Classic Motorcycle Mechanics
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics
This is the magazine dedicated to the buying, riding and rebuilding of the later classics and Japanese machines. Subscribe here.
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Never, ever, take a brake shoe lining for granted. Almost without exception Japanese shoes are fixed to their alloy carriers by adhesive alone; you rarely see rivets used. Eventually dampness, heat and time can and will rupture the adhesive bond causing the lining to come away from the shoe. The two potentially disastrous scenarios here…
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Aqua blasting is all the rage at the moment. I’ve been doing it for years at home using a cheap B&Q pressure washer (£25) and a sandblaster pick up lance (eBay £9.99). I used to use special sand that you had to buy from B&Q, but you can use dry sand from a builder’s merchant…
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How do you determine the correct angle for the handlebar controls? Sit on the bike, extend your fingers in line with your arms and lower your hands on to the grips. The levers should be just touching your outstretched fingers: then the switches will be in the right place too. Take care when routing the…
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Q: I recently purchased a 1986 GSX R750G. It is a Jap import, but I have read in your magazine that these bike are restricted to 75bhp and it certainly does not feel as quick as it should be, Where are the restrictions in this bike and how can it be derestricted back to its…
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Q: I am trying to find an aftermarket a 4-into-1 complete exhaust system for my 1100WT with no success. Could you tell me if any other models will bolt straight on, maybe a 1200 Bandit or any of the other GSX-Rs? I don’t mind having to make a new bracket etc. as long as the…
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Q: Do you know anyone who can check or test CDI units? And what are the obvious symptoms if a CDI unit is faulty? A: The usual symptom for a faulty CDI unit is no sparks at all, as opposed to occasional sparks or sparks at the wrong time. Other components in the system include…
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Q: Can anyone help me? Do you know what other starter motor will fit this machine as I cannot get one and I’ve tried everywhere. A: This is a Mitsuba motor, identified as 36496 on the outside I believe, though I do not think that is a code used by Mitsuba. You could try to…
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Q: With a cold engine it doesn’t respond to quick throttle openings. There is a bit of a difference once the engine is warm-though from about 55mph upwards, when the throttle is open to accelerate, the bike starts to chug and miss. If the throttle is held open to hold speed to 55-60 after about…
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Whenever you replace a wheel spindle make sure it’s greased. As Japanese bikes rarely received lubrication to their axles when new they have a real propensity to corrosion weld themselves to the inner bearing race. Removing a seized spindle is time consuming at best and at worse may even see the forks or swinging arm…
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Q: Just to say how much I enjoyed the ‘Why forks fail’, article, but surely the primary cause of forks ending up needing repair work is, in my experience, accidental damage. So, the difficult and awkward questions went unasked, questions like: A) Is it okay to straighten fork tubes? (and they ‘always’ get bent when…
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