Classic Motorcycle Mechanics August 2021

hello, old friends (and new!)

It was a bizarre thing, this month: meeting friends old and new in a coach park in York. The coach park was kindly ‘loaned’ to Danny Brown, a CMM reader and all-round top bloke who wanted to try and get as many of the fabled 50th Anniversary Hondas together in one place as possible. Despite some long rides (and some longer van drives) for all concerned, more than a handful turned up – as did I. For me, it was a bit of a step back in time, as back in the mid-1990s I was working for a biking newspaper and a magazine, so I recall the story behind the bikes and even rode a few of them. Sadly the guest of honour, Russell Savory, couldn’t make it due to ill health, but…

john wyatt: an appreciation

Sad news for the classic Japanese world – John Wyatt of Rising Sun Restorations passed away on Tuesday, 22 June whilst awaiting heart surgery. For anyone that needed advice on Oriental machinery John was a veritable font of knowledge and was both kind and generous when it came to sharing his expertise. His work was always top class and easily at ‘restorers’ reference’ level which, sometimes, accounted for delays in some customers’ commissions. If you visited his workshop there were generally numerous machines and engines in various stages of rebuild ready to be progressed as and when the correct components turned up. When we visited him back in 2012 John went to some lengths to explain he only wanted to use the correct components and really wasn’t happy to compromise on quality,…

cmm stuff

HJC CARBON RPHA The RPHA 70 Reple is what HJC call a ‘supreme sport-touring helmet, designed for any ride from quick commutes to cross-country cruises’. It’s clearly carbon, lightweight, is a three-star winner from the sometimes confusing SHARP testing/rating and is Smart HJC compatible. Cheek pads are quick-release, you’ve got lots of vents to keep your head cool, and it’s available in all the normal sizes in some funky colourways. www.oxfordproducts.com LASER TOOLS BUTANE GAS TORCH This butane gas torch features a twin-flame head design that offers an even spread of heat, making it suitable for many heating tasks: removing bearing and gears from shafts, shrinking metal panel work or plumbing. It is powered by butane gas fuel — normal lighter gas or a propane mix. The flame can be adjusted hard or soft…

sealey db04 deburring tool

We’ve all been there – a bolt or screw that’s too long; easy enough to hacksaw the excess off but then its file time to regain a lead-in on the cut thread. If you have lot of fixings to sort out this can very be tedious…or not if you have one of these deburring tools to hand. Fit the DB04 into a drill, secure the fixing and then chamfer the rough sawn end in seconds. Unlike cheap versions, this one is happy to sort out stainless steel with ease and will even take on hardened steels. Used one and you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it… it really is that good! www.sealey.co.uk…

deox-c rust remover

When the inevitable happens and that old ‘Fixer-Upper’ you start to work on reveals a rusty, scabby interior to the tank, there are a few choices to address the manky residue. Deox-C is one such contender. I gave it a try first on my B120 that had lain dormant for quite a while in a damp outhouse. As expected the inside of the tank resembled the tools found at the back of an old garage. I used a third of the one-litre pack on the 120; the process is simple. Make a bung for the fuel tap hole, either wood or plastic, put a kettleful of hot water in the tank, now add the Deox, gently agitate, now more hot water (the process works lots better with hot water), continue…

dunlop debuts at stafford!

Michael Dunlop is set to take centre stage at the 2021 Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show on October 9-10. The 19 times TT race winner is the first rider to complete a lap of the most famous road racing course in the world in under 17 minutes, with an average speed of 134mph. He is also the last member of the Dunlop quartet who has dominated motorcycle road racing for more than 40 years. Despite losing his uncle Joey, father Robert and elder brother William on the roads, Michael continues to race and is currently chasing his Uncle Joey’s world record of 26 Isle of Man TT wins. Fans will be able to hear from the man himself as he chats to TT commentator and former champion Steve Plater throughout the weekend. There will…