Classic Bike Hub UK

Paul Jennings had been perfectly happy with the Mikuni carb fitted to his BSA B44. So he had some misgivings about swapping to a brand new Amal Concentric. Here’s what he discovered… Six or seven years ago when I put my B44 together I was determined to make it as easy to start and reliable…

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If you can’t elevate your classic bike to get at its underside then Andy Bone has a suggestion: borrow a trick from the classic car crowd. Better than laying on the ground, any day! Some folk say that a man’s shed is an extension of himself, whether it is a shed on an allotment, a…

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Stu Thomson wanted to improve the low-rev running on his Laverda 750 twin. So here’s how he fitted a modern electronic ignition unit to it… I have fitted a Pazon Surefire ignition to my Laverda 750cc SF1. I used the unit designed for the Triumph, BSA and Norton twins. I am a retired engineer and…

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The Power Behind The Bang Behind The Clutch Behind The Rear Tyre… Dave Minton explains about sparks… You may have grasped that I have, through probably crack brained deliberations, become the owner of a Velocette Venom. As to the reason why, rather than repeat myself or leave insufficient opportunity for further tales of the drive…

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Changing the cambelt is probably the most difficult part of servicing one of Morini’s modular v-twins. Paul Compton, Paul Morgan-Knight, Mark Bailey and Martin Gelder show how it’s done using high definition shed-o-vision video and greasy smudge photography… The Moto Morini factory workshop manual, or the Blue Book as it’s more widely known, recommends changing…

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Derek Pickard looks at the stock MZ250 carb situation, tries the alternatives, finds what works and gives the details of how to make your ETZ run super sweet… Let’s start with a few hard facts: The BVF carb as fitted to the MZ two-strokes can only be considered ‘average’ in its metallurgy and machining. It…

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Decoking MZ and CZ Exhausts and Baffles How would you remove the carbon from an Eastern Bloc two-stroke exhaust? Two RealClassic readers explain how they tackle the task… In recent issues of RealClassic there has been some discussion about removing the baffles from an MZ silencer. I’ve owned and ridden MZs for around twenty years…

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Many classic bike specialists run a technical helpline, and they’re often asked exactly the same question. So we investigated: what’s the most common technical question asked about Norton Commandos…? Some technical questions crop up time and again. Most classic bike specialists are happy to help their customers by providing this information and now they’re sharing…

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There are probably more myths and misconceptions about oil and lubrication than any other subject in motorcycling. Gerry Bristow attempts to set straight some of the errors that masquerade as facts… What oil has to do The primary function of oil is to prevent metal to metal contact by introducing a film of oil between…

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Les Howard recommends a four stage process for stripping, cleaning, de-rusting and drying the petrol tank on your classic motorcycle. Appropriate clothing should be worn… One of the worst chores that is so often required on a classic bike today is renovating the inside of a steel petrol tank, usually because of rust or an…

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