Classic Motorcycle Mechanics June 2015

PECULIAR PE-TARd

TZR250

Enduro PE turns urban

Buyer’s ’s Guide

ALL THAT’S BEST IN MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLING ISSUE NO.332 JUNE 2015

Why the Honda CX500 is a curious, cool classic

Honda CB550 Four ridden

Skills:

Cosmetic shock restoration

Knowledge:

Honda SS125 engine build

PROJECT BIKES: MACKENZIE’S RD400, WHITHAM’S X7, YAMAHA OW01, YAMAHA TDR250, PROJECT RICKUKI

❙ KNOWLEDGE SET UP A WORKSHOP ❙ SKILLS CHEAP TOOLS ❙ CLASSIFIEDS BUYING & SELLING TIPS ❙ Q&A

June 2015 Issue 332 Publisher: Steve Rose, srose@mortons.co.uk Contributors: Mark Williams Art Editor: Justin Blackamore Reprographics: Simon Duncan, Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Divisional advertising manager: David England, dengland@mortons.co.uk Advertising: Sam Dearie, Lee Buxton sdearie@mortons.co.uk, lbuxton@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 524004 Subscription manager: Paul Deacon Circulation manager: Steven O’Hara Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Publishing director: Dan Savage Commercial director: Nigel Hole Associate director: Malc Wheeler 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. Distribution: COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. Tel: 01895 433600 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: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 Advertising deadline: Monday June 1, 2015 © 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

Crabby or quirky classic?

Perspective, is everything. Show two artists the same tree and they’ll paint two different pictures. Our opinions differ and that’s part of the rich tapestry of life. It would be boring if we were all the same, wouldn’t it?

It’s the same when it comes to our chosen hobby. We won’t bang on about the 1990s stuff here, as we think we need to move with the times and include future classics (and have you seen the prices of 1990s bikes rise recently?) but we’re talking simply about points of view.

It is amazing how different our views can be.

Having been on more than a few comparison road tests in my time as a motorcycle journalist, you could swap between various motorcycles and form some pretty strong opinions, only to find that the complete

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

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ds Bertie Simmon editor

Bertie Simmonds

James Whitham

Chris Moss

bertie@classicmechanics.com Make a point of going to any bike or engineering museum this summer.

Brooklands was a real eye-opener

editorial@classicmechanics.com It’s been hard to keep Whit quiet this month. Not only is his X7 project coming along he’s got another!

editorial@classicmechanics.com Double dollop of Mossy this month. He rides the CX500 and goes straight four the jugular with the CB550. Get it?

Steve Cooper

Mark Haycock

John Nutting

editorial@classicmechanics.com Scoop has been busy as usual this month. Project Rickuki is still moving on and he’s been sorting shocks.

editorial@classicmechanics.com Two pages this month for Q&A from the Kingpin of Questions. And he asks whether cheap tools do the job.

editorial@classicmechanics.com Smooth, sophisticated and full of flair.

But enough about the Yamaha TR1, Nutters isn’t a bad old cove, really.

Stan Stephens

Paul Berryman

Niall Mackenzie

editorial@classicmechanics.com In the next instalment of setting up a workshop our Stan has some very pressing needs indeed.

editorial@classicmechanics.com Our esteemed and very verbose PB reveals the love of his life as he begins Project OW01 this month.

editorial@classicmechanics.com Excited by the wave of nationalism north of the border, our man Mack is well on with his RD400 project.

Don Morley

Joe Dick

Andy Bolas

editorial@classicmechanics.com Don took Bertie around Brooklands and mourns the passing of his hero, the legend Geoff Duke.

editorial@classicmechanics.com We say congrats to Joe on his impending nuptials and go ga-ga at his Yamaha TR1 images.

editorial@classicmechanics.com Andy is the VJMC’s man for picking out tomorrow’s classics. And this month he’s also helping with a TDR resto.

The Museum Master!

Older/nicer stuff editor

Independent publisher since 1885

opposite viewpoint was shown by the other road tester. It happens all the time, so it’s understandable that with the passage of time these individual viewpoints become sharper and more important.

The CX500 above engenders fierce debate: classic or crap? At the time it was a quirky machine which found its niche (eventually) as a commuter and courier machine. Now, it’s being recalled fondly, despite technical issues and questionable aesthetics.

But who cares? Do whatever floats your boat or spins your crank, I say. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. A classic is a classic in the eye of the beholder.

Lord of the piston rings

Legendary photographer

Professional Northerner

The Q&A king

Yamaha OW01 man...

Super snapper man!

Quick spin queen

Master of MIRA!

Professional Scotsman

Crystal-ball gazing chap

www.classicmechanics.com / 3

Contents

69

❙ WORKSHOP NEWS

72

❙ Q&A

76

❙ PROJECT HONDA SS125

80

❙ PROJECT RD400

Mossy enjoys this fantastic Honda four.

82

❙ STAN STEPHENS

13

NEWS

87

❙ CHEAP TOOLS!

18

CALENDAR

90

❙ YAMAHA TDR250

20

44

94

FEEDBACK

HONDA CX500

❙ PROJECT SUZUKI X7 ❙ YAMAHA OW01

SHOW US YOURS

52

96

PIP’S PE-TARD!

98

58

❙ PROJECT RICKUKI

YAMAHA TR1 110

66

❙ YAMAHA TZR250

YAMAHA V-MAX

Forget the overpriced modern V-Max, what about a tasty café racer?

122

❙ SHOCK AND AWE

NEXT MONTH

127

❙ COMING CLASSIC

06 08

22

ARCHIVE

The all-round ability of Ian Simpson.

1974 HONDA CB550

Old bike values stiffen, and what’s new.

June should see more sun and fun.

Without you, we are nothing – so keep mail coming.

Lovely metal and restos from your sheds.

26

NOSTALGIA

30

NOSTALGIA

39

DYNO DAY

Jon Robinson on his 36-year affair with an X7.

Brooklands Museum visited

by Bertie and Don Morley.

We came, we saw, we ate curry. Burp!

129

That man Moss on the maggot.

Pip Higham’s lovely PE enduro now a motard!

MIRA Files on this forgotten Yam.

JB rides a H1. Hmmmm…

Pip and bits and pieces.

Your questions answered.

Part three and it’s time to rebuild.

Niall Mackenzie’s latest lovely!

Pressing needs in the workshop?

Mark Haycock with advice on what works and what doesn’t.

A young lady’s special project

James Whitham on the hoarding nature of a resto-man!

Paul Berryman introduces us to his lovely homologation special.

Scoop on the latest on his one-off special. How’s it hanging?

Head-banger race-rep buyer’s guide.

Sort out rear shocks’ aesthetics.

Andy Bolas on why the Yamaha TRX850 is a sure-fire classic.

www.classicmechanics.com / 5

1974

WORDS: CHRIS MOSS PHOTOS: GARY CHAPMAN

N

o doubt about it, the opportunity was attractive.

At long last, I was going to get the chance to ride a 70s air-cooled four-cylinder Honda for the first time. All the fours were big news to me in my very earliest days of biking, and I used to love reading about them in the press.

Swotting up on up their features and specs, and gawping at the pics in the road tests meant I knew all there was to know (well as much as you can without riding them anyway) about the 400, 550 and 750 models. In fact, as I smoked around the nation on my RD250 in ’77, I had ambitions to own a 400/4 as soon as I was licensed to go further up the biking ladder.

In the end I missed the middleweight rung and bought a GS1000, but the Honda fours definitely made their mark on an impressionable young Moss.

Spotting the 550 Four down at Classic Superbikes in Hampshire sent my thoughts straight back to those teenage years. The trademark finned sohc motor, chromed four pea-shooter pipes, green-faced clocks, chunky switchgear and a host of other generic Honda features helped reverse time.

A real beauty; the bike gave the impression it hadn’t had to endure many, if any, UK winter miles during its 40-year

8 / classic motorcycle mechanics

life. When I learned the ’74 bike was one of the first K0 models, originally only sold in the US, my thoughts were borne out. They had me imagining it an leading easy life cruising along sunny Californian highways.

Down in Hampshire the big orange ball was doing a fairly good impression of brightening the landscape and glinting off the Honda’s chrome. The prospect of popping off to do a few miles on it was most appealing. Mind you, I wasn’t really sure how high to set the bar of expectation. Given how old the 550 was, and knowing just how much bikes have come on since then, I suspected it might fall short a bit. In some ways it very much did. But that turned out to be its beauty, and once I appreciated the calming effect of its more modest performance, the two hours or so I spent on it turned out to be really therapeutic. Just getting it fired up offered a reminder of days of old.

The old-style procedure of reaching down to the ignition switch traditionally mounted under the front of the tank, and setting the carbmounted choke lever brought a nostalgia-induced grin. Sounds of the keenly spinning starter motor, giving way to a subdued mechanical engine

www.classicmechanics.com / 9

so you can joy in our pages, d an e id pr R U YO ers.

We want to see e with fellow read or st re d an e rid u share what yo .co.uk or mail immonds@mortons bs to s ot sh s -re ag. Let us know Email your hi the front of the m at s es dr ad e th and after in some photos to it and send before ne do ve u’ yo w ho and ertie what you’ve done Do get in touch. B shots if you can.

Paul Starling’s 1993 Yamaha YZF750 Here is my 1993 Yamaha YZF750R that I bought off eBay in 2011. It had previously been stolen then dumped in a hedge when they couldn’t get it started. It then sat in the guy’s shed for the next five years.

I wanted to build a tribute to James Whitham’s 1993 British Superbike Fast Orange machine. I started by stripping the bike fully and then refurbishing/overhauling each part by hand while replacing all of the bearings, seals and consumables. All of the work was done by me, including the paint using rattle cans with the decals supplied and fitted by Image Works in Derby before I lacquered over them and cut and polished to a finish.

The bodywork was a major headache as all of the panels where cracked and broken, so there was a lot of time spent fixing them before I started painting.

The bike benefits from a 2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R fully adjustable rear shock with swingarm modified to suit, 1997 YZF750SP front forks, 2008 Yamaha R1 front calipers and master cylinder, HEL braided lines, EBC sintered HH pads, K&N air filter, Yoshimura end can, EBC heavyduty clutch springs and a replica YZF750SP seat unit.

One of the ongoing issues I had was with the carbs that had been pulled apart and damaged badly in a vice before I bought

22 / classic motorcycle mechanics

KIT WINNER

the bike. In the end I gave up and bought a set off eBay. Now it runs and rides as good as it looks.

All told, the bike has taken me just over a year, working many evenings and weekends and sourcing mostly used parts from eBay and shows. It would be great to see the bike in print as it’s been a labour of love and these YZF750s don’t seem to get the coverage they deserve.

any We’ve teamed up with The Hobby Comp a www.hobbyco.net which distributes Tamiy our give to UK the in kits cycle motor plastic favourite restoration one of its amazing motorcycles in miniature. So, send in your the pictures of your bikes and you could win chance to indulge in a miniature motorcycle restoration of your own. Remember to send your name and address on each submission so we know where to post the kit.

Christopher Mackintosh’s Yamaha TZR250 2MA Hi guys, here is my Yamaha TZR250 2MA. I bought it three years ago and it was a dog! The engine did run but everything I took off it needed replacing.

No.2 powervalve was badly worn and the YPVS servo, brain and loom were knackered. Baffles had been cut out, rubber intakes were perished, aluminium was oxidised, wheel bearings shot, chain and sprockets had seen better days, there was a hole in the fuel tank, plastics were broken or missing... the list is endless.

But now it’s back up and running. The wheels needed painting as I was going to put paintwork back to standard but decided to jazz it up a little. The mechanical stuff was done by yours truly with a little help and encouragement from George Miller at Miller Motorcycles in Darlington.

A lot of spares came from Roadrunner Spares and the stunning paintwork was all done by Sarah at Saragon Custom Paint, also in Darlington. No decals here, it’s all paint: a real labour of love!

Bruce Favill’s 1982 Honda CB750SC Nighthawk I bought this 1982 Honda CB750SC Nighthawk in scrap condition. Everything was seized, broken or rusted. After four years, loads of cursing and skinned knuckles I don’t think it turned out too badly. Very briefly, everything was either mended, welded, replaced with new, de-rusted, painted, oiled, greased, recovered or polished. Hope you like it.

Martin Wellsted’s Kawasaki Z1300 Hi Bertie, I’ve just been reading about the Z1300 in the February issue. Here’s mine, done out in Eddie Lawson colours, and I see you did a test of an ELR replica in the May issue. My Z1300 shares garage space with a Z900, a ZRX1100 in Eddie Lawson green and a newly arrived Z250 A1 to be restored this year.

www.classicmechanics.com / 23

M ’ M C / s on

Gibs

d time was o o g a d n a l Apri in Essex in ches to see a d e e b n e e p th p a d h e rm Yes, D-Day immonds sto at power!

S ie rt e B . ll ade wh had by a what bike m

E

Strokers as far as the eye could see!

ven an early morning start didn’t see me turn up on time for the second Gibson’s/CMM Dyno day.

The best thing about getting lost just 10 miles from Gibson’s Exhausts HQ was that I was on two wheels, the sun was shining and I made it in the end.

Hurrah for modern smartphones even if the operator of it (me) was far from smart.

Turning up 30 minutes late did mean that the place was already rocking. “If you had been on time you’d have been on your own,” said Gibbo’s boss Tony Greenslade.

“No-one turned up until 10 minutes ago, now it’s getting busy.” And indeed it was.

It seemed as if the good weather had finally brought out the bikers. Chatting to many of the assembled throng it seemed that the majority of the attendees were local, but also a good number had made the trip up from Kent and the Midlands: a big shout out goes to the Kent 2 Strokers for leaving a noticeable trail of blue smoke from the Garden of England up to Essex and back down again. www.classicmechanics.com / 39

They also showed that the next generation of classic bikers are thriving with Aprilia RS125-mounted Mark Robinson and Yamaha TZR125-mounted Josh Hobbs.

Top work lads!

With the lunchtime treat of chicken curry simmering away (thanks to spannerman-cum-chef Phillipe Vandewalle) it was time to load up the dyno and see what the scores on the doors would be.

As per usual there was the standard fayre of ribbing, joshing and joking about what the dyno results would be, but (as per boxout) many people who let Tony lash their bikes to his rolling road seemed to have done so before as many were pretty much spot on. Giggle of the day comes from Charlie Harrison who – before his dyno run with his Triumph – simply put ‘double figures’ for his rear-wheel bhp guestimate.

For our full run-down check out the list, but honourable mentions must be made to a couple of people. Firstly, many of us were impressed with the good power Peter Redywell’s funny-front-ended Foale made: as good an advert for the old oil/air-cooled TSCC Suzuki lumps as you could find, read on to see what it made, but he also invested a further tenner in a second run as he’d brought along a Yoshimura bolt-on can to see if that made much difference too. His quirky machine drew many quizzical looks on the day as you don’t really see many around.

Other big four-strokes spinning their cranks for bhp included Steve Beer’s immaculate Suzuki TL1000S, which was right on the money for his guestimate of 115bhp when it made half a pony less than that.

In comparison it was interesting to see a more modern SV1000 make 106.4… Graham Monk’s stunning Honda

40 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Above: different bikes, different people. Magic! below: lovely Kenny Roberts rep Powervalve.

CX650 Turbo hit almost 86bhp and Phil Watson’s Triumph Daytona (after some corrective chain slackening) impressed with 129.8bhp. Biggest power of the day came from Tony Buchan’s modern-day SMT Kawasaki ZX-10R British Superbike-spec Ninja with 199bhp expected and it delivering 189.9bhp.

Dyno-clearer of the day was the methanol-powered four-cylinder grasstrack sidecar which was tethered to the dyno with some difficulty, before making a noise at full chat like the devil himself breaking wind and filling the dyno room with a thick, acrid smoke which saw all but those on breathing apparatus have to head outside…

End result was around 100bhp, but no-one who attended will forget the sight and sound.

Strokers were clearly in the majority on the day.

Tracey Hanley came on a tidy Yamaha R1-Z 250, Chris Thompson (no stranger to CMM’s pages) got a respectable 75.2bhp from his YPVS, Alan Perrin was pleased with 50.9 from his stock YPVS N1, Andy Davies’ Yamagamma hit 58.7bhp while Jason Hills’ Retro Reboot-esque RD with 385cc motor was impressive with 81.7bhp.

With the late afternoon sun disappearing over Romford’s light industrial units, people began to trickle home having had their fill of Phillipe’s excellent curry and many lungfuls of two and four-stroke exhaust gasses.

Taking stock on another excellent day it reminded us all that old bikes are the best bikes. cmm

PIP HIGHAM’S SPECIAL

e’s a bit of h k in th e w but be humble, mour and engineering y a m m a h u Hig er all only h ate the Petard! ft a . s iu n e g a ould cre excellence c PiP HigHam ondS and Simm os: Bertie Ham Phot ig H P Pi : Words

52 / classic motorcycle mechanics

P

ayment for work performed can take many varied forms, a box of eggs for a repaired exhaust stud, or perhaps a few high-speed drills in a swap for a bit of welding and the like.

I’m happy to barter bits for work in either direction. A couple of times people have given me full bikes. My friend Stuart donated a complete Placcy 90 for a rebuild I did on his Morris 8 engine. So when Bob pitched up with the remains of a bike as a ‘thank you’ for a few jobs I’d done for him I was interested to see the contents of his Vito. The remains of a PE175 in a state of partial dismemberment took me back on my little voyage to wonderland after I’d parted company with my own PE on Pendine Sands many years ago. But concussion always leaves a mark.

I loved my PE and after the first one I subsequently acquired some more, so me and the PE have got history.

If you’ve never taken a close look at a PE have a squint and clock a collection of exceptionally nice components melded into a compact package designed to make nomarks like me almost look like they know what they’re doing when they go ‘off road’. Mind you it didn’t stop me from wrecking myself: on a flat beach, too!

The air-cooled engine is a jewel, six speeds, bags of finning, reed valve induction and lots of transfer ports make for near motocross performance but with a more linear delivery that is unlikely to cause too much embarrassment when you hit the powerband at an awkward moment, however, don’t underestimate the kick in the arse that the PE can deliver, it’s no TS185, all pleasantness and good manners. It will loft the front wheel in most of the gears and keep it there provided you have the bottle, ability, balance and location. In my case, I just used to fall off.

While surveying the collection of bits I revisited the times I’d had on mine, but then I realised that I wasn’t actually a very good off-roadist and even more to the point, the PE would make a great little on-road bike, and I wouldn’t have to clean it as often. I hatched a plot to find some wheels and forks with the associated bits to bolt them on to the PE chassis to make a mid-size Motard: what could possibly go wrong?

Part of my life philosophy is that it’s generally simpler to beg forgiveness than to ask permission so braving the wrath of Bob, (I had sort of told him that I would rebuild the scoot as nature intended) I set to with hacksaw in hand to remove any odd bits that got in the way of progress and distil the bike down to absolute basics. As I inspected the bits it was clear that the poor thing had

Pip’s a wee man, so loves his tiddlers – is this the ultimate urban traffic buster? He’s got a lovely SDR200 which we will see in a future issue.

seen significant abuse: the motor was in a gazillion bits, most of which were polluted with sand, rust and sundry gears and shafts that didn’t appear to belong. The exhaust system and rear shocks were completely mullered and many bits required lots of TLC. I soon came up with a vision.

I love the running gear on the Aprilia RS125 so, armed with a tape measure and a pocket full of tenners I visited my local breakers and came away with a pair of early RS wheels with assorted sprocket carriers, discs, spindles etc and a set of the later, radial-braked front forks with yokes and a nice caliper and master cylinder to suit. The rear wheel installation was tricky as I had to keep the chain line as close as possible to the edge of the rear tyre, this meant that I had to machine the carrier to allow the sprocket to sit 6mm further inboard.

I’m very particular about this aspect of any engine/rear wheel swappery, the rear wheel must be dead central in the chassis otherwise the handling will never work. My normal technique here is to use a string line from the centre of the steering head in-line with the top frame tube, this must lie at the exact centre of the rear tyre and everything else follows from this basic measurement.

It’s a distinct possibility that the choice of chain may be critical here: an O-ring heavy-duty chain is considerably wider than a non O-ring version, so take care! www.classicmechanics.com / 53

retro Yamaha V-Max cafÊ racer If Yamaha used its V-Max engine for anything else, it might just look like this‌

66 / classic motorcycle mechanics

C

The V-Max is a heavy beast at 310kg and you feel every kilo of that on the road, hence we’ve stripped the chassis right back to bare essentials though we’re still using the main cast alloy frame albeit modified for a shorter wheelbase. No pillion provision (and a shortened subframe), lighter wheels, brakes, suspension and smaller silencers. Gone is the massive king and queen V-Max seat too. We reckon 250kg is much easier to throw around those bends.

The V-Max is a fantastic bike with an impressive engine, however the price tag is as eye-watering as the performance so what better way to recoup some R&D costs by using it in our café roadster? The figures are impressive: 1679cc of heavyweight V4, almost 180bhp and 112lb-ft of torque will allow easy overtakes without any need to change gear. We reckon the bike also needs a dollop of the VBoost that the original had. We’re working on that...

BODYWORK

ENGINE

CHASSIS

afé racers were named after the British rockers who would ride their bikes from transport café to transport café in the 1960s. Basically a lightweight machine with solo seat, low handlebars and a stretched fuel tank they were built more for speed than comfort.

Go forward to 1985 and Yamaha has launched the SRX600, a single-cylinder machine to take on the equivalent Honda XBR500. With neat roadster styling the SRX was light and nimble. Fast forward again two decades to 2005 and Yamaha unveils its MT-OS concept at the Paris show.

This time it’s a V-twin in café racer styling with a small half fairing and is well received.

Unfortunately the bike Yamaha eventually gave us was the tedious and pedestrian MT-01 so we decided to have a stab at our own Yamaha café racer: anyone for tea and scones?

The original V-Max had the motor as the dominating presence – it was basically an engine with a wheel either end. We’ve gone back to that with minimal bodywork, losing the oversized air scoops in the process so the bike is visually lighter than before too. The LED headlight is a nod to the concept MT-OS while the fuel tank boasts twin fillers for the wide tank. So… did you want one lump or four? cmm

What do you think? Is this the best home for the

modern V-Max engine? Or does the original of 1985 still light your fire? Let us know! www.classicmechanics.com / 67

Part three

Theatre of Dreams

In the latest of his ‘how to build a workshop’ our Stan starts to look at some essential workshop equipment.

O

ver the last few months I’ve written a couple of articles in CMM on how to start and set-up a small specialist motorcycle-based workshop business. The idea was to pass on my experience to readers contemplating taking the plunge of turning what had been a hobby into a business.

In this current article and a few in the future I will be covering/testing some of the essential equipment needed, which is handy as I am re-equipping my workshop at the moment.

For the past few years since selling my Brands Hatch workshop I have been running my business from a purpose-built workshop attached to my house but recently we decided to sell our house. The estate agent didn’t like 82 / classic motorcycle mechanics

These parts become a press which is a workshop must-have.

Simple solutions: Buy once and buy right: get the right equipment for your uses.

We will be continuing Stan’s guide to a good workshop in future CMM’s.

the idea of a workshop as part of the house so he suggested that the property would sell better if the workshop was converted into a ‘granny’ annexe/flat. This we did and moved my workshop into an out-building until we moved to another house. Then we decided not to move! I had relocated my milling machine and my large hydraulic press and a few other large pieces of machinery to a friend’s workshop a few miles away until we moved house, so instead of my centrally heated workshop with all mod cons I was having to buy some new equipment for my new home in the out-building, just the same as someone setting up a small workshop.

One piece of equipment I needed was a small hydraulic press. I still had my large press, but it meant a trip to my pal’s place to use it. A press is invaluable in a workshop no matter what part of the motorcycle trade you have chosen to enter. Presses come in all shapes and sizes and you will know your own requirements. My large press cost me £3000 more than 25 years ago and it must have repaid me many times over with the thousands of cranks I have rebuilt, but what I needed now was a small bench-located press.

I have been in workshops and seen mechanics knocking out bearings with hammers and drifts and seen them fitting new ones the same way! How much more efficient to press them out and press the new ones in.

Here we see the Sealey press assembled and ready to earn for us!

It only takes seconds and the bearing comes out and goes in square with no damage to the housing, the same with fitting seals. If a seal isn’t fitted squarely it will not seal properly and it will wear quickly and unevenly. On engines with metalastic rubber engine mountings I know of one motorcycle workshop

RD500 gear-box bearings; don’t tap them in, use a press.

that burns out the rubber with a blow-lamp and then saws through the steel sleeves with a hacksaw, it takes them about a day’s work to remove and refit with a hammer and steel drift; what a bodge! With a press it’s simple and quick and no mess.

There are three or four machinery

Fitting gear-box seals with the help of a press. www.classicmechanics.com / 83

Next month

KAWASAKI H1: Jon Bentman on the magical Kawasaki stinkwheel.

MOTORCYCLING MADMAN: In the nicest possible sense – meet a man who madly modifies classics.

CMM LOWDOWN ON: Tyres! Why modern rubber helps your classic!

QUICK SPIN: Chris Moss rides a Hinckley hunk of metal – the Triumph Sprint Sport.

RETRO REBOOT: A Midual made new…

PLUS! WORKSHOP: Stan Stephens salvages a badly damaged head, Pip Higham fixes things for feck-all again (honest, he does this time…) while Scoop fixes fuel taps.

JULY PROJECT BIKES: Steve Parrish returns with his Yamaha FZ750 Superstocker with a Gibson pipe on it, no less, Alan Dowds returns with his Kawasaki ZRX1100 and Mark Haycock buys another 1970s Yamaha, this time a TX500. Will we ever learn?

AND LOTS MORE DON’T MISS IT!

ON SALE: JUNE 17 All subject to change.

Feel free to complain to the editor (sometimes it’s not his fault!)

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