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…

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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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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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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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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…

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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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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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A combination of modern materials and time-honoured techniques can cause problems when it comes to assembling the bottom end of a classic British bike. RC readers debate the how and the why of it… In RC128, Ian Copcutt excellent article about rebuilding a Triumph triple showed how a micrometer is used to determine correct big…

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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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