Workshop

In the October 2015 edition of CMM a chap called Rob Neal wrote about high-temperature paint for his CX500 well, I have a similar vintage CBX1000 and have used VHT silver spray paint to good effect on several of the casings and it looks great despite not being applied by a professional. While in the…

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Words/Pictures by Steve Cooper Dropping a fixing into a bike is a pain with ages spent crawling around to no avail. Rather than waste time stand back, take a deep breath and then put something cushioning under the bike. Often just taking the bike the stand will cause the screw, washer etc. to plop onto…

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Q: Can you tell me how to tell if a nut or bolt is usable or not.  I think I over-torqued a bolt/acorn nut combination due to using a cheap torque wrench which didn’t click. Note to self: cheap tools cause more problems than they solve. Tommy G, USA  A: It has often occurred to…

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Q: My new bike is a Suzuki RV90 running 6v magneto electrics. Needless to say the lights are feeble, the stop lamp glows dismally and indicators don’t. Apart from making sure all connectors and earth points are clean and the general wiring is in good order is there anything else that can be done to…

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Words/Picture by Steve Cooper Many 60s, 70s and 80s strokers run disc-valve induction systems with the carburettor sitting at the end of the crank. With this type of intake system it’s vital that the chamber the carb sits it is airtight. If there’s air leakage the engine will be hard to set up, prone to…

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Q: Hi, great article in a recent mag on the TR1. I own a 1981 model which I rebuilt from a basket case. It’s a lovely bike and as John Nutting says the torque is wonderful. However since I built it I get a ‘tut-tut’ in the carbs when ticking over and what appears to…

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Q: Having recently acquired a 1984 TY250 trials for restoration but I find myself with a plastic fuel tank that has a nice yellowy tinge to it. Is there any way of returning this it to its former (white) glory? Lee Riches A: Opinions vary on the cause of this discolouration. It is tempting to…

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Q: I’m a long-time reader of your excellent mag and I also suffer from petrol addiction! I have a Moto Morini Corsarino 50cc four-stroke that has started to develop a running issue. After a couple of minutes on tickover or at speed, the bike will start to miss a little and eventually cut out. I…

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Q: I have recently got my 1979 Suzuki GS850G fuel meter to work but the wiring is incorrect. I cannot as yet find the live feed from the meter to the tank gauge (due to wires being cut/altered by previous owners) and instead have connected an unused 12v line switched by the ignition, this means that…

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Q: I own a 1978 BMW R100S. What’s your take on gasoline additive and octane rating? Personally I have been feeding her SP98 (best quality available here) and no additive whatsoever. What do you think CMM? Anon A: We have three separate issues here. They are octane rating, lead in fuel and the addition of…

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