Real Classic August 2020

How many chances would you give a particular model of motorcycle? What I mean to ask is whether, having suffered a couple of dull experiences with a well-known – not rare – model of bike, you would consider trying another one? And, if the second attempt proved to be less than entirely inspirational, so uninspiring that you sold the bike quite quickly, how many more times would you try again? The reason I’m asking is probably obvious. I’ve been pondering a Triumph 750 Bonnie … again. This seems to happen every few years, and the results are dully predictable. I buy the bike. I ride the bike. I enjoy it, usually apart from the riding position, but after only a few excursions I find myself taking another machine every time I…

Imagine that it was possible to simply wander off to a showroom and order yourself a brand new classic bike. Maybe a Trident, maybe a Bonneville, maybe … a Commando. Step back, adjust your rosy-tint spectacles and admire the bike in these photos – because someone did exactly that in 2010, and this was the result. Noted Norton specialists the Norvil Motorcycle Company, of deepest Burntwood, have built several new Commandos over the years, and although I’ve ridden a few of them before they were delivered to their proud new owners, riding someone’s P&J before they actually receive it does constrain the enthusiasm a little. With this 2010 example … not so much. Before I start to consider the bike, let’s get the riding thing out of the way. A bit…

It was great to see John Hunter’s letter in RC195 about his Kawasaki Z750B twin. With the short rear mudguard it looks like an import from the US, which is where most were sold as it was a limited sales success in the UK. John points out that it was 60 to 80lb heavier than the Commando, ‘a massive difference’. I’ve owned two Norton 850 (828cc) Commando Interstates, one a 1974 Mk2A from 1974/76 and later a Mk3 from 1983 to 1994, and I bought a new Kawasaki Z750B1 twin in 1976. I know that you need to look more carefully at the numbers. The original 750 Commando Fastback weighed 420lb. The Z750 twin was listed at 480lb dry, although I’ve seen elsewhere that it was actually a tank half-full weight.…

I decided to buy a motorbike. A very specific bike that had been calling to me via eBay. A 1978 BMW R100S to be precise. I had ridden one extensively 27 years previously and, well, nostalgia and stuff. It had been my dad’s old bike; the DOB. He had tried to fit it with a Honda fairing for some reason, and when that went wrong he left it in the back of the garage in disgust. I was 19 and in need of transport. My old, knackered Yamaha DT50 (circa early 1980s) which I had ridden since I was 16 just couldn’t cut it anymore. So of course a monstrous litre bike was the natural progression. Stripping off the horrible fairing (a Honda Silverwing offering, I seem to recall) the DOB revealed…

Would you wear plus fours? No, because your friends would laugh at you. Similarly, you wouldn’t wear a top hat (unless you were a throw-back MP) as you would look foolish. However, you would probably wear a pair of old jeans, simply because they are cool. And 1960s Triumph Bonnevilles have this cool factor. To this I could attest when a couple of young hipsters both rolled up on such machines at a Haynes ride-in. One had a 1967 and the other a 68 Triumph Bonneville, and they were rightly proud of their steeds. But why would they choose a 60s Triumph over a modern machine? Style, of course. However, not everyone wants the unreliability of a classic bike, especially if you have one or two already. Factor in the high…

Triumph list a baker’s dozen (perhaps that should be a biker’s dozen?) of models in their modern classic line-up; roadsters, retros, café racers, cruisers and street scramblers. All employ the current sohc 270-degree eight-valve liquid-cooled parallel twin engine, in its 900 or 1200 capacities, and varying states of tune. Peter’s Speed Twin is near the top of the range with the 1200 motor delivering 96bhp at 6750rpm and 112Nm of torque at 4950rpm. All the 900s can be supplied with a restrictor kit to make them A2 licence compliant – and they’re so user-friendly and confidence inspiring that you might want to steer the next generation in that direction… BONNIE T100 / BLACK: the entry-level 900 offers 54bhp from its mildly-tuned 900 motor but still generates a hefty 80Nm at an…