Workshop

Get that ignition timing sorted! There are a hundred and one ways to compromise a motorcycle’s performance but one of the most pernicious has to be timing. Getting that all important spark to arrive at precisely the correct moment has a dramatic impact upon the bike’s power delivery. If you check out a manual for…

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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…

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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’…

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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…

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Suzuki GT750 engine’s back… Rod's now getting within touching distance of finishing our overhaul. Still a lot to be done, but the engin'es now in place… Step-by-step images and captions can be viewed in the image gallery. View Suzuki GT750: part one View Suzuki GT750: part two View Suzuki GT750: part four Captions Picture one:…

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Suzuki GT750 workshop rebuild Step-by-step images and captions are available in the image gallery. View Suzuki GT750: part one View Suzuki GT750: part three View Suzuki GT750: part four Picture one: First I'm going to finish mounting the forks, then I can get the wheels fitted. Like many Japanese bikes of the period, the GT750…

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Suzuki GT750 – finished at last Visit the image gallery for pics and step-by-step instructions. View Suzuki GT750 part one View Suzuki GT750: part two View Suzuki GT750: part three Picture one: After finishing off the engine build last month, next I needed to sort out all the wiring. Despite having a complete new loom,…

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Yamaha XT500 overhaul Sequential captions and images 1 to 12 are in part one. Picture 13: At the other side, the clutch lifter arm fits into the top of the crankcase and is located with an eccentric bolt and locknut (left) which serves as a clutch adjuster. With the clutch pushrod, lifter and plates all…

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Triumph Trident T150V engine overhaul The Triumph Trident was arguably the world’s first ever superbike. It’s difficult to imagine the impact this 750 triple had on the showrooms when it first appeared back in 1968 but up until then, if you wanted a bike you had a choice of one or two cylinders, and that…

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Triumph Trident T150V engine overhaul In part one I started work on Chris’s Triumph Trident engine which had come to me in a row of cardboard boxes after being stripped by a previous owner in the distant past. Though the major engine parts had already been reconditioned, assembling the pile of bits back into a…

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