Classic Motorcycle Mechanics June 2021

very maximum!

It was only a ‘cruiser’, so what could go wrong? This was the line going through my head when I saddled up a Yamaha V-Max for the very first time way back in 1995. Hell, I’d ridden a Honda CBR900RR FireBlade by this point, Suzuki’s GSX-R1100 and many other performance machines, including a Laverda Jota – what would a decade-old Yamaha with a V4 motor derived from a relaxed custom bike do to me? Ha! Easy peasy… And then I rode it. Hellfire! My mistake was not looking where I was going – please wait before you condemn me. There was that little tachometer atop the tank that, when it hit 6000rpm, took off. Literally… Of course, I wanted to ‘watch’, I always had a morbid fascination, be it for immunity jabs,…

rocket men!

Ron Haslam is a living legend. Not only did he have his own very successful racing career, but he helped many young riders in his time and also inspired many more with the Honda Ron Haslam Race School. What’s more, his son Leon followed in dad’s footsteps and is a top-level racer and former British champion. Known as ‘Rocket Ron’ thanks to his amazing push-starts (remember those?), Ron’s career spanned three decades – he lied about his age to race (aged just 15) in 1972 and went on to become TT Formula One champion in 1979 (one of his four British titles) as well as winning three world titles, six Macau GPs and an Isle of Man TT race in 1982. One of his most striking rides was on a standard Honda…

the latest riding kit, top tools, tyres, retro clothing and more !

SHOEI NXR2 HELMET This latest Shoei is a full face helmet, a ‘premium sports’ lid developed to meet the latest ECE22/06 certification. It has an organic fibre and multi-composite fibre layered shell for top shock absorbency and optimum rigidity. There is also an EPS Liner system with multiple densities, a new CWR-F2 Visor with locking mechanism – which is also Pinlock ready and it’s a quick-change system. You’ve got the traditional double d-ring fastener too. The liner is removable and washable, and this well ventilated helmet comes in XXS through to XXL sizes. These lids are available from August 2021, priced from £429.99 for plain and £539.99 for the graphics. www.shoeiassured.co.uk RST FUSION LEATHER AIRBAG JACKET Classic styling is the background for the RST Fusion Airbag Leather Jacket. Tailored from Aniline Cowhide leather…

strat is back!

Stratford Autojumble launched in 2019 and (like most events) had to have a year off in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. For 2021, Stratford Autojumbles are back with new sponsorship from RH Insurance. Both events will be making their return to Stratford-upon-Avon racecourse on June 13 and September 5, and are anticipated to build further upon their success achieved in their debut year in 2019. The team at Mortons has been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that both traders and visitors can enjoy the return of the events safely and is delighted with the response on trade bookings and ticket sales so far. With events such as this being on pause for such a long time, taking steps such as securing sponsorship is a positive move towards getting things back…

jim lindsay 1954-2021

Classic Motorcycle Mechanics is sad to announce the passing of Jim Lindsay, one of our most valued contributors. Editor Bertie Simmonds writes: Jim had only been a friend for the last decade or so, but he’d been a good one. Getting him on board CMM as a contributor was one of my better ideas and, of course, it was an idea I hatched with him over a drink. Jim was the perfect fit for CMM: a former editor of Motor Cycle News no less, as well as editor of Mechanics which later became Performance Bikes magazine. Jim would be part of the management merry-go-round of parent company EMAP until he saw the future of publishing was in the Apple Mac machine. He then formed a successful consultancy called MacMasters as a result,…

scooperman!

What’s the right sort of money to be spending on a project? I ask simply because there are so many opinions on what now seems to be a highly emotive subject within the classic world. Although I warn others not to buy project bikes in boxes, I’ve done enough now and they are always, and without exception, a royal pain. Regardless of what the vendor will tell you, parts will be missing – best let someone with far more enthusiasm, time and money have those apparent bargains. Facebook recently divvied up an original and complete Suzuki B100P, aka The Bloop. It looked tired and careworn, came with that patina of corrosion that only ever comes via a damp shed, but it was unquestionably all there. Even better, it had a current V5C,…