Classic Bike Hub UK

All roads users need clear vision to drive or ride safely. Motorcyclists have to cope with visors and goggles, and classic riders frequently suffer from deteriorating vision, too. Paul Miles, RC’s resident professional eye expert, guides us through the available options – starting with getting the most from your eye test… By popular (well several,…

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The first fuel additives are coming onto the market to combat the effects of ethanol in petrol. As yet, they’re unproven, but there are some other things you can do if your old bike is suffering from the ethanol effect… We recently posted the full QintetiQ report into the effects of the rising level of…

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Karl Bentley investigates a misfire on his Yamaha XS650, and discovers that it’s all in the timing… Coming back from a wonderful ride (you can read about it here), the ignition timing on my XS650 slipped due to a loose timing disc. There are two main ways to check the timing on your bike. Static…

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When we observed in RealClassic magazine that two similar classic bikes were using their tyres very differently, and wondered what it could mean, RC readers provided all kinds of answers… Tyred and Bemused My Norton Commander needs a new rear tyre, which comes as a surprise. It’s many years since I wore a tyre out…

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Dave Wooding’s saddle split and he didn’t want to pay top dollar for an inferior replacement. The solution was a leather saddle cover for less than a fiver… Problem? The fabric cover on the new Indian-made single saddle split as I fitted it to my old Enfield. Gaffer tape made a temporary repair, but would…

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Transform your juddering and shuddering classic bike into a smooth performer. Always a sucker for a workshop gadget, Martin Gelder presents a balanced approach to carburettor set-up using vacuum dial gauges… A set of carefully balanced carburettors can transform the way a bike rides. They can turn a shuddering and rattling monster into a smoothly…

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One front drum brake not good enough for you? DBD Brian grafted two BSA 8” front drums together to improve the braking on his Gold Star. Here’s how he did it… This is a conversion I carried out on my Goldie about ten years ago. As you can see, it’s two Goldie eight inch brakes…

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Bennet Longman was so frustrated by the electrical shortcomings of his Ariel Square Four that he developed his own alternator conversion. So now he can ride at night with excellent illumination, without having to rev the engine senseless… Owners of the alloy-engine variants of the Ariel Square Four will be excited by the possibility of…

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Neil Cairns didn’t have the correct special tool to hand when he replaced the fork seals on his AJS single. So he… improvised… If you plan on keeping your old bike for a while and want to work on it yourself, then it seems sensible to build up a stock of the particular tools to…

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