Classic Bike Guide

11-page Japanese Bike Guide All the best bikes rated BUY  SELL  RIDE  RESTORE JANUARY 2023 Harley- Davidson XLH Sportster Rare and original D10o0 yueagrsloaldsanDd Tsti5ll raScinpgeedway fun INVESTIGATION: Indian fuel tanks A bargain solution or expensive headache?



26 28 38 44 50 59 84 88 92 To pre-order your next issue of Classic Bike Guide, head to classicmagazines.co.uk/pre-order-cbg Alternatively, scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today. We will send it directly to you! Save time by not having to nip to the shop! CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 3

Contents #010 006 From our archive 028 Douglas DT5 Speedway 059 Japanese Bike Guide Not Scoot at the Antarctic, bike Eleven pages of Far East greatness! but Scotts at the TT Competing on a 100-year-old There’s something for everyone here bike has never been such fun 010 Harley-Davidson 072 Reader adverts Sportster XLH 034 What’s on Grab a bargain now, so you’ve time to Original, rare example of the There’s still plenty to do those little jobs before summer most important Harley ever do, so wrap up warm 084 Hutch’s workshop tips 018 Next month 036 Letters A dragonfly refuses to come apart A rather splendid Suzuki Tell us your stories, and let and the manual doesn’t help GS1000 adorns next month us know what you think 088 We have a go at: Morini 020 Subscriptions 038 Your guide to: Ariel wheel bearings Save money with a subscription Arrow Oli has a go at wheel bearings and have it delivered free A brave design and quick on track, with no puller in his kitchen? we look at a Super Sports 022 News 092 Investigation: Are All the goings-on in our 044 Your guide to: Silk Sabre Indian tanks any good? world of old bikes Mk.2 Cheap petrol tanks from India Rarely seen, but with a race- are highly tempting, but are 024 We bought one – Herald chassis, the Silk is one to behold they worth the risk? Brat 125 Oli buys a Herald 125 Brat... 050 Frank Westworth on the 098 Frank’s Last Word is it teenager-proof? Triumph TR6 If you have the space, A popular machine, but Frank looks you’re gonna fill it... 026 New Norton Commando at why he rates it so highly After inheriting two models, has the new Norton fixed them? 4 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Welcome Merry Christmas and a happy new year! Firstly, from Oli, Maria, Neville, just right, they’ll cruise with modern Butch, John, Hutch and Chelley, Steve traffic, and their lights actually work. But and myself, thank you for reading looking at our lucky misfit-collection of the magazine. We hope you’re having bikes, I am not disappointed. The 45-year- good festive time and – burp! old BMW gives me modern motoring speeds and a 200-mile range (it also has Back in November, I went to the bike a pannier door that keeps spreading show, or Motorcycle Live! as they call its contents behind me, but that’s our it now. I believe it may be my 23rd in a secret…). The BSA gives off-road, if gentle, row and enjoy it every time, meeting ability with its trail tyres and gives that up, watching people’s reactions to new time warp ride when you fancy escaping machines, and seeing new ‘stuff’. There this oft stressful world. are some exciting bikes coming out, as well as smaller businesses going strong. Having said all that, the Tribsa is now AJS, CCM, Mac, Herald, Ural, Fantic and apart again in an attempt to keep all its even Dot were there, showing new wares oil inside, the BSA needs the plungers alongside the big boys. Norton was in rebuilding as it’s on the wonk, and even attendance, too, which was good to see. I the Honda café racer needs work after it think my favourite was the Dot Reed Racer, decided to short itself out on the frame. though the Triumph racer on the National Still, what else is one to do when fields Motorcycle Museum stand was corking of sugar beet have been spread upon our in purple! There were ‘have a go’ areas highways, with salt on top? I realise that for visitors to try new bikes, including most riders sensibly wrap up their steeds, off-road and test rides available, but I have to say, in this day and age I’d like to see more than static bikes in a hall with no windows. Look at Goodwood, look at Malle Mile – the industry is worried about the increasing age of us riders; well work together and do something that younger riders want. Once home, heading to the shed is a challenge after looking at so many brand- new bikes. Their stands only go up when you ask them, the engine starts without getting the timing/choke/tickle/kick ratio but not our BSA, its looks and condition are not too important. It just gets a regular coating of oil and told to get out there on those sunny if cold winter days. It beats Christmas repeats and the news! Lastly, some housekeeping. A few subscriptions have been late arriving, many apologies – the world is against us at the mo! It’s still, generally, the quickest and certainly the cheapest way to get Classic Bike Guide, and things can only get better, I’ve heard, in a song, somewhere. Just get in contact if you have an issue, or indeed a story or even photos you’d like to share. Have fun! Matt Hull [email protected] CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 5

From our archive ■ Silky Scotts Here is a warming image of the works Scott team at the Isle of Man TT in 1925. It seems a far cry from today’s professional and serious garage set- ups, yet the work, the conversations, and the ultimate goal remain the same 97 years on. The 1925 Senior TT will be remembered by many for the only win ever by a rider on a motorcycle bearing their own name. Harold R Davies, riding his HRD, beat Frank Longman on his AJS, and Alec Bennett riding a Norton. Just four and a half minutes separated first from third. In fifth came Harry Langman on his Scott with an average speed of more than 61mph over the race, 14 minutes after HR Davies and less than a second after Tom Frederick in fourth. Langman had fared better previously on Scotts, with a third in 1922 and a second in 1924, but the competition was getting better all the time. Scotts were ridden by three more riders in the Senior that year: E Mainwaring, H Town and JH Welsby, none of which finished. Scott had been attempting the TT with the unusual two-stroke lightweight bikes since 1909 with rider Eric Myers; as with so many other companies, Alfred Scott realised the power of TT success in the sales of machines. Especially machines such as the remarkable Scott, liquid-cooled when most were air-cooled, two-stroke when most others preferred four- stroke, and twin cylinder when most were singles. Additionally, they were light, nimble, and made well. Scott continued to soldier on and make its two-strokes until 1978, though in reality it was all over by 1950. 6 JANAUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANAURY 2023 7

Parts Sp

pecialists While there are a number of companies that seem to specialise in every aspect of our two wheeled world, we have to remember that there are also a large number of companies that specialise in some very specific areas. Not only are these companies likely to have an expansive knowledge of their chosen subject, they’re also far more likely to stock the seemingly rare and unobtainable parts that can’t be found at the more generic dealers and suppliers The logic is clear – if you want a haircut, you don’t go to the supermarket. So, if you want a certain part for your classic motorcycle, then you approach the companies that deal in parts and expertise in those very models. And look what we have here – a number of specialists whose focus is on certain makes and models of classic motorcycle, just the job!



Harley Sportster Mark Green’s 1979 AMF Harley-Davidson XLH Sportster Words by Oli Hulme Photos by James Archibald CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 11

WHAT IS IT? Most Harley-Davidson owners like to said: “As soon as I saw the pictures, I knew I had to put their own stamp on their machines. have it.” A rare, original example On older Harley’s original exhausts will of the most important have been ripped off and thrown away The exhausts are something that marks out the Harley-Davidson model an age ago to emphasise that signature 1979 models as unique. The siamesed pipes are sound. Handlebars are changed, paint schemes too, straight off the gorgeous, if flawed, XLCR Café Racer – ever. and while some owners will strip stuff off, others a model that didn’t sell to the people it was targeting. will add all kinds of gee-gaws and knick-knacks, and Back then, if you wanted a café racer, you built one; others still will customise and chop their steeds. you didn’t buy it off the showroom floor. Mark Green’s 1979 XLH 1000 Sportster is unusual Harley claimed that the siamesed exhaust as it is about as original as it gets. It has spent most of optimised horsepower and increased torque – which the last 43 years in upstate New York, carefully stored, may have been true, or H-D may just have had a mollycoddled, and rarely ridden. With just over 10,000 lot of café racer systems left over and needed to do miles on the clock since it rolled off the Pennsylvania something with them. As the pipes only lasted a year production line in 1979, this may be the most original on the XLH, you decide. The XLH and the XLCR might late-1970s Sportster in the UK. This model was made have looked very different, not least the chrome and for a single year only, which makes the survival of this trim of the XLH compared to the all-black finish on bike in original trim all the more remarkable. Mark the XLCR, but under the skin they were very similar. The XLH also uses the master cylinder from the café racer to pump the twin front discs. The XLH has what Harley called a ‘high flow air cleaner’. This air filter housing is the size of an oven tray big enough for a Thanksgiving turkey and one of the first things to get binned by a new owner, so seeing one surviving intact is a rarity. The real reason for the big exhaust and air cleaner may have been that the old iron V-twin was mechanically noisy and US law required it to be quieter. One attempt to reduce the noise was made by paying careful attention to the cams and valve operation, with everything matched. The compression is reduced to 8:1, using thicker head gaskets. The ‘custom’ version of the XLH, the XLS, had front-mounted highway pegs, and bending your leg around the airbox was a challenge. There are stainless steel disc brakes, which were smaller than most and gripped by simple but stylish calipers, with the nine-spoke aluminium alloy wheels. The riser-mounted drag bars were a new fitment in 12 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

1979, and the electronic ignition was also introduced 1979 HARLEY-DAVIDSON XL1000 SPORTSTER on the ’79 XLH. The Sporty had been given a right foot shift in 1977. Also in 1979, Harley got round to ENGINE: 997cc ohv V-twin POWER: 61bhp BORE/STROKE: 80.9x96.8mm COMPRESSION tucking the oil tank and battery under the side panels, RATIO: 8:1 CARBURETTOR: Bendix PRIMARY DRIVE: Triplex chain FINAL DRIVE: Chain and this makes the XLH very skinny for a 1000cc GEARBOX: Four-speed wet multiplate clutch IGNITION: Electronic ELECTRICS: 12v motorcycle. The headlight is small, but the amount of light it chucks out is adequate, particularly on high alternator FRAME: Tubular duplex cradle SUSPENSION: Front, telescopic forks, rear twin beam. shock swingarm TYRES: 3.75x18 front 4.25x18 rear BRAKES: Twin front 292mm disc, rear With a tiny petrol tank, big mudguards and 292mm disc FUEL CAPACITY: Two gallons WEIGHT: 528lb/240kg TOP SPEED: 108mph a stepped seat, the Sportster should look out of proportion, but miraculously it doesn’t. The ride is As well as collecting lots of rainwater, it also gets hard, and while the forks can be seen and felt working clogged up with mud and road grime, which clogs up up and down, the rear shocks can’t. The controls are the cooling fins, which causes it to overheat. The XLH heavy. There is clutch and brake pull that will beef up has a long front mudguard making a feeble attempt to your wrist muscles, and Mark described the clutch protect it. cable as being ‘like a hawser’ (the giant rope used to moor a ship, I’ve just found out). There is a uniquely You either like Harley-Davidsons or you don’t, AMF- Harley arrangement for the indicators that only era Harleys even more so. A UK-based friend in the stay on when you keep your thumb on the button. 1980s swapped his 750LTD Kawasaki for a late 1970s The ignition key and choke are tucked away below Sportster and kept it until it took him five hours, a the tank. stock of metric and imperial spanners, and a triple- jointed wrist to get a mudguard off. One of the major problems with a Sportster that remains a constant is the electrical charging system, He then moved to California and bought another which isn’t helped by the location of the voltage AMF Harley, winning ‘best rat-bike’ at the famous regulator. Harley, realising it needs to be cool, stuck it Sturgis motorcycle rally, beating dozens of trailered in right at the front of the frame down tubes, just behind machines. When asked at the presentation how long the front wheel. it had taken him to get the bike into the condition it was in, he said, in broad Liverpudlian: “Not long. I’ve just been riding it a lot, that’s all.” He still has Harleys. CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 13

The Sportster 1958-1981 British had not been resting on their laurels, and the SPECIALISTS Harley-Davidson’s XLH Sportster was launched Triumph Bonneville, Norton Atlas and BSA Spitfire and in 1958 as an 883cc/54 cubic inch V-twin with high Lightning Rocket among others, which were all more Green Eye Motorcycles compression pistons, and this engine was replaced in than capable of seeing off the older Sportster. The Search Green Eye 1972 by a bigger 997cc/61 cubic inch 997cc mill. Trident and Rocket 3 triples were on their way and the Japanese had some serious competition brewing, too. Motorcycles on Facebook The first Sportster used a K-Series side valve or email engine as a basis, even down to the flat head’s Harley-Davidson did not concentrate entirely on 883cc capacity but with new ohv top ends. The making the Sportster sporty. In 1961, it became one greeneyemotorcycles@ original 40bhp ohv motor was only just about of the first manufacturers to put 12v electrics and gmail.com capable of keeping up with the British 650 twins an electric start on its bike. The introduction of the then dominating the sporting scene, despite having electric start was a very welcome addition, as the Warrs, Harley-Davidson an extra 250cc. To take them on, Harley upped the kickstart only gave the rider around one-and-a-half dealers since 1924 compression of the Sportster and produced the XLH revolutions of the engine, making them notoriously www.warrs.com with a whopping 55bhp. They also took the step of hard to kick over. The kickstart wasn’t completely pursuing the sports market still further, producing ditched until 1980, when it was still offered it as Hogparts – stockists of the XLCH, which had the 10-litre petrol tank stolen an option. classic Harley parts from Harley’s tiny two-stroke, the 125cc Hummer. It www.hogparts.co.uk might have been no use for travelling further than the Harley continued to push the idea that the distance between gas stations, but the XLCH created a Sportster was a performance bike, setting a world look that has endured ever since. land-speed record in 1970, when a Sportster-engined streamliner made it to 265.492mph. By 1959, the XLCH – C for ‘Competition’, as it was a stripped-down version – became a fully equipped As the British faded, the Japanese made street-legal hot-rod, and the XLH too came with motorcycling a little more respectable, and BMW performance upgrades, being equipped with high-lift sewed up the big tourer segment. In the USA, Harley- intake cams. It was designed to stomp the opposition Davidson had the grunty and aggressive market to into the dirt of the ovals and in main street drag races. itself. As a result, in 1974, nearly 24,000 of the latest 1,000cc Sportster rolled off the production line. It was The XLH had been given the tiny XLCH/Hummer just 30 years after the end of the Second World War, tank and an extra 3bhp in 1968, a new set of front and as much as a segment of British riders derided forks, and could reach 114mph, which it had to, as the 14 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

the Japanese bikes as ‘Jap-Crap’, many Americans WANT ONE? The engine called them ‘rice-rockets’ and swore never to ride one. These iron Harley-Davidson Sportsters are big Fancy a classic MoT and old bruisers. The staggered beat of its 45-degree Following the takeover of Harley-Davidson by AMF tax-exempt original V-twin engine is a major part of the Harley riding in 1973, there were many attempts to upgrade the experience. All the bits are hung out in the open, range. In 1978, the Sportster line-up included the café spec Harley-Davidson where everyone gets to see them. Harley didn’t use racer-styled XLCR, a factory café racer adaptation of Sportster of your own plastic in the 1970s and there’s metal everywhere. the original Sportster. for less money than you might expect? Contact Sportsters perform with a kind of chugging Though unsuccessful at the time, the XLCR, Mark Green at Green tractor-like pull occurring at every engine speed; a which had a revised frame with the shock absorbers power that smaller, if more powerful, motorcycles set much further back, is now one of the most Eye Motorcycles on can’t duplicate. The basic layout of a late 1970s sought-after Sportsters. It was made at a time when 07531 001060 or email Sporty is essentially the same as that introduced Harleys were deeply unfashionable outside the greeneyemotorcycles@ in 1958. There’s still an enormous roller bearing USA, considered suitable only for police officers and crankshaft with a single crank throw. It’s a unit hoodlums by those who didn’t understand the big gmail.com engine and transmission, with a triplex roller twins. primary drive chain on the left side of the engine. Like a lot of British bikes, the difficulty of keeping Build quality could be questionable, so the the oil out of the clutch resulted in the use of a wet, affection in which it is now held is mostly because rather than dry, clutch. And again, like a British it looked great, especially as a poster on a teenager’s twin, the four-speed, right shift gearbox has its bedroom wall. own oil supply. For some reason, Harley also launched a XLT On the right-hand side of the engine is the touring version of the Sportster for the European timing case, filled with four separate cams linked market, making about 1000 bikes with screens and to the crankshaft by gears. A gear-driven generator Electra-Glide saddle bags and a 3.5-gallon fuel tank is mounted in front of the engine and the starter is from the 1200 Superglide. By 1979, the Sportster had at the back. On top of the aluminium cases are the become the smallest displacement Harley in the line- two giant black cast iron cylinders and cast iron up, still at 1000cc. heads with rocker boxes bolted on top of those. AMF’s sale of the company in 1981 saw changes, The frame not just to the engineering of the big V-twins, but to The Harley concept of the day was to keep making the image Harley-Davidson presented to the world, the hefty cast iron barrelled V-twins and wrap a frame and ultimately the arrival of the Evolution V-twin, round them. which was a better engine and as such welcomed by buyers, but it did lack the almost agricultural charm of the old iron head engines. CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 15

It’s an unsophisticated design. Harley lived in a along quite effectively – just not the way you might world of its own and knew who it was selling bikes ride a British twin or Japanese four. Riding a Harley to, and that market was traditionalist. There was no fast requires a different skill set. Having good quality using the big iron engine as a stressed member or Japanese Showa suspension makes a big difference. wrapping it in a trellis. Just take the engine and bend some tubes round it. Harley claimed the frame was By 1979, the Japanese were getting into their stride derived from the XR750 racer and it did have the rear and for Harley to expect its 1957 engine to compete section from the café racer, which stiffened things up with Z1000s and the like was wishful thinking. Even a little. so, nobody else was making a bike that came close to the experience of riding a Harley, though Yamaha, The steering head’s job is to hold the forks and ever the innovator, decided to take the Harley- have somewhere to hang the ‘bars and clocks off, and Davidson style head on with a few V-twins of its own, the swingarm pivot is mounted high and a long way which were good motorcycles but as much like a back. Despite all this, thanks to the massive gobs of Harley as an Aldi ready meal is to a 12oz flame-grilled torque from the engine, you can hustle a Sportster rump steak. The AMF years In 1969, the AMF corporation (American factory complex in Pennsylvania, where, brand of heavyweight motorcycles in the Machine and Foundry) bought the Harley- as well as motorcycles, AMF made bomb USA and the country’s only indigenous bike Davidson motorcycle company. Prior to this casings, propane gas tanks, Harley-badged maker throughout the 1970s. acquisition, AMF manufactured everything electric golf buggies, and snowmobiles. from ten-pin bowling lanes to armaments, It also continued selling the Italian-made In 1981, AMF sold Harley-Davidson back tennis rackets, and other recreational items. Aermacchi-based singles made for the US to investors from the original company, AMF kept Harley alive financially for the next 12 market until 1978. including Willie G. Davidson, the grandson years. During the 1970s, with the American of the company’s co-founder, William A economy in a recession, Japanese bikes like The bikes it did produce had a mixed Davidson. Yamaha and Honda were proving to be very reputation, and the workmanship and popular with consumers, but AMF, which reliability of the AMF-era Harleys caused Although some people believe that AMF-era could have bailed out, kept Harley-Davidson concern among some owners of the machines. Harley-Davidsons were not as well-made as going until the end of the decade. The big advantage for Harley was good old models from before or after this tenure, that American patriotism. As the only American is far from a universal view. AMF’s arrival saved Harley-Davidson bike in production at the time, it was a Harley from bankruptcy, and while the AMF years or nothing if you wanted to fly the stars and There are many people who have owned, were arguably the least enervating period stripes. For a single year, the XLH could be had or still do own, AMF-era Harleys and are very in Harley-Davidson’s history, they were with a Confederate battle flag on the tank, an happy with their 1970s classics... and if they instrumental in the legendary company’s edition that is now quietly ignored. are still running 50 years on, there can’t survival. have been that much wrong with them. Even though the competition from British, There are plenty of fans of the AMF-era Italian, German and – most importantly Harley-Davidson itself recently used Harleys. AMF might have been a sporting – Japanese manufacturers was intense, the old AMF paint schemes on a range of goods manufacturer, but that wasn’t all Harley-Davidson survived thanks to AMF’s Sportsters, so its reputation cannot have it made. Production moved to its huge deep pockets. It remained as the top-selling damaged the brand much. The years that AMF owned Harley-Davidson were, at the very least, interesting times. 16 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE



Next month Suzuki GS1000 Life with a Japanese 1000 || BMW R18: Has Harley-Davidson got anything to worry about? || In The workshop: We have a go at welding || Honda CB350SG: The best-looking parts bin special. || Matchless mud-slinging: Trials riding on an AMC Who’s who || SALES AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER || Carl Smith SUBSCRIPTION || MARKETING MANAGER || Charlotte Park Full subscription rates (but see page 20 for offer): EDITOR || Matt Hull PUBLISHING DIRECTOR || Dan Savage (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK [email protected] COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR || Nigel Hole £57.60. Export rates are also available – see PUBLISHER || Tim Hartley page 20 for more details. UK subscriptions are [email protected] EDITORIAL ADDRESS || zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. ART EDITOR || Kelvin Clements Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, DISTRIBUTION || SENIOR DESIGNER || Michael Baumber Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Marketforce UK Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh DESIGNER || Charlotte Turnbull WEBSITE || Wall, London E14 9AP. 0330 390 6555 PRODUCTION EDITOR || Lucy Wood www.classicbikeguide.com PRINTED BY || Acorn Web Offset Ltd, GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER || Sue Keily Normanton, West Yorkshire ADVERTISING || GENERAL QUERIES AND BACK ISSUES || Mark Bainbridge 01507 529 413 01507 529529 24hr answerphone ADVERT DEADLINE || January 5, 2023 [email protected] Email: [email protected] NEXT ISSUE || January 25, 2023 ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES || Jane Skayman Web: www.classicmagazines.co.uk 01507 529423 [email protected] © Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. To pre-order your next issue of Classic Bike Guide, head to classicmagazines.co.uk/pre-order-cbg Alternatively, scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today. We will send it directly to you! No need to nip out to the shops. 18 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE



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Classic news A NEWARK START FOR 2023 The Classic Bike Guide classic machines on display. and new spares, parts, and we’ll be there too, possibly Winter Classic takes place With a good mix of traders, garage equipment, just in taking something apart at Newark Showground on dealers and autojumble case that bike lift wasn’t for your entertainment, January 7/8. It’s when we get plots, the Winter Classic is under your tree again this while inventing new to brush off those remaining the perfect place to grab a year, despite the hints. Not swear words, so come mince pie crumbs and get box or bagful of parts and being prejudiced against and say hello! The venue back to the not-so-serious spares, as well as finding wheels small, visit Scooter is Newark Showground but enormously satisfying that inspiration needed to World, which buzzes with Drove Lane, Winthorpe, business of seeing who finish your restoration. It energy and life. And there’s Newark, Nottinghamshire has turned their lumps of won’t be long before we plenty of time to check out NG24 2NY. Advance superannuated scrap into are all set for a summer of the show entries around the tickets with fast-track real running metal and get riding. Hundreds of traders site. We are looking forward entry cost £12 from www. lost in the warmth, exploring pitch up at the show with to seeing what people newarkclassicbikeshow.com the hundreds of stunning a vast range of autojumble have come up with. And or pay £14 on the gate. Ring the Doctor The Distributor Doctor has been busy remanufacturing points/ contact breaker sets to suit the Lucas 15D1 distributor, commonly used with smaller British bikes. These were fitted to many 1950s and 1960s single cylinder motorcycles, including Triumph’s Terrier and Tiger Cub, BSA C15, BSA B40, Royal Enfield’s 250cc and 350cc Clipper and 350cc and 500cc Bullets fitted with coil ignition. They come supplied with all six pieces, as Lucas did originally, and cost £14.50 + VAT. 22 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Win a beautiful Bantam Every couple of years, the first raffle tickets went on sale in the 1950s and 1960s. It will rally before being handed over BSA Bantam Club acquires a at the Classic Motor Show at be kept on the road, ridden, to the lucky winner. good condition Bantam that’s the NEC in November, and the and demonstrated at club offered as a raffle bike. draw will take place on the last events through 2023, at classic A real gem of a Bantam, you day of the Classic Motor Show bike shows, and used on the can expect to see more about Over the next 12 months, in November 2023. ride-outs at the club’s annual this particular D7 in Classic Bike the club will be selling tickets Guide very soon. to members and to the public This year, the club has at classic bike shows around acquired what is probably the country, where ticket- its best standard bike to buyers can see the D7 in the date. The 1959 D7 has had a metal. nuts-and-bolts restoration by club stalwart and well-known The raffle is run to raise the restorer Dave Lewis, from profile of the club, add some Shrewsbury. It has electronic funds to its coffers, make ignition fitted and is a reliable some money for a donation runner – a great example to a selected charity, and of of the motorcycle that kept course to make someone’s day Britain and the world moving when they win the bike. The Old Gold Star and new Gold Star at pocket money prices If you have been waiting eagerly for the place on Sunday, April – opportunity to get your hands on a new 23 at The International BSA Gold Star 650, the National Motorcycle Classic Motorcycle Show Moving Museum is giving supporters the chance to in Stafford. times pick one up for just £2. for VJMC The winner of the jumble A brand-new 2023 BSA Gold Star 650cc National Motorcycle Legacy Edition is the first prize in the Museum’s summer raffle The VJMC’s April autojumble museum’s winter raffle. top prize, a 1959 BSA Gold has moved home. The new Star DBD34 Clubman, has venue is in Hampshire, on The edition is the top-of-the-range version been announced, too. the site of Weyhill Country of this much anticipated new arrival from The draw took place at Market, postcode SP11 0PP – the resurgent BSA company, and the winner the National Motorcycle just off the A303 on the A342 will be one of the first people to take one to Museum Live event, with Weyhill to Ludgershall Road, the road. the winning ticket being between Thruxton and drawn by guest star Peter Hickman. Andover. Held on April 16, Second prize is a very different but equally 2023, the gates open to the desirable and sought-after BSA from the The bike, fully restored by the team at the public and traders at 7.30am. classic era, a 1968 BSA Bantam Bushman museum, was won by Christopher Hughes, of There’s no need to pre-book 175cc trail bike. Third prize would grace any Surrey. Richard Hunt, of Gloucestershire won a pitch, just turn up. Public home workshop – a Sealey Tools Patriot Roll the second prize, a £1500 Sealey tools voucher. admission costs £1 and £10 Tool Cabinet worth £720, which will come in Harriet Povey, of Worcestershire, won third for traders. The autojumble the winner’s choice of one of five prize, a Patriot roll cabinet. is run by the Hampshire flag designs, the Union Jack, section of the VJMC. St George’s Cross, Scottish Tickets for the winter raffle cost £2 Saltire, Welsh Dragon, or Irish each and may be purchased online Tricolour. The prize draw for the winter raffle will take by visiting www.thenmm.co.uk CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 23

Herald Brat 125 Ineeded to find a motorcycle for my eldest son, who had moved from a back, upside down forks, a monoshock tucked away. A low-speed drop would bustling metropolis with actual public at the back, and a tiny digital dash. The take out a lever, a bar-end mirror or an transport and rents that swallowed ignition switch is mounted on the side of indicator. I wasn’t completely convinced every penny to somewhere that the bus the engine, like an old Brit. by the Herald having a bash plate with a arrives very occasionally. catalytic converter mounted underneath Most mid and low-priced 125s have had it, but I can’t see these bikes doing a With just a CBT, he needed a125cc. the same 124cc air-cooled engines for ages, lot of off-road work, despite the mild Second-hand 125s hold their value and sell based either on the 40-year-old Suzuki 125 street-scrambler looks. extremely quickly. There’s a fair chance ohc single or on the very similar but slightly they’ll have been thrashed to death and more modern Yamaha YBR single. After getting fed up looking for the denied any basic maintenance, too. unicorn of a decent, second-hand machine They all produce between 9-10bhp, for son, I bought one. After a few weeks’ While I was at Midlife Classics in which is feeble. The Herald has an all-new ownership, the Herald is now enduring Droitwich looking at, erm, classics, boss liquid-cooled, 124cc, fuel-injected, six-speed the winter weather. How the finish will Tim was prepping a new bike for a single, which was built to Herald’s spec and survive is yet to be seen, but so far, the only customer, a Herald Brat 125. Herald is based produces 14bhp, the maximum a learner real issue the coolant warning light that in Cambridgeshire and is owned by an 125 is legally capable of (unless you get an comes on with the fan and Herald is sorting. engineering company. The Brat was mid- old one like a CB125T or an RD125 twin). Otherwise, all is good. priced at £3300, looked a cut above lower- Enough power to get the rider out of trouble, priced Chinese-made rivals, and equal without getting them into it, and only So, what is it doing in this magazine? to Japanese-branded 125s as well. I was slightly less powerful than my 1957 AJS 350, Like many readers, I’ve got several bikes, impressed. Herald even builds the Brute 500, though it lacks the Model 16’s torque. but they have a habit of not being as reliable which is 80% built in the UK. as we would like. The Herald Brat is reliable, The Brat is a big motorcycle for a 125, looks great, and for those that need, is light A semi retro styled 125, the finish on the taller than my Guzzi V7 750. The power and has electric start. It’s a new name to Brat is really something to shout about. It’s take-up is excellent and the handling nippy. many but is as relevant as Royal Enfield. got hip and groovy industrial-like styling, The riding position puts you up in the the brushed aluminium mudguards looked air, and unlike a lot of modern 125s, that The price of a Brat is £3299. Honda’s great, and the matt/satin paint and crinkle gives you a presence on the road, which CB125R is £4600, while the Husqvarna finish on the frame was excellent. The is a bonus if you are a learner. Brakes use Svartpilen 125 costs £4500. With two-years chunky tyres are fatter than those on my braided hoses, footrests are the fold-up warranty and two-years RAC, the Herald 750 Triumph, there are LED lights front and trials type, and everything that’s likely looks good. We will update you on life with to get lunched in the inevitable spill is a Brat and how well it survives winter in a few months… SPECIFICATION: heraldmotorcompany.com Weight (Dry): 147kg Seat Height: 32in/820mm Engine: 124cc fuel-injected single liquid- midlifeclassics.co.uk cooled four-stroke Max Power: 14bhp Transmission: Six-speed Fuel Tank: 10l 24 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

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First Ride Norton Commando 961 (2023) Totally re-engineered by the ‘new’ Norton to be reliable, what’s the Commando like? Words by Adam Child Photos by Jason Critchell The buy-out of Norton by Indian reliability and poorer customer service. the UK. Both bikes are available in Matrix motorcycle giant TVS and the TVS could, rightfully, have announced that Black or Manx Platinum (silver). £100-million investment in a any problems or unfulfilled orders were state-of-the art HQ in Solihull nothing to do with it, but it decided to help, The somewhat old-school air-cooled is a great start to this phoenix. which meant building bikes. Sorted bikes. and pushrod twin looks the part. Bore The recruitment drive to get professionals Building the 961 also meant the company and stroke remain the same, but most from the likes of Jaguar Land Rover and could be seen making bikes from early on, components have been re-engineered Aston Martin... even pharmaceutical filling the three or so years it will take to or designed again from scratch – about companies, known for their attention conceive and build its first all-new Norton one third of the engine is totally new. It to detail and manufacturing experience, models while thoroughly re-engineering is such a significant upgrade that ‘old’ have been high-profile. Driving this with every facet of the retro twin. In doing engines can’t be updated with new parts. the parent company is CEO Dr Robert so, the firm would show what its new It punches out a claimed 77bhp and 60ft. Hentschel, former director of Lotus processes, tooling and skilled team can do. lb torque, fractionally less (you wouldn’t Engineering, who we speak to next month. notice) than claimed by the old Norton The new Commando looks the same, regime, differences between dynos being Production of the Commando 961 is the a handsome and purposeful-looking most likely. curtain-opener. Like the V4SV superbike, machine but sharper and fitter. The quality it was inherited from the old regime by of its fasteners and the depth of the gloss However, there is no hiding that the 961 TVS along with myriad problems of poor paint are both obvious. Norton HQ may is down on power compared to its rivals be a sophisticated production facility, yet in the market. Triumph’s Thruxton makes it’s clear that skilled hands have built this 103bhp. Ducati’s air-cooled Scrambler bike. Owning a Commando 961 has always 1100 churns out 86bhp. In reality, the made you an attraction when you stop Commando is more like an air-cooled – but now it should be for a good reason, Harley than a modern retro twin. Revs not derisory. build relatively slowly; the analogue rev counter has what you might describe as There are two models, the Sport a heavy needle and is accompanied by a (SP) and the Café Racer (CR), the only fabulously evocative exhaust note that has difference being riding position. The CR cleverly skipped past the Euro 5 emissions has low bars and a racy integrated seat regulations. The engine isn’t Euro 5 and unit, for which you’ll pay £500 more in has to go through SVA (Single Vehicle 26 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Approval), like if you’d built your own bike. no riding modes, active suspension or six- Suspension is on the soft side and Old and young will love its odd pop axis IMU... not even a quickshifter, which copes with almost everything a spirited would be handy as the clutch is a tad ride in the English countryside can throw and burp, the ‘aero growl’ of a bygone heavy. But none of this really matters in at it. Around town there’s a nice balance, age brought back to life with tighter this instance. Most will love the Norton’s with the mass of the motor held low in tolerances and build quality. Instead of purity and simplicity. Will potential the chassis thanks to its dry sump. The lots of modern, free-flowing revs, there is customers care about the lack of tech? set-up takes road imperfections without a traditional spread of usable torque. You Who really wants Bluetooth connectivity jolts. And while the throttle response can ride the Commando in the midrange, short when riding a Norton? still feel a little sharp, fuelling is much shifting through a gearbox that is much improved compared to the old bike’s, smoother and slicker than the one of old. Chassis-wise, new Norton has again making it a smoother ride everywhere. The clutch is on the heavy side, but only stayed on familiar Commando territory. Brakes are perfect for the weight, but the noticeable after too many commuter miles. There are adjustable Öhlins forks initial dive under hard-ish braking is a and twin Öhlins shocks, plus quality little quick. It’s very easy to become immersed. Brembo stoppers all-round. The frame Objectively speaking, there are noticeable is redesigned at Norton HQ. Rake, trail It handles real-world well, though engine vibrations, but I’d suggest most and wheelbase are unchanged, while the hand-crafted exhaust touches down who buy a Commando will probably enjoy the Commando’s weight is now quoted before the pegs when you really push on the sense of involvement and interaction. at 230kg, which, by modern standards, and the Dunlop tyres lack feel. Given that, Twist the throttle and the bike surges is heavy for an air-cooled and relatively they also take a while to warm up and forward, revealing a brisk turn of speed simple bike (Ducati’s air-cooled 1100 there’s no traction control on the 961 as that instinctively makes you crouch into Scrambler is 206kg wet). standard. I’d change these for something the wind, chin forward, searching out The more deserving of the 961. Ton. And 100mph is easy, officer. It surges But, somehow, like those engine vibes, effortlessly past cars, whose drivers must a few extra kilos compared to modern After all, this bike is all about feel. Its fear a 1960s time warp. There are only five twins seem to fit. There’s a solidity to the numbers are average, but it brings the gears to worry about, too, which is all you chassis that makes the steering slightly senses to life. The air-cooled engine has need with such a rich seam of torque, and lazy yet also assured and super stable. It had every component scrutinised and aerodynamically, it stops being fun before rolls into turns, holds a predictable line, improved where necessary, from fuel tank speeds get silly. then picks up smoothly as the taps are to crank and cam materials, resulting in opened – and it feels pretty good, like a the introduction of more than 300 new The Commando 961 scores poorly in thoroughly modernised version of 1960s components. Testing has been extensive in spec sheet Top Trumps. Its ABS system is sports riding. development, on road and track. relatively basic, there’s no traction control, It is an exciting new beginning for NORTON COMMANDO 961 Norton, and this is based on a bike the new owners of the brand had to inherit. Price: £16,449 (£16,999 CR) Engine: Air-cooled, push rod, parallel twin Power: 76.8bhp @ 7250rpm Torque: Only time will tell us if the goal of 81Nm/ 59.73lbft @ 6300rpm Frame: Steel frame Wheelbase: 1400mm Brakes: 2x320mm discs, Brembo reliability has been achieved but, at last, it seems that Norton has a Commando to be four-piston calipers Rear: 240mm disc, Brembo two-piston caliper, std ABS Transmission: Five-speed/ proud of. chain drive. Seat height: 810mm Tank: 15 litres Fuel consumption: 47 mpg (claimed) Weight: 230kg Warranty: Two years Servicing: 600 miles, then every 6000 miles Contact: www.nortonmotorcycles.com CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 27

BOXER BEAT – the Douglas DT5 still giving This 96-year-old Douglas is not only fun for the rider and his family, but it also makes everyone watching smile and gives any competitors a run for their money! Proving that these bikes should be used and not tucked away, meet the Douglas DT5... Words and photos by Matt Hull With many thanks to Matt, Betty and John Walton An ex-colleague from when working in You, the readers, rightly make it quite clear that the modern bike press once asked if the old bike magazines should be about old bikes – the old bike world ever became boring. “After metal. Selfishly, to bring this to you I experience all, there’s nothing new; no exciting new that thrill of the model and its history, the riding models, no use of a new technology to impression, the restoration, added to by meeting the research and report about.” I laughed aloud while people behind the bikes, their reasons for loving them, vehemently shaking my head. But then I had to ask and the continuing fun that old bikes provide them. myself: “They have a point. Why is this world of oily, When meeting up with someone to photograph and out-of-date, and often unreliable old hacks as much talk about their bike, you are often invited into their fun as we find them?” home, shown family photographs where the bike has 28 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

become part of the family, of their history. You are from 1928. While cameras are readied, Matt and Betty allowed into their lives, their past. You feel the reason fiddle and fettle. Taps on, a little tickling, finding TDC behind a collection, where the virtues or qualities and then a healthy push – BRRRUUUUMMMM! of a model can tempt someone. You even see people questioning why they have so many! And sometimes, An airstrip is the perfect place to play with a bike it can just be the pure love of old things; of intrigue, of that has power and acceleration, but no brakes. You old stuff. can’t even use the gears to slow as it doesn’t have any. Matt is tall and the Douglas particularly low, so “We love old stuff, and sometimes, to get stuff, you it looks even faster. After warming, most runs sound need to buy more stuff to get the stuff you want.” Matt well sorted and cleanly carburated, but occasionally Walton and his uncle, John, along with Matt’s fiancée there is a fluff or a splutter. A competition bike is a (and by now Mrs Walton – many congratulations!) temperamental maiden to please, even one that’s 96 have a wonderful, eclectic collection of cars and bikes. years old. WO-era Bentleys dominate their passion and Matt even races one, while another, a tourer, was used for Bloody hell, it’s quick. It pulls, you can hear it – Christmas shopping duties in London a couple of there’s no such powerband, but from watching it years back. A drop head, that is. In the West End. In seems an endless spread of power. There doesn’t winter. John has spent much time this year touring seem to be any clutch slipping, either. But being Africa in one, with friends in theirs. It is fantastic to designed for oval racing, heat will always be an issue hear of these incredible machines being used for what and the engine has such small fins. So Matt has some they were designed for. fun over several runs, each with a little tweaking, then makes some noise. I try to get some photos to Past the cars, an AJS 7R, and a Rudge Multi is an portray the glorious sight and sound I’m witnessing, old Transit van which I’m asked to follow as Matt we all have a smile, and then it gets turned off. In this and Betty jump in. We track down the lane, where a open countryside, where noises are few, the ticking turning to a small, grass airfield lies. Matt and Betty of cooling metal and the sizzling of escaping oil and then pull out the machine of the day, a Douglas DT5 total loss system (there is a Pilgrim oil pump, too) are “We love old stuff, and sometimes, to get stuff, you need to buy more stuff to get the stuff you want.” CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 29

testimony to how this near-century-old competitor Is this competition machine a family heirloom? has just worked. Oh, and the smell is wonderous – No. “There was a collection of bikes for sale with the well, to us… Douglas and a 1920 Rudge Multi, the ones we liked, but with the lockdowns it had to be sold as a whole. After playing, naturally comes tea. John and Matt Many have been sold on, which is great as bikes that fill me in with the history of their DT5; A friend of couldn’t have gone to good owners because they were the family who has five Douglas competition bikes all together have now been able to.” has helped fill in the gaps. He says a number left the factory new, intended to be speedway bikes, while a And Matt and John have kept their favourites. “We few left that were meant to be grass track bikes. He knew nothing about them at first,” says Matt, “but thinks this was a grass track bike that someone used I liked the Rudge for its early charm, with the early to race in speedway and then turned it back into a controls. I’m hoping to use it in the paddock when grass track bike; while the engine is the same, many racing the Bentley!” parts have been clamped on, as opposed to being brazed or soldered on as would have been originally. When they first saw the Douglas, it didn’t run – a by-product of being sat for 30 to 50 years. But a “Speedway and grass track racing were huge,” says good friend who restores and looks after classic and John. Matt has attempted to research the model as vintage cars and bikes – as well as being a rather keen it’s just so unusual. Board tracks quickly made way Douglas collector – helped get it back in running order. to grass tracks or speedway tracks because the board tracks were so dangerous. Australia enjoyed speedway, so some started moving over, bringing their love of the sport too and helping it grow in the UK. Many people have no idea what it is, but you find out more over time. After going to the Malle Mile event this year, Matt and Betty met a chap whose grandad raced a Douglas in speedway before the war but, like so many things, it went missing afterwards. “But he was thrilled to see ours,” they say, “and he did send some photos of his grandfather racing.” Coming from a farming background, Matt, like many, made use of space and learned to ride at a very early age, starting quickly with breeze blocks and pallets and then moving to cars, when, aged 16 and still without a road licence, he won the Autocar magazine Sideways Challenge. Matt competed in the drifting competition against seasoned racers like future touring car champions Jason Plato and held his head high. “The Douglas, with Matt on board, beat everyone who was drawn against it... this 98-year-old machine, complete with a competent racer aboard, built for getting into the first corner first.” 30 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

The Douglas DT5 This was no restoration, however, as John and Douglas was, unusually, based showing strongly that Matt just wanted it checked over, cleaned out, in Bristol and from 1907 built year. fuelled, lubricated, and running if possible. The DT5 motorcycles with a flat-twin engine was remarkably straightforward, and with the bare – but longitudinal, not across the Speedway and grass track came minimum of work, was soon moving. After that, frame like we are used to seeing popular in the 1920s and Douglas and with life, the world and work, it sat in John’s with BMW today. The German found a sport in which it was the workshop for another 18 months... that is, until the giant has admitted in the past to must-have, with the stable frame Malle Mile event called. reverse engineering the flat-twin design and low centre of gravity. engine after one of the staff used a In Australia, where many riders Here at Classic Bike Guide, Maria and I are big fans Douglas to commute in with, though were coming from, they used long of this unique weekend event, which is loosely based of course it was turned round 90 ovals like the US, which suited the around some light-hearted off-road competition with degrees. With the engine lengthways, stable Douglas. The DT5 and DT6 ‘inappropriate’ bikes. A friend said to Betty and Matt the wheelbase becomes longer, and machines were made for speedway that they might enjoy it, having seen photos on social as speeds increased, this gave a and grass track, while the SW5 and media but not really knowing anything about it – but stable bike but a slow steering one, SW6 were the road-racing bikes, all they needed a bike with knobblies on it. “Take the too. competition-only models. In 1929 Douglas,” smiled John, when asked. “But will it run?” alone, it is reported that 1300 asked Matt. “Course it will,” smiled John some more. Douglas originally located the competition bikes were sold. But as gearbox below the engine, then shorter tracks became the norm, With one week to go, Matt spent several days reversed it in the 1920s with the so shorter, lighter, single-cylinder sorting it, removing the speedway knee braces as gearbox above the rear cylinder and machines took the dominance from he’s so tall, adjusted the clutch, checked it over and the engine as low as possible. With the Bristol firm. Douglas struggled poured some fuel in. It didn’t run very nicely, so a lowered headstock, the Douglas with war work, family disagreements, spark plugs, jets and the usual culprits were played always had a very low appearance, and models that were expensive to with, the mag was then suspected of not giving that though the rear cylinder was produce, while reputedly not quite strong a spark, and then there was some crap in the constantly suffering from heat, and being as good as other high-end carb. “A little bit of everything was stopping it from that wheelbase enforced a handling rivals at the time. Production ceased running sweetly. When it did start sounding all right, limit – like the L-twin has always in 1957. we ran out of fuel. In the end, we pushed it into the given Ducati an issue with the front van, dropped in at a friend’s and picked up 20 litres of cylinder limiting steering angle. Douglas was never afraid to go its own way, like the engine design or the frame layout, with disc brakes in 1920, triple valve springs in case of breakages, and even the infamous leaning outfit of 1923, ridden by Freddie Dixon to victory at the Sidecar TT with the passenger using a lever to lean the sidecar! 1923 also saw Tom Sheard win the Senior TT on his Douglas, with several others methanol, and headed to the Malle Mile,” laughs Matt. There, Matt, Betty and the Douglas rode in The Mile – a straight sprint, uphill on grass. Simple. The start is just like an old-school sprint, where your left hand must stay touching your helmet until the Union Jack flag is dropped. It’s then clutch in, engage first, and beat the bike – that’s randomly picked – next to you. The weather was sunny, and the crowds had built up, including Maria, Butch and I. Hundreds of bikes lined up to compete, from Monkey bikes to ridiculous self-builds made just for the weekend. It was a spectacle to enjoy, from the bikes to the skill – or not – of the launches! The experience of a man in fancy dress who wheelied his bike uncontrollably and then landed on his homemade sissy bar is eye-watering... he was very lucky, if embarrassed and bruised, when we saw him later. “I’d just borrowed this bike from John and said to myself to just have a gentle laugh and take nothing seriously,” says Matt, “but then you get on the start line, the competitive spirit comes out... and you just have to win!” The low Douglas, with its large wheels and straight through pipes, simply caught everyone’s attention. Most didn’t know what it was; many hadn’t seen a bike almost 100 years old and certainly not one that fast. It also helped that Matt needed Betty (herself CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 31

a Triumph Bonneville rider) to push-start the high- pulled it away – one gear didn’t prove to be a problem compression competition bike – who happened to be and pulled to the top easily,” says Matt. Only in the wearing a summer dress. “I’d have been screwed if it last race did the Douglas come second, partly due to wasn’t for Betty,” smiles Matt. running low on fuel (they’d used 20 litres just in the seven or eight heats) and the victor went on to win The Douglas, with Matt on board, beat everyone The Mile. It’s events like the Malle Mile where the who was drawn against it... this 98-year-old machine, Douglas can be seen impressing a crowd that largely complete with a competent racer aboard, built for know nothing of them, and that will help stoke the getting into the first corner first. “I didn’t have to slip fires of riders who haven’t yet discovered old bikes. the clutch, I just let it out gently and the torque just The crowd loved it. Now, the bike still isn’t running happily. It is meant to run on a mix of methanol (methyl alcohol) and nitro (nitromethane) mix. “But it’s just lethal, goes off quickly, will melt the engine potentially if you get the blend wrong, and that’s if you can get it,” explains Matt. Model aeroplanes and even model cars use it. It may also be suffering from a slight over-oiling, but that is a safer bet than the other way. Plans for the Douglas are limited to taking the engine out and apart in an attempt to make it slightly more oil tight. Any parts needed should be available through their Douglas-expert friend, who also wants to rebuild some of his own. And then? Get it out to events and enjoy it some more... if Betty is still happy to pus-start! What better than to see a bike doing what it was designed to do 100 years ago? Full throttle and in front of full crowds, what fun. 32 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE





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Email || [email protected] Write to || Classic Bike Guide, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ Anything This month’s Star Letter wins to say? The writer of this month’s Star Letter wins a Weise Vision Jacket worth £49.99. Shine bright and stay in vision with this 360-degree reflective jacket. When caught in a vehicle’s headlights, the silvery surface shines brightly, helping riders stand out in the dark. Find out more at www.weiseclothing.com Ascot is a hit! STAR LETTER You made my month with the December my work from down in Essex – well, soft panniers that I use. It’s just a pity I can’t issue. A Honda VT500FT Ascot almost there has to be some perks! ride any of my bikes far due to health, but all exactly like mine, though mine’s an ‘84. They get ridden at some time during the year! I like were not US-only though, because they were Like you say, not many around, the riding position of the Ascot too, as Oli did. also sold in Canada – I know, because mine so not much chance of parking up is a Canadian spec one and I confirmed that next to another one, though I did I’ll attach a picture of mine outside work by the frame number. I got it when I was still have a customer in earlier this year last year, before I put the panniers on. working with Honda Parts. I think just KMH/ who was so pleased to see mine and showed Best wishes, Michael. MPH speedo were the only difference. I saw me pictures of his, also the same colour, that my first in early 1990s, a black one probably he’d had a few years ago. Thanks, Michael, and great to hear you like imported from the US from one of the two the Ascot. And you’re absolutely right, they companies on the industrial estate near They are lovely bikes, though the collector are comfy – Matt where I worked. I thought ‘I’d like of those’, boxes are prone to rot. Strangely, mine is on but couldn’t, having not long bought a house its second, but last time I looked there were and on bike trade wages. About 10 years ago, five or six exhausts at DK Motorcycles (a things were different and £1000 or so went huge breaker in Staffordshire), and I have a on an Ascot from eBay, picked up for free by whole spare one myself. My shiny bike is only for summer, and carrying things isn’t easy, but I found some Finding the right one Is that a Harley? With Frank extolling the virtues of a big I didn’t need a big twin. The Sportsters were American lump, I thought I would relate my a bit of a ‘hairdresser’s bike’, so mulled over Love the picture on page five of experiences. I started out in 1976 on a Gilera whether it was for me. A 1200 Sport came up the December edition of the two 50 trail moped and over the years have close to home, so I went for a look. Adjustable kids on the WLA. And the chap owned various machines. suspension front and rear, higher compression sitting on the bench. Is the bike engine with twin plugs, twin disc, four-piston his? Was there a feature? Did I The bikes I regret selling, neither for calipers, and it looked drop-dead gorgeous. miss something? financial reasons, were a Moto Guzzi T3 The owner showed its full history and must California and more recently a Harley- have ridden it in carpet slippers... there was Best wishes from North Davidson 1200 Sport. The Guzzi was sold not a mark on it. The sound and feel of the West Ireland. because I had a GPz900 and didn’t need two engine were mesmerising, as was the ride. It Jimmy Mullen bikes, and the Harley because I bought an handled so much better than a barge this size RD400 to scratch a two-stroke itch and didn’t should. Oh, Jimmy, you’ve made Maria’s day need two bikes. I moved to Vancouver Island – it’s her and Effie sitting on Uncle’ in 2016 and bought an original FJ1200. After So, having scratched my two-stroke itch, I Neville’s Harley-Davidson 45! Once riding it where the speed limits are 50-60kph am thinking again of picking up a V-twin, but he’s got it to his liking, like an on back roads and 90-120 kph on highways, I like Frank found, the ones I really want are American racer, we will definitely realised it was too much and my new licence rare. Maybe people have more sense than have it in the magazine – Matt would be toast in a couple of months as the me and keep them, even though they don’t Yamaha was happy at 1.6 the limits here. I need them. Who knows where my journey to looked at a Harley, as they are omnipresent nirvana will lead? here in all forms, from tourer to chopper, but David McCormick, Chemainus BC. 36 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Underrated Nortons In the December issue, the these were excellent and quick machines. The reprinted road test of the 1954 slimline Dominators introduced in 1960 were Velocette MAC was a pleasure to all fine bikes; the SS models were the top see. It reminded me of the 1955 performers in their day. MSS I had for a while; I should Colin. have kept it! Many thanks for your stories, Colin. It’s always When I started riding in great to hear the ‘real world’ point of view. And I the early 1960s, we were will have a hunt for the 88 and 99 road tests for mostly obsessed with going a future article – Matt fast everywhere, emulating Mike Hailwood. Thrilling days, although there were a few tragedies, sadly. I was a Norton man, getting great happiness from Dominators, 99 and 650SS. One of the bunch I rode with then had a 1961 88SS in arden green and dove grey (cream!). Completely as it left the factory, with straight bars, siamesed pipes and single SS silencer. It went like stink and sounded wonderful. He had no trouble mixing it with the six-fifties and could leave most of them behind. This Motor Cycling road test, by Bruce Main Smith, describes it well and doesn’t exaggerate just how good these were. At the time, they were consistent production race winners. Another friend had a 1960 99SS, again looking factory standard in black and dove grey, but fitted with the optional 10.25:1 compression ratio pistons. That was just as fast as a standard 650SS or any Bonneville and was consistent; it never went wrong, however much it was thrashed. Although overshadowed by the further developed SS bikes with downdraft heads from late 1961/62, There are so many treats to be had in biking I can understand the criticism that you have up seeing your article, especially in the way it experienced from the British brigade, who was written for all levels. If and when you find don’t seem to appreciate the diverse nature the time, I’d like to see an article on the varied of motorcycling! As for myself, I’m a shaft and much-loved Honda CX range and a guide drive fan, but I do also have a few chain drive for dummies on recommissioning carbs! bikes. To give you an insight of how diverse John Gerrard my collection is, I have listed my current bikes: BSA A65 Lightning, Honda C90, HondaCX500C, John, many thanks for taking the time to write BMW R80RT P, Honda GL650D2E and in, and what a garage you have! I used a lot of Silverwing, Yamaha XVS650, Royal Enfield ex-police bikes when an instructor, as they Bullet 500, Triumph Bonneville, BMW R850RT P seemed well-maintained, and with only one and a BMW K1100LT. seat, they were cheaper! Great idea on the carbs and the CX range... we’ll do our best – I am currently attempting a restoration, but Matt not ‘nut and bolt’, of the R80RT, so I was made CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 37

Jo Shaw’s Ariel Arrow Super Sport was bought by her dad, John, in 1975. Previously owned by John, he started to rebuild it in 1976. He had a strong affection for Ariel, having started his working life in the early 1960s at a Liverpool BSA and Ariel dealership, Cundles, as an apprentice. When he bought the bike, it was partly dismantled, and he restored it to the highest standard. John had a lot of motorcycles, but the Arrow was particularly special. Jo said: “I remember it always being around, and he was always tottering around with it. We weren’t allowed to touch it, though. We could sit on his other bikes, but never the Arrow. Even today, it feels strange watching other people sit on it.” Tragedy struck in 1990 when John died in a car crash that also left Jo badly hurt. The Arrow became part of John’s estate and was scheduled to go to auction, the intention being that the proceeds would be distributed between Jo and her three siblings. But the then 13-year-old Jo decided that the Arrow had to stay in the family. After a complex and long-running negotiation, Jo bought the bike back from her dad’s estate before it went under the hammer, paying £450. The bike was handed into the care of John’s two brothers, who owned a garage in Southport. It was carefully stored there for many years until the retirement of one brother approached and the garage was put up for sale. Efforts were made to find a museum to show off the Arrow. Eventually, it was loaned to the motorcycle museum at Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, until that museum closed and it was returned to Jo’s family. After years of being on show, the Arrow ended up in a garden shed – until two years ago, when Jo went to visit the family. The condition of the Arrow had deteriorated, and it was in a sorry state. “I couldn’t believe the condition it was in,” Jo said. “There were bits missing, like fuel caps and a speedometer. I was heartbroken.” All was not lost. Jo’s partner, Jef, arranged to have the Ariel collected and taken to their home in South Shields. In the middle of the coronavirus lockdown, Jef, an engineer, set to work on restoring the Ariel to its former glory. Without any expert knowledge or experience of Arrows, Jef did the research that allowed him to cosmetically restore it, and he worked day and night to get the bike looking as good as it does today. The Super Sport Arrow has turned down bars, while the footrests remain in the same place as on the standard Arrow. The flyscreen is very neat, but Ariel fitted it a bit too far back, so the rider has the nerve-wracking experience of having the edge of a sharp plexiglass screen a few inches from their chin while they are hunched over the bars. With the Arrow looking great but not running well, Jef suggested to Jo that they should go to the Stafford Show. It was there, in October 2021, that she met Keith Harding, from the Ariel Leader and Arrow club. Keith issued Jo a challenge: if the cosmetic restoration was finished in time for the 2022 spring show, he would put the Arrow on the club’s stand and then take it to his home in Chester to get it running properly and usable. He’d also help register it for the road while Jo passed her bike test – and it could finally take to the tarmac once more. 38 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

Ariel ArrowWords and photos by Oli Hulme This Super Sport Arrow has a special place in its owner’s heart... and should soon be back on the road where it belongs. CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 39

Unfortunately, the frame number, normally Ariel Arrow: A brief history stamped onto a riveted plate on the beam frame, has disappeared. Without this plate, retaining the original Back in the late 1950s and facing the end of the line registration number wasn’t possible, as the number for the venerable top-quality singles and twins, Val had vanished from DVLA records, and an age-related Page at Ariel threw away the rule book and, not for the plate needed to be used. Jo lives in hope of persuading first time, came up with something new – the 250cc the DVLA to sell her the original number. Leader. By mid-June the Arrow was running as well as it Everything about the Leader was outside the norm. looked; John’s work on restoring the Ariel back in 1975 The pressed steel construction of the frame was not has clearly stood the test of time, while Jef’s recovery something seen before on a British motorcycle, and of the neglected bike had made all the difference. And Ariel expensively kitted out the Selly Oak factory with Keith’s work was done so rapidly that the bike was the dies to stamp out the two halves of the frame ready to show at Stafford in October this year. and the trailing link forks. The engine was suspended from this frame and the swingarm and centrestand Now all Jo and Jef need to do is pass their part two were bolted to the engine casings. The engine could bike tests and take to the road… be dismantled without removing the crankcase from the frame. There is a persistent rumour that the engine was a copy of an Adler, but the Ariel’s design had little in common – except its cylinder dimensions and layout – with the German twin. The bike was almost completely enclosed with protective panels, leg shields and a windscreen. The all-new parallel twin engine was made around a single casting that also contained the gearbox. There were two crankshafts; an alternator was bolted to the right-hand side with the points on the left. Two cast iron cylinders were topped with alloy heads

and the spark plugs on the early models pointing SPECIFICATION: forwards, just where they could collect water from the front wheel. An extra flywheel was mounted on ENGINE: Two-stroke twin BORE AND STROKE: 54mm x 54mm CAPACITY: 247cc COMPRESSION the far end of the primary drive chain sprocket. This RATIO: 10:1 CARB: 1 1/16 in/27mm Amal Monobloc POWER: 20bhp@6500rpm IGNITION: Coil drove a multiplate clutch which used corrugations and points ELECTRICAL: Lucas 50w RM18 alternator, 6v battery TRANSMISSION: Chain primary in the drum rather than slots to provide drive to the drive, four-speed Burman gearbox, wet multiplate clutch, enclosed chain final drive FRAME: clutch plates. There was a four-speed gearbox with a Monocoque pressed steel SUSPENSION: Trailing link forks, swingarm, twin shock absorbers stubby kickstart lever mounted above it. A 7/8in Amal WEIGHT: 305lb/177kg WHEELBASE: 51in/1295mm SEAT HEIGHT: 28.5in/724mm BRAKES: carburettor delivered a 20:1 petroil mix. The Arrow could be a little reluctant to start from cold, requiring 6in x 1 1/8 in wide sls drum front and rear WHEELS/TYRES: 3.25in x 16in front and rear plentiful prods on the starter to get it going and reducing the chance of a quick getaway. the actual petrol tank was a steel box fitted into the middle of the frame. This was filled through a cap The following year, another new Ariel came along under the seat, which, for some reason, Ariel built – the Arrow. Check a picture of the Ace Café from the with a plywood base, so instead of rust eating into it, early 1960s and there is every chance you’ll see a you might get woodworm instead. shiny new Arrow with L-plates stuck on the flyscreen lurking behind the Bonnevilles and Gold Stars. The The handling on the Arrow was excellent, with the Arrow shared many parts with the Leader, including very stiff beam frame and the unique forks. These, the ground-breaking frame. This frame, which combined with a good pair of fully shrouded rear became nicknamed ‘the tub’ by owners, was wide and shocks that used car-type top mounts, all made for strong. A pair of trailing-link pressed steel forks with an excellent ride. Voted Machine of the Year in 1960, the springs in the legs looked after the bumps at the the Arrow was joined in 1961 by the Super Sports front. There were big mudguards and a set of Arrow. This was nicknamed the Golden Arrow by handlebars attached to a spline instead of owners because of the gilded paint job. This had a top yoke, 16in wheels, and a dummy tank whitewall tyres as an option, dropped handlebars, that held a toolbox and tyre pump, while the prized red handlebar grips, and ball-ended levers. There was a short screen, a polished primary drive case, a chromed timing side engine casing, chromed covers for the trailing link fork mechanism and more chrome on the toolbox lid. A bigger 11/16 in carburettor pushed the Arrow’s power output to 20bhp and produced a bike with a top speed of 81mph and would cruise at 60 – more than acceptable for 1961. A frugal 70mpg was average, too. Initially finished CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 41

with the frame in battleship grey, this was replaced OWNERS’ CLUB competing with a constant flood of new Japanese by an altogether more stylish ivory white finish in two strokes and exotic Italians. Unlike the Arrow, the 1962. Both Arrows were given bigger petrol tanks and Ariel Owners Motor foreign rivals got annual updates... as all the while, higher compression pistons, and the spark plugs Cycle Club motorcycles fell spectacularly out of favour in damp, were relocated to a more central position on the head, miserable Britain. Young people moved to cheap which protected them from the weather. arielownersmcc.com scooters rather than exotic enclosed Ariel Leaders and family men moved to motor car ownership. At this point, the dead hands of the bean-counters Also join the Ariel Arrow at Ariel’s parent company, BSA, made an appearance and Leader Group In a domestic motorcycle market languishing and in 1962 decided that the ageing Ariel factory at in the doldrums, BSA shut down Leader and Arrow Selly Oak should close. Production of the Leader and which can be found on production in 1965 after a relatively short production the Arrow moved to the BSA factory at Small Heath. Facebook run. Whether this was down to a desire to sell more At the same time, the Super Sports or Golden Arrow of the new BSA Starfire and Barracuda 250s is a moot was so successful that buyers had stopped purchasing SPECIALISTS point. the original Arrow, so that model was dropped in 1964. Draganfly There are a few remarkable specials out there. One That same year also saw the launch of a reduced draganfly.co.uk is dubbed the BSA Bleader, a 250cc Leader engine in capacity 199cc model to take advantage of the then a beefed-up BSA Bantam frame which shows what ubiquitous Norwich Union ‘Rider’ insurance policy might have been. which graded machines by capacity rather than by model, and changed at 200cc, making 250s ruinously The Super Sports Arrow is, too, one of the great expensive for a young chap on an apprentice’s wage. what-might-have-beens. Had it been restyled for late-1960s eyes and fitted with a Posi-Lube-type oiling While the British market was initially buoyant, it system and perhaps even an electric start, an updated was the all-important American buyers that BSA was Arrow could have been a worthy challenger for the top concentrating on, and those buyers didn’t view the 250 crown. perky Arrow or the sensible Leader with such delight – the frame design was unpopular. At the same time, small British bikes found themselves Things to looks out for: others have it mixed into the paint to give the bike a matt look. The frame of the Arrow might be made chain case to avoid breaking the mounting of pressed steel, but it is stiff and was an point. Fans of originality should ensure the wires advanced design. Damaged frames can be running to the alternator are inside a silver repaired. They can rust around the engine The cast iron barrels are strong, and sleeve, and the cables should also be silver. mounts, but this is easily repairable. Ask a although the original pistons are not Hard-to-find parts include the ball-ended seller to remove the dummy tank to check available, for later models a set of new control levers unique to the Arrow Super for creasing or other damage. Suzuki 250 X7 pistons can be fitted. Sports, folding kickstarts, and the chrome cover for the gearbox casing. Inner rear The frame acts as an airbox. If you decide Over the years, the slide will wear out mudguards can rust out. The plywood seats to repaint it, having it grit-blasted might the carb body because the two items are can rot and whitewall tyres are unavailable, be worth avoiding. Any sand lodged inside made from the same metal. A worn carb but white trim can be fitted. can find its way through the carb into the can be refurbished by having the slide bored rebuilt engine and wreck it. Soda-blasting is out and a brass insert fitted. A Bakelite The cast brakes are not great but are a better option. insulating gasket is essential to stop fuel better than the aluminium ones fitted to evaporation. the early Leaders. Either swap the front one The Burman gearbox is a cassette-type for a drum from a Japanese lightweight, fit design held in by seven set screws. Ariel Converting the Arrow to 12v means you softer shoes, or learn to anticipate stopping specialist Draganfly still has brand-new can then use electronic ignition, which is distances. The operation is affected by the gearboxes in stock. Cylinder heads get a good thing as the points need adjusting stiffness of the trailing link forks, which chipped fins. Modern ethanol-based every 500-600 miles. Those searching for don’t dive like telescopic items. unleaded fuel can burn away at the heads, originality should fit red HT leads and caps so using a lead and ethanol treatment and red Doherty grips, if you can find them. On the road, the handling will do nothing additive is a good idea. The crankshaft oil unpredictable, and the lightweight engine seals are also susceptible to damage from Colours are of variable shades. You may means the rider experiences just a little modern fuels, causing poor starting and see people asking for paint code details vibration. Rear shocks are not rebuildable, cutting out. Viton seals should replace for old British motorcycles, but things were but Ariel did provide a ‘helper spring’ for these. Care should be taken to release the different back then. The paint at the factory riders wanting to take a pillion; fitting these primary chain tensioner before removing the was mixed daily, so each day’s production can improve solo riding, too. had its own shade. Some of the gold tanks have the lacquer on the outside, while 42 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

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1977 Silk 700S Sabre Mk.2 While other manufacturers chased power at the expense of weight and handling, Silk wanted light weight, great handling and plenty of power Words and photos by Phillip Tooth

The 1970s was the decade of the Superbike. Motorcycles were faster and more sophisticated, but also bigger, heavier, and more complicated. As far as George Silk was concerned, the fun of riding one was being eroded as manufacturers chased power and paid for it with handling problems. He believed that discerning riders would prefer a small, lightweight motorcycle with bags of torque, a decent turn of speed and race-bred handling – a modern version of his vintage Scott. When George left school, he started work as an apprentice at legendary Scott specialist Tom Ward of Derby. He later took a job at the Rolls-Royce jet engine factory, also based in Derby, but left in 1969 to set up Silk Engineering with his friend and fellow Scott fanatic Maurice Patey. They started making goodies for the ‘yowling two-stroke’, including a redesigned, stronger crankshaft and a variable delivery oil pump that was linked to the throttle opening. George’s carefully tuned, methanol-burning 500cc Flying Squirrel was timed at over 100mph – when they were new, a Scott would struggle to hit 80mph. In the early 1970s, there was no way that anyone could make a decent living from manufacturing parts for obsolete motorcycles, but fortunately Silk Engineering won the contract to service narrow gauge diesel locomotives used by the National Coal Board. That was enough to guarantee a cash flow and pay for eight employees. George indulged his passion for racing by building a special with a low and light frame, made by Spondon Engineering and based on one designed for a 250cc Yamaha. This was another Derbyshire company with links to Rolls-Royce; one of the company founders, Bob Stevens, was apprenticed there before he started making race frames. George chose a gearbox from a prewar Velocette, turned through 90 degrees so it lay on its side and with Venom gears inside. Cooling was by an LE Velocette radiator. Spondon telescopic forks, swingarm rear end, a Spondon-made twin leading shoe drum brake up front and a Spondon 7in disc with mechanical caliper at the rear completed the package. The Silk-Scott racer debuted in August 1970, and a short time later CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 45

George was asked by one of his regular customers to “When Matt Holder, who owned the make him a roadster version. That first frame was Scott, Velocette and Royal Enfield modified from one designed to accommodate a 250cc brands, heard about it, he got his lawyers Yamaha engine. on the case and an apologetic George renamed his motorcycle the Silk.” The first road bike was ready for the 1971 Racing and Sporting Motorcycle Show in London and Above right: This The earliest method, patented by Joseph Day in featured an engine bored and stroked to give 635cc. Sabre has a Lockheed 1890 and developed by Alfred Angas Scott, used the Coil ignition replaced the original magneto and a master cylinder and a cross-flow scavenging system. A deflector on the top new Amal Concentric replaced the old Amal Type 276 Spondon brake caliper. of the piston directed the gas flow from the transfer with its separate float chamber. Twin exhaust pipes Disc is cast iron port upwards in an inverted U-shaped loop around were siamesed into an expansion chamber, and there the combustion chamber roof, and then down and out was the usual road equipment of decent mudguards, through the exhaust port located on the opposite side. a toolbox, lights and a dual seat. The fibreglass side There were no ports in the piston. By the 1950s, only panels and alloy petrol tank were finished in classic Scott and French moped manufacturer Velosolex was Scott purple, with cream panels on the tank and Scott making engines with deflector pistons. logos. Those Japanese screamers used the Schnürle loop- When Matt Holder, who owned the Scott, Velocette scavenge system patented by Adolf Schnürle in 1926 and Royal Enfield brands, heard about it, he got and first taken up by DKW. With the loop-scavenge his lawyers on the case and an apologetic George system, the ports were located on the same side renamed his motorcycle the Silk. Another 21 Silk of the cylinder, but the transfer port was split into motorcycles with modified Scott engines were built; two and angled upwards, one on either side of the the crankshaft, pistons, barrels, heads and oil pump exhaust port. The gas flow was now a circular loop, were all George’s designs. They were sold in the UK and the piston could be flat-topped or slightly domed. in kit form to avoid tax, although a couple of road- Ports cut in the piston wall fine-tune the two-stroke ready bikes were shipped to the USA, but to move his cycle. This all combines to give a better combustion project forward he really needed a new engine. And then George got lucky. He was approached by a company that made grass mowers for trimming parks, football pitches and roadside verges. They wanted him to design a water-cooled two-stroke twin that delivered plenty of torque and also had impressive fuel economy. George and David Midgelow – yes, you’ve guessed it, another Rolls-Royce aero-engine man – sat down and designed an all-new engine. At the time, large capacity Japanese two-stroke engines delivered searing performance but dismal fuel economy. Now seems like a good time to look at two-stroke scavenging. Basically, this is how the incoming charge helps to drive out the burnt gasses from the cylinder during the transfer stage. Since the transfer and exhaust ports are open at more or less the same time, different methods have been designed to prevent the fresh charge disappearing down the exhaust pipe with the burnt stuff. 46 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

chamber shape and flame path, delivering better Oil tank holds enough electronic ignition, which used an infrared beam and combustion, particularly at high speeds. George for 1000 miles rotating disc with a piece cut out to trigger the spark. believed that, even with reed valves, the loop- scavenge system sent too much of the fresh gas While the gearbox internals might have been based straight out of the exhaust pipe and at the same time on the Velocette original (the splines are different), suffered from lack of torque at low speeds. the clutch was designed by Silk and used six Triumph plates. A single 32mm Amal Mk.2 Concentric was used. The Derbyshire engineers thought the answer lay There was no water pump or thermostat. A header in updating the Scott cross-flow scavenging system by tank was mounted above the engine and a compact incorporating transfer ports in the piston. They called radiator in front, with simple thermosyphon cooling in Dr Gordon Blair, of Queen’s University, Belfast, to (where convection moves heated liquid upwards in the advise on the torque characteristics and to optimise system as it is simultaneously replaced by cooler liquid the port profiles of their new engine. Dr Blair was one returning by gravity). of the foremost scientists in two-stroke technology, and the world’s leading two-stroke manufacturers – Spondon made the frames in aircraft-grade including Japanese and German ones – benefitted from tubing, and like the original Silk Scott had straight the QUB computers. tubes between the steering head and swingarm pivot, which was eccentrically mounted for precise The expansion chamber was designed by another chain adjustment. Timken roller bearings were used professor, this time Dr Roe, of Manchester University. in the steering head. Spondon also supplied the The mower engine and a marine version were ready by forks and rear drum brake, and buyers could choose the end of 1974 and over the following winter George either Spondon’s race-proven front disc brake, twin produced a small batch for clubman racers to iron out Lockheed discs, or a twin leading shoe drum. Other any bugs on the track, with the first all-Silk road bikes options included alloy or steel wheel rims, fork available in 1975. gaiters to keep the stanchions clean, long range (18l) or sprint (13.6l) petrol tank, solo or dual seat, The patented ‘Velocity Contoured’ charge-scavenge system produced 45bhp at 6000rpm with maximum CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 47 torque available at a lowly 3000rpm, where the engine delivered a useful 30bhp. Top speed was about 110mph, and with such a broad spread of torque, the wide-spaced, four-speed gear cluster remained inside the new gearbox bolted to the back of the crankcase. Silk claimed his new bike averaged 60mpg – impressive for any large capacity motorcycle and almost unbelievable for a big two-stroke twin, with oil being burnt at a rate of one pint for every 300 miles. The bore and stroke was 76mm x 72mm to give 653cc, with both the heads and barrels of the 180-degree twin water-cooled. Inside each separate crankcase of the new twin was a pair of small flywheels, with caged roller bearings for the big ends and four main bearings. Primary drive was by a duplex chain from a sprocket mounted between the two centre main bearings and a Weller-type tensioner. On the end of the left crankshaft was a 104W alternator, while on the right was the oil pump and Lumenition

and any colour you wanted. Experienced road riders Above: Thanks to the There is no ignition light, but the ammeter needle appreciated the fully enclosed rear chain that used a beautifully crafted kicks to the left when you turn the key. Scotts have fibreglass case linked to the engine by plastic bellows frame, which features always liked a rich mixture for starting, so lift the from an MZ. a duplex cradle, choke lever on the Concentric carb and pull back the with straight tubes clutch lever to swing the forward-slanted kick-start You could buy a Triumph Trident for £1215 in 1975. running from the lever back to a position where you can give it a firm Kawasaki was offering its awesome 135mph Z1 for top of the steering boot. A cold engine needs two or three kicks, but once £1249, while Ducati listed the 860GT for £50 more. If head to the rear fork warm, one kick is enough. If you get the chance to you were after the latest technological wonder, you pivot, the Silk Sabre ride a Silk, you won’t fail to be impressed by the low- could buy a Suzuki RE5 for £1195, but the tried and steers like a racer speed torque. With the Veglia rev-counter hovering at tested Norton Commando was only £928. A Honda about the 3500rpm mark, the Smiths speedo indicates CB750 was a steal at £979. The Silk was a hand-built an effortless smooth-as-silk 70mph (we just had to motorcycle – and you certainly paid for it. There was say it...). Contributing to the rock-steady feel are the no electric start and instrumentation was basic, with Spondon forks, which don’t dive under hard braking just a speedometer and ammeter. Yet the 700S was or bounce around on rough roads. Ah, the brakes. The one of the most expensive motorcycles money could single Spondon disc is more than up to the job of buy at £1388. You had to pay an extra £7.50 for the stopping a motorcycle that weighs only 310lb (140kg), bigger petrol tank and an unbelievable £100 more for but it has as much feel as the disc brake on an early sidecar fixing points, but you could save £35 by opting Norton Commando. Which is not a lot. for a single instead of twin disc set-up. You won’t be making slick changes with the In 1977, the 700S was updated to the Mk.2 Sabre, gearbox – it feels like it is filled with cold porridge. If with finned barrels instead of plain, a new seat, a you must push the engine to the 6300rpm redline, rev counter, a larger carburettor and bigger bore the Silk will take you to 70mph in second, 90mph in exhaust. Porting and timing revisions plus a higher third, and max out at a shade over 110mph. But then compression boosted power to a more respectable vibration will make itself felt through the nose of the 48bhp, but by 1979 the price had risen to £2482. Even seat, and you’ll definitely notice that. Leave it in top, at that price, Silk Engineering was losing £200 on use the torque to drive you out of bends, and enjoy every bike sold. Light weight and great handling were the race-bred handling. not enough in the Superbike age and production ground to a halt that December, with 138 motorcycles Joel Samick and his wife Lynn opened a motorcycle dealership in Delaware sold. in 1985. He retired in 1998 to indulge his passion for restoring and riding classic bikes, and when his collection grew to more than 20 big twins If there is one thing that Joel Samick really from the 1970s, he decided to set up Retrotours from his home in Kennett appreciates, it is a motorcycle that handles like a racer. Square, Pennsylvania. Groups of between four and eight riders get to swap The owner of this 1977 Sabre is too modest to mention classic bikes on trips that range from 400 to 2000 miles. The Silk is in his it, but he won the American Association of Motorcycle fleet of loan bikes. If you want to experience this sweet-handling stroker for Road Racers premier Formula One class in 1980, riding yourself, check out www.retrotours.com a Yoshimura Suzuki GS1000. “The steering and road- holding of the Silk are remarkable,” says Joel. “Skinny tyres accentuate the airy feel of lightness, and corners can be attacked and strafed with wild abandon!” 48 JANUARY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE

CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE || JANUARY 2023 49

1962 TRIUMPH TR6SS One careful owner Marque enthusiasts are knowledgeable folk, and always have their own views of the top bikes from their favoured few. Frank was delighted to try out this Triumph TR6SS, a machine with a load of history… Words by Frank Westworth Photos by Frank Westworth and Chris Spaett (archive) 50 JANAURY 2023 || CLASSIC BIKE GUIDE