Category: Workshop

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 old tank sealing lining turning…

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 timing, where you work out…

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 the various bearing surfaces, which…

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 in about four months. It’s…

Even the best classic bike won’t corner correctly if its wheels are out of line. Les Howard has come up with an ingenious high-tech method to ensure one wheel follows the other, exactly… I’ve owned motorcycles for over 40 years, and repaired or renovated lots of them. Out of the all the maintenance jobs that were required, there was always…

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 it with us, too. We’ve…