Classic Motorcycle Mechanics September 2017

CAGIVA ALA AZZURRA 80S

Ridde en and rated!

KAWASAKII H1 Buyer’s guide!

70S

Allen Millyard’s amazing home-built 350cc four-cylinder two-stroke!

September 2017 Issue 359

FIVE DECADES OF MODERN CLASSIC MOTOR RCYCLE MECHANICS INCLUDING: INCLUDING

Retro R80 GS copycat!

00s: Triumph Speed Four ridden, Su uzuki GSF600N Bandit resto.

90s: Yamaha YZF-R6 service, Suz zuki TL1000S suspension, Suzuki RGV250M. 80s: Yamaha TZ ZR250 Race resto, Yamaha DT175 MX resto. 70s: Yamaha TX50 00, Paint alloy, Dwell timing, Honda XL500S, Z1 to Germany. Also o: Retro Reboot, Q&A – your questions answered and yourr bikes and memories!

September 2017 Issue 359 Publisher: Dan Savage, asavage@mortons.co.uk Contributors: Joe Dick, Kevin Larkins Art Editor: Justin Blackamore Picture Desk: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield, Angie Sisestean Production Editor: Dan Sharp Divisional advertising manager: Martin Freeman mfreeman@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529538 Advertising: Robert Bee rbee@mortons.co.uk, Tel: 01507 529575 Subscription manager: Paul Deacon Circulation manager: Steven O’Hara Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Commercial director: Nigel Hole Editorial address: CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS MAGAZINE, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Website: www.classicmechanics.com General enquiries and back issues: Tel: 01507 529529 24 hour answer phone help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk Archivist: Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk, 01507 529423 Subscription: Full subscription rates (but see page 36 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 36 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Customer services: Tel: 01507 529529 Lines are open: Monday-Friday 8.30am-7pm Saturday 8.30am-12:30pm Distribution: Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. Tel: 0203 787 9001 Subscription agents: CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS MAGAZINE, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Printed: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton Published date: CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS MAGAZINE is published on the third Wednesday of every month Next issue: September 20, 2017 Advertising deadline: August 29, 2017 © 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. ISSN 0959-0900 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS magazine takes all responsible steps to ensure advice and technical tips are written by experienced and competent people. We also advise readers to seek further professional advice if they are unsure at any time. Anything technical written by the editor is exempt – he’s rubbish with spanners.

CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS (USPS:729-550) is published monthly

by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $60 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS, Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com

Retro resurgence…

It’s no coincidence that BMW is harking back to its proud history in more ways than one.

This issue shows how their R nineT series of bikes is expanding. They’ve got a base model (see it in CMM next month), a café racer (an issue or two’s time) and – in this month’s mag – you’ll see the Urban G/S. It’s got more than a little of the original R80 in there.

We know you’re interested in such bikes – even if (like us) you prefer the originals. You’ll see lots of the European manufacturers are getting the most from their past: although it seems like the Japanese aren’t quite getting on board, which is a shame.

Even back in the early 1990s, Kawasaki’s Zephyr range harked back to the big bruiser from the early 1970s. Even by the late-1990s the ZRX1100/1200 could be bought in the form of the R, which had more than a passing resemblance to the original Eddie Lawson

Ralph Ferrand

Stuart Barker

John came back from riding Allen Millyard’s amazing motorcycles and was knocked out! See page 38.

The big fella hops across the Channel to enjoy a ride on his big Zed (p56) services an R6 (p74) and finishes his DT! (p92.)

A newcomer to CMM, Stu rides and raves about the ‘new’ retro BMW which copies the R80 G/S of old! Page 30.

Master of MIRA Files

Bolas is back! He tells us of his amazing collection (check news) then sorts the suspension on his TL1000S (page 82).

Paul Chance

Two-stroke tearaway Our mate Chancey is nearly there with his RGV250M rebuild. She sounds sweet and goes well. Well… see page 70!

Why not Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month?

www.twitter.com/cmmmag

John Nutting

It’s as easy as ‘ABC’!

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

Editor

BSimmonds@Mortons.co.uk

www.facebook.com/ClassicMechanics/

Andy Bolas

Independent publisher since 1885

Replica. It’s a shame the ZRX went by the wayside in 2006 and that we never got its replacement the weirdly-named DAEG, over here either.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if the main Japanese manufacturers really got behind their past?

Think of a big-bore Kawasaki four-stroke that actually looked like a Z1. At least Honda has the cool CB1100 EX and RS, but where are Suzuki’s GSX-replicas (maybe they should check out this month’s Retro Reboot) and why is Yamaha’s ‘Sports Heritage’ range aimed at the bearded hipsters we hear so much about?

Zed-riding beer lover!

YEE EMPLO OF THE !

MONTH

Steve Cooper CMM’s engine room!

What can be said about biking’s very own Bobby Ball? Verbose is one thing that can be said. This man never uses one word when 317 will do – especially if we are paying him!

What constantly amazes us here at CMM is how he is so versatile: columns, road tests, buyer’s guides – all written to the same standard of mediocrity for your delectation! But as he keeps telling me every month: “I’ve been insulted by better editors than you, Simmonds!” And so it’s been proved!

Mad Scotsman

Mark Haycock Q&A King

Master Mark is back with more Q&As and asks us to dwell on the issue of timing! Page 114.

Ian Burgess

Facebook video man You may recognise Shroom from our Project Bandit videos on Facebook – he also went to the Bikers’ Classic! (p26.)

Robert Bee

Charlie Oakman

Dan Sharp

This is the man you go to if you want to book an ad. He also does a mean Brad Lackey impersonation!

It’s getting closer to completion, the Yamaha TZR250 2MA. In the meantime Chuckie rents a racer! Page 127.

We figured we’d show you the man who tries to keep the editor’s poorly-written prose in line. Happy 40th Dan Sharp!

Ad Contact

A Fast Berk!

Proof-reading writer of wrongs

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

66

❙ WORKSHOP NEWS

68

❙ Q&A

70

❙ SUZUKI RGV250M

Contents

New metal bits and old kit tested.

Mark Haycock and you with tips!

Paul Chance on part two of his two-stroke restoration.

74

❙ YAMAHA YZF-R6

80

❙ YAMAHA TX500

Ralph Ferrand services a 20-yearold supersport machine.

Mark Haycock on sorting the clutch: part 2!

06 08

ARCHIVE

Roger ‘Reg’ Marshall: legend!

2002 TRIUMPH SPEED FOUR

It’s a tale of two rides on a forgotten four!

12 18 20 22

NEWS

SPA BIKERS’ CLASSIC

110 ❙ KAWASAKI H1

26

114 ❙ DWELL TIMING

30

BMW R NINET URBAN G/S

82

86

92

96

❙ SUZUKI TL1000S

Andy Bolas is back and sorts the forks on his big twin.

❙ PAINTING METAL

Scoop shows how to paint a cylinder head.

❙ YAMAHA DT175 MX Ralph Ferrand is on with part 12: it’s finished!

❙ SUZUKI GSF600 Y BANDIT Suzuki’s apprentices will be restoring this naked gem.

Steve Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide on the early models of this classic.

Mark Haycock on the hows, whys and wherefores of this black art.

127 ❙ PROJECT FAST BERK!

Charlie Oakman goes racing and gets closer to finishing the TZR250 2MA.

Views, news and what’s new.

CALENDAR

September already?!

FEEDBACK

All your emails and letters!

SHOW US YOURS

Now with added nostalgia: ‘The Way We Were!’

Ian ‘Shroom’ Burgess heads to Spa for a special event!

CMM newcomer Stuart Barker on this retro R80 copy.

38

ALLEN MILLYARD MACHINES

36

SUBSCRIBE!

48 56 61 64

John Nutting rides some of the best specials ever built.

Subscribe and save cash!

CAGIVA ALAZZURRA

Steve Cooper makes a case for this baby Pantah.

ZED OWNER’S TRIP Ralph Ferrand hits the continent and drains breweries dry.

HONDA XL500S

A down under restoration of a big Honda single!

RETRO REBOOT

A re-scribbling of Suzuki’s classic GSX1100 E.

130 NEXT MONTH

Ducati 996, Honda GL1800 Gold Wing, Honda CL160/175 Buyer’s Guide, Moto Guzzi NF500, BMW R nineT and some bloke called Aaron Slight.

www.classicmechanics.com / 5

6 / classic motorcycle mechanics

WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PHOTO: MORTONS ARCHIVE

Roger Marshall What can be said about living legend Roger Marshall? Always a fan’s favourite here in the UK, ‘Reg’ as he became known was one of the old-school bike racers of the 1970s and 1980s.

Hi early His l days d i his in hi home h county off Lincolnshire were typical of a racer-to-be. He loved watching racing at Cadwell Park, even once riding the 42-mile round trip with a mate on a push bike to see the action. Motorised twowheelers soon beckoned. Getting hold of an Ariel side-valve which he begged off a local, his first experience of power was shared with mates before he managed to get his first bike – a BSA C10 250 when he was 16. Crashes back then were numerous, prompting friends to ask him: “Where have you been ‘off’ this week, Roger?”

His memories of Cadwell as a nipper meant that racing was always on his mind. First the electrician’s apprentice was a marshal at Cadwell Park (allegedly as a travelling marshal) but Roger couldn’t stay at the back of the pack and after overtaking a few riders the bug had bitten.

Initially the passion for racing was sated as a side-car passenger

in 1970 (it was cheaper splitting the bills) but with help from friends – later including fellow racer and much-missed Steve Machin – Reg was a solo racer within a couple of years.

I was the It h start off a gglittering career. A total of 12 British titles, some excellent showings at the Isle of Man TT (but sad dly not that elusive win) and of course the 1988 8 Daytona Battle of the Twins win on the Coswoorth/Quantel. Roger Marshall was a giant in a time of British giants, including Barry Sheenee, Ron Haslam, Mick Grant, Steve Parrish, Jooey Dunlop and Roger Burnett – not to mentioon the international stars he would beat. Rog alsoo struck up a firm friendship with 1987 5 500cc GP champ Wayne Gardner (who wrote thee foreword to Reg’s 1989 biography entitled Rogeer and Out) but the full-time call to GPs itsself never materialised for our Rog. Shame. But thankfully he’s still involved in racing, has been a succcessful team manager and – as this 1983 shot from Brands Hatch shows, he was a stylish rider in his day. cmm ■ Want to get hold of pictures from Mortons Archive? Head to: ww ww.mortonsarchive.com

www.classicmechanics.com / 7

2002

SPEED FOUR Under-rated and over-looked, Bertie Simmonds makes a case for remembering one of Triumph’s forgotten fours.

T

WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PHOTOS: MORTONS ARCHIVE/JOE DICK

his month’s Quick Spin, is a bit of a game of two halves and ironically for two reasons.

Firstly, my most recent ride on the subject of our spin – Triumph’s Speed Four – was held in pretty dismal conditions, so I was lucky to have the original copyright free launch shots of me riding the thing from 15 years back, so you will see some sunny shots from way back when and some not so sunny. Secondly this ‘two halves’ concept neatly sums up Triumph’s approach to building 600cc middleweight machines and bikes in general.

You see, Triumph’s model range has always been a little schizophrenic. Sometimes they’ve produced unique machines which have been hard to pigeonhole alongside any Japanese, European or American equivalent, while other times they’ve taken the opposition a little more head-on and almost tried to beat them at their own game.

See overleaf for the low-down on the Speed Four’s older (and faired) sibling the TT600, but suffice to say it tried to take on the Japanese in the hardfought supersports class and lost, for a number of reasons. The TT was launched in 2000 and just two years later out came the Speed Four – essentially a naked version of the bike.

So, why are we making a case for this machine as a future classic? Well, it wasn’t around that long.

Launched in March 2002 it lingered on until 2006, with some being registered in 2007. No changes were made to the bike during its life apart from colour changes and it came in black, roulette green, tangerine orange, a racing yellow and later (2005) a blue option, too. There also aren’t that many out there on the roads. A high point was 2006, with 681 being licensed but now in 2017 just 393 are out there on the roads with a further 200 sat somewhere under a bike cover and SORN’d.

8 / classic motorcycle mechanics

www.classicmechanics.com / 9

I’m telling you now, go find them. Because the Speed Four is a fantastic little bike with all the TT600’s bugs ironed out. Okay, so it’s a little aesthetically challenged – if you don’t like the bug-eyed Speed Triple look – but it’s the sort of naked middleweight that would run rings around a comparable Hornet 600 or Fazer.

That superior performance comes mainly from the bike’s handling. The TT600 always had a sublime chassis but it was saddled with a poor engine. The Speed Four got all the gubbins the TT had: the awesome twin 310mm floating discs and Triumph four-piston calipers and fully-adjustable suspension front and rear – something the opposition such as the SV650, Hornet and Fazer 600 didn’t have. Add in the dropped clip-ons of the TT600 rather than the sit-up-and-beg bars of the Speed Triple and you’ve a sportier middleweight proposition altogether.

The motor was the then-latest version from the TT600, which actually worked well and produced a claimed 97bhp, but the Speed Four got more mid-range thanks in part to shortened air-ducts which jutted out past the fork legs and some fuel-injection changes, all of which made the bike miles better than the TT and Triumph’s best middleweight bike thus far. Usable grunt was had from about 4000rpm but keep the needle above 8000rpm and you were going to have some serious fun.

Around the tight and twisty Cartagena, this joining of chassis, brakes and motor made the Speed Four a winner and all of us were surprised at how good it was. I even wore my sliders down through the leather and to the knee armour I was having so much fun.

Fast forward to a rainy day around Corby and the basics are still there – the Speed Four is a great 10 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Oh how different Corby was a decade or more on from Cartagena...

1

2

3 IN DETAIL: 1/ Cowling is useful, intake trunks boost mid-range.

2/ Speed Four motor more refined than early TT600.

3/ Try and find one with a standard and/or Triumph can.

The good, the bad & the ugly y When it first broke cover late in 1999, the Triumph TT600 was considered the most important British bike of all time.

Why? Well, John Bloor’s Hinckley Triumph had spent the best part of the previous decade improving model-bymodel and here they were, taking on the big boys. Back in the 1990s, the Supersport 600 class was one of the big sellers and Triumph wanted a piece of the action. To do so they built the TT600 with which to take on the Japanese.

Looking back, the TT600 was maybe a bit ‘too much too soon’ for the Hinckley firm.

Triumph’s TT600.

It may have been the first mass-produced 600 with fuel-injection, but it suffered d badly from poor fuelling and a gutless power delivery, meanwhile the chassis and brakes were simply stunning.

Shame the looks weren’t… It was clear from the aesthetics that they were playing safe – it was all a bit ‘CBR600 F-X’ and some of the colour schemes were even identical.

Triumph claimed the TT was faster and more powerful than the YZF-R6 and more practical than the CBR – so why did it come out so badly? Rumours abound that Bloor himself told the development team to get the bike out on time.

As it happened, instead a series of updated engine maps for the fuel-injection system and (in 2002) new pistons, cylinder liners, cams, revised timing and more tweaks to the injection system saw the bike finally have the motor it needed – but of course by then the

Day ytona 650: future classic. competition had moved on.

The launch of the Speed Four showed how good the TT could have been and – of course – the later 2003-on Daytona 600 (with completely new and much better styling) and the later Daytona 650 (2005-06) showed the real potential of that motor which finally matched the chassis.

All these models have a unique place in history, showing – for just six years – what Triumph could do with a supersport inline four. They even won a TT race and a British Supersport race. From 2006, Triumph realized they should stick to doing things differently and produced the superb 675cc three-cylinder Daytona sports and the naked Street Triple.

SPECIFICATION

2002

SPEED FOUR ENGINE TYPE

599cc, liquid-cooled, 16 valve, six-speed, inline four-cylinder MAXIMUM POWER

97bhp @ 11,750rpm MAXIMUM TORQUE

50lb-ft @ 10,500rpm TRANSMISSION

6-speed

FINAL DRIVE

chain

FRAME

Aluminium beam.

little bike. I’m still flabbergasted as to why it didn’t become a big hit at the time. Perhaps it was fated to fail? It was launched at the same time that a fire tore through Triumph’s factory, meaning production was ultimately affected. Also, although it shared the looks of the Speed Triple – save for that beam frame – it didn’t have that characterful triple snarl. On launch it was also £1000 more than the Japanese opposition at £5999 on the road, despite having more adjustability and character.

Today you won’t see many Speed Fours out on the road and a cursory check on a well-known auction site sees just three up for sale, for between £1600 and £2500 – no more expensive than the bikes it out-performed. Issues were few and far between.

Some early Speed Fours suffered from accelerated chain guide wear but owners have said it’s easily cured by going from the original 14 front/42 rear sprockets to a 15 front and 45 rear tooth. The clutch cables can wear as it rubs on the radiator bracket,

but zip-tie tubing or a cable re-route sorts this.

Finally, the rear shock top mounting bolts are too long so owners either swap with a shorter one or put a rubber cap over it so it doesn’t come into contact with anything.

Riding in the rain shows that the small nose cowling above the clocks is more than just a useful wind-break – although you could also buy a ‘Laminar Speed Shield’ which sits atop the cowling. At the time, Triumph did a range of accessories including a seat cover, a radiator protector and a belly-pan.

So, the Speed Four handles, stops, goes well, it can do 120 miles on a tank before reserve, is thoroughly British and is rare. It also comes in some lairy colours and has a chequered history behind it, so it’s a sure-fire shoe-in as a future classic, surely?

Me? I just think it’s a great bike which never really got a fair crack of the whip 15 years back and definitely deserves another look today, whether you ride it in cold Corby or cool Cartagena. cmm

SUSPENSION

Front: Right-way-up 43mm cartridge forks fully adjustable.

Rear: monoshock fully adjustable for pre-load, rebound and compression.

BRAKES

Front: Twin 310mm floating discs, Triumph 4-piston calipers.

Rear: Single 220mm disc, Triumph single-piston caliper.

TYRES

Front 120/70-17 Rear 180/55-17 SEAT HEIGHT

810mm

WHEELBASE

1395mm WEIGHT

170kg (claimed) FUEL CAPACITY

18 litres

www.classicmechanics.com / 11

& events

She’s electric!

So, the current government reckons that by 2040 they will have in place a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel engine cars?

After the last few years of political and national instability, do they really think that looking that far ahead actually works considering the unpredictability of current politics?

Do they think that – at a stroke – we can rid ourselves of the internal combustion engine?

Okay, so motorcycles were not specifically mentioned, but it all sounds like a far-fetched face-saving

See this beastie next issue.

move by the Environment Secretary Michael Gove, you know… that bloke who told us all to vote Brexit before deciding that he wanted to take over the Conservative party, then realised that no-one really liked him.

In our two-wheeled industry some have expressed concern at the news, while the Motor Cycle Industry Association has welcomed the announcement, suggesting that it will serve as an impetus for manufacturers to build more and better electric bikes. Right, okay… so what about all the old ones then? It all sound ds so poorly thought out to us here at CMM… Normally we bikers don’t like beingg ignored when it comes to policy, but perhaps if we’re not mentioned this time it’s a good thing? Will twowheelers escape under the radar?

Either way, the classic scene is still ahead of the game. How? Well, next n month we will show you how a reader Paul Pontin has already built an electric classic by matin ng an electric motor with a Honda MT50! More next issue…

ZERO MILER SOLD D! In our July issue we teased you with some photographs of the unregistered Suzuki RG500 Gamma that was on display at Wheels Motorcycles in Peterborough.

Well, a few months is a long time in CMM land and now the zero miler Gamma is long gone from the Wheels showroom.

Wheels broke the internet when it listed the unregistered stroker on eBay with an asking price of £29,995.

Enquires flooded in from around the world, some more genuine than others! Within less than a month though, a new keeper stepped forward and paid

The most useful gear we’ve we ve found this month

BULL-IT JEANS Now coming in three styles (slim, straight and easy – these are straight) are the Bull-It SR6 Jeans. They have a Covec SR6 liner inside for extra abrasion resistance and pockets for knee e and thigh armour. Waist is 30-54 4, length 30-34, there’s a cargo-styyle too. The price is £149.99.

Visit: www.oxfordproducts.co om

OXFORD HOLTON GLOVES Classically-styled pair of gloves in tan, black or dark brown: o double-layer y palm, adjustable Velcro cro strap p made from fro 10 00% premiu mium aniline leath eather and can e ev be popper even ered ed together when hen not in use! Hurrah!

Hu ! Sizes S to 4XL and £39.99. Go to: to www.oxforrrdp dproducts.com m

DEADPOO OOL HELM LME ET App ppar p parently y (it says ys he here) Deadpooll is a su uper-co ooll wi wise--cracking gM Marvel superhero and – as HJC does the sup Marvvel superhero range – this is the latest lid in the series! It’s the e IS-17 lid, with lightweight she ell, an integral sun-shield, top-notch venting system, rem movable/cleanable interior, micro-buckle retention strap and a quick-release visor system.

Costs £2 249.99 and is available in the normal lid sizes. www.oxfordproducts.com

Motorcycle Live tickets on sale!

This baby went for £26k.

£26,000 for the super Suzuki.

We can’t help but think this will drag RG500 prices even higher than they already are, we will keep our finger on this

12 / classic motorcycle mechanics

particular pulse in our new marketplace feature that starts in November. Yup… keep ’em peeled for a new-look front end to CMM in a couple of months’ time!

Advance tickets for Motorcycle Live, the Motorcycle Industry Association’s flagship show are now on sale and prices have been frozen at 2016 rates.

Motorcycle Live is on for 10 days between November 18 and November 26, 2017, at the NEC Birmingham. Prices are £19.50 per adult, £12 for Seniors, £1 for 11-16 year olds and FREE for children aged 10 and under (under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult).

There is also a £25 advance ticket, which includes entry to the show and a Spada Gonzo bag worth £29.99 (while stocks last).

■ You can read more about the show and book tickets via the website www.motorcyclelive.co.uk