Classic Dirt Bike Issue 41 preview

SPORTING ACTION FROM FARLEIGH CASTLE AND HAWKSTONE PAARK

Dirtb bike e CLASSIC

#41

GROUND

BREAKER REAKER

ISS SUE Forrty-one Wintter 2016

Honda s final Elsinore Honda’s

SUPER PROFILE

ANDREWS’ NDREWS’ OSSA OSS

SHOWTIME!

Classic Motorcycle Mechanics International Dirt Bike

AN HOUR WITH WITH…

…ROB EDWARDS

TECH TALK

Tubeless for classics

N41 2016 US$15.99 Aus$14.95 NZ$18.99 UK£5.50

VETSSRAINMXDN DIDN’T STOP PLAY

PRINTED IN THE UK

PLUS WORKS SUZUKI // CHENEY TRIUMPH ISDT // BSA GOLD STAR // PROJECT IT

Contents 03 In Balance

Getting a bike fit for purpose is a matter of steady development and none steadier than the editor’s Can-Am.

06 News, views and reviews

Our regular look at what’s happening in the off-road world, events to go to, series updates, perhaps a book or DVD or two.

18 Super Profiles

Take one stunning bike, do some in-depth research and write it all down here in our Super Profile bit. The first in a short series of four.

Events

22 Something Special

61 ’cross words

40 Subscribe! Subscribe! Subscribe!

72 Dirt Talk

Add the name ‘Cheney’ to a bike and it instantly becomes something pretty special. We heard of a Cheney Triumph due to be ridden in the Retro ISDE. As CDB is subscription only in the UK you’ve either subscribed, nicked a mate’s copy or seen us at a show. If it’s one of the latter two… subscribe here.

52 Dicko’s view

More from the all-encompassing eye of one of the off-road world’s most senior journalists, always thought provoking, always interesting… what say you?

On the track many riders had to follow Jeff Smith. New lad Ian Berry has the task of following him in print… an altogether different task.

What’re you talking about in the CDB world? All sorts of things as it happens, bring it on we say.

82 Moto memories

Success or heartache is but one small incident away as young Graham Noyce found out in 1976 and Nick Nicholls was there to record it.

Features

54 Sporting world

10 The winner

67 An hour…

62 Classic Dirt Bike Experience

27 That was the year…

76 Gold Star

Nick Haskell went to Farleigh Castle for the Vets, CDB went to Hawkstone Park for the Legends. Both events, in glorious colour, are in here.

Our area at Stafford County Showground has grown to be quite an attraction and, following hot on its wheels, our stand at the International Dirt Bike Show.

How to 43 King of the IT crowd

Out of stock! Seems to be the cry this issue as our project Yamaha creeps forward to fruition. We’re at rolling chassis stage now!

48 Dirt Products

Got something to help the off-road world go faster, keep their feet up longer or remain more on time in an enduro? Tell us, we’ll put it in this bit.

50 Tech Talk

Old bikes and modern bits are always compatible but no area more so than the tyres. We check out an interesting development.

Our concours winner in the Dirt Bike Hall at the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Show was a superb first generation Honda water cooler.

…that BSA and Ariel had the bright idea of gaining some publicity by having their two star men, Miller and Smith, ride up Ben Nevis on an Arrow and a C15.

34 Suzuki take it seriously

In order for development to begin there has to be something to develop.

We look at a Suzuki which began the line of success for the company.

On the cover Let’s see, late summer in the UK… chance of rain? You betcha! Nick Haskell braved the weather and went to the Vets MXdN at Farleigh Castle in Somerset where despite the weather the action was hot.

On the contents page Is Hawkstone Park in Shropshire the home of British MX? Possibly but it has been the scene of some legendary action. CDB went along to the inaugural Hawkstone Legends where Fiona Watson captured the action.

…with Rob Edwards. Trials guru John Moffat caught up with Tees-sider Rob Edwards at the Scott Trial and had a chat with the former winner.

BSA’s Goldie and scrambling go together like a hand in a glove; though the later DBD model gets the glory, we look at a well-developed BB.

Honda CR250R Elsinore

10

Amid the faded storage units at Stafford, Steve Parkins’ Honda brings a touch of the exotic.

11

FIRST LAST

IN LINE

When Honda debuted the 1981 CR250 they launched many firsts – liquid cooling, Pro-Link suspension – but it was the last to have the Elsinore designation.

Words: Tim Britton Pics: Gary Chapman

Super Profile 18

SUPER PROFILE FILE

A WELL REFINED OSSA Words and pics: Tim Britton

M

ick Andrews’ record with OSSA motorcycles is an excellent one and as well as European championships the Derbyshire ace notched up three consecutive SSDT wins to prove the motorcycle was good enough. Those wins – 1970, 1971 and 1972 – were made with factory bikes, albeit ones designed by Mick, and would lead to the MAR – Mick Andrews Replica – which pretty much was what Mick would be riding.

However, unfettered by the need to be seen on a standard product though still with a soft spot for OSSA, Mick was involved in a build which allowed a few tweaks which would probably have been refused by the factory.

It is the nature of us club riders to assume a factory bike is the be-all and end-all of brilliance but this isn’t always the case.

Firstly the factory rider has to be seen to be riding what was on the showroom floor.

Yes, the team rider would be excused some differences between what he was on and

Take one OSSA, add a dash of works rider, some Spanish enthusiasm and see the result...

what could be bought as after all he would be testing ideas for next year’s models but generally speaking the factory wanted to be seen winning with what they were selling now. Having had several chats with Mick as to what his works OSSAs were actually like, he highlighted a few areas where he personally wanted to make mods. One area was an SSDT specific, says Mick: “OSSA had a pretty short wheelbase for the time and while fine for normal trials, actually an advantage really, for the Scottish and the longer sections such as Laggan Locks the wheelbase was too short.” Suggestions that for the Scottish a slightly longer swinging arm specifically for Scotland were dismissed so Mick did the best he could and made sure the rear wheel was as far back in the wheel slots as it could go which helped but wasn’t ideal. This was something that Hampshire dealer Bob Gollner addressed when he collaborated with frame builder Mick Whitlock on their replacement frame kit for the OSSA – it had a longer swinging arm.

Anyway, back to the smart machine in these pics. It was built for Mick about eight years ago to use in Spanish events and instead of the more familiar green colour, is finished with a red band on the tank rather like his 1970 bike. Though the frame is almost a standard MAR 250 one, it has had a little tweak at the front as the forks are from a later Fantic trials bike. Though of the same stanchion diameter the sliders have a leading axle and the internals are certainly much more modern in their damping. Because of the axle position on this bike – OSSAs as standard have the spindle position under the slider – it has been necessary to cut the frame slightly and tuck the headstock back a little. At the rear is a longer swinging arm which, though Spanish, isn’t OSSA. “It’s a Montesa one though which one I don’t know,” grins Mick, “maybe we should put an OSSA one in there.”

Hubs too are not from OSSA and are actually Grimeca ones as fitted to many an Italian machine of the slightly later era.

27

Spirit of adventure At one time all motorcycling was an adventure, but as roads improved the adventurous had to look elsewhere...

Words: Tim Britton Pics: Mortons Archive

43

What doed? we ne

Exhaust system Various rubber mounts Cables Time Genuine twist grip rotor Special fasteners Handlebar mount

The story so far... … is a complicated one and this instalment has been affected by the ‘sorry out of stock’ problem. Luckily, our network of contacts have pulled stops out and we can make progress.

With a nice coat of aerosol black applied to the frame we can start hanging bits on it.

King of the IT crowd Put two off-roaders together and the first question is generally “what’ve you got on the go at the moment?” – often followed by “you’re doing a what?”. Occasionally it is “oh, one of those…” but more often it’s “you must be mad.” You choose which statement applies as we head into act six of the ‘King of the IT crowd.’

Words and pics: Tim Britton

P

rogress has been pretty slow since last issue but there has been some and it’s all been on the lines of ‘now where does that bit fit on again?’. It is at such times the sketch, note or photograph proves invaluable and I don’t care how good your memory is, things will be forgotten. Luckily at the strip down stage regular photographer Gary Chapman was on hand to take lots of photos and film the whole procedure.

For the times when Gary wasn’t there my other half was on hand and is used to my ridiculous requests to photograph things and the incredulous exclamation ‘you want me to take a picture of you doing what?’ is heard less frequently these days.

It soon became apparent that several dry builds are going to be needed to make sure

the bits all go back into the place they’re supposed to. Thankfully a technical hitch with the supply chain meant the engine wasn’t back together and I decided to leave it as bare cases while sorting out what spacer went here, which rubber bung went there and just what this bolt and that bolt held in place.

With all pictures on a laptop they’re easily transportable and reference is the simple matter of pressing a button or two and then enlarging the image.

Now, the deeper we delved into our bike the more we realised it had been less than sympathetically serviced in its previous life.

Not only was the frame bent due to an off but it had been welded by someone with less welding ability than the editor of CDB and that is saying something. Fortunately Rod Spry saved the frame and introduced me to the

term ‘465itus’ which is a condition caused by snapping the throttle shut in fourth gear when it all becomes too exciting and the bike spits the rider off. It is always the drive side which is damaged, in fact Rod even described near enough exactly what the damage would be without even seeing the frame. When he did he was less restrained than I have to be over the welder’s ability.

It seems the same servicing attitude extended to the use of fasteners as not all of them were correct or even metric. It also turns out the IT uses a range of thread forms and sizes and the footrest hanger bolts are tapped M12 metric fine. Great thinks I, Classic Mechanics Show coming up, I’ll rummage through the stainless steel fastener suppliers’ stalls and pick up a few bolts. Nice idea – apparently M12 fine is a rarity. In the end I

Products 48

Dirtproducts

Do you make, import or otherwise supply bits and pieces, clothing or other things that the classic and vintage off-road riding community use? If so, then your product could be on these pages.

Contact Helen in advertising on 01507 529574 or editor Tim Britton on 01507 529404.

2

3 2. Get some Ammo!

1 1. Competition Car Composites No apologies for having a car orientated book in a motorcycle magazine, as there’s lots of useful information for us in the dirty side of two-wheeled sport.

This hard-backed and slightly larger than A5 208-page technical publication covers all sorts of composite material used in making panels and covers for competition cars, but there’s not much thought needed to transfer the info into our world. Numberplates, side panels, seat bases, air boxes and even primary cases could all be made from composites. Yes, we know replacements are available for popular marques but what if yours is a bit special or rare? Inside this book the author shows how to form patterns, make moulds and mount fasteners, then discusses materials and their selection, what equipment will be needed and the techniques for successfully making something useful in the home workshop. There are tips on working safely, suggested further reading and a useful contacts section.

What is it?: A technical book for making things out of composites Who does it?: Simon McBeath Where do I get it?: www.veloce.co.uk What’s it cost?: £30 plus postage in the UK

Let’s face it, our sport means your bike is going to get mucky… not some everyday grime which those road rider lads and lasses get… we’re talking serious filth here.

How many of us haven’t finished a trial, a scramble or an enduro and thought “Whoa!

How am I going to get that clean?”

Yes, most of us have some sort of power washer which will shift the muck but it’s also better when there’s something to squirt on the ingrained stuff. So, when our advertising team pitched up with this Ammo stuff and asked CDB to ‘give it a go’ we were interested. To be honest there were a few things in the range which were of secondary interest to us here in dirt bike world but having just come back from Nostalgia scramble with a very dirty Triumph pre60 MXer, the Wash and Shield, Nitro Power Gel and Nitro Power Cleaner were of interest.

The info from Ammo tells us the products are aerospace tested and come in pump action containers with refill packs available and even better for us environmentally conscious riders, most of the Ammo range is biodegradable so won’t harm the countryside we ride in.

What is it?: A range of quality cleaners for your dirt bike Who does it?: Precision Clean Ltd Where do I get it?: www.ammopro.co.uk What’s it cost?: Various prices depending on the product but most in the £6 to £10 range.

3. Who is that masked man?

Our archive at CDB is rammed full of pictures taken during the glory days of MX or scrambling and in those far off days with pudding basin or jet open face helmets a good number of the pics show blood trickling from cuts to the face, mouth or nose. Way back then it was just accepted this was the case and the odd missing tooth only enhanced your standing in the sport. However as MX or enduro became a more upmarket sport with its talented riders becoming poster boys for the companies they raced for it wasn’t deemed good for the image to look as if you’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight contender in the boxing ring. Goggles or eye shields had always been worn but when Scott devised a faceguard which clipped to goggles and kept the damaging effect of stones and the like away from the delicate features of dirt bike riders the beauty industry exhaled a sigh of relief. The world moves on and now modern helmets have full face protection but there are still those who prefer the open face helmet and want to retain their teeth and it’s a good job the stylish Scott goggle and facemask is still available…just. With his old set cracked and split the CDB editor searched for a new set and Andy Minns at Border Bikes stocks them.

What is it?: It’s a Scott goggle and faceguard pairing.

What’s the cost?: Depends where you get them from.

Where did we get ours?: Andy Minns at Border Bikes www.borderbikes.com Tel: 01361 883 808

Sporting action 58

Festival

of

Legends

at Hawkstone Park with Cumbria Twinshock Words: Tim Britton Pics: Fiona Watson

Flying high in Sund day’s sunshine, Honda Evo E 500 rider Russell Harth hill crests one of Hawkstone’’s jumps.

10/11 September, 2016

Show news 62

International

Words: Tim Britton Pics: Fiona Watson

Dirt Bike Show Dirt Bike Show girls Flo and Mimi, on hand to glam things up a little, check out our display of factory BSAs.

W

ith all that’s best in the modern dirt bike scene on display at the International Dirt Bike Show at the end of October, enthusiasts of the older, classic dirt bike had to look a little harder, but there were a few such machines in the halls.

Our stand in particular had three super special Sixties BSA trials bikes on it… three genuine factory BSAs in fact. They were built for Arthur, Alan and Martin Lampkin and the two elder brothers both won the SSDT on their versions – Martin of course would win the SSDT three times on Bultaco in the Seventies.

We have to thank Alan Lampkin for arranging the three bikes for us and he reckoned it was the first time all three had been together since the Sixties.

Also on our stand at Stoneleigh, was the on-going CDB IT465 project bike. It was a last minute thing to shove the empty engine in the frame and take it along and we’re mighty glad we did as several puzzling

We all like a good rummage in a box of spares and the comments on the contents depend on your viewpoint.

questions were answered regarding bearing location and more than a few people said they had bits and pieces left over from their own IT465 build.

So, here’s a selection of what caught our eye at the show but, more importantly, what caught yours?

Write and let us know.

67

An hour with‌

‌Rob Edwards d ard Stalwart of the Montesa trials team Rob Edwards got his break with a semi-official AJS, John Moffat has an hour with the modest Tees-sider.

Words: Rob Edwards and John Moffat Pics: Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive

Is this the most evocative picture in the trials world? Rob Edwards at what looks like Callart in the 1975 SSDT.