Features

Honda CB450 v Triumph 500 classic (pdf) When Motorcycle Mechanics got its hands on the new Honda CB450 in June '66, it was decided to run it against a Triumph 500. Good idea, but they then chose a production racer which, it was claimed, had had no special tuning but was, in those immortal words,…

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Dave Potter profile (pdf) The late Dave Potter was the consummate stylist aboard Ted Broad's immaculate Yamahas but tragically died at Oulton Park in search of his third MCN title. Dave Potter was one of the most successful riders on the British circuits during the Seventies and wars firmly on course to follow through well…

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Yamaha FZ600 Back in the 1980s Yamaha was in a quandary. Kawasaki had invented the sports 600 market with the brilliant GPZ600R, Honda had replied with the seminal CBR600 and Suzuki was taking the obvious step of reducing the capacity of its GSX-R750 engine to 600cc (back to the Bandit engine again). But Yamaha had…

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Honda’s six cylinder CBX This is pure classic. Undisputed, 100 percent, hallmarked classic. Odd, then, that it was a relative sales failure.To understand the CBX you have to go back to the Honda range of the mid-Seventies. Honda had a range of stodgy twins from 175 to 500cc and a range of fours that were…

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Ducati 900 Ah, Ducati… Just saying the name evokes images of booming vee-twins flicking down sunny roads; Foggy winning at WSB… or pushing a lifeless bike down the road and humungous repair bills. Is it fair? Are the old bevel-drive twins as bad as they’re made out to be? Is buying an old Ducati bevel-drive…

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BMW RT Space for a week’s luggage and 200 miles between fuel stops. Neil Murray reckons BMW got it right when they created the RT for long-distance bikers. If you ever ask people what they think was the first great purpose-built super-tourer, they’ll generally scratch their chins and mutter something like ‘Gold Wing’ or ‘BMW…

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MZ TS150 Although they fell out of favour in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as Communism crumbled, in the way of things they’re now being sought out again. Collectable? Well, to a degree, yes. Remember that doesn’t mean the same as valuable, though. After all, some people collect bottle tops and they’re not worth…

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AJS and Matchless 500cc twin service notes (pdf) The following dissertation applies to AJS and matchless 500cc twins — the G9 and Model 20 — although it can in general and with discretion be applied to all AMC twins, except the later Norton engined models. As always, a modicum of common sense is the most…

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Suzuki GT750 Andy Jones is not the usual run-of-the-mill bike restorer; being more interested in what pleases himself than the opinions of club cognoscenti. To that end, his immaculate and meticulously prepared Suzuki GT750 is finished in a colour that was never a factory option. While we're on the subject the front mudguard is wrong…

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Honda C50 The might of Honda’s manufacturing empire was virtually built on the humble C50. While the days of the C50/70/90 step-thrus are numbered in Europe, they’re still popular in the Far East and they serve as the template for Lord knows how many imitations in China, Korea and Taiwan. Honda has built over 30…

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