Features

Kawasaki KH250B2 Kawasaki triples were always known as fire-breathing, wild performers. Built on the reputation of the outrageously fast but evil handling H1 500, Kawasaki went on to offer the triple in a range of five capacities, from the 'widowmaker' H2 750 down to the cooking 250 triple, originally branded S1. UK law at the…

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Check out the latest CMM! A word from Bertie Simmonds, Classic Motorcycle Mechanics editor: We’re not making huge wholesale changes but we are going to spruce the ol’ girl up a little and bring back things you say you’ve missed, including the Q&A section. All this as well as giving you more of a chance…

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Norton gearbox overhaul The late Norton gearbox must be one of the best-known units ever made, although it was in fact an AMC design. Introduced on Norton, AJS and Matchless bikes in the 1956/57 season it was used on the former's products from then until production ceased with the Commando. Internal ratios are not identical…

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Between 1966 and 1972, Italian star Giacomo Agostini won the 500cc world championship as he pleased, with no significant opposition. The MV Agustas he campaigned were nothing like the modern versions produced by the Cagiva group: they were pure-bred racers that had been developed over two decades and had acquired a reputation as exclusive, exotic,…

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Iconic Yamaha FS1-E Last year I was wandering around the autojumble at the Stafford Show with the wife, when we paused in front of a stall selling a bashed and tatty Fizzy as a restoration project, priced at £750. "What is it with the FS1-E?" whispered the missus in my ear; "prices seem to be…

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Do your homework before visiting dealer Paperwork ?    There is no point going any further if the paperwork isn’t in order. ?    Does the seller’s address match the log book? ?    Do the engine and frame numbers match the log book? ?    Does the colour and model name match the log book? ?    Is there…

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Harley-Davidson Dyna Glide Unlike the smaller Sportster series, the Harley big twins are essentially a pre-unit design with entirely separate engine, gearbox and primary drive. In that respect the layout of the power plant will be familiar to anyone who has worked on British bikes of the 1950s. However, Harley-Davidson do use top quality materials…

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It was no mean feat when you realise that the ZXRs weren’t as factory as some would lead you to believe. Starting out as a kid motocrossing, Russell joined AMA in 1987, being runner up in the 750cc Supersport class the following year. By 1992 he’d joined Kawasaki – which in the USA and in…

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Buy any used motorcycle and you are undeniably taking a chance; buy something that’s badged as a classic and you’re potentially in uncharted waters. It can be a minefield out there unless the bike in question is a known entity or comes from a mate or reputable dealer. The Yamaha SRX400 in camera came from…

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Yamaha FZR1000 Motorcycling as a lee-zure sport was a good five years down the road. It didn’t matter that they had way too much power and that tyre technology needed 10 more years to catch up. The fact was that you couldn’t ride a CBR600 without an overwhelming curiosity that…‘If this thing goes so bloody fast it makes…

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