Features

Yamaha RD400 This 1976 Yamaha RD400C arrived last Christmas as a non-runner, missing a few bits and looking very rough. After some fettling over the next couple of months, it was fit enough to ride in the early spring. The engine seems to be a good ’un; running clean and pulling hard. After covering 1000…

Continue reading »

Yamaha RD350LC The greatest thing about the restoration of classic motorcycles is that you can now recreate precisely almost any machine that you once loved. Almost like meeting again that girlfriend who triggered the lust of youth only to go off to university, to be lost forever. This is all very fine, except when you…

Continue reading »

This green Yamaha XS1 is an American machine imported into UK In 1968 British industry finally launched the Triumph Trident and BSA Rocket 3 only to be aced less than a year later by Honda's seminal CB750/4. Set against this background an upstart firm that had made its mark with two-strokes launched an all out…

Continue reading »

Don’t fear a starter motor overhaul Picture the scene. A lovely spring morning, dry roads and blue skies. You wheel the bike out of the garage, don helmet and gloves, turn the ignition key and press the starter button. And, instead of the anticipated growl from the engine, all you get is a frustrating ‘click’…

Continue reading »

Yamaha XT500 engine reassembly The Yamaha XT500 was a Classic Mechanics project bike, which was broken down into at least six parts. To things manageable we've focused on the engine assembly. For full step-by-step imagery visit the image gallery. Picture one: Last month I sorted out all the engine bits and fitted new main bearings…

Continue reading »

Ron Haslam profile (pdf) To this day, Ron Haslam, who endeared himself to British fans during a racing career of over 25 years, can't remember whether it was late in 1971 or early in 1972 when he lined up for his first race at Cadwell Park. He does, however, confess that the debut race outing…

Continue reading »

Kawasaki KX-7R Back then we rode 600s or 750s and dreamed of a big GSX-R, even though we couldn’t master what we had. 20 years on our dream machines are cheap as chips. Abused, neglected, saggy shadows of their former selves. Japanese engineering means that they’ll still do 150mph, of course – but the wobbles…

Continue reading »

Yamaha RD twin test And their image wasn’t the slightest bit tarnished by their close familial ties with Yamaha’s production racers. Not for nothing were Yamaha’s road twins appended by the prefix RD, meaning race developed. The RD series replaced the 250cc YDS7 and 350cc YR5 and came with a much tidier engine layout using…

Continue reading »

Suzuki GT500 In the space of just 10 years, spanning the 60-70s, Suzuki’s T500 twin turned evolution on its head. What was launched as the hottest high-performance two-stroke twin on the block ended up as a mild-mannered tourer. The bike appeared at the beginning of one of the most dramatic periods of motorcycle development. The…

Continue reading »

Eighties icon: Honda CBR600 Honda's engineers had to learn the hard way that the combination of performance, flexibility and nimble handling that has become their byword had to be developed both on the road and the track, and at the right price. By the middle of the 80s, the Japanese factories had reached a plateau…

Continue reading »