Real Classic

As soon as Spring springs, I feel a wholly predictable and indeed irresistible need to drag out several old bikes to see whether they'll start. I have no idea why I need to do this. A chap can ride only one bike at a time, and as I'm cheerful to admit, the vast majority of my actual distance riding is accomplished aboard whichever of the modern machines is on the road for the year. This year's justification for dragging innocent machinery from sometimes quite lengthy periods of hibernation is that I've decided to sell one or two of them. Maybe more, should opportunity arise. Why? Because I've decided to attempt to complete the work necessary to turn a couple of my long-neglected but favourite machines into objects of wonder and…

RealClassic DAVE WILLIAMS’ TRITON Triton. For those who remember it first time around, the name flips the on-switch in the memory bank, and the mind images start rolling on your mental screen. Jailhouse Rock, Kid Creole, Bill Haley and the Big Bopper. Brylcreem on your hair, espresso coffee in the cup, white chin scarves and if you wore a helmet at all, it was a pudding basin. Mods and rockers, juke box jives, Bank Holiday punch-ups on Brighton beach, and anyone who rode a bike that wasn't British needed their head examined. Which you might very well oblige by undertaking with the aid of a bicycle chain and a set of knuckledusters - although Harleys were OK if you could afford one, but few could back then in grimy, impoverished, post-war…

PO BOX 66 BUDE EX23 9ZX HANG ’EM HIGH Fitting the cast iron barrel on my 850 Commando presented a heavy challenge for a solo mechanic. How to do it with no help? I devised a scheme to suspend the barrel from the ceiling, mounting the crankcases directly underneath on my motorcycle lift. I fitted ring compressors and gradually lifted the cases up to the barrel, a fraction at a time. If a picture is worth 850 words then the sequence will show the scheme worked. Hope this helps out the weak of arm, such as I am. Great mag, keep up the good work. Tony Cording, member Thanks for this, Tony. Great idea! I am hoping against hope that I'll not need to remove the barrels from my Commando…

I just read Frank's account of work on the Commando: absolutely brilliant. It reads like a Booker prize-winning novel; finding good bits, bad bits, fixing it and finally finding that it runs, ticks over and revs up. I bet his face ached from the smile. I didn't stop reading til the end. Anyone who has repaired old engines will know the feeling and elation when you've fixed a problem. It's why we do it, I suppose. Thanks for a smashing magazine and the contributors that really make it special. Adrian Bland, member The Commando is ready for the road. But… DVLA refused to register it! Must try harder. Frank W…

I have been reading Frank's shed adventurers with the Norton. To remove damaged cross-head screws I found some cross-head ‘easy outs'from the middle isle in Aldi.They have got me out of trouble many times. You need an electric drill, on low power on the reverse setting. The easy-outs are sized so pick the one that best fits. The heads are made to grip on undo so apply pressure and start drilling. Just keep it moving slowly. If the screw breaks off it should release the pressure. Sometimes the easy-out head will shear off but at £3.99 I always have two sets on standby. Thanks to everyone at RCHQ for your continued hard work on producing a great magazine Jacko Jackman, member Sad to say, but although I have attempted to…

I have been following the petrol/ethanol discussion with interest. Perhaps I have been lucky but I have never had any issues with stale fuel, deteriorated seals or gummed up carburettors. Never drain fuel tanks or carbs during lay-up and don't use fuel stabilisers. I've had a couple of old bikes in the garage for the last seven months or so. Charged the batteries, turned on the fuel, primed and kicked and they both start and run fine. One started first kick after priming, the other took a little more effort but always has. Perhaps regional fuel quality differs? Who knows, life is mysterious. The Rudge story in RC228 was great. The two bikes really did look difficult to tell apart, which left me slightly puzzled by the picture of the…