perils
FRANK WESTWORTH At the rear as usual
#
287
MARCH 2015
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || MARCH 2015 3
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || EDITORIAL
|| whO’s whO || eDITor || Frank Westworth editor@classicbikeguide.com pUBlIsher || Tim Hartley thartley@mortons.co.uk DesIGner || James Duke reproGraphIcs || Simon Duncan eDITorIal assIsTanT || Jayne Clements GroUp proDUcTIon eDITor || Tim Hartley DIvIsIonal aDverTIsInG ManaGer || David England 01507 529438 dengland@mortons.co.uk aDverTIsInG || Jane Farquharson, Leon Currie 01507 524004 jfarquharson@mortons.co.uk lcurrie@mortons.co.uk archIve enQUIrIes || Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk
FRANK WESTWORTH
sUBscrIpTIon ManaGer || Paul Deacon cIrcUlaTIon ManaGer || Steven O’Hara MarKeTInG ManaGer || Charlotte Park
RESPECTING TRADITION There was once a great tradition in motorcycling publications. Summer issues would include some inspirational touring tales to inspire cautious readers to venture forth, while winter editions would feature endless insane people doing the things insane people typically do: riding vast distances in deep snow to distant rallies named after huge pachyderms or mythical monsters and the like. And trials and scrambles, as they were known back then. Winter is when those who enjoy breaking long bones while too cold to notice generally come out to play. Or they did. They may still, although some otherwise good friends who attend that rally in Wales insist that the true delight of the deep drift has been ruined by global warming, or something. We’ve decided to feature both an impressively and summery red dedicated touring bike from Moto Guzzi, alongside a deliciously dirty single from Velocette, not the first marque to sprint to mind when considering deep mud. Continuing that contrarian theme, how’s about a very rapid and technically advanced race bike built for street use by Harley-Davidson? It does sound unlikely, doesn’t it – but here it is. In a sudden burst of wild enthusiasm, we responded to suggestions that the CBG Price Guide should not be exclusively Brit-based by writing a brief guide to European machines. You can help us here. We’ve – deliberately – left out a lot of machines that we originally intended to include, mainly because we know relatively little about them. If you think we should add bikes to the list – let me know, and if we agree, we will. If you can add a little detail to your suggestion, that would be especially helpful. Back to those ancient magazine traditions. There was always a Great Show Preview, followed by a Great Show Review. Every year, without fail. That’s easy enough if there’s just one big show every year. Nowadays there are a lot of shows, but we’ve included one; one of our own favourites, the Bristol event. Oh, and there’s a lot of bikes in this magazine. Bikes in a bike magazine? Whatever next! See you out there. Frank editor@classicbikeguide.com
proDUcTIon ManaGer || Craig Lamb pUBlIshInG DIrecTor || Dan Savage coMMercIal DIrecTor || Nigel Hole assocIaTe DIrecTor || Malc Wheeler
conTrIBUTors In ThIs IssUe Alan Cathcart, George Cohen, Steve Cooper, John Fairclough, Talana Gamah, Rowena Hoseason, Phil Mather, Morgan Rue, Paul d’Orleans, Phillip Tooth, Nolan Woodbury eDITorIal aDDress Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR weBsITe www.classicbikeguide.com General QUerIes anD BacK IssUes 01507 529529 24hr answerphone Email: help@classicmagazines.co.uk Web: www.classicmagazines.co.uk sUBscrIpTIon Full subscription rates (but see page 24 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 24 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. DIsTrIBUTIon COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. Telephone 01895 433600. Usa sUBscrIpTIons CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE (USPS:002-674) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $54 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft, WI and additional entries. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com prInTeD By || William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton. ISSN No 0959-7123
More froM CBG...
aDverT DeaDlIne || Monday, March 16 nexT IssUe || Wednesday, April 1 © Mortons Motorcycle Media, a division of Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
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4 MARCH 2015 || CLASSIC BIKe GUIDe
Find the cBG team at facebook/classicbikeguide for news, competitions and our snazzy classic of the day
Independent publisher since 1885
Member of the Professional Publishers Association
Just Ask your newsagent to reserve your copy each month
NoRtoN commANdo
VELocEttE VipER
HARLEY VR1000
How a classic Commando can
A 1958 Viper Scrambler
It’s the anniversary of an unlikely
benefit from all mod cons.
converted to a Viper Endurance,
street racer; Harley’s VR1000,
P28
and then ridden as intended. P56
the first American Superbike. P70
Bonhams
The opening auction of 2015 achieved record-breaking results Words by NolaN Woodbury Photos by NolaN Woodbury aNd boNhams
cLASSic BiKE GUidE || March 2015 9
RIDINGLIFE || Bonhams auction las vegas
1977 SEELEY HONDA CB750 this BiKe certainly demonstrates Colin Seeley’s credentials as a successful SOLD FOR rider, then a builder who moved into wrapping frames around fast engines for Mike Hailwood as well as other notable and numerous efforts. Bearing strong resemblance to his limited production Phil Read replica, this example follows Seeley’s practice of assembling ready-to-race
$10,350
hardware with hand-fitted Reynolds tubes, an alloy tank and Lester wheels mixed with standard Honda parts. The full fairing with oil-cooler scoop, hidden oil filler and triple Lockheed discs (the front cast in trailing-axle position) join other rare details dotted throughout the build. Sold as a kit or fully assembled, this Seeley Honda was the first machine I noticed and the last I looked at before leaving. Possessing all the attributes necessary to become a high level collectible and offered in pristine condition, it proved quite the bargain with a hammer price of $8000 plus premium.
1 9 7 6 K AWA S A K I K Z 9 0 0 LT D Most can identify the LTD as the precursor to a custom trend that would SOLD FOR soon dominate the industry. Fewer know that in prepping the Z1 for chopper duty, Kawasaki improved it substantially. The LTD’s Morris wheels (the rear, a fat 16 incher), Jardine exhaust and Mulholland shocks are a genuine upgrade over standard KZ900 fitment and the period-perfect
$6325
10 MARCH 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE
style was trend-setting. Released initially as a limited production model, Kawasaki couldn’t make enough KZ900 LTDs to meet demand. Showing less than 2000 miles and billed as a mint condition original, the frame finish on this example looked more like new powder-coating than 40-year-old black paint, but the machine was absolutely stunning to witness, with only a new front tyre keeping it from showroom-like status. I’ve a hunch the LTD might soon join the list of collectible Zeds, but this hammer price proves that hasn’t happened yet.
RIDINGLIFE || NORTON COMMANDO
Impeccable credentials Above: Many are those who insist that original is also best. Looking at this Fastback Commando – the original – it’s not easy to argue Below: The traditional Proud Owner shot. Well you would be, wouldn’t you?
How a classic Commando can benefit from all mod cons PHOTOS BY KAY ELDRIDGE OF FOCUSEDIMAGE.COM.AU
THESE DAYS, THE Commando Fastback is considered something of a design classic. Its styling is so much admired that many restorers of Nortons choose to build their big twins in Fastback livery, and a brief browse on eBay will reveal more than one ‘850 Fastback’ up for grabs at top dollar. Yet the Fastback wasn’t universally adored when introduced in 1967, and it took Norton a couple of attempts to refine the original design and get it right. When the Commando was first launched it didn’t carry the Fastback name – that only came along when the Roadster joined the range in 1969 to distinguish between the different models. And the Roadster itself looked more like a traditional British bike than the first Commando, which had raised more than a few eyebrows at launch. Said Motorcyclist magazine: “There’s a crowd gathered around the bike debating if they like or don’t like the looks of the machine… It’s a blend of many things but, above all, some of the most radical and unusual styling changes that have bombed down the pike in many a moon. How about that wild-looking glass-fibre body? How about the space-age styling?”
28 MARCH 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE
Indeed, the initial 750 was very much a mix of old and new, a blend of the antiquated and the innovative. The new Commando combined the sturdy Atlas engine and AMC’s four-speed gearbox with an unusual multi-plate diaphragm-spring clutch. It reassured Britbike riders with its wellproven Roadholder front end, and disguised the age-old problem of parallel twin vibration with the introduction of its Isolastic rubber-buffered frame. Visually the Commando couldn’t be anything other than an air-cooled British twin, but all the accentuated angles caught the eye, especially the way in which the slanted rear shocks echoed the tilt of the engine. Even the footrest hangers provoked comment. The man in the street voted for the Commando as MCN’s Bike of The Year, but not everyone was immediately smitten. So over the next couple of years Norton tidied up its initial design and created a cult classic. First it fixed the weak frame section around the headstock. Then replaced the less-than-handsome Atlas-style exhausts with a set of sweeping pipes, only adding to the Fastback’s aura of urgency. Then came a wider section front tyre and useful
£6000 to £12,000
KNOWN FAULTS
Worn Isolastics, head bearings and swinging arm bushes; oil weeps and seeps; bent/ snapped sidestands; vibration damage to brackets, etc
ALSO CONSIDER
Moto Guzzi 750/850 or Harley’s 883 Sportster for similar grunty performance and levels of refinement
SPECIALIST INFO
Norvil Motorcycle Co; Andover Norton; RGM; Mick Hemmings
OWNERS’ CLUB
New and unused, this 750 production racer, registered in 1977 and given a serious sprinkling of stardust by Terry Hobbs, has never turned a wheel in anger. Seems a shame to see it cooped up in the North Cornwall Motorcycles showroom. You could let it loose if you’ve £18,950 to spend. See ncmc.co.uk
maintenance and decades of use and neglect. Worn or poorly adjusted Isolastics do appalling things to the machine’s steering and rider confidence, while swinging arm bushes frequently aren’t given the attention they require. The diaphragm clutch can be more than a hefty handful, while starting can be a struggle if the carbs or ignition are out of sync. That’s exactly what owner Howard discovered when he bought his 1971 Fastback in 2009. The bike was in average condition: it didn’t seem to need a complete restoration but was certainly crying out for some attention. The petrol tank had split and was leaking, so a replacement was
♠
Norton OC: nortonownersclub.org
W NO
PRICE GUIDE
IT
Above: The 2ls drum marks this out as a fairly early Commando, while the peashooters reveal that it’s not among the very first. It’s all about detail: the cylinder base fixings make this a 750, not an 850
Y BU
modifications to the centre and sidestands (Americans complained of the prop stand scraping on every tight turn). This, then, is the Fastback everyone now attempts to emulate. Norton made a final Fastback in 1972 equipped with a disc brake up front and direction indicators, but those changes dilute the overall impact – and that first disc brake wasn’t a great improvement over the 2ls drum it replaced. There’s also a ‘Long Range’ version, produced for just two years from 1971 with a larger-capacity tank (but if you really want a long distance Commando then surely you’d just buy an Interstate?). Production of the Fastback ended in 1973, shortly after the kerfuffle with the ill-fated Combat engine. So really, if you want to own the ultimate Fastback then you need a 1971-era machine: still with the drum brake but fitted with the upswept silencer, as seen here. However, don’t let all this talk about styling mislead you into thinking that the Commando is little more than a pretty face. It was a genuine superbike of the Seventies, an oldfashioned twin that bucked the trend for multi-cylinder complexity. Its wide spread of torque translated to surging acceleration on the street. The 750 Commando was quicker over a standing quarter-mile than a Trident or a CB750. Contemporary roadtests suggested that the Commando felt less sophisticated than its threeand four-cylinder competitors, but it was comfortable and quick. At least, it was when new. Like any motorcycle, a Commando doesn’t improve with lack of
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || MARCH 2015 29
RIDINGLIFE || BSA STARFIRE
Learner lethal
BSA’s late 250 singles earned a wicked reputation for unreliability from new. 50 years later, their flaws can be fixed Photos by Andy TiernAn
above: If you fancy riding something with enough performance to amuse, a great exhaust note, curious Sixties styling, easy starting and excellent handling, then a Starfire could do the trick. This is a blue one
On paper, the Starfire should be a superb ‘starter classic’, an ideal machine to introduce newcomers to the delights of British biking. It’s an agile and attractive 250 single, with a revvy 25 horsepower engine, decent brakes, 12v electrics, solid suspension and responsive steering. Styled to look and feel more than a little like its big Spitfire brother, with a 32-inch seat height and 315lb dry weight, the Starfire has more in common with a middleweight machine than a tiddler like its C15 predecessor. Prices have risen in recent years but the shortlived C25 Barracuda (built in 1967 only) and B25 Starfire (1968 to 70) still fall into the ‘affordable’ category. They’re not cheap-as-chips classics like
‘Really two machines in one… an amiable, economical, ride to work 250, or a light and handy but distinctly peppy sports mount, depended upon the itchiness of your throttle hand.’ 44 MARCH 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE
some two-strokes, but they’re more robust and have longer legs than true lightweights. And you’ll pay an awful lot less for a BSA Starfire than you will for a Norton Jubilee (also a 250, but a twin), or a Tiger Cub (another single; smaller in capacity yet with a cult following which has pushed prices skywards in recent years). Strangely, most of those arguments also held sway back in the late 1960s when the Starfire was new and learner legal. On paper it should have been the perfect machine for young lads to take the plunge – which means that, in theory, there should be thousands of older riders now reminiscing fondly about their wild times with a brilliant first bike, all of them looking to relive their youth with a B25. Instead the Starfire is widely derided by the classic motorcycling cognoscenti, especially by those who didn’t actually own one but knew someone who did, back in the day. That helps to explain why Starfire prices haven’t shot into the stratosphere. The B25 earned its reputation for mechanical fragility when fast lads thrashed it beyond its 8000rpm max power point, making the most of the high, 10:1 compression and hot cams. The
FAuLTS & FOiBLeS Weak plain big end bearing; dubious quality of some modern spares; components overlap with similar models so can be tricky to identify correct parts
ALSO cOnSider
AJS/Matchless Model 14 or G2 (less sporty but more robust); Velocette MAC (much higher quality but much higher prices); B25SS/T25SS (more durable final incarnation of the BSA-Triumph unit single)
SPeciALiST inFO
www.b50.org / Rupert Ratio BSA Unit Single books; Burton Bikes Bits; Lightning Spares; Draganfly
OwnerS’ cLuB
BSA OC www.bsaownersclub.co.uk
W NO
Price guide
£750 low to £2500 high
IT
Above: BSA’s simple single. Easy to maintain, easy to start and easy to live with. Brakes could be better (and can be improved), but it boasts a tacho and alloy rims as well as a humpy seat, so…
Y BU This actual bike is up for sale at Andy Tiernan’s in Suffolk. It comes with its original green cardboard logbook and V5C. It starts and runs well but has been stored for many years. All yours for £2000. See andybuysbikes.com
old ones which may have stretched and suffered), and ensuring that the sludge trap is cleaned out regularly. Fresh oil every thousand miles is suggested; likewise keeping the bike’s ignition timing set spot-on. The Lucas advance/retard unit can wear and fail in a variety of ways, letting the timing slip which in turn affects starting and clean running, once again putting extra strain on that less-than-robust big end bearing. An electronic ignition provides a modern fit-and-forget solution. It’s also important to turn off the fuel when a Starfire is parked, and don’t overfill the petrol tank. If the Concentric is worn then fuel can leak through the carb, into the engine to collect in the crankcases. This petrol/oil mix looks like a nasty mess when it is scavenged back to the oil tank – but worse, the petrol will have washed the oil away from the piston, bore, big end and main bearings;
♠
Barracuda wasn’t fitted with a tacho so an inexperienced rider firstly had no idea how hard the engine was working and secondly… wouldn’t have cared, anyway. At the other end of the spectrum, traditional Brit single riders bought the new, sporty BSA and treated it like an old, longstroke slugger, letting it lug in too high a gear at low revs. Used to great gobbets of torque at 2000rpm, they didn’t rev the engine enough. Either approach knocked seven bells out of the forged steel, single piece crank with its white metal, plain big end bearing. Combine these conditions with the usual disregard for servicing and maintenance which you might expect from a teenage rider, and it’s no wonder that so many B25 engines came suddenly to an extremely sticky end. Reincarnate the Starfire as a classic motorcycle, however, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t give many years of surprisingly sprightly service. Bob Currie said that the Starfire was ‘really two machines in one… an amiable, economical, ride to work 250, or a light and handy but distinctly peppy sports mount, depended upon the itchiness of your throttle hand’. Restrain your wrist to 5000rpm and it’ll tootle along in a perfectly perky manner, rather more raspy than a 1950s stolid British single. Author Roy Bacon reckoned the C/B25 was ‘a high performance and rather fragile machine, but one whose problems can be overcome with some work and careful assembly’. If you have occasion to pull the engine apart then there are several useful techniques which aid its future survival, like polishing the con rod, using new bolts and selflocking nuts in the crank assembly (not reusing the
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || MARCH 2015 45
1972 M O TO G U Z Z I V70 0
RADIANT RED But not RACING RED. This is an early Guzzi twin tourist with gentle performance, and brakes… WORDS BY JOHN FAIRCLOUGH PHOTOS BY JOE DICK
A
the early round items, and a different dual seat with a humped rear. In 1969 the motor grew to 757.5cc, courtesy of a 3mm bore increase while retaining the 70mm stroke, which gave a claimed power lift to 55bhp. The V700 was now dubbed Ambassador in America, and V7 Special in Europe. A further 1969 update included revised cylinder heads, larger valves (41mm inlet / 36mm exhaust), concentric carbs with accelerator pumps, revised crankcase webbing and a left-side gear shift. The V700’s plain-case four-speed gearbox remained. Factory claims of a 60bhp output seemed to be losing touch with reality. For 1970, there were new battery covers which also shrouded the airbox and a new instrument console, now incorporating a rev-counter, replaced the solitary speedometer. By the end of the year Bosch starters and dynamos were featuring.
♠
lthough it’s been mentioned countless times, disbelief is still inevitable when the complex Moto Guzzi V8 and the humdrum V700 are cited as the contrasting brainchildren of one brilliant engineer, Giulio Cesare Carcano. However, it’s still true. The V700 tag stemmed from its 90º V-twin engine configuration and its initial, somewhat weird, capacity of 703.717cc. The 80 by 70mm ohv motor produced a relaxed 50bhp and was pleasingly simple and accessible. Mated to an agricultural four-speed gearbox and shaft drive all housed in an unbendable loop frame, it embodied everything the Italian government needed in 1965 for military and police duties. By 1967, the model was available to the public after a minor cosmetic update. For 1968 it acquired 29mm square slide Dell’Orto VHB carbs in place of
TRADINGPOST || MODEL STUDY
Suzuki GS750 Suzuki’s first four-stroke for more than 20 years proved to the company’s renaissance, even if it’s now overlooked… Words by Steve Cooper
I
F THERE’S ONE thing that distinguishes Suzuki from its peers it has to be the ability to get up from a near fatal blow and come back fighting. Just like the vast majority of bike and car manufacturers of the period, the company had bought into the notion that the future lay with rotary engined machines. The logic was indisputable; energy was not being squandered on accelerating and decelerating a piston countless times a second. Continual rotary motion was surely the way forward. Where most manufacturers either ran scared or saw the theoretical pitfalls of Dr Felix Wankel’s invention, Suzuki embraced the concept lovingly and with open arms. The resultant RE5 motorcycle was either an over-brave technical statement or a candy metalflake blind alley, depending on your viewpoint. Whatever your stance the end result was a sales disaster, and given the investment necessary it was little short of amazing that the company 90 MARCH 2015 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE
Above: Neat shot of a Press bike reminds us that Suzuki fitted a kickstart to its GS fours. Anyone who’s been forced by battery pancake syndrome to use that lever would wonder why it was fitted. Apart from that, great bike
didn’t go under. Years of R&D along with unimaginable financial investment ought to have seriously wrong-footed the entire business. With America and parts of Europe turning their back on two-strokes for environmental reasons, cleaner conventional four-stroke motors were effectively mandatory for the future. Arch-rivals Kawasaki and Yamaha were already on board but Suzuki hadn’t sold anything with poppet valves for more than two decades. Faced with such daunting circumstances, what could it possibly do? Fortuitously, the company had been looking at four-stroke designs as early as 1972 but had elected to focus on the rotary engine design and technology. Therefore the concept wasn’t totally alien to its design team, but just how do you grab back all that lost time? The answer, in all honesty, is as simple as it’s controversial; you copy someone else’s design. From the outset of postwar commercial exporting the Japanese had been glibly accused of simply copying an established design. However, what
‘Suzuki looked at the class leaders and simply opted to make a better job of what was already in existence.’
Above: Historic brochure shots reveal that although the skies are always blue when you ride a GS there are also clouds in them. This may be a reference to their earlier stroker triples, but we doubt it
threw down the gauntlet directly at Honda’s feet just after it had been flapped across Kawasaki’s face. Here at last was the second generation of Japanese fours, and although it might have looked superficially like more of the same it was in fact substantially different. Suzuki had looked long and hard at both the precursors and had heavily refined the concept. The new bike was easier to ride than either the Z1 or CB750, due in no small part to a chassis that was significantly more advanced. Period sales brochures show a frame that looks a lot closer in its conception to the hallowed benchmark of the Norton Featherbed chassis. Finally a Japanese company was directing resources into something other than engine development. The GS750 is sometimes credited with being the first big Japanese motorcycle to handle properly, and with just cause. Although only a few kilos lighter than the first generation of superbikes, the GS also ran its weight lower, which gave the impression of the bike being lighter than it was.
♠
detractors failed or chose to overlook was that in general terms the various Japanese facsimiles were often better built and of higher specification than the originals. Part of the national psyche somehow accepted this as standard practice. With this mindset, Suzuki looked at the class leaders and simply opted to make a better job of what was already in existence. The company’s target was the awesome Z1, which had been Kawasaki’s response back in 1972 after being aced three years previously by Honda’s CB750. With both Suzuki and Kawasaki having enjoyed considerable success with roller bearing cranks in two-stroke engines, it was a no brainer as to how the heart of the new machine should be configured. It was also obvious that arch stinkwheels exponent Yamaha had similarly opted for the same solution on its first four-stroke, the XS650. When the GS750 four broke cover in 1976, along with a 550 version and 400cc twin, it was immediately obvious that Suzuki was back in the game. The double overhead cam flagship model
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || MARCH 2015 91
172cc (60 x 61mm) ohv single || 300lb || 60mph || 1956-60 This fully enclosed oddity carries its single cylinder engine horizontally mounted, and was intended to be a sporting roadster. It fell somewhat short of the mark but spawned the firm’s subsequent range of roadgoing singles and the highly regarded Ala d’Oro racer. A 250cc version was also offered. Both are rare in the UK (fewer than 300 built in total), and hence guaranteed to attract attention.
prices
low £3500 || high £6000
ApRiLiA
A
motorcycle manufacturer for nearly 50 years, Aprilia initially concentrated on offroad and racing two-strokes. In the mid-1980s a collaboration with Austrian engine supplier Rotax brought about the Tuareg, one of the modern world’s first ‘adventure-sports’ models although no one called it that at the time. Then came the four-stroke Pegaso roadsters (first a 600 and then a 650, sharing its engine with BMW’s F650), and increasing success in 125 and 250 Grand Prix racing which spawned a range of two-stroke repli-racers.
Motò 6.5
prices
low £2500 || high £5000
BENELLi
B
ONE-Off SpEciAL
Built by Foundry Motorcycles. Started as a 7000-mile Moto Guzzi 1100i Sport. Spec includes: Weber 48 IDF downdraft carb, digital ignition, Motogadget electronics, keyless ignition, bespoke stainless exhaust, handmade stainless bodywork, engine top end overhaul. Custom seat. Sold for £7180
efore and after the Second World War, the Benelli family built highquality lightweight roadsters and enjoyed some success in GP and TT racing, initially with the dohc single and then with the 250/4 which took the world 250 title. One brother left to found Motobi, which was reabsorbed into Benelli in 1962. During the 1950s and 60s its customers bought mainly 125 two-strokes and 250 four-stroke twins; then came the heavyweight fourstrokes when De Tomaso took over in 1971. A spell in the doldrums was followed by a more recent revival in 1999 with the 900 Tornado.
The world’s first production sixcylinder motorcycle shares many similarities with Honda’s 500/4 but the overall package is considerably more accomplished than one-and-a-half-Hondas. It’s not wildly rapid but the smooth power delivery suits the responsive handling. However, the three carbs need frequent attention and the six-into-six exhaust is vulnerable to corrosion. Owners often convert the odd duplex final drive chain to a standard modern chain. The later 900 version (1979 to 1985) incorporates a range of more practical mods including a more durable Silentium six-into-two exhaust; the bodywork on either model can be a challenge to remove.
Tornado
prices
643cc (84 x 58mm) ohv twin || 410lb || 85mph || 1970-76 This extremely short-stroke vertical twin is something of an acquired taste. Its buzzy yet grunty engine displays characteristics that fall partway between its British and Japanese four-stroke contemporaries. First versions came with a useful 4ls front brake; the revised model from 1972 gained electric start and an extra carb but lost power. Also badged as a Motobi, the Tornado is interesting rather than exciting.
prices
low £3000 || high £5000
Sei
748cc (56 x 50.6mm) ohc six || 520lb || 118mph || 1972-78
low £7000 || high £12,000
BiMOTA
T
hese limited edition, super quality superbikes were specifically designed to get the best from their Japanese supersports engines and hence run rings around the original donor bikes. They incorporate innovative engineering (hub centre steering) and top-notch components (carbonfibre frames, lightweight wheels). Early models especially are essentially hand-built trackbikes; later editions rather more mass produced.
Prices for all depend on provenance, history and condition.
BMW
I
mmediately after the Second World War, BMW restarted production with an updated prewar design incorporating a plunger frame and tele forks, and this formed the basis of its range until 1955. Then came Earles forks and a new swinging arm frame, although the engines retained their trademark, simple, low oil pressure ball/roller bearing pushrod flat-twin layout. Equally simple 6v electrics (not a fuse in sight) and magneto ignition take care of the sparks department. Fourspeed box and the fuss-free shaft drive started the ‘ultimate tourer’ legend. Major redesign for 1969 reintroduced tele forks and a bolt-on subframe. The new twin engines used a high oil pressure plain bearing one piece crank incarnation, with the cam under the crank driven by a duplex chain. Alternator 12v electrics, coil ignition, and an electric starter as standard on all but the smallest model. The initially short frames gave way to a longer version to overcome handling foibles. Airhead twins lingered long after the four-cylinder K series was expected to replace
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649cc (100 x 87.2mm) ohc
Designed by French style guru (and motorcyclist) Philippe Starck as a chic city bike, the Motò 6.5 divided opinion. Practical riders sought out BMW’s F650 or Aprilia’s own Pegaso instead, but the Starck found favour with a select few thanks in part to its low saddle height and nimble footwork. Build quality wasn’t wonderful however, and unique components become fragile and hard to source with the passage of time. Worth looking longer to find a well-kept, low mileage example.
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chimera
single || 300lb || 95mph || 19952002
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n aircraft manufacturer who began building bikes after the Second World War, Aermacchi built scooters and a few small capacity four-strokes before Harley-Davidson bought half the firm in 1960. Thereafter it crafted a range of light and reliable racers, much loved by privateers and highly successful on track. H-D became full owners in 1973 (and sold the company to Cagiva in 1978), so many small-capacity military Harleys built before 1978 are Aermacchis under the skin. Few models made it to the UK originally: spares supply and specialist support is sporadic.
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AERMAccHi
CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || MARCH 2015 99