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April 2025

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Jumping back in time

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Road racing returns!

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Bolognese source

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Subscribe to Classic Bike Magazine

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March 2025

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Miller’s marvels

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February 2025

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Time for a TZ?

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Norton P11

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Petrol: What you need to know

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We want it: History in the metal

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Spark plugs: What you need to know

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The moment of truth

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January 2025

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Batteries: What you need to know

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SKY HIGH HILLCLIMBING

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Stately pile-on

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Get up for the Kop

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Time for a T140?

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Rick’s Fixes: cold comfort in the shed

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hole sideways

Did this Curtiss really do over 136.36mph at Ormond Beach, Florida in 1907? Nicksy thinks not...

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A RECORD OF EXAGGERATION

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HOW TO: MAKE A JET BLOCK EXTRACTOR

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BARON’S STROKE OF BAD LUCK

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How To: Make vintage bike grips

HOW TO: RECYCLE OLD CAR PARTS

THE ISLAND’S BIGGEST DRAW

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KEEPING THE FAITH

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HOW TO: FIT AN AMAL CARB TICKLER EXTENSION

HOW TO: REPLACE BSA BEARINGS

Offers and Competitions

Latest Competitions

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Features

Rick's Fixes

Mike Nicks

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Magazine Issues

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If you’re looking for an event to get involved in this year, Classic Bike’s bumper 132-page April issue has an essential guide to everything that’s happening – right through from April to September.

Whether it’s classic bike shows, races, festivals or one-off events, you’ll find them all listed in the pages of the magazine. It’s your indispensable calendar of entertainment for 2025.

Alongside that, you’ll also find a buying guide for the Suzuki GSX-R750F – the ‘Slabbie’ that revolutionised the world of sports bikes in the 1980s. Moving back in time, there’s a road test of a Triumph hot-rod with a 1954 Thunderbird engine in a ’48 rigid frame, plus the story of how Glyn Johnson built the Griffin – his ideal Vincent with a Comet engine in an Egli frame. All this, plus readers’ rides, Classic Bike project updates and other regulars, including a tour of an unusual workshop and more practical hints and tips than you can shake a spanner at – don’t miss April’s issue of CB or you’ll miss out!

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#### Rupert has become a glutton for punishment. Having spent ages and much cash restoring a BSA 650, as recorded in these pages, he’s bought a £1500 **Moto Morini**...

WORDS: **RUPERT PAUL** PHOTOGRAPHY: **RUPERT PAUL & LAURA DYER**

Why did Rupert buy this bike? ‘Had to get the train... from Potsdamer Platz,’ he replied, referencing Bowie’s Where Are We Now? from The Next Day album...

If you’re any kind of Bowie fan, you’ll know the song mentioned above, and the achingly nostalgic feeling behind it. Well, that feeling is pretty much why, at the age of 62, I find myself owning a Morini again, 44 years after the last one. How strange that it’s this obscure Italian marque bracketing a biking career which has spanned at least 1500 different bikes ridden, owned, raced, thrashed and crashed.

It’s a first-generation 350 Kanguro, the X0 model. Y-reg, nine former owners, 50,000 miles. The X0 had the round-tube frame, which I think looks nicer than the later square-section version. Rather less appealingly, it has drum brakes and cast iron barrels, instead of the plated bores Morini used on later bikes.

Obviously I wanted a 500 Camel, because it’s as beautiful as the roadgoing Morinis. But Kanguros are affordable. I paid £1500 to the previous owner, a land speed record fiend who needed a little more space in his amazing garage.

The bike had obviously been looked after most of the time; it was in nice, original condition apart from a smoky exhaust, and it’s reasonably light and agile.

That last bit is important, because I have entered the bike in the Land’s End Trial, an all-night endurance event across the lanes and trails of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, as featured in _CB_ last May, when Hugo did the event on his Morini Camel. So I need the Kanguro to be reliable, comfortable and have some lights.

Easy bit first – the wires. These bikes came with electrics that mixed 12V AC (presumably for the headlight) and 6V DC (for indicators and brake). I suspect it was to keep production costs down by reducing the amount of copper each bike needed, even though the left handlebar switch had to run separate circuits for the two systems.

Happily, a previous owner has converted the whole bike to 12V DC by the cunning ruse of disconnecting the AC coil from earth, and adding it to the other coils being used to charge the battery. The details of this procedure are on the Morini Riders Club website. You’re still left with a fairly modest alternator, powering a tiny 2Ah battery, and to keep electrical load to a minimum the bike already had LEDs for indicators, tail and even the dash lights.

I spent a day going through the modified loom, working out what each wire was doing, and checking current capacity and connections. A few new wires here and there, plus some fresh bullet connectors, and all was well.

There are two (count ’em!) warning lights on the dash, originally to tell you: a) Your lights are on, and b) You’ve selected high beam. As the indicators are invisible when you’re on the bike, I decided to repurpose the ‘lights on’ one to ‘indicators on’ instead.

This didn’t work; the indicators are weird aftermarket ones that contain their own flashing programme. They don’t need (or have) a central flasher unit. So, if you wire up a conventional indicator warning light, they all flash – whether you go left or right. Thinking I could outwit them, I made up a diode pack (what Paul Goff at Goffy Electrical calls a ‘tweaker’). This stops left indicator current from crossing over to the right (or vice versa). The warning light still didn’t flash, because – doh! – the flashing is internal to each indicator. It just lit up continuously while the indicators are on. I’ll get used to it...

To boost night vision, I found some20-watt LEDs on eBay for a mere £15. Obviously, they weren’t going to match a pair of £400 Denalis, but I hoped they’d be better than nothing. I made up some spacers to fit them, and some more for a little bracket for a tiny volt meter (£7.50) to check how the battery would cope. To keep my options open, I ran them through a little relay, so they could be conveniently switched on in various ways/amounts.

Result: the spots add lots of light for about 20 yards, and as long as the revs are above 2000 the alternator manages fine. Lathe time well spent.

Next job: engine. The simply excellent Benjy Straw, who I have known since my first Morini in 1979 (and who egged me on to get the Kanguro in the first place) reckons the smoky exhaust is unlikely to be valve guides. He suspects rings, with the possibility of needing a rebore too.

But to have a look inside, you first have to get inside. This is when I noticed the bronze exhaust nut castellations are mostly snapped off. And no amount of penetrating oil and heat would shift them. My friend Rupe Farnsworth, who has bigger muscles and some map gas, eventually got the rear one off.

The threads in the casting are not pretty. I’ll see if they can clean up sufficiently by turning the old nut into a thread chaser. Three hacksawed slots should do the trick. I’ve already got new nuts to try afterwards. So some engine expense to come. And Benjy reminds me that I’ll need to brace the pillion footrest brackets, to avoid cracks. Later bikes had it as standard.

Meanwhile, I’m loving owning this thing. Morini’s engineering philosophy is beautiful, and I appreciate the way the bike goes together. It should also make a very handy trail bike.

**Useful contact**: Morini spares **:a[mdinaitalia.co.uk]{href='https://mdinaitalia.co.uk' }**

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#### After two years with no racing between the hedges in the **Republic of Ireland** due to insurance issues, at least four meetings will be going ahead in 2025

In a remarkable turn of events, a breakaway organisation led by club members has secured public liability insurance for road races at Walderstown, Munster, Athea and Faugheen, which the official governing body had failed to do since 2022.

“There was no prospect for road racing in 2025,” said Paul Power, who helped set up Road Racing Alliance Ireland (RRAI) and arrange the crucial public liability insurance. “A number of clubs decided that if Motorcycling Ireland \[MCI, the governing body\] couldn’t get insurance, then we should start looking for ourselves.

“It wasn’t done to put two fingers up to MCI; the only driving force was that if we didn’t do it, our road racing would be consigned to the history books. We thought it was better to do something and fail than to do nothing.”

What Paul and his team found was that no insurance was possible if the clubs stayed with Motorcycling Ireland, who had organised insurance for all other forms of bike sport in the Republic. “It would be like trying to get insurance for your living room when the rest of your house is insured,” explains Paul. “We took a leap of faith and thought we’d give it a go.

“We left MCI in October 2024 and by the first week of January this year we had an insurance policy for seven road race events in the Republic. We were blown away.” Four of those events have been allocated, with the remaining three up for grabs. “We’re hoping other clubs will come on board – Kells, Skerries, Tandragee and so on – but at the moment they’re still with MCI.”

But if RRAI managed to get insurance in three months, what were MCI playing at? “We don’t know how hard the governing body’s negotiators tried to get insurance,” says Paul. “We asked the insurance companies what was stopping them providing cover and couldn’t get a definitive answer. It was frustrating.

“But after a lot of knocking on doors and putting things in place – safety policies, codes of practice, etc – and then putting forward an insurance proposal, we got a result. It was a lot of long nights and hard work. We just persisted.”

#### What better way to celebrate the 50th birthday of your GT750 than to ride it back to the factory that built it? Will Suttie describes how he and brother Jim took their bevel and belt-driven Ducatis down to Bologna on the trip of a lifetime

Words & photography **WILL & JIM SUTTIE**

#### **May** **ASI Moto show**: May 3-5, Varano Racetrack , Italy

The problem with setting dates in the distant future is that suddenly they’re right on top of you. Or they are with me. My brother Jim and I had decided four years ago to mark the 50th birthday of his round-case Ducati 750GT by riding from Devon to the Bologna factory in 2024. Plenty of time to get his GT and my 1993 900SS ready for the trip – or so we thought.

Jim went the traditional route of a patient and painstaking restoration over the years, gradually ironing out gripes and improving finish. Electronic ignition was fitted (of course), an engine rebuild done (no surprise there), plus there was a wheel and spoke rebuild, multiple bits of re-chroming and even a bit of garage lathe work.

In theory, my 900SS should have required far less effort... but eight years working abroad and a leaking garage roof put paid to that. It went in taxed and MoT’d and came out a disaster. I changed the belts, oil, filters, fuel pump and brake fluid, flushed the tank and bodged the leaky clutch – but it was crying out for a proper rebuild.

Luckily, someone recommended Steve Hillary of Red Max Speedshop (and former Doctor Desmo) fame, who did an amazing job. He says it’s a refurbishment, not a full restoration – I didn’t want a show bike, but a reliable runner on a budget, with just enough to make it special (eg those gorgeous gold wheels).

It’s June 2024, a month before the Brittany Ferries Plymouth to Santander crossing, and we’re flapping. Jim’s decided that a last-minute piston change and rebore is in order and I’m worried that days hunched over the 900SS’s clip-ons will do for my dodgy neck, so I’m trying to raise them even further. A doctor once told me that beer is an excellent muscle relaxant, so maybe that’s the answer...

But I’m panicking unnecessarily, because Steve at Red Max has done a superb job. The 900SS has been fully stripped and the wiring loom removed. We decided to keep the original frame paint, treating any isolated rust encountered. The engine was bead-blasted, but the forks were corroded beyond repair and I eventually sourced the correct replacements on eBay, along with a seat and front wheel.

It was one of Steve’s back-burner projects, done while I was away working – but with his keen eye on the detail, a transformation gradually took place. The calipers were refurbished by Powerhouse in Chesterfield and completed with stainless hoses. Starter motor cables were upgraded and a nasty dent in the tank was filled, colour matched and painted to an amazing standard by Joeby’s Airbrush Art in Somerset. This probably doesn’t describe 10% of the work carried out, but hopefully illustrates the process.

The engine internals seemed fine. I’d only put 16,250 miles on it since new and the crankcases had never been split, so we peered into the cylinders with a boroscope and tested the compression. All was well.

Riding the SS for the first time after its refurbishment was a real treat. I’m always surprised by it, even when I’ve been riding more powerful bikes. It just feels fast, exciting, light and precise – plus, of course, there’s _that_ soundtrack. Or, as Hunter S Thompson put it, in his 1995 _Cycle World_ test ride: “It’s not just fast, it’s responsive and it will do amazing things,” further noting: “From 4000 to 6000 in third will take you from 75mph to 95 in two seconds – and after that, Bubba, you still have fourth, fifth and sixth. Ho, ho.” I’m not so sure about his numbers, but you get the idea.

As for the 750GT – celebrated on _CB_’s July 2020 cover, no less – it was Ducati’s first superbike and widely credited as ‘Taglioni’s game-changer that saved Ducati’. As the original ’70s owner’s manual says: ‘Dear Sir, we feel sure you will not fail to appreciate the magnificent performance of Ducati motorcycles.’

Jim bought this one for £500 in 1984 when he was at art school, so has known it for 40 of its 50 years. Like me, he was hooked on bikes by our much-loved late dad, whose enthusiasm for the TT and his Norton, Velocette, Guzzi and Francis-Barnett machines was – and is – an inspiration.

Comparing our two Ducatis is interesting. In fact, they’ve got a lot in common: design philosophy, air cooling and two-valve heads (albeit with different actuation mechanisms), for example. Plus they share a component – the rocker cover gasket (part number 0755.92.295). Personally, I’d like both – but definitely can’t afford a GT these days, so I must learn to prioritise.

Jim planned the route to put the bikes on the type of roads where they belong. We’d take the ferry to northern Spain, ride through the Pyrenees, then skirt the pricey Riviera for some national park scenery. The return from Bologna would take us over the alps to Zürich, then back across central France to the Atlantic coast and Brittany. We had six days outbound to the factory to make our appointment with the museum, who seemed keen to meet the 750GT (they even asked for its chassis numbers in preparation for our arrival).

And we’re off. It’s amusing riding behind the GT, watching the number of car drivers who check it out – because of what? The black and silver plate? Jim’s white open-face and leather jacket giving an old-school rocker vibe? Or, most likely, the noise? Whatever, it’s not as inconspicuous as Jim thinks.

After a smooth sailing, some IPA and whale spotting, we arrive in Spain at lunchtime with 175 miles to our first stop at the amazing Hostal Rural in Lorca, Navarra. So far, so good. The next day, up in the Pyrenees on the N260 the ride really begins, with blue skies, corners and tunnels tracking the steep-sided river valleys.

I savour the GT’s booming Contis in the tunnels as we climb through the tree line and up into the snow pole zone. It’s a magnificent road, winding its way through Catalunya towards Andorra and ultimately on to Figueres and the Mediterranean coast. We spend the night in a sleepy village, Serroca de Bellera, and continue the N260 fun the next morning, eventually leaving it to cross into France.

As with any longer trip, it takes a few days to find your rhythm, sort the luggage and, in our case, let the bikes prove they’re not about to explode. They start easily, run faultlessly all day and just require the occasional chain lube and top-up of oil. Jim starts each day with a plug check, but it proves unnecessary. We wonder – is this the only bevel-drive Ducati touring Europe in the summer of 2024?

I try to remind myself each day that this is it. After all the imagining, this is the reality and I need to drink it all in. I get accustomed to following that black-and silver plate or seeing his familiar silhouette in my vibey mirrors. It’s heavenly.

Our cruising speeds aren’t quite compatible, though. At 5000rpm, the 750GT is doing about 65mph, which is just short of what I need to be at the low end of sixth gear on the SS. If we’re cruising, I’m bouncing from fourth to fifth to sixth. Jim says the GT feels like it would easily handle one less tooth on the rear sprocket for future trips.

We push on through France. There’s a heatwave and it’s rammed with tourist traffic, so we re-route to some toll roads to get in some miles and head for higher ground. At the last stop in France, we meet an Italian couple on a KTM who quiz us about the bikes and destination. We explain the factory pilgrimage and suddenly the woman’s eyes light up and she says: “I understand – they’re returning to mother”. She’s spot on.

We ride on, taking the D900 through the low Alps to the Italian border. With a fading summer evening sun lighting our way and the sound of the Dukes bouncing off the hillsides as we carve round corner after corner, it feels like all the effort is worthwhile. This is what we came for. What a road! Even the pain in my neck and shoulders doesn’t feel too bad.

We cross the border into Italy for the descent to Boves and Jim later claims the GT runs better the instant it’s on Italian soil. We eventually stop at a small family-run hotel where we’re presented with the largest ice-cold bottles of Moretti I’ve ever experienced, and one of the best dinners of the trip. Everything this afternoon and evening is falling seamlessly into place. Plus there’s only one more day’s riding to Bologna. There’s a good chance we’re actually going to make it. We’re on a high.

Another blisteringly hot day greets us – we stop every 120 miles for fuel, but every 60 for water, eventually rolling into Piazza Maggiore in Bologna at about 4pm. It’s a pedestrian zone, but our hotel assures us we can ride in – a few locals look up from their café terrace drinks, but there’s no comment at a couple of old Ducatis burbling by. Nobody minds. We have 1231 faultless miles under our belts and an appointment at the factory the next morning. Time for another Moretti...

Arriving at the Ducati factory the next morning, we’re shown into the car park and discover we’re the only 20th century bikes in there. We meet the museum’s curator, Livio Lodi, who gives us a fascinating private tour of the museum. He proudly shows us a Paso that’s the actual one he assembled when he started working at the factory in the ’80s. It’s an amazing story and a fitting end to the journey.

We chat to more Ducati staff who come to look at the bikes – and we even get invited back for the 2026 100th anniversary celebrations. Now there’s a thought – but in the meantime, we need to ride home...

On pottering days, the 900SS used virtually no oil. Thrashing through mountains in the 5000-8000rpm fun zone required a daily check. In total, it used 1.5 litres of 10W-40 semi synthetic ( just over half a litre per 1000 miles). Perhaps it’s time to check the oil control rings, but no desperate hurry. The 750GT’s new 81mm Ross Racing pistons and 1mm oversize rebore (bringing it to 766cc) only used half a litre of Motul Classic 20W-50 – a testament to the fine work of Exeter Engineering.

There were only a few minor problems with the bikes. The GT750’s numberplate came loose, and its headlight bulb failed and was replaced. One of the 900SS’s fairing bolts was lost (and fixed with a cable tie). Its front brake light switch failed and blew a fuse, so I disconnected the switch and changed the fuse and rear bulb. That’s it.

This track-based event is a bit of an overlooked treasure. It’s organised by the Automotoclub Storica Italiano at the Verano circuit, near Parma, between Bologna and Milan. This will be its 25th running, with bikes from 1918 all the way through to those from the 2000s on display in the paddock, as well as being demonstrated on track. Expect celebrity ex-racers to be riding, too. Obviously, this being Italy, the catering is decent and the best bit is that its free for spectators. Ride down, or fly to Milan or Bologna and rent a car. Or a bike. You can book track sessions, too. **:a[asifed.it]{href='https://asifed.it' }**

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#### The **T120 Thruxton** is the most revered of all **Triumph Bonnevilles**. This one is now restored back to its ’60s race glory – but its owner had no idea how extra special it was when he chanced upon it

Words **MICK DUCKWORTH** Photography **GREG MOSS**

When Bernard Kuropka bought a Triumph Bonneville with the registration number MAC 234E in the late 1970s, he had no idea of its historical significance. “I bought it for £260,” the Hampshire-based engineering company director recalls. “It looked like a normal Bonneville with an Aubergine and white tank – but it was quick, always went well and had a close-ratio four-speed ’box. I knew there was some factory connection, but thought it may have been a TT Marshal’s bike.”

What he had actually stumbled upon was not only one of the limited-edition 650cc T120 Thruxton versions made for production racing from 1965-69 that carry the most kudos of all Bonnevilles – it was also one of the batch of four built for 1967 for factory riders and factory-backed teams that are revered as most successful. And the bike’s story is made even more extraordinary by the fact that Bernard has not only owned it once, but twice.

“The wife of a previous owner, a lady called Evelyn, traced me and wanted to buy the bike back for him as surprise. A year later, in 1978, my wife Bernadine and I were saving hard to get married, so I sold to Evelyn for £350.” More than 30 years later, Bernard was looking through a photo album when he found letters Evelyn had written to him.

“One had an address – and after 15 minutes on Google, I had made contact.” Although now divorced, Evelyn was able to put him in touch with her ex-husband who still owned the bike – and within months it was Bernard’s again. While complete, it had a seized engine.

MAC 234E was originally allotted to Elite Motors and later bought by the London dealer. It was raced to fourth place in the 1967 Production TT by Lance Weil and to third in the 750cc class at the 1968 Brands Hatch 500-mile GP d’Endurance by the popular Californian, teamed with Martyn Ashwood. In the 30-lap Production race at the 1968 Mallory Park 2000 Guineas meeting, Ashwood and Joe Dunphy finished second on the bike. The celebrated MACs also include two 750cc Production TT winners: John Hartle’s 1967 machine with registration MAC 233E and Malcolm Uphill’s MAC 232E, on which he lapped the Mountain Course at 100mph in 1969.

When Bernard showed his bike to Thruxton Bonneville registrar Hugh Dickson, it caused much excitement. “We didn’t know where 234 was!” Dickson exclaimed. He also recommended that Bernard contacted Thruxton parts specialist George Hopwood and Claudio Sintich (author of the definitive book Triumph Thruxton Bonneville 1959-1969) for guidance regarding his plan to restore the bike to 1967 condition.

Factory records show that the bike had an ignominious start in life – built as a 1966 TR6 Trophy, it was deemed defective as it came off Meriden’s assembly line. It was subsequently passed to the experimental department to become one of the Thruxton Bonneville batch for 1967. With frame number DU 58464, it was one of four registered by the factory with the denomination ‘MAC’ followed by a three-figure number and the 1966-1967 ‘E’ suffix in April 1967. The crankcase has no number; the original was replaced after being wrecked by primary chain failure in the first major outing at the 1967 Brands Hatch 500-miler. At the time, riders Weil and Peter Carrana were holding third place. It’s likely that there were other major blow-ups during the machine’s racing career, but Bernard found much of the 1960s engine’s special specification intact.

“The crankshaft’s light flywheel fitted from 1966 to 1968 has some more weight pared off,” he explains. “I had it dynamically balanced by Basset Down. After freeing the bores, I fitted new 9:1 pistons more suitable for modern conditions than the original 11:1s, on Thunder Engineering rods. Plus-40 bores give about 666cc. The Spitfire-profile cams have three-inch radius followers in Thruxton tappet blocks and the timing wheels are drilled for lightness. There is some porting in the head, which has Nimonic valves controlled by W&S springs with lightened retainers. The lightened rockers (electronically weighed by Bernard for equality) have spacers on their spindles in place of Thackeray washers \[to cut friction\].”

Full-race Amal GP carburettors were replaced by less fussy 30mm Concentrics early in the machine’s racing life. Bernard fitted 32mm instruments and simplified their head connections with screw-in alloy tubes tapered for optimal flow, with nine inches from throttle slide centre to valve. The gearbox is mysteriously marked as a motocross type: WR (Wide Ratio) MMX and has some metal cut away from the outer cover to save a few grammes. The 20/43-tooth final-drive gearing indicates a potential 70mph in the high first ratio and 125mph in top.

Both wheels have 19in rims and well ventilated brakes. Triumph and BSA raced in 1967 with the twinleading-shoe front brake to be introduced on 1968 production – but Bernard changed the front backplate to the revised 1969 type with an improved cable run, and crafted an alloy air scoop. There are five holes on the other side of the hub where, he says, replica builders sometimes make six, due to misinterpreting blurred action photos. The rear brake has 20 backplate drillings and four larger holes on the right side, while its pedal is the correct factory type.

An original modification for better handling is shortening of the forks’ stanchions by 20mm. They are held in Police-specification yokes without any offset. Bernard added his own tweaks; the shuttle valves’ washers that normally float are fixed with epoxy glue to improve action during hard braking. Not covered by headlamp brackets, the stanchions are black-oxide coated.

Period Thruxton silencers were a lucky autojumble discovery, bought for £45 after some mild bargaining. The single seat, complete with a Screen & Plastic maker’s sticker, was another happy find, while the correct Avon ‘nosecone’ fairing was available from Sprint Manufacturing, descendant company of the original maker. The alloy five-gallon fuel tank supplied by Hopwood was painted by Triumph colours specialist John Critchlow, blowing a thin coat of Pacific Blue over a silver base to replicate the original metallic look.

Although clearly a lot of time and effort has been spent on the restoration, Bernard still likes to ride the bike, so he hasn’t shied away from practical modifications to his rarity. For instance, the 1967 rear lamp and licence plate mounting was replaced by the less breakage-prone 1969 type, a modification he can justify to purists. “The stronger later bracket was on Malcolm Uphill’s MAC 232E when he won the 1969 Production TT,” he explains. He’s also done some non-standard modernising. He replaced the clutch basket with a machined alloy item containing alloy-based friction plates, while a bulge at the rear of the altered timing cover conceals a post-1979 type four-valve oil pump. He fitted a 10ah 12v lithium battery, Podtronics rectifier/regulator, a sturdier ignition switch than the original Tiger Cub type and Smiths-replica electronic instruments. The dash panel includes a colour-changing LED voltage indicator light.

Since getting it back on the road in 2013, Bernard has made three Isle of Man trips with the Thruxton, although unfortunately he did experience another ride that wasn’t so pleasurable. In the summer of 2015, he was riding to visit an old friend in hospital. “A car driver swiped me off at about 25mph on a roundabout,” he recalls. “I was knocked unconscious – my old-style helmet split at the back. I broke my collarbone and some ribs. The fairing was crushed, although I always keep a spare, but the tank had to be repaired and resprayed; it’s cost me £1000 so far!” That incident didn’t put him off riding it, though. MAC 234E still appears at UK and German vintage events – and it’s heartening that such a treasure is still being properly enjoyed, as a machine of this calibre should be.

Lance Weil’s fourth place on MAC 234E in the 1967 750cc Production TT was remarkable for a first-timer on the Isle of Man Mountain Course; the best result by an American since Billy Wells finished second in the twin-cylinder class of the first IoM TT of 1907. In the three-lap race, Weil lay fifth on lap two, but then caught and overtook BSA factory rider Tony Smith to hold third place – until a slipping clutch at Governor’s Bridge allowed Smith to get past and under the flag. Ahead of them were winner John Hartle and second-place man Paul Smart (750cc Dunstall Dominator).

Weil, whose early Bell full-face helmet was banned by the ACU, added variety to short circuit racing with wins on an 883cc XLH Harley-Davidson with the latest Lowboy frame. His untimely death in 2006 followed a workshop accident.

Bernard traced other former MAC 234E racers, and last summer Peter Carrana invited him and his bike to a reunion barbecue, also attended by former Elite Motors rider Lenny Phelps, visiting the UK from his South African home, and his regular mechanic Graham Veryard. Lenny, who rose to prominence as MAC 234E’s regular rider, recalled racing at Llandow, South Wales. When he beat a local hero, he and Graham also won over his fan girls. Peter remembered being asked by Ron Welling of Elite Motors to take MAC 234E to the Isle of Man as Lenny’s practice bike for the 1969 Production TT. “It stood up to a lot of abuse, but survived.” He praised the bike’s handling, as did Martyn Ashwood, also contacted by Bernard, who recalled rounding Gerard’s at Mallory Park flat in third during the 2000 Guineas race. He contends that he and Dunphy were rightful winners of that event, due to lap scoring errors, and the winning Dunstall team of Ray Pickrell and Dave Croxford privately admitted so.

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Treasure of the track

#### Rebuilding the wheels of Rick’s 1914 Bradbury project was a challenge, as no measurements were taken before they were stripped down. But it did give an insight into wheelbuilding principles

When the hub’s been cut from the rim like this, there’s a fair bit to work out. Was there any ‘offset’? How long were the spokes? What was the lacing pattern? You need to put your detective skills to use...

Different diameter spoke flanges alter spoke angles – they’ll be steeper on the large flange side and cross lower. The spoke holes in the rim will be angled to match, so you need to identify the sides.

Screw nipples to four spokes, fit them in the rim and press the nipples so they settle at the drilled angle. The pair with the steeper angle will cross nearest to the rim – they’re for the big spoke flange.

Spokes are ‘internal’ and ‘external’ – and you need to know which go where. A clue is this bruise, made by an external, clockwise spoke. I marked the angle so it’s still visible with the spoke fitted.

Rims usually fit centrally between the spoke flanges. I need to hold the hub upright, so I can prop the rim to the correct height – a machine vice made a good way hold the hub on the bench.

Next, I put wooden blocks and metal strips under the rim to level it – correct side up – until my height gauge confirmed the rim centre (tyre valve hole) was at the midpoint between the spoke flanges.

To set the hub central, I use these big old dividers – it’s quicker than faffing about with a tape or rule. Checking at four compass points, I keep shifting the vice until the hub’s central to the rim.

Next, I rotated the rim until an external spoke, lined up with the hub mark, aimed directly at the correct hole. Then I fitted an internal in the next hole and adjusted the rim position so they crossed symmetrically.

Do the same for the other side. Then check the hub’s still central and mark the four spokes where they reach the rim; they’ll pull in further as the nipples are tightened, so I cut them there...

… and thread them with a Cyclo tool, but never use these for stainless – it’s too hard. Cyclos are scarce now, but once you know the length, you can get your spokes cut to size by a specialist.

Paint the inaccessible top halves, then fit the left and right side _internal_ spokes first, folding them close to the hub, facing the correct way (clockwise or anti-clockwise) so the rim will easily fit over them.

Before painting the rim, I marked the hole matched to my inked dash on the hub with a bolt; with those points linked by a spoke, insert the rest of this side internals into every fourth rim hole.

You can fit the flipside internals next, but I prefer to complete this side with the externals; it’s easy to see where they go now and firms up the wheel, making it simpler to lace the other side.

Beware odd spokes craftily wedging against the rim, locking everything up so other spokes seem too long to fit; they dig particularly stubbornly into painted rims, so keep all loose spokes clear.

Externals go in last, because you can push them through the hub holes and swing them round to the rim. Not so internals – each one is obstructed by other spokes which you’d have to remove.

No jig? You can true a wheel on the bike, just fix up a pointer. To pull in this run-out gap, I’d tighten these two, first creating space by slackening the three flanking them on the other side.

But for eccentricity, you loosen both-side spokes on the low spot – and if there’s a high spot diametrically opposite, tighten spokes that side; no corresponding low spot may mean a dented rim.

Wheel jigs and spoke rollers are great to have, but they’re only worth having if you do lots of wheels. Really the only essentials are an easy-to-use spoke key – and plenty of patience!

How to build a vintage wheel

#### Velocette restorers **Ivan Rhodes** and **Bob Higgs** have made a perfect replica of the 1930s ISDT Gold Medal-winning outfit

After years of painstaking work, Velocette specialists Ivan Rhodes and Bob Higgs will present their replica of a historic 1930s Hall Green machine at April’s Stafford Show.

They have recreated the 600cc sidecar outfit driven by Bristol dealer Stuart Waycott as part of Great Britain’s victorious ISDT Trophy team every year from 1936 to 1938. Designed by legendary Australian engineer Phil Irving, the purpose-built outfit’s sohc 595cc (85 x 105mm) engine shared features with Velocette’s factory road racers. The original outfit was broken up long ago; a solo racer in a private UK collection has the engine.

The faithful replica was created without factory drawings, thanks to Ivan’s stock of original and replicated race shop parts, plus Bob’s engineering skills – he is known in Velocette circles for his 100,000-mile ohv Vulcan V-twin special. John Winfield helped with spannering, and rare parts came from Velocette OC officials in Australia.

The engine, with Velo’s massively-finned racing cylinder head, has long-stroke flywheels made by Bob, with a Ford piston giving 8:1 compression. Ivan selected suitable cams and there’s an extra pump fitted to scavenge oil from the timing chest, as on works racers. Ivan had the correct four-speed gearbox in his parts cache.

The aluminium-bodied sidecar’s chassis was copied from a drawing in Irving’s autobiography. Suspension for its wheel is by a transverse swingarm and leaf spring. A spare wheel carried on the bike is interchangeable with the sidecar wheel and, thanks to a fork modification, the front wheel.

Trials outfit recreated

The cover of Classic Bike’s March issue is a colourful celebration of Honda’s original Africa Twin, a bike which makes a fine 21st century all-rounder. The magazine features a buyer’s guide, informing readers how to get the best example of this milestone in the development of adventure bikes that lasted from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.

In contrast to this ‘bike for everyman’, there are two tales of very special machines – the first concerns the restoration of an extremely rare Triumph Bonneville T120 Thruxton, originally bought by an owner unaware of its history of 1960s racing glory. The second is the amazing tale of four friends who decided to build their own two-stroke 500cc Grand Prix bikes, creating four incredible Yamaha YZR500 replicas that gained praise from famous racers when taken to the track.

Adding to the eclectic mix, there’s also a road test on a 1931 BSA Model E, and an interview with the man who gave Ducati £200,000 to sign Carl Fogarty. Topping it all off is the recently revamped Workshop section, choc-full of practical tips, long-term projects and insights into how to keep your classic running sweetly.

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