BSA B25

I should have just left it there to drown in its own filthy oil pool if I'd thought rationally about it, but as is often the case I set my heart on it before I'd even seen it. Reading the usual five minute road test in one of the classic rags had left me convinced that a BSA 250 B25 was a true sports thoroughbred capable of an easy 80mph with heaps of low down grunt and built to last for ever by some of the finest craftsmen in the world.
 
What a mug. The old nail I was peering at was a complete wreck. Oil oozed from every joint and the paint was like a leper's stump with bits flaking off everywhere. For a tenner as a spares-or-repair it would've been expensive but for the £200 I handed over it was bloody fraudulent. Of course, it did come with a big box of useful spares like a broken drive chain, smashed cylinder head, ruined piston and about forty warped clutch plates.
 
Surprisingly, the engine did work - and it was MOTd. The ride home was full of thrills as the box of knackered alloy slid perilously from one side to the other occasionally smashing into my solar plexus as I grabbed a handful of the amazingly effective TLS front brake. The exhaust note was superb, especially when cracking the throttle open in third exiting a bend, so much better than my tired old Bantam. This was obviously a real classic to love and cherish.
 
What I'd actually bought was a bored and stroked version of Triumph’s 150cc Terrier, introduced in 1953. By 1970 the B25 pumped out about 20hp from its OHV 250cc engine at around 6000rpm. Not particularly impressive, these days, or for that matter back then when it was introduced in a rather pathetic attempt to beat off the Jap 250s. Of course, it was too little too late. Instead of designing a totally new machine the boffins at Small Heath simply tuned an existing design and hoped it would hold together.
 
The gearbox was basically the same as the 15hp C15 introduced way back in the fifties. A real recipe for disaster. The oil was held in the frame like a late Bonnie. Electrics were the typical dismal Lucas products but at least they were 12V rather than the appalling 6V rubbish found on most British lightweights. Top speed was reputed to be around the 85mph mark. My first doubts about the bike came when a couple of friends dropped by and collapsed, blubbering in hysterical laughter, when I told them of my new purchase. It was even worse when they saw it. Undaunted I cleaned up the oil leaks, serviced it and gave it a fresh coat of black paint. A vast improvement... well, for the first 10 miles before the oil leaks came back.

Out on the twisty back roads I loved it. The handle was precise in a way I'd never come across before on any of my Jap hacks or my flexing Bantam. Once on a line it stayed there no matter how bad the terrain, but, of course, any modern 250 hot-shot would make it look pretty damn silly under any conditions.

The brakes were really excellent and could handle twice the power but were really only necessary if something nasty should happen like a deaf and blind car driver pulling out suddenly. Under normal silly arse thrashing conditions you could rely on the engine braking in third to lose speed before chucking it into a series of bends, whacking open the throttle on the exit then snapping it shut quick again before banking her over for the next bend.
 
All good fun but not so smart in terms of tyre and chain life (5500 and 7000 miles respectively). On major roads it was a totally different kettle of fish. Up to 50mph the motor was very rough and snatchy, reluctant to pick up in top gear, which meant constant down changes to pick up speed in traffic. On a Jap bike this would be no problem but the crunchy, imprecise bastard of a gearbox made it a misery often resulting in a false neutral or terrible metallic grinding noises. Things smoothed out a bit between 55 and 60mph with a slight tingling vibration through the bars and footrests but nothing serious. 

Going beyond 60mph made things deteriorate rapidly. The vibes became intrusive and teeth rattling; by 70mph it was impossible to hold onto the bars, the vibes were so bad that it was agony. Motorways were out of the question but I thought that if I sorted out the lower end of the rev range Id have a nice little 60mph cruiser.
 
A new set of points and advance/retard mechanism made not the slightest bit of difference, nor did the very hopeful offering of a new spark plug. It was obviously a carb fault, so after sodding around with various jets, needles and slides all to no effect, I finally dug deep into the old wallet and shelled out a fortune for a new carb - predictably it made not one iota of difference. Riding around on a bike with a usable speed range of 50 to 60mph is a bloody misery. On certain boring stretches of road I frequently lost my patience, pushed up speed to around 70 with a total indifference to the destructive effects this might have.
 
After a couple of months of this the front peg stays had snapped, bulbs blew with monotonous regularity and various minor bits dropped off, like the front brake lever, rear lamp lens and pillion footrests. It looked a mess when I bought it but now it was a complete heap. I was scared of leaving it parked for long in case the refuse collectors took it away. I began using the old Bantam again. I was really pissed off and came to the conclusion that the engine must’ve been in need of a total rebuild.

The motor came apart easily enough with just the odd ruined thread. Inside the engine there was no real sign of wear but just to be safe I changed the rings and various bearings, which were commendably cheap. The gearbox was a bloody mess, most of the teeth were either worn away or snapped off. I couldn't afford a new set of  internals so I learnt about the art of autojumbling... the hard way.
 
Most vendors seem to lie like politicians and, of course, I ended up shelling out for a completely wrong set of gears. On other occasions | was forced to search through boxes of absolute rubbish, listening to some idiot telling me that the twisted lump of metal I was looking at was in fact a a TT racing cluster for a B25, but I was not going to be had again. Eventually, I got what I wanted and put the engine back together again. Feeling exceptionally keen I tidied up the chassis.

What a waste of time. The bike was just as bad as before. After the initial black mood had worn off I decided to run the thing in as carefully as possible. This wasn’t too bad as the gearchange seemed vastly improved. After about 300 miles the clutch stopped trying and 50 miles after replacing that the exhaust valve burnt out. I replaced both valves and guides; | was taking no chances. After 500 miles I figured it had to be run in so I started using the revs. It was still agony above 65mph but the smoother gearbox meant it could be hustled around town quite happily with a fair amount of fun; leaving Superdreams standing at the lights was my favourite little game.

Like a real moron I decided I had to see the fabled 85mph on the clock. It was a warm pleasant evening with the sun slowly sinking down and hardly a car to be seen. It seemed as though miles of sheer joy stretched out before me as I opened up the vibrating, wheezing old Beeza beyond 70mph. She pulled well up to 75 then began to suffer a little valve bounce. The vibes were unbelievable. I should have throttled down but instead just kept her wide open, mesmerized by the deep wailing growl from the baffleless silencer.

In a flash it was over. One very loud bang and the wheel momentarily locked and then freed. I looked down in total disbelief at the engine which was gushing out oil and shrouded in thick smoke. Closer investigation revealed that the con-rod had broken free and smashed its way out of the cases. What a mess, the whole engine was a write-off. I wanted to shoot myself for being such a bloody imbecile, the average gibbon would have realised a blow up was imminent.

It was back to the Bantam. The wretched B25 had cost me a fortune and lasted a miserable five months and 5500 miles. The trouble with running a Bantam is that every time you stop for fuel you get accosted by some wheezing old git who’s only interest in life is lying about the old Bantam he owned back in the fifties. But on one occasion, one announced he had an old B44 engine. I bought it for a fiver (yes, this happened some time ago) and wasn’t shocked to see gallons of oil pouring out of it when I fitted the engine and connected it up to the oil tank. All the seals had perished...
 
The B44 was a 441cc OHV single with a modest power output of around 30hp. The cranks and bearing are beefed up compared to the 250. On the road, it was a complete contrast to the smaller bike, as it was much smoother as smooth as a large single has a right to be. The engine pulled happily throughout the rev range and could manage a respectable 90mph although vibration did get a little harsh. I felt this was a bike to stay with so I spent a great deal of time and cash doing up the cycle parts. In the end it looked and went well.
 
The stable sure-footed handling perfectly matched the lazy engine when cruising at a sensible 75mph along a motorway with just enough vibration to let you know what the engine's doing although on really long runs I taped foam around the bar grips. On the other hand, it was delight to chuck through the curves, feeling light and nimble as you banked from left to right with just the silencer touching down as it neared the limit.

Coming home after a really long and pleasant run I began to notice a slight tendency for the rear wheel to slip. I pulled over and found oil everywhere - the oil feed pipe had broken but no engine damage. This is one of those bikes that can get to you. I kept it for a while and did around 16000 miles a year. Nothing fell off as I used Loctite and rubber mountings. As a day to day workhorse it let me down just once which for an old nail was pretty good going.
 
I eventually sold it in the search for more power and twin cylinders. On the whole, a very pleasant machine, but B25s should bear a government health warning.

Andy Everett

Honda CB750F

Many may think it the only thing to do with ‘em, but I wasn't so amused when I hit the kerb and was flung off my CB750F1, after some myopic old dear stepped out into the road. Somehow, I managed to escape any serious injury and staggered over to the registered blind person, sorry, sweet old lady, who was standing regarding the still quivering remains of my once proud possession, which lay like a beached whale, sticking out of the council bus shelter.
 
I was just checking that she was alright, when I was accosted by a belligerent business type who screeched to a halt, leapt out of his Jag and proceeded to do me verbal violence. All this was just too much. My bike possibly wasted, a geriatric Go-Go dancer asking me what time the No. 70 bus was coming and assault from a stuffed shirt who never saw it happen. I prepared to do battle but he was saved by another car driver who had actually seen it happen. To my utter amazement, and fatso’s dismay, this third person came to my defence. 

Seeing the tables turned, the obnoxious little Jag owner slunk back to his four wheeled bath chair. We saw the old lady onto the bus, although I had to apply restraint to avoid putting her under it. We managed to extract the beast from its new home and straightened out the usual bent bits. It didn’t look too bad in the dark November night. Next morning I went to look at the damage - there was a big puddle of oil as the crash bars had punched a neat hole in the engine side cover. Three days and a mere £38 later I was back on the road.
 
One regular problem was loosening of the spokes in the back wheel. No matter how often they were checked and adjusted they just could not cope with the stress. The problem was solved when, after my constant bitching, the wife bought me a cast wheel as a surprise present! If it looked a bit weird, with different types of wheels at each end, that’s nothing to the improved handling.
 
In fact the improved rear end showed up the front forks so much that I added some spacers to the springs which makes the forks usefully tauter. It still could not keep up with RD400s, though. Then both shocks started leaking which ruined the handling again (perhaps the spoked wheel had been giving them an easy time by flexing with all the bumps).
 
Next, both clocks stopped working, and then the base gasket started to leak, blowing oil all over the engine. All these things coming together meant I decided to sling the bike in the garage when the tax came due, and forget all about it. I eventually sold it to some lad so keen he didn’t mind all the faults. 

It was love at first sight when various leads saw me looking at a CB750 Phil Read Replica, flash twin headlamp fairing and lots of go in a short burn up the road. When I realised he only wanted £450 I nearly bit his hand off. It was only later that I realised that the engine and chassis were very similar to the F1 and I hoped I wouldn't have the same problems. Fortunately, it’s based on the F2, not quite such a fragile package.
 
The clutch made the usual racket at tickover but first impressions.
were favourable - much more stable. With Konis fitted at the rear and newer design forks - it felt like quite a different bike. The twin front discs were much more powerful than the single fitted to the older bike, although the rear disc was too powerful, locking up the back wheel.
 
The bike was brilliant at night as it had twin Cibies - even dumbo car drivers quickly dimmed their lights when you gave them a blast of the main beams. Playing with main beam draws attention away from the seat, especially if you try to fit a pillion on. The ace bars were great at speed but a pain in town. Older Hondas are on the tall side which suits me fine as I don't like looking like a frog on a matchbox.
 
The exhaust was an eyesore, a 4-1 job with chrome downpipes and a great carbuncle of a matt black silencer. When it blew out its baffle it sounded wonderful and did not ruin power delivery, although careful use of the throttle in built up areas is needed to avoid any structural damage to nearby buildings or attention from those guardians of law and order. In two years the only mechanical problem I had was a sticking carb float during extended idling in traffic jams. I took the carbs apart but could find no problem. Only when the lower fairing panels were removed did the problem go away - too much heat build up causing the floats to expand and stick in the carbs? I found EBC pads removed the legendary wet weather brake lag. The Goodyear Golden Eagle rear tyre was truly horrible, sliding, hopping and even wore unevenly. A pair of Roadrunners lasted 5000 miles and were only slightly better.  A pair of Metzelers were much more suited to balls out riding and worth the extra expense. 

A great posing tool and pretty useful if you’re on the tall side and the better half is on the small side. However, don’t be taken in by the classic appendage that sometimes accompanies adverts for these bikes - they are basically an aging single cam Honda 750 four in some party clothes, but nice all the same. I'd buy another.


Alan Hampshire

Kawasaki GT750

I wasn't all that keen on the looks of the GT at first. It looked a bit plain with its all black engine and paintwork looking the colour of something that’s normally found on roads leading into farm yards. I did quite fancy the shaft drive.
 
After my Z650, the engine was incredibly smooth thanks to the rubber mountings. After a 20 mile ride on a demo bike I was impressed enough to trade in the 650 for a new un. When I got the new bike home, I noticed that there was some oil on the tyre, it was dripping from the gear housing on the rear wheel. This turned out to be a faulty oil seal and was renewed a week later, along with one of the side panels which had a crack in it.
 
The oil seal never gave any more trouble in 33000 miles, although I did notice that some oil did drip out of the gear housing at odd times in cold weather. A mechanic told me that this was blowing out of the breather hole and was cured by dropping the oil level down a bit.
 
A couple of weeks after picking the GT up, I decided to fit Krauser panniers from the 650 - I ended up with a bike that was over three foot wide and would probably knock peds off foot paths, I could not even get out of the front gate with them on. Some mods to the brackets got things a little better.
 
After a couple of months, the GT had about 2500 miles on the clock and the back tyre was wearing down fast, the central groove had almost disappeared. My god, I thought, surely tyres are going to last longer than this - 2500 miles and I’ve only been running it in.
 
I took it back to the garage for the 3000 mile service when I had a Roadrunner R2 fitted. This proved better on grip and wear. I was quite relieved to find that it was hardly worn after 2500 miles. The front tyre lasted for 6000 miles, the Roadrunner fitted then did 9000 miles.
 
The next rear Roadrunner lasted only two days! I was coming home late one night when there was a very loud bang. I stopped and found that the rear tyre was flat. I pushed the bike home, there I found that there was an half inch open ended spanner sticking out of the tyre. It must've been flicked up by the front wheel. The back tyre was a write off. A few days later I had a Roadrunner AM21 fitted which both gripped and wore better still.
 
The suspension had air springing, front and rear. The rear I was never able to get on with as it seemed such a performance to alter the pressure in them whenever you wanted to carry a pillion. I replaced these with Koni Dial-A-Ride shocks, which in my opinion were far superior and got rid of the problem of the air shocks bottoming out, letting the rear tyre wear through the wiring under the back mudguard.
 
As I have already stated, the engine is very smooth. From 3000rpm there is no step in power at all, just a smooth steady flow right round to the redline. Below three grand there always seemed an annoying flat spot that was most noticeable when pulling away from a standstill, and seemed to get worse when the weather was very hot. It did seem to improve if the carbs were properly balanced. I have read of the problem in the glossies so it’s a common fault.
 
One of the best things about the GT was the range of the five and a half gallon tank - about 220 miles at 50mpg before running onto reserve. The fuel gauge was a bit of a joke, after 180 miles the gauge would show empty and a red warning light would flash on and off, which was rather annoying.
 
Comfort was very good, with a wide, soft seat that remained comfortable after many miles. The footrests were a bit high and too far forward; I always tended to ride with my toes on the pegs. I fitted a GPz type handlebar fairing that I bought from Ranger Developments, colour matched with GT brackets, it bolted on with no problems. The fairing was quite effective for its size, keeping a bit of wind off your chest.

Care should be taken when fitting tank bags, as on full lock, the engine kill switch can hit the bag as I found out when on holiday in Wales, I’d just pulled out of a pubcar park on full lock and the engine cut out, making the bike topple over. Very embarrassing.
 
The brakes were very good and well up to stopping the machine when fully loaded with panniers et al, whatever the weather. They never gave any problems apart from the inside pad on the rear caliper seizing up now and again. It did help, though, if the sides of the pads were coated with Copaslip. 

Front disc pads lasted about 12000 miles, the original pads replaced with Ferrodo Formula 1 pads and after that EBC, which I found were the best. When I sold the bike it still had the original rear disc pads. 

Just before the warranty ran out, the exhaust system was replaced as the front down pipes were going rusty. I believe Kawasaki had quite a few problems with black exhausts at that time. The black engine turned out to be easier to clean than the alloy one on the 650. The worst part to keep clean were the gold wheels, as they became coated in brake dust.
 
After 3 years they were looking so bad that I took them off and re painted them with Hammerite smooth gold paint, which I found easier to keep clean. The finish on the tank was quite good, although rust did start to appear behind the tank badges after a couple of years.
 
Once the warranty had run out, I did most of the servicing myself, apart from the shims on the valves which I took to the garage when they needed doing although that was only once at 12000 miles. Oil and filter were changed every 3000 miles along with the plugs, the air filter was also cleaned (wash in petrol, soak in oil). The oil in the rear wheel housing was changed at 18000 miles. Apart from these items there was little / to bother with.
 
When the GT had done about 26000 miles the gearbox got stuck in third. I was about ten miles from home and managed to ride it back with no great trouble, even negotiating a a uphill hairpin bend near where I live with ease. The problem turned out to be a broken spring on the claw that turns the selector drum. It meant I had to take the shaft drive off and remove the bevel gear housing. Easy to do but very fiddly to get back together. The spring only cost 99p but took lots of phone calls to track down. The problem is apparently very rare. 

I never used the GT in the winter because I don't like black ice. I used it mainly for commuting to work in the good weather, going to race meetings and for my holidays. Twice I went to Wales on touring holidays and found it was well up to the job, even returning over 60mpg just pottering through the lanes, up and down mountain passes. I always found that it was very deceptive because the motor was so smooth - on motorways it was very easy to romp along at the ton without even realising it.
 
In 1988 I felt the GT was getting on a bit and I very reluctantly sold it. I did think about getting another one, but in the end I bought a new Yamaha XJ900, this being the only shaft drive, other than the GTs, which was in my price range. I have had the XJ for nearly a year now and it is every bit as good as the GT, being a lot more powerful but not quite as smooth. I still think the GT was one of the best bikes I’ve owned, I | just hope the XJ carries on living up to it.

Brian Penfold

Honda CB900

I will always remember the winter of 79-80 as being somewhat depressing. A psychiatric nurse in Yorkshire does not have much in the way of disposable income and at the time I was knocking about on a five year old CB550K3, but lusting after every new, glitzy offering from Nippon.

With each passing year the bikes were getting faster, smoother, more futuristic in their styling and better handling; I just had to have one. So, it came to pass that the Yorkshire Bank and I entered into a loan agreement in early January and I took possession of a bright red, shiny, new CB900FA.

No, it wasn’t the best on the market at the time, but it was no slug either and the handling was reasonable, even if it did squirm about a bit at the back end through undulating fast bends. The answer to that one was to wind on a bit more power and pray.
 
I ran it for two years at the rate of 15000 miles a year with no problems apart from an ignition coil demise in Southern France just after the Bol in '82. In fact, the ignition coil fracture was a common fault on the Honda 900, as I knew four other 900 owners and all suffered coils dying on them. Somehow these all seemed to occur in the most inconvenient places, like mine in France, Mike’s on the Isle of Afran, John’s in Holland... if this happens miles from civilisation, whip out the spark plugs that the coil serves and carry on with a 450cc twin, which I've been told is capable of cruising at 75mph!
 
Home maintenance is relatively straightforward once you have resigned yourself to the use of a micrometer, good feeler gauges and a few spare shims to tackle the valve clearance. The carbs are best balanced with a set of mercury vacuum gauges. The only special tools needed are a valve lifting tool and four screw-in adaptors to fit the carbs and attach the vacuum gauges.
 
These two tasks were the most complex on the servicing side, although a little bit fiddly they were a breeze after you’ve done them a few times. Electronic ignition solves the timing problems.
 
The only expensive parts in running a Honda 900 are the tyres and fuel. Fuel consumption was never exactly, er, economical, it would average about 45mpg while cruising at 80mph, but if you go completely crazy it'll go down to 27mpg (into a headwind on a night ride in the wilds of Scotland). As far as tyres are concerned I junked the Japs straight from the start and fitted Pirelli Phantoms for the whole of the time that I owned the bike. It helped me sleep better at night. Tyre wear was very heavy indeed, 3 or 4000 miles on the back. Very worn tyres made the rear end very twitchy, and a weave also started in the straights. 

The rear suspension can leak its oil at quite low mileages and wrecks the handling. The bike weighs a hefty 530lbs with a gallon of fuel and has relatively narrow bars, so it can be a bit of a bugger to whack through fast corners. The bike always feels high and heavy and needs effort and concentration in town. Things are helped by the large amount of grunt developed at low revs, so it can be run along like a tractor in high gears.
 
The clutch is smooth, but heavy, and the gearbox action a little lumpy at times but doesn’t miss changes. The mass of the bike is really felt if iy have to push it more than a few feet. Top speed is around 135mph, far from excessive for a 900, but adequate for UK roads as it'll cruise along at 110mph for as long as you can keep your licence. The speed could only be really used on motorways, on lesser roads the slow steering meant it was necessary to whack on the brakes or go straight through a hedge, Ridden sensibly, I couldn’t complain about the handling, ridden by a lunatic it was fun only if you enjoyed grappling with heaving, wallowing metal.
 
If you're short of leg then you may well collapse in a heap at traffic lights, especially true if you fit longer shocks to improve the clearance as it’s possible to scrape various bits of undercarriage on the tarmac. Initially, comfort was limited by cramp in the legs but this soon went away, the seat itself comfortable. If you could find the space and rev the engine to the redline, secondary vibes from the DOHC motor are present in the bars and footrests, and even the tank rattles a little. It all depends what you're used to as to whether this is a problem or not. As I've used the bike to go to Belgium and Holland as well as all four corners of the British mainland it obviously doesn’t bother me too much. 

Reliability, save for the coil, has been excellent. I had no second thoughts about leaping on the bike and a a 2400 mile journey to the Algarve in Portugal, the return journey was made non-stop with about 15 minutes sleep in France... crazy? Yes, definitely, but it was the only way that I could have a good break.
 
Such experiences, high mileages on a fast bike, are very interesting indeed, you seem to merge with the machine and know which way it’s going to react. Having 95hp to play with, bags of fierce acceleration and over 500lbs plus loads of luggage to get out of control, all mean concentration but in a funny way it all becomes second nature after the first few hours and you just buzz along on a high. Luckily, no police stopped me (or if they saw me they couldn't catch me) and the Honda just seemed to eat up the miles. On a smaller bike with less comfort and the need to play with the gearbox to keep the machine in the powerband it could've been a kind of hell rather than a great ride.
 
If you want to divorce your wife do a similar trip with her on the back, as the pillion seating is diabolical, no legroom, seat too hard, too much vibration and lots of wind blast. All the more a pity be cause the riders comfort is so good.

The power really starts flowing in above 5500rpm, you can feel the bike come on cam as the exhaust note changes, and the force strains the arms and can whip back the head. In the lower gears, the vibes hit the mirrors leaving them useless until you get into top somewhere around 90mph. The acceleration on some of these newer bikes with much more power and less mass must be fantastic, if very dangerous. 

In fact, the old Honda, if ridden with spirit, can give these new watercooled speedsters a bit of a fright up to about 130mph. If these bikes can accelerate away, it takes a lot of bottle to whack open the throttle at that kind of speed.
 
With newish suspension and tyres, the mass of the Honda means it sits on the road with a great deal of stability. Although I never had it happen to me, but that very mass becomes very hard to control if the 900 goes into a nasty speed wobble at about 125mph. Stories of taking up two or three lanes of the road to recover are not unknown. This adds a bit of spice to fast rides, although I believe that good tyres and suspension will make this very unlikely.
 
High mileages can do nasty things to the valves, especially if you don't bother to check the clearances regularly. Both the clutch and the crank can blow up if you ride like a total lunatic. It’s got one of Honda’s more reliable camchain tensioners, which if it doesn’t mean much in the light of some of their models, does mean camchains can last for up to 50000 miles. Some high mileage bikes consume more oil than petrol and the electrics get just a bit wacky - batteries burn up, rectifiers don’t and the electronic ignition goes dead just when you least expect. Luckily, I sold my bike well before any of that happened and my memories are only happy.

Those Honda calipers are another thing that are affected by age - the usual swearing and strip downs work. The brakes are powerful in the dry but in the wet they lag and then suddenly lock up. Most amusing, trying to control 750lbs of bike and rider in a skid. Luckily decent tyres help here. Modem tyre compounds will probably help along with Goodridge hoses to improve the feel, although the brakes never felt particularly spongy.

Buying an old one rather than a new CB is all down to finding one that has been well looked after - easily apparent as the engine alloy goes off very fast unless Solvol and mucho elbow grease are applied. Don’t worry over clutch rattle, that’s a Honda trademark but listen to the top end and crank for rumbling and rattling noises.

There are certainly other makes that have fours that can withstand much more abuse and neglect, but there are still some good CB900s running around and there are lots of bits in breakers available to keep them on the road. In its way, the Honda is the ultimate high speed hack, as the UMG says, the CB900 is a very cheap way of going very fast.

James Mcbride

Yamaha FZR1000

I straddled the Yam and paddled it backward with great ease, the lightness of the machine had to be felt to be believed. I wished a fond farewell to the dealer and set off on my way. By the time I reached the traffic lights 200 yards up the road, it was pouring down and never let up all the way home.

That journey endorsed all the thoughts I'd had about the FZR. I recall grinning inanely like one of those smug gits you keep seeing on the goggle box taking a break from the stock exchange to indulge in some extra drinky poos after just making yet another cool million, as I cruised past a line of cars in top gear at 4000rpm/70mph, tucking in behind the fairing to try to avoid the worst of the complete soaking, a somewhat futile gesture.
 
I couldn’t help but be impressed by the way the Dunlop radials stuck to the tarmac like glue even though they were barely scrubbed in. When I got home after 27 miles, all I wanted to do was get in front of the fire and dry out. The engine felt good during the running in period with a very slight glitch at 1500rpm. At a standstill the bike didn’t want to set off cleanly unless 2000rpm were showing on the tacho. I suppose that this may just be a problem peculiar to my own model, or perhaps I'm too used to the torque of my LC!
 
As the mileage increased, so did the speed and the amazing thing was the faster you went the better the handling and roadholding became. By the time I was able to use 7000rpm, I was able to take my favourite bits of road some 10 to 15mph faster than on my Kawasaki GPZ900, something I would have thought impossible just a few weeks earlier, as the Kawasaki itself was a great improvement on older fours.
 
As the revs increased the motor became smoother and smoother, again a revelation compared with my Kawasaki and older Jap fours. Fuel was averaging 55mpg, going down to 50mpg with brief bursts to eight grand (120mph with 3000rpm still to go).
 
Five weeks after I'd bought the bike I had done 2000 miles, time for its first service. After that I could use maximum revs, but in fact never needed to go over 10000rpm - a grand short of the redline - equivalent to 80mph in second gear. The bike moved like a scalded cat.
 
My only complaint was that the gearbox was a bit clunky (this in comparison with the GPZ900, itself, not renown for a slick box) and I was still lusting after a GSXR1100. But a mate told me that I'd made the right choice as those bikes were terribly vibratory (not to mention the handling problems at very high speeds) with the smart looking clocks and mirrors shaking wickedly when the throttle was blipped at a standstill in neutral. I also didn't like the huge rear mudguard, so this was chucked leaving the ever so wide back tyre looking like a small house. 

The Sunday I got the bike back from servicing I had my first real tussle with a truly fast car, a Porsche 928S. It gave me a run for my money over Greenhow Hill on the Grassington Road. I came up behind it just as the hill levels off, the next quarter of a mile a particularly nasty piece of road with a quarry on the hillside which deposits a cloud of white dust all over the road, making the surface feel particularly slippery.
 
The Porsche was driven by a man with two female passengers (have you noticed that Porsches always have beautiful frails in the passenger seat? - Ed), as soon as he saw me he put his foot down and I had to do my best to keep up. It showed up the lack of low down punch on the Yam, it needed at east five grand to really move.
 
Eventually we came to a straight piece of road and really went for it. At 115mph I zapped past the car and began to pull away, accelerating in fourth. As we hit a slight hill, the bike hit a series of bumps and jumped off the ground twice, the third time the front end reared up towards the sky. We both slowed down to a more sedate 80mph as we hit the twisty roads where the Porsche dropped well back, I kept letting him catch up but I think he knew he had no chance on these kind of roads. We went our separate ways when we came to a village.
 
A few days after that, whilst watching telly, a voice called through the open kitchen door, "I'm just going to move your motorcycle, it's in my way." I did a good Carl Lewis impression (took a shitload of drugs? - 2018 Ed), sprinting to the door to be confronted by the window cleaner just about to attempt to move - or more likely drop - my pride and joy. "I'll do it," I said. "It's OK, I can do it, I’ve had loads of bikes, FS1Es and all sorts. What cc is it anyway?" "One thousand,” I replied. "Bet that could beat an LC and they're fast." "Yes, you're probably right" I said, pushing the bike as far away from him as I could get it.

Overall, then, a real improvement on even something as recent as a GPZ900 and way better than the older fours. To make it perfect it’d need a better gearbox and some more low down grunt - both of which are present in the latest EXUP version if we can believe the colourcomics.

Andy Cook

Suzuki DR125

I find my 1987 DR125SF the perfect tool for the cut and thrust of shopping trips into town, and its low mass and restricted 12hp means I can't get into too much trouble when testing my incompetence off road. The bike's lightness and small size make it ideal for weaving in and out of traffic. It’s economical (in the region of 80mpg) and, best of all, you can park just about anywhere. Furthermore the seat is comfortable and the suspension soaks up road bumps very effectively.
 
The single OHC engine is fairly responsive; providing you keep it on the boil and use the gearbox fully, reasonably rapid progress in the 30 to 50mph bracket is quite possible, though the absence of a tacho makes it easy to over rev the engine. I believe that the GS125 - with which it shares a similar engine - tacho and drive cable may fit, but I haven't yet bothered to find out.
 
Off road, the DR has its limitations and budding Dave Thorpes (who? - Ed) need read no further. I use mine on Kent’s green lanes and for a few minor off road events arranged by my motorcycle club. If you don't expect too much it’s possible to have a great deal of fun.

Despite the lack of grunt it’s possible to climb surprisingly steep slopes and generally keep up well with larger bikes, though over ambitious efforts have occasionally left me eating dirt - it’s at those times I’m glad I’m not on a DR750. The 125’s low mass (230lbs) makes it easy to manhandle around obstacles. And although many pundits say that the rider’s weight absorbs most of the spring travel in the rear Full Floater shock, I’ve not noticed this (I weigh 11 stones).
 
Being a compulsive meddler, I have made a few changes to improve matters. Firstly, I fitted a smaller (14 tooth) gearbox sprocket, which makes it snappier off road and lets you use more than first or second gear. You can’t swap cogs with earlier models as the splines on the output shaft are different. Next, I fitted a stronger bash plate in place of the standard tin foil item. Thirdly, I junked the OE trail tyres as they clog up very quickly in mud, replacing them with Pirelli MT23 Endurocross tyres which give far more grip and still work on the road. I also bought a supply of clutch and brake levers from the breakers as these are very prone to breakage.

Future expenditure may run to a Goodridge brake line for the front disc brake, which although effective is rather spongy. The handlebars bend with ridiculous ease and I can see metal fatigue setting in whilst I write this. The clutch plates and springs are marginal off road, so I may fit heavier duty items.
 
As would be expected from such a simple machine, maintenance is a doddle and the owner's handbook is even quite helpful. With the help of a Haynes a service takes about an hour and a half every 2500 miles. I change the oil and filter more often as the sump contains well under 1 litre. I reckon it’s worth it for peace of mind and the continued existence of the camshaft. Incidentally, the lack of a centrestand is a nuisance when oiling the chain or removing the wheels. Rather than buying a paddock stand, I use a couple of car axle stands which fit neatly under the footrest mountings.
 
On the road, riding is limited by the trials tyres, the riding position and the steering geometry. Which means if you grab it by the bars and ride like a lunatic it'll keep up with other 125s in everything other than top speed. It weighs so little and has so little power that it’s very difficult to terminate yourself on the road.
 
It’s a quiet, reliable and relatively robust bike that’s easy to live with and has minimal running costs. In retrospect I'd my another, though I'd probably go for a used one rather than new, but there appear to be very few on the market which must say something about how handy they are off road. Perhaps I should really take my life in my hands and go for one of the new DR200s.
 
Ed Gibson

Readers' Letters [Issue 19]

 

Motorcycle Tuning with Morris Phlegm

Kawasaki KLR650

After completing and enjoying a summer holiday, working on a Greek island, I decided that the next year I would do something that I had never done before to any extent. To ride solo to Greece through Europe. I considered making the journey on my Honda 400 Superdream which despite what some bikers might tell you was a very reliable and surprisingly nippy motorcycle for its age.

However, I decided it was rather too old and having a small fortune in the bank (with the emphassis on small rather than fortune) a newer machine was what I needed. I was looking for a bike with torque and power, although not necessarily an excess of speed. Something with a comfortable riding position and lots of suspension travel to cope with the rough roads and tracks of Greece. 

After days of shopping around, I set my heart on an F reg Kawasaki KLR650, which I bought from a small local motorcycle shop for £1995. The KLR is a quite complex single with water-cooling, four valves, DOHCs and a balance shaft but despite this weighs in at a reasonable 350lb dry.

Well, more things went wrong with this bike in the first fortnight than ever went wrong with the Superdream. First, l noticed that the chain was getting tight then loose with every rotation of the wheel, so i quickly replaced the chain. The problem initially improved then gradually became the same after a few miles of riding. Then I lashed out on a set of sprockets thinking the originals might be oval.

Still no better. I forked out for new rear wheel bearings, again to no avail. Next came the replacement of the rear cush drive but still, even to this day, l have no idea what’s causing it. I just simply keep feeding it new chains and live with it.

I suppose that you should expect a bit of chain wear from a big single, with its strong, potentially destructive power pulses, but getting only a couple of thousand miles out of a chain from a bike that at most develops 50 horses is a bit hard to take. Despite its massive bore power delivery isn't exactly full of torque at low revs - in fact, combined with a clunky gearbox, town riding and slow trail stuff can be decidedly hard work. It doesn't like low revs in top gear at all, with a horrible crunching noise from the transmission. Perhaps my bike had something out of line.

Shortly after, on a trip to London, the bike kept cutting out on the M1, just as if I was turning the ignition on and off. Being a single cylinder high compression engine the effect of this took me completely by surprise, and as it happened at 70mph almost threw me over the handlebars. Not very nice when a forty ton artic is up your arse! By then I was becoming a little miffed with the machine.

I tried fitting a new spark plug, thinking the old one might be breaking down, but no improvement resulted. A few days later I received a letter from Kawasaki stating that carb icing was a problem on this model. A complete new, water heated carb was fitted by my local Kawasaki dealer for no charge, thus curing the stalling.

High speed motorway work was possible, as the engine appeared happy enough to push the bike along at 90mph, although the upright riding position meant a bit of pain was induced in shoulder muscles from the wind blast if sustained high speed insanity was required. Vibration was present at most revs but the balancer worked well enough to damp the worst of it out.

The trail inspired geometry, dubious tyres (for the road) and long travel suspension meant it wobbled about a bit on fast bends and weaved a little on motorways once above 70mph. However, it never became so bad that l had much thought of backing off. The disc brakes were on the basic side compared to the multi piston stuff on the plastic reptiles, but worked well in most weather given the inherent lack of both mass and speed.

The bike had cost me rather more than anticipated, after paying for green card insurance and road tax I was left with insufficient funds to buy the Krausers l was hoping to fit. I settled for used 15 litre panniers and make-shift brackets. The top box cost £25, expensive for a washing up bowl with a lid, and bolted easily to the standard luggage rack. Nevertheless, I was all set and three weeks away from the big day.

A week later disaster struck. The rear shock decided to give up on me. Every last drop of oil lay in a big pool under the bike. The Kawasaki dealer had great pleasure in telling me that unless I had about £250 to spare, I had better get saving. Without further ado I rushed out and bought a copy of MCN, said a few prayers then started sifting my way through the pages. As you can imagine, these bikes are few and far between on the road, let alone in breakers yards.

As if my prayers had been answered, I struck lucky with BS Motorcycle Breakers of Halifax who in exchange for £65 put me in possession of a unit from an accident damaged KLR with only 2000 miles to its credit (or discredit, whichever way you look at it). 

Now, I could go on to write pages and pages about the journey itself, but to cut short a long story, I did eventually make it to Greece in just over three days without mechanical problems. The KLR also lasted a punishing seven months on the island, requiring regular oil changes, a new set of fork gaiters (pattern, which were cheaper and better than the Kawasaki items), front and rear pads, yet another chain and sprocket set, front wheel bearings, a Trailmax rear tyre and a speedo cable.

Like most of these big single trail bikes, the KLR was not much use for serious off road work, being both too heavy and having too many expensive bits that would become broken if, or rather when, I fell off. However, the Greek island was lacking in proper roads, having what in the UK would be classed B roads which looked and felt as if they had been attacked by a mad gorilla wielding a high powered pneumatic drill. Here, the KLR, and its like, were absolutely ideal, being able to soak up the worst of the pot-holes and willing to be flicked off road at a moments notice to avoid oncoming madmen in speeding, dilapidated vehicles. All good fun!

After all the expense, the KLR rewarded me with a trouble free journey back to the UK except for the clutch cable breaking in Nice, which I repaired in emergency style with a solderless nipple I just happened to be carrying. Incidentally, the shock has recently shed all its oil yet again!

To sum up, then, I enjoyed riding the KLR, and relate all the earlier problems to the fact that I may have bought a slightly abused bike in the first place, although two shocks in one year? Other problems are related to the top end, with valve demise and camchain failure possible at surprisingly low mileages on earlier bikes. Others have suffered piston and ring breakages when thrashed. Not the toughest engine around, perhaps, but they can be picked up very cheaply, so it's all swings and roundabouts.

Mark Buxton

Suzuki GS650

l knew exactly what I wanted, the definitive, ultra reliable Jap middleweight, the Suzuki GS550. Absolutely ideal for my needs. I wanted a W or X reg, clean and tidy, mileage fairly academic. Looking through the local paper, a secondhand dealer from whom I had bought a bike before was offering a V reg GS for £400 and it was stated to be tatty.

I thought l might as well take a look. How wrong can you be? Tatty was a total understatement, it was just a wreck on wheels! Anyway, I went in to see the shop owner to pass the time of day, that was when I noticed a very clean, black Y reg GS650GT, shaft drive, in the corner of the showroom. On closer inspection it was very tidy, had 19000 miles on the clock, a Motad 4-1 and a poxy Invader fairing. I immediately thought this is just the job, shaft drive and all.

Anyway, I took it for a quick spin, the motor felt solid and everything appeared fine, apart from a well worn front tyre. l haggled and got £200 off for cash. Soon as I arrived home. the fairing came off (it was held on with brackets that could have supported the Forth Bridge) and my old Euro Design rack went on. It was originally off a CB900FZ. It wasn't difficult to put on using the appropriate spacers. Then on went a top box just to finish things off. That was August 1987.

Oil and filter were changed at 20500 miles, judging by the reasonable state of the oil it signalled to me that the previous owner had not only looked after the outside but, more importantly, the inside as well. I assumed the bike had had a gentle life. New plugs went in at 20700 miles, and a week later the arrow shaped Michelin (which had made the handling bloody weird, it kept wanting to fall into corners) was replaced with an ME33 Lazer to match the rear ME99A. The result was a massive improvement in handling, it now actually went round corners without trying to touch the mirrors down!

I was very pleased with the bike The shaft drive was very positive, as was the gear change, and power delivery was well metered - good low and mid-range power allied to clean carburation makes town riding a doddle and very smooth, despite the mass of the across the frame four.

Two up handling was a bit dubious unless you jacked the rear shocks up to maximum and kept the tyre pressures at the tap of their range. A weave was especially noticeable in long sweeping bends unless everything was set up perfectly. As tyres wear handling deteriorates... a word of warning, here, I replaced the rear with a 130 section tubeless tyre, same as originally fitted, and found the old tubeless tyre had been fitted with an inner tube because the 130 section is too big to seal properly. A 120 section tyre solves the problem.

This was my first shaft drive motorcycle and l was really impressed with it, so much so that l changed the shaft oil at 24000 miles - it was very dirty and probably original. A full engine service was done at 25300 miles, although I do all the other stuff myself. Remarkably, the tappets and carbs weren't far out and the ignition was spot on and the plugs didn't need replacing.

Not long after the service, starting became a third or fourth stab at the button affair. Put down to a dry battery and duff plugs. ln went new plugs, the battery was topped up, and an oil and filter change at 28000 miles. I also added a rear mudflap to stop road crud covering the number plate and light. The three disc brakes had been impressive so warranted the £36 cost of a set of replacement pads.

Around 30000 miles the handling took a turn for the worse. The bike shimmied about all over the place coming out of the bends, this nasty trait emanated from the rear end. Reason, shot swinging arm bearings. Getting the swinging arm out isn’t a difficult job, getting the bearings out is. They had to be beaten out with a special tool — you can't knock them out from the other side because the inside of the swinging arm is blocked off. Bearings cost £30 a pair.

While the swinging arm was out l was able to tackle another problem, oil was leaking out from the engine output shaft into the rubber gaiter that covers the universal joint. At the next oil change (31000 miles) I took the opportunity to add synthetic oil and I swear the bike runs better.

The choice of Metz tyres was a good one. The front lasted 12400 miles and was good in the wet too. Had a new speedo cable at 33700 miles, bit expensive at £5.50. The rear tyre was replaced at the same time having done nearly 11000 miles, damn good for a rear boot - probably down to the lazy power delivery.

The whole bike was going as well as the day I picked it up. To reinforce this belief I managed 110mph two up, a bit frantic at that speed but entirely believable that it could achieve its quoted 120mph solo. Speed is not related to mpg, it does 45mpg whatever you do with the throttle. The bike is comfortable for 100 miles which coincides with reserve -should be at least five gallons capacity!

Just before 34000 miles the clutch cable went. I was halfway home from work when it snapped. Have you ever tried riding three miles, mostly in a built up area, without stopping? It was a bloody miracle. I got to the local Suzuki dealer, bought the cable (£10.95, daylight robbery) and put it on there and then; good job it wasn't raining!

The steering head bearings needed replacing at 34500 miles. They lasted quite well, I suppose, although it appeared there had been little or no grease put in at the factory. The new ones went in packed with grease. This brought the steering back to life again. Don’t they use grease in Japan?

As 38000 miles came up on the clock, the engine began to run very roughly and noisily, due to having a hole in the exhaust. It had done 12000 miles since the engine was touched. lt deserved a service. This was duly done and we were also able to braze up the hole in the exhaust, not bad for £10 on top of the service bill (which included a fork oil change). Would have cost me well over £100 for a brand new Motad.

Riding home after the service it felt like a new bike, smooth, quiet, responsive. Up to now I haven't said anything about the camchain - because I haven't had to. It is a self adjusting unit and at the service they reckoned it was good for a few more thousand miles. 40000 miles out of a camchain is OK by me. They also confirmed that compression was still good.

Coming home from work in the dark, the headlamp blew. £6.40 for a new one. By 39000 miles it needed a new set of front pads, expensive at £27 but they had lasted 14000 miles, so I wasn't complaining. On the whole the brakes were good in the dry, slightly less so in the wet. The rear disc is actually very usable, progressive but firm - l have never managed to lock up the back wheel.

Whilst doing a check over of the bike I noticed that the battery's plates were covered in white fur. It was becoming harder to start so a new battery was shoved in, a Blue Label for £20, half the price of a Yuasa original.

Five months after brazing the exhaust it blew again, only this time it was much worse. There was nothing for it, £125 for another Motad, at least it was very easy to fit. Just after this the rear shock broke coming home from work. Good job I wasn't going very fast or cornering at the time. I was almost opposite a secondhand dealer when it happened. He agreed to put the bike in his workshop if I'd buy a pair of shocks from him. Two days later I was £74 worse off, but at least I had a new pair of dual rate R&Rs. On the lowest settings they were firmer than the originals.

A few days. later there was a nasty, whirring noise from the top end. I opted for a linked camchain rather than an end-less one which required removal of the crank and hundreds of hours of labour at £18 an hour - it would be cheaper to pay off the Mexican national debt! Instead, it cost me £91. The damage that can be done if the old camchain gives up on you does not bear thinking about.

Riding home that evening the bike felt as smooth as the day I had bought it four years before. In the time I've had the bike it has done nothing but convince me that l made the right choice. As soon as the odometer turned 40000 miles I went out and bought a new pair of handlebar grips as a way of thanking the bike for keeping me on the road for all but a handful of days.

To sum up, the throttle is a bit heavy, as is the whole bike, and the tank is far too small. I can live with that, because on the plus side it has only once failed to start, it is smooth, fast enough, comfortable, handles OK and has got a damn near bullet proof engine.

I have done 21000 miles on it and am looking forward to the next 21000 miles. Can't understand why the GS didn’t outsell the CX500. Looks a hundred times better, amongst other things. As you might have already gathered l'm dead chuffed with my 650GT and intend to keep it for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, it’s such a contrast to my H reg Honda VFR750 (the bike mags were right, it is a brilliant bike), I can certainly feel the eight years difference between them. That's no discredit to the GS, back in the early eighties it was a good bike and with retro biking coming in for the nineties, the GS is right up there with them. Well done Suzuki!

P Cooper

BMW R65

l took possession of my jet black R65 on the 17th of May 1985. We've been together happily ever since. There have been the usual ups and downs, as in any relationship, but we are still friends. My bike cost £1500 from a dealer and had 15000 miles on the clock. I saw myself doing lots of touring but I also needed transport to work. Both of these functions were performed perfectly.

There were lots of clutch problems. It's a single dry plate affair like cars. With practice it can be changed in a morning. The first one wore out under warranty and was replaced free. The second one stripped the inadequate splines after only about 2000 miles, so l was given another one which I elected to fit myself. The third plate lasted 20000 miles but l was never sure whether it slipped due to wear or oil seeping from the rear main seal, so the seal was replaced at the same time. The fourth wore out after 30000 miles but it was secondhand and by then the seal had started to seep again.

The fifth has only just been fitted and I've gone for a heavy duty aftermarket item. The most spectacular breakdown was at 34000 miles on the way to a new job and life in Manchester. At 90mph in the fast lane of the M6 the whole bike skipped about a foot to the right. The engine died as my heart stopped whilst brown gooey stuff seeped over my trouser belt. I pulled in the clutch, indicated left and coasted on to the hard shoulder. There was nothing I could do until the next morning when the bike was picked up.

l took the engine apart in the comfort of my own garage to find, not the suspected dropped valve but a snapped con-rod, no less! The bit left on the crank had managed to hole everything in sight. The whole motor was a useless heap of scrap save for the top ends.

In a long miraculous story during which I saw the light and everything (God rides a smoke grey R90S) I found another motor. 20000 miles old and went despatching in Manchester. No real problems were experienced during this most arduous period. Few weekends were spent in Manchester and a trip to Nord Kapp in Norway was fitted in by my brother (part of the deal which financed my return to the road). In all, 16000 miles were crammed into four months with few complaints except for another clutch replacement. The only other thing was that all the rivets on the flywheel came loose. I had to throw the flywheel away after some moron welded it up eccentrically.

A word about the Norway trip. My very overweight brother overloaded my poor wee 650cc machine with wife, tent and five weeks of kit. He then took her shamelessly over some of the worst roads in Europe to the cold reaches of the Midnight Sun and managed to clock up another 6000 miles. This was the bike's upper 40000 mile region. The maximum recommended service interval was 5000 miles but when he got back with the bike in tatters, its silencer bandaged and the tappets sounding worse than ever, he mentioned that he had to put a whole litre of oil in it! Apart from this formidable thirst for oil, it seemed the bike had behaved impeccably.

Those silencers were replaced with stainless steel stuff which are guaranteed to last for the rest of my life apparently. They've been on for almost 18000 miles now and still look like new. This is a great improvement on the stock items which cost the same and only last 12000 miles. Tyres go for 11000 miles front and rear 8000. I've always used Metzs - ME11 fronts and ME77 rears, but I've recently put a Roadrunner on the back since my Guzzi riding chums claim great mileage from them. It seems OK so far and I haven’t noticed any handling differences.

I've only fallen off on diesel once and a few other times on mud. If you drop the R65 it just sits on whatever pot hits the deck and waits to be picked up. No exploding indicators or cracked fairings or broken levers. l did hear about some poor bugger who had to stand for ages watching his machine break-dancing in the mud because the engine didn't cut out but mine has never done that, I'm pleased to report.

It commutes very well. The engine isn't as wide as the bars so nipping up the queue is no problem. It takes a bit of time to warm up on the coldest mornings. I did a 20 mile round trip morning and night over busy country roads and through small towns in all weathers for over a year without serious complaint.

The electrics were faultless until the 57000 mile mark when they got a bit temperamental. Nothing dramatic but a troublesome thing called a control box. This bit of electronic gadgetry costs £90 new or £35 used (James Sherlock in Dorset is the place to go for used parts). Apart from that the wiring is pretty well sheltered from the elements under than tank. I vaguely recall a fuse going once years ago. Tail lights go once in a while but I can't remember ever having to change an indicator bulb.

Batteries don't like being left for much longer than a few days in sub zero temperatures. Brake pads and shoes seem to last forever. I think I’ve changed both twice. Throttle and choke cables have just been renewed (71000 miles). Speedo cables last forever if lightly oiled regularly. The splines on which the back wheel sits need renewing. I've never changed the shocks but I’ve been thinking about it for the last 20000 miles.

For touring, the 4.8 gallon tank gives a range of 200 miles before reserve but this can drop to as low as 170 miles when despatching. The bike is very comfortable and easy to handle. I rarely use motorways unless by mistake because they are so boring. Why have six hours of boredom when you can have eight of fun? She'll sit at 80mph all day, any faster is too tiring for any length of time. The longest run I’ve done in one day was 498 miles of French N and D roads. I only stopped three times that day and was more tired than sore at the end of it. Tired of having fun on those roads?

The pillion seat too. I'm reliably informed, is comfortable over long distances. The addition of Krauser panniers is more than enough for me alone with the tent on the back seat. A tank bag and back-rack would be all that I'd need should I ever have to tour with-a pillion out back. The bike is small enough to throw around country lanes but fast enough to cope with motorway cruises. I think its natural element is A and B roads.

We've just had our sixth; anniversary together and sale is out of the question now. as it was six years ago. We probably spent a lot on this bike but l'm sure I've saved on buying and selling entire bikes like everyone else seems happy to do. BMW parts cost about the same as Jap bits and they'll always be available. so I probably will give those silencers a run for their money.

l'm sure that BMWs hold their looks as well as their value quite well in comparison with other bikes outside of the classic market. She really is like a Meccano set to work on and a joy to ride. I’ve had other bikes as well and I’ll probably have more but there's none like her - she has a sweet charm and no small amount of charisma. I know most noises now, she is temperamental but in 55000 miles has failed to get me home only twice. 

l have ridden bigger boxers and Ks, but the larger boxers seem awkward in some way. I must admit I haven't ridden an R80 any great distance (you really can’t appreciate a BM from a test run) but certainly the litre twins are just too big. As for the Ks, yeah, well, OK but you can't bodge them, they're boring (if you want to corner on rails get the train). and that exhaust note? 

Although I’ve probably sung the praises of my bike a bit too much here, l wouldn't take the responsibility of recommending BMWs to anyone. I've heard of some really bad ones and other excellent ones. Mine is abused quite badly and often ignored for long periods (the last clutch slipped for 6000 miles) but she just keeps going and anything wrong can usually be mended. She’s the closest thing I’ve known to a wife, and much more reliable. Until death do us part, I suppose. 

Mick McMillan