RealClassic

Classic Techniques: Superblend bearings, part three

by

RowenaH

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19th March 2018

Andy Heathwood has been exploring the history behind Norton’s ‘Superblend’ bearing as fitted to their big twins in the 1970s. Now he turns to current concerns. Which readily available bearings are recommended today? It follows from the evidence presented already that although the latest FAG bearings are ‘well up to the job’, bearings from other…
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Classic Techniques: Superblend bearings, part two

by

RowenaH

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16th March 2018

Last time, Andy Heathwood introduced us to Norton’s solution to main-bearing problems in their big twins, back in the 1970s. Now he reveals whether ‘Superblend’ bearings were actually anything special. What’s in a name? Were Superblends something different? For their time and for this application the answer is probably ‘yes’. I am indebted to Anthony…
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Royal Enfield Himalayan

by

RowenaH

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15th March 2018

If you’ve not kept up with the recent events in India, Royal Enfield are now producing a wider range of bikes. After many years – many decades, even – of what could be described as stagnation, the firm aims to become a major player in the motorcycling world. They wish to augment their traditional range…
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Triumph Speed Twin

by

RowenaH

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14th March 2018

Opportunities like this one come along very rarely – so stand ready to seize the day! You have until 8.30pm on 22nd March 2018 to bid on this one-of-a-kind Triumph, the Speed Twin which carried RealClassic writer and long distance rider Graham Ham almost a quarter of a million miles all over Britain and Europe……
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Triumph Trident Café Racer

by

RowenaH

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8th March 2018

If you want to strip down a Hinckley triple to reveal its raw power, then you can buy special café racer kits where someone else has planned the build and sourced the components on your behalf. Or you can make it up as you go along – and create something completely unique at minimal expense……
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March magazine out now

by

RowenaH

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5th March 2018

There’s something of a twin-cylinder theme to this month’s magazine, which features a really rare postwar V-twin, a sidevalve parallel twin, an overhead cam inline twin, a traditional British ohv twin and a BMW Boxer. If that’s too many cylinders for your tastes, RC167 also includes a couple of old-fashioned singles (and one rather more…
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Racing Nortons Galore

by

RowenaH

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1st March 2018

The South of England Classic Show at Ardingly on 25th March 2018 incorporates a mammoth Norton Extravaganza, to celebrate more than 100 years of the marque. Brooklands Museum will be displaying several of their unusual Norton motorcycles, including the ones you see here… First up is this 1927 racing Norton outfit, ‘LPD1’; a genuine Pat…
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Plugs & Leads

by

RowenaH

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27th February 2018

Five Triumph Tigers are up for auction; there’s a rapid replacement for old Lucas Rita ignition systems; the Beamish Trophy Trial date has changed, and here’s a quick kit to fix a snapped speedo cable… RITA REVIVED! It’s been years since the Lucas Rita electronic ignition system has been available, which means that owners have…
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Scott Flying Squirrel

by

RowenaH

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16th February 2018

Scott’s innovative engineering set the standard for two-strokes for decades. These idiosyncratic machines inspire dedication and exasperation in roughly equal measure in their owners – but they’re capable of travelling very high mileages and still abound on the classic scenes, as Richard Jones discovers… I’ve never liked squirrels; rats cunningly disguising themselves with furry tails…
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Classic Techniques: Superblend bearings, part one

by

RowenaH

–

15th February 2018

When the main bearings in Commando engines started disintegrating, Norton came up with a super solution – the ‘Superblend’ bearing which proved to be one of the success stories of the 1970s. Andy Heathwood explains how it was little more than smart marketing, and leads us through the potential pitfalls of specifying replacement bearings for…
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