Classic Motorcycle Mechanics May 2021

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING SPARES Always contact franchised dealers first. Don’t assume they won’t have the part you want – they may well have or can order it in for you. Check prices. Don’t assume just because a part is genuine that it’ll be ludicrously expensive. You may be pleasantly surprised. Often used parts can sell, via places like eBay, for more than the cost of new genuine. Avoid getting drawn into online bidding wars, too. A high bid may win you the part, but do you really want to pay £700 for a side-panel? Know your part numbers. This helps dealers and you; sometimes a part is generic and is fitted to several different models, but prices – again through places like eBay – can go through…

We hope you’ve seen the 32-page parts supplement attached with this issue of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics. CMM does its best to highlight the places we can still source the parts needed for our favourite classic Japanese motorcycles and we decided that we wanted to showcase the best places around, not just the UK, but in some cases, the world. The internet and a certain popular auction site have shrunk the world considerably – and made it easier for us to search for parts for our bikes. Now, we don’t want to get political, but parts purchasing from the likes of the USA has always come with the sting of extra charges and now, perhaps, it’s the case from Europe too, post Brexit. We’ve heard that the likes of www.hondarestoration.com won’t ship orders of…

I’m not normally a betting man. In fact I can count the number of times I’ve been into a turf accountants on one hand during my 50 years on this planet, but a bike race made me place my second ever bet. It was the end of July 1993 and I placed an each-way bet on Carl Fogarty finishing on the podium in the forthcoming British 500cc Grand Prix, taking place on August 1. Foggy’s qualifying on the Team Agostini Cagiva (he was fifth if I recall) spurred me on to pop round the corner from the flat I rented to place a fiver each way on a podium placing at the local Ladbrokes. I think the pay-back would have been around £50. Carl had previous other chances on the 500, notably…

BREAKERS’ YARDS BREAKING GOOD! Their spanners often only twirl the one way, but your friendly neighbourhood breaker’s yard can still be a treasure-trove of odds and sods for a restoration or special’s build… Just make sure you take your wallet and a sense of humour. WORDS: BERTIE SIMMONDS PICS: MORTONS ARCHIVE My local breaker’s yard in Kent was a treasure trove of parts and information – and also a hive of friendly banter and mickey-taking. Johnny who ran the place (no second name was ever mentioned, and he liked to keep it that way) had a toilet seat hanging over the very cluttered counter and when a young, green kid came in looking for bits for his or her bike, would dare to ask about the relevance of the loo…

RST ADVENTURE-X SUIT The Pro Series Adventure-X jacket and jean is a must have for all adventure riding – editor Bert swears by his and the latest suit looks better still. Made from MaxTex, with a Ballistic textile in key impact areas for abrasion resistance, a new innovative and removable X-Liner is featured. This is a singular lightweight lining which combines the quilted thermal liner and the SinAqua waterproof membrane. This can be removed easily and stored in the rear jacket map pocket, ideal for longer tours in a variety of environments. CE Certified to Level AA thanks to its ultra-tough construction and CE armour throughout, it is easy to see why Mick Extance specifically chose this jacket to tackle the Dakar in 2020. The jacket costs £249.99 and is available in Black/Black,…

BARGAIN HUNT THE JUMBLE, BOOK! If you think that the days of the auto-jumble are dead – think again! If you want to search out those parts, you may find what you need at a jumble – so go ahead and book! In these days of the internet where you can find almost anything at the touch of a button, many think that the days of the auto-jumble are numbered. To be honest, this is far from the case, as auto-jumbles are still a burgeoning business – all you have to do is attend one to see trestle tables groaning under the weight of parts, or boxes lying on the ground, full of oily bits and pieces that could just harbour that part you’ve been looking for, to finish off…