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News September
2024
Bimmer
shed-dive, September 7
With some decent weather in our neck of
the woods, we're shed-diving. One of today's targets
(there were a few) was this, our recently-acquired 1975
BMW R75/6.
We're a bit fond of this thing, not just
because of its traditional looks but also its back-story.
The gent we bought it from was a long-term rider and
racer. He
had owned it since 1977, a time when things must have been
going well to afford such a big-ticket item.
It would have been expensive because
at that stage it was a two-year-old low-mileage
machine. New, it was priced at Au$2850 (US$1900,
GB£1450), when a Honda CB750-Four was Au$1850
(US$1230, GB£940).
Today's surprise was having to fix a
minor fuel leak and, since we had the tools out, we
replaced the air filter.
The next issue is the exhaust system.
Both the headers and crossover pipe have become
paper-thin over time thanks to rust and stone damage.
It's not a pukka restoration target,
so we've gone with a full stainless steel aftermarket
system that mimics the shape of the original and will
report back when it arrives.
See our previous story on this bike.
Some of the
unusual collection it came from is for sale – more
here.
Low-flying
Interceptor, September 5
"Cruise all day at 85mph" was the promise
from the "King Kong of motorcycles" according to this
lurid 1965 ad placed by the USA distributor.
You don't often trip over them these
days...where have they all gone?
See the Classic
Bike Guide review.
See the Royal
Enfield history at bikesales.
Of course you can buy a modern
Interceptor 650, which is also a parallel twin.
See our story on the
Continental GT535 revival model.
Long low Guzzi,
September 4
Moto Guzzi's long low and elegant
Sport 1100 mimicked the shape of its exotic Daytona
1000 predecessor and was a better proposition as a
road bike. See the Classic
Two Wheels period road test.
Of course none of that logic prevented
us from buying a Daytona instead...see our
Daytona 1000 profile.
Big sixes &
a GPZ in a box, September 3
Burns & Co is currently running a
motorcycle auction with a couple of lots for the would-be
six-cylinder collector.
First up is a 1978 Honda
CBX1000 claiming a super-low 2651km (1650 miles)
that looks to be in exceptional condition. It's had a long
lay-off and would require recommissioning.
And the Classic
Two Wheels period test.
Offered in a similar state and with a
claimed 7734km (4800 miles) is a 1979 Kawasaki
Z1300.
See the Motorcycle
Specs profile.
The lot that has really got attention
however is a 1988 Kawasaki
GPZ900R still in its original delivery crate.
Bidding is already over Au$14,000 (US$9450, GB£7200)
with a September 9 deadline.
See the full
auction catalogue.
Millyard
rebuild, September 2
We've been following Allen Millyard's
build of the exotic Norton Nemesis V8 over recent
months, which is now up to episode 13 and fitting the
cylinder heads. It's been a
gripping series.
However we're now quite taken with
another of his efforts, which was a strip down and rebuild
of a Honda ST1100, which had low miles but was
experiencing a very mild bottom end knock. Along the way
he discovered a couple of production line assembly issues.
Watching the maestro at work is
educational and, while his skill levels are way beyond the
average, we spotted some useful tips for our own stumbling
efforts. You can find it
here.
We have a lot of time for the ST1100, an
example of which we owned some years ago. It was a fast
and very capable mile-muncher and these days potentially
represents good bang for the buck. Maybe it's time we did
a profile on these and the ST1300 series...
In the meantime you can see
what's on the market at bikesales.
Speaking of Honda V-fours, see our
VFR750F profile;
And our mini
RC40 aka NR750 profile.
Classic stroker
auction: Yamaha RD350, September 1
If you wanted a motorcycle that was
emblematic of the joys that can be provided by a simple
air-cooled two-stroke road bike, you would struggle to
beat a Yamaha RD350 from the 1970s.
Our recollection of owning one is that it
was light, with decent handling for the day and plenty of
performance to keep you interested. And, overall, they
were pretty reliable while being easy to look after.
Sadly, only a relatively small percentage
of the examples sold have survived, though they were a
successful model for the maker.
Two-strokes are definitely on the
collector radar, though currently it's most often the glam
performance liquid-cooled models of the 1980s (for example
RZ/RD500) and 1990s (Aprilia RS250) that really get the
serious attention at a sale.
That might present an opportunity if
you're a little more broad-minded. Donington Auctions
in Melbourne (Australia) has a 1975 Yamaha
RD350B out of the USA coming up in its September
9-22 auction. It's offered without reserve and carries
a broad estimate of Au$6-12,000 (US$4-8000,
GB£3-6000).
See the full auction cattledog.
A retro piece written by UK writer Roland Brown, and published by Hagerty in the USA, boldly describes the RD350 as the best bike of the 1970s. The opinion is based on what people have actually ridden, rather than have dreamed of.
See our mini
Yamaha RD250/350 brochure gallery.
Plus our 1978 RD
series gallery.
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