Classic Motorcycle Club of Natal - ncmc.org.za newsletter 2016 01 Shoptorque.pdf · Affiliated to the Vintage Motor Cycle Club Ltd – UK (VMCC) ... Best Royal Enfield: Up to MY 2011

Classic Motorcycle Club of Natal Clubhouse: 137 Tara Road, Bluff, Durban

Postal Address: P.O. Box 21759, Bluff, Durban, 4036 Website: www.ncmc.org.za

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Classic.Motorcycle.Club.of.Natal/

Affiliated to the Southern African Veteran and Vintage Association (SAVVA) Affiliated to the Vintage Motor Cycle Club Ltd – UK (VMCC)

Page 1 of 16 pages Jan – Feb 2016

http://www.ncmc.org.za/

CMCN 2016 Committee Members

Position Name E-mail address Telephone numbers Patron Alan Young [email protected] Home: 031-467-7294

Cell: 082-465-8273

Chairperson Rod Thomas [email protected] Home: 031-762-1509 Cell: 073-365-6494

Vice-Chairperson Mike Mathews —.—

Home: 031-467-8648 Cell: 082-437-4131

Secretary Salome van Niekerk

[email protected]

Home: 031-465-5831 Cell: 072-040-9000

Treasurer Aubrey Cilliers [email protected] Home: 031-708-5934 Cell: 083-922-0133

Clubhouse Manager Mike Mathews —.—

Home: 031-467-8648 Cell: 082-437-4131

Club Registrar Andrew Mather [email protected] Home: 031-563-7986 Cell: 083-309-0233

Outings Co-ordinator Graham Palmer [email protected] Home: 031-467-0827 Cell: 073-252-5681

Dating Officer Rod Thomas [email protected] Home: 031-762-1509 Cell: 073-365-6494

Spares Manager Eugene Watson [email protected] Home: 031-776 3648 Cell: 074-471-3407

Regalia Officer Kyle Prange [email protected] Cell: 072-197-0234

Rally Manager Thomas Schubert [email protected] Cell: 083-627-4220

Librarian & 100 Club Dave Stone [email protected] Home: 031-564-5506 Cell: 073-663-4094

SAVVA Club Rep Pierre Cronje [email protected] Home: 011-849-3008 Cell: 072-513-9432

Public Relations Officer

Theo Alberda [email protected] —.— —.—

ShopTorque Editor Gary Leonard [email protected] Home: 031-700-2924 Cell: 081-500-6125

CMCN Website John Austin-Williams

[email protected] Home: 011-465-2136 Cell: 083-459-7802

CMCN BANKING DETAILS

Bank Standard Bank

Branch Bluff

Branch Code 051001

Account Number: 05-155-629-4

The opinions expressed in ShopTorque are not necessarily those of the Committee or the Editor.Page 2 of 16 pages Jan – Feb 2016

mailto:[email protected]








<< A Word from the Saddle >>

I am in the process of reading an interesting book which was donated to the club by Theo Alberda

and signed by the author Gordon May, entitled, Overland To Egypt. Gordon undertook this trip on a

2-stroke 1952 BSA Bantam (with the later 175cc engine installed) in 2010. He was not a spanner-

man so relied on a few friends to prep the bike and get it ready for the trip. It is a most fascinating

read with all the trials and tribulations he went through especially when he landed in the Middle East

with the low grade of fuel available which he found out later was equivalent to kerosene. The trip

through Muammar Gaddafi's Libya is most interesting so I will let you borrow the book from the Club

library once I have finished it.

Gordon’s May’s epic journey to Egypt reminded me of one of my early rides on my 1957 BSA B33

500cc OHV 4-stroke single-cylinder to the Fairest Cape Rally where the late John Le Favré

complained about the slow speed we were travelling at. Before the ride, I had insisted that we travel

at 80 kph (50 mph) at which speed the bike wouldn’t be under any strain and could cope with the

3,400-odd kilometre trip. My favourite comment to him when he complained about our slow progress

was simply: “I’ll ride the BSA back to the UK at that speed and it will get there!”

For all petrol and steam-heads alike, Saturday, 13th November from 9 am to 12-noon is a date well-

worth diarising, this being the next Open Day at Colin Healey’s house at 25 Epping Drive, Forest

Hills. As usual, his collection of vintage steam and diesel engines will be running and there will be a

selection of model steam engines on display, as well as a display of Mamod models and a large 00

Gauge model train layout in operation. Family and friends are most welcome, but children should

be under adult supervision at all times due to hot and moving machinery. Entry is free and tea and

coffee is served by donation.

Finally, it was with great sadness that we received the news in January of the deaths of Marie, loving

wife of the late John Le Favré, and of our long and valued member, Karl Jensen, following a long

illness. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their friends and family.

Safe riding and remember: “Don't hide them, ride them!”

Rod Thomas

CMCN Chair


SAVVA Insurance Scheme


<< Club Notices >>

Complementary Members The following members had reached the grand age of eighty during the past club financial year and

are now on the list of complementary members: Mike Trevethan, Basil Hurwitz, and Ron Tanner.

Hearty congratulations and much strength to you all!

ShopTorque Newsletter

To save ever-mounting printing and postage costs, the ShopTorque Newsletter is available for free

public download on the CMCN Website http://www.ncmc.org.za/index.html/ and our Facebook page.

Paper copies will be made available at the club as normal. Should members want their paper copies

posted to them, the additional fee this year will be R 60.00 to cover postages. See Aubrey Cilliers

or Salome van Niekerk for more details.

2016 Club Membership Fees Please note that CMCN Membership Fees are now due for 2016. Our Treasurer, Aubrey Cilliers has

sent out invoices to all active members on his system. If you have not received your invoice please

contact him at your earlier convenience on one of the following numbers: Tel: 031-708-5934 or Cell:

083-922-0133. As reported during the 2015 Annual General Meeting, membership fees have not

been increased for 2016 and remain at a very reasonable: R290.00 per annum for ordinary members

and R155.00 per annum for Life and Country (out of KwaZulu-Natal) members. Kindly make

payment via EFT or add R20.00 to your bill for Cash or cheque deposit charges.

Motorcycle of the Month Competitions 2016

January Best of British [Postponed until February Meeting] February Golden Years Trophy / Best of British March Day of the Rising Sun April Best BMW May Best Tiddlers June Show Bike Trophy July Concours d’Elegance August Best Post-Classic September Best Sidecar October Best Matchless/AJS/Norton November Best Italian Motorcycle / Best Racing Bike

December Best Modern Motorcycle: Any Make, Any Size, Up to MY 2011

Best Harley Davidson: Up to MY 2011 Best Royal Enfield: Up to MY 2011



The Event Where Age DOES Count! Date: Sunday 10th April 2016

Start Venue: Burman Bush Nature

Reserve Burman Drive, Morningside, Durban.

Registration: 08h00 for 09h00 Start

End Venue & Braai: CMCN

Clubhouse

The Century Run is all about pairing the oldest

bikes with the oldest riders on a Sunday ride out

in the beautiful province of KwaZulu-Natal.

After a layoff for a year, your CMCN Committee

has listened to its members and decided to once

again hold this popular event on our riding

calendar. This year the start venue will be

Burman Drive, famous in Natal racing history for

the Burman Drive Hill Climb that was held there

from 1947 to 1967.

CMCN has once again received generous sponsorship from Paul Ward / STARTLINE whereby each rider

will receive R50.00 per towards petrol costs and a Braai Pack for all registered participants. Certificates will

be awarded to the highest combined age of rider and motorcycle in the following categories:

I. Gold Certificates (150+ years – combined age of participant and bike)

II. Silver Certificates (125 – 149 years)

III. Bronze Certificates (100 – 124 years)

IV. Participant’s Certificate (under 99 years)



<< TECHNICAL TIP #105 – POLISHING CHROME >> This tip comes from Roberts Cycle in Chicago, IL, in the United States and seems to have merit. Feedback on its success would be appreciated. A Simple Solution A simple and inexpensive way to remove rust from and polish chrome surfaces by hand is to rub it with aluminium foil dipped in water. This process yields two advantages. First, since the aluminium foil is softer than steel, it will not scratch the surface. And second, a by-product of the process produces a fine metal polishing compound that smooths the chrome surface to a bright shine. Geek Stuff: Oxides are the Key to Cleaning Rust is basically oxidized metal or in other words metal that has taken on extra oxygen atoms. As heat is generated by the friction of rubbing the aluminium foil on the chrome, a portion of the aluminium will oxidize to produce aluminium oxide. Aluminium has a higher reduction potential (i.e., a tendency take on electrons and in the process reduce or break itself down) than the chrome, and will therefore leech oxygen atoms away from any rust on the chrome surface which changes the chemical properties of the rust and breaks it down. Polishing Aluminium oxide is harder than steel, and the microscopic grains of aluminium oxide produced during the cleaning process creates a fine metal polishing compound which, mixed with the water you added, creates a paste that smooths and polishes the chrome surface. In English: How It Works A common way to clean a rusted chrome surface such as a chrome-plated mudguard is to use fine steel wool. However, when you use this method you have to use a lot of elbow grease and you still end up with a slightly dull surface with some amount of scratching not to mention the messy ‘dust’ left over from the steel wool. That's because you are physically scraping off the rust. When you use the aluminium foil method you are dissolving the rust chemically so you don’t need to rub nearly as hard and since the aluminium foil is softer than the chrome, you are left with few if any scratches. This method also allows you to get the rust out of some minor pitting without having to dig into the surface. The aluminium oxide that is created by friction when you rub the surface of the chrome leeches the rust away and when combined with the water you added creates its own polishing compound so you end up with a clean, smooth, shiny surface. Step-by-Step: By the Numbers People Step 1. Cut the aluminium foil into small squares. 75mm x 75mm should do. Step 2. Wipe down or wash the surface to remove any surface dirt. Step 3. Dip a square into some water or sprinkle some water on it and spread it around on the surface

of the foil. Step 4. Cup the wet square over the surface you want to clean so you get a nice even coverage. Step 5. Start rubbing a 150mm – 200mm area and remember you don’t have to rub very hard. As you

rub, you’ll feel the surface get smoother and smoother until the foil just glides over it. You will also notice a light brown paste building up. This is the polish that results from the chemical reaction.

Step 6. When the surface is nice and smooth and you have polished it, take a clean cloth and wipe the polish off.

Step 7. Once you finish cleaning and polishing the item you need to cover the surface to protect it from the elements. At a minimum you can wipe it down thoroughly with a clean cloth. Since cloth inherently contains some amount of oil, this will give you at least some protection. The best method would be to use a small amount of chrome polish or maybe something like turtle wax or an equivalent kind of wax or polish. Make sure you wipe the surface down with a paper


towel first instead of a cloth because paper doesn’t contain any oil so you will have a clean and dry surface for the wax or polish to adhere to.

Limitations: There’s ALWAYS a Catch If the surface is severely pitted or some of the chrome plating has peeled off, there is a limit to how much you can do. Since this method removes the rust chemically, you should still be able to get rid of most if not all of the rust. And since it creates its own polishing compound, you should be able to feather (taper) the peeled off edges to help prevent more peeling in the future. Again, once you have the surface as rust free and smoothed down as much as possible, don't forget to apply some form of wax or polish. Things We Noticed Along the Way Use a little extra water if you want a super fine finish. Wad up a larger piece of foil when you work on pitted areas. The edges created will help smooth down the pits. Don’t rub too long with the first ‘paste’ created. Once the surface feels nice and smooth and you've wiped the gunk off, you can use a new piece of foil with some more water to get as much shine as you like. Don’t waste your time with a severely pitted surface since the rust has probably eaten down through the chrome to the bare metal. Smooth it down as much as you can with steel wool then use the aluminium foil method to remove as much rust as possible. The aluminium foil method also works pretty well on steel. It removes the rust well, but don’t expect that super shiny finish like you get with the chrome because it never had that to begin with. To get the best results, remove that fender or other part so you can work on it easily without having nooks and crannies to dig into. If you're working on severely rusted rims, you might want to use a steel brush to remove the worst rust spots first. This will also remove any caked on road gunk so you have a better surface to work with. A Final Note: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow We hope you will be as amazed with this method as we are. It has saved us a lot of time and effort and has yielded much better results than we've gotten in the past.


MONUMENTAL MISTAKES AND BLUNDERS MADE BY MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURERS OVER THE YEARS

ARIEL Edward Turner’s brilliant Square Four engine suffered from overheating problems especially of the back two cylinders, right from the initial 1930 500cc model. Various modifications appeared over the years to try and rectify this culminating with the completely re-designed Mark 2, all-alloy, 4-piper motor in late 1953. This largely eliminated the problem but it still ran very hot especially on a long run on an African Summer’s day (where I lived). Mine was a 1953 model with the Mk2 engine and on re-building the engine (for the second time!) I fitted an oil filter on the return oil line with the largest spin-on car type oil filter that would fit, plus an oil cooler made from a little radiator from a cars air conditioner. I figured that the paltry 6 Imp pint oil tank capacity was just not sufficient and this added another pint which certainly helped with the bike running much cooler, plus of course cooling & filtering the hitherto unfiltered oil. In 1955, Ariel increased the capacity to about 8 pints by extending the tank inwards so that it looked the same but was considerably bigger. This did the trick but sadly too little too late as the factory closed for good in 1958. AMAL This British carburettor manufacturer must have made many, many hundreds of thousands of slide-type carburettors for the British motorcycle industry, plus many more for all manner of small engines and lawnmowers. I can imagine the purchasing officer at Triumph in 1958 calling Amal: “Triumph, Meriden here. We are about to launch our new Bonneville T120 twins and we will require 5000 Amal 376’s by Christmas. For this order we expect to pay Pound Sterling xx each. Please confirm that you can supply at that price and on time.” This phone call could be repeated by BSA, Norton, Matchless, Royal Enfield and maybe half-a-dozen others. Amal would be under immense pressure to produce the units as close to the price demanded and on time so they were always building to a price. Amal knew as well as any engineering manufacturer that same material components produce the fastest wear, yet both slide and carb bodies were cast out of the same soft alloy. A bronze slide would be better but far too expensive. Result: fast wearing slides, but more importantly carb bodies, resulting in poor performance especially with twin carb models. New slides mostly cured the problem but not if the body was worn as well. A number of machine shops in North America and UK set themselves up for true-boring of Amal carb bodies and resleeving of slides in brass or bronze at about a third of the cost of a new Amal. You would end up with a carburettor better than new (provided you replaced needle and seat & jets as well), that would last infinitely longer than the original. BSA For a number of years the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world until the Japanese finally built the all-conquering first ‘Superbike,’ the 1969 Honda CB750. Cash-strapped BSA who by now owned Triumph as well, totally ignored their long-time successful design engineers Bert Hopwood and Doug Hele and frantically hired marketing and design ‘whiz-kids’ at great expense. These ‘experts’ were not motorcyclists and had never been involved in motorcycling engineering or design, and promptly took over the new BSA and Triumph triple project which was supposed to be the British answer to the Japanese four cylinder superbikes. The result was a monumental disaster. Whilst the new innovative 750cc three cylinder engine produced 58bhp with a top speed of 125 mph, the BSA versions draconian styling was a disaster. Named the BSA Rocket 3 with slab-sided tank, extra high seat and space-era ‘ray gun’ silencers (mufflers), it was an instant failure and few were sold contributing to factory closure for good, only a few years later. TRIUMPH At about the same time as BSA’s ‘whiz kids’ did their number on BSA’s styling, they decided that the iconic Triumph Bonneville and BSA’s very successful A65 twins, should have a frame modification, doing away with a separate oil tank. A huge 2½ inch diameter top frame tube was employed and the notorious OIF (oil-in-frame) was born. Not only did this result in a seat height one inch higher than the old already-too-high seat, but it actually held LESS oil than the separate tank did! I kid you not! Then, all the early ones leaked oil where the bottom flange holding the removable drain plate was welded on, necessitating the removing of the complete engine and transmission to re-weld it on correctly. I had restored several early Bonneville models and had no trouble selling them until I restored a 1971 model—the first of the OIF models. Even motorcyclists far removed from classic circles and only vaguely aware of motorcycling history were aware of the OIF fiasco, and only after many months of advertising internationally was I able to sell it eventually in Switzerland.


ROYAL ENFIELD Never as popular as the other British makes Royal Enfield’s Achilles Heel was the Albion gearbox. Albion Ltd., were well-known in the industrial field for manufacturing heavy duty transmissions for industrial machinery, earth moving tractors and even military tanks etc. Their scaled-down motorcycle gearbox was clunky, noisy, and not smooth in operation. Certainly not in the class of specialist motorcycle gearbox manufacturers like Burman. Royal Enfield persisted with Albion even for their light-weight Villiers-engined bikes right till factory closure in 1970, a stubbornness that puzzled their supporters and delighted their opposition. I restored a 1941 military Model WG 350cc single, which saw action against Rommel in the Western Desert campaign. It was a dog to ride because of girder forks but mainly because of the very rough heel and toe action Albion transmission. NORTON The 750cc Norton Commando appeared in 1967 having originated from the original superb 500cc Model 7 twin designed by Bert Hopwood. It was then bored to 600cc, then 650cc as the Dominator, then 750cc as the Atlas. In 1967, the first high horsepower Commando appeared and there were signs of an overstressed bottom half with some main bearing failures. By 1973, the poor Commando engine had been bored out to 850cc to meet the competitions higher performing transverse fours, and the bottom half just had enough! Main bearing failures were catastrophic with stories of some brand new machines not even making it home from the dealer without main bearing failure! The Norton Service Bulletin No. 68 stated: Revised Main Bearings—All Commando Models of all years—Distribution worldwide—To be replaced by the Revised Superblend Bearing Part # 063114 2-dot single lip roller. If you ever restore a Norton Commando do check that it has had the Superblend mod done! MATCHLESS Associated Motor Cycles Ltd owned both Matchless and AJS and made identical models: one of the earliest examples of ‘badge engineering.’ The same frame and tin-ware was used for various models and nearly always their infamous pressed steel ‘tin’ primary chain case was used. Prone to leaking even when new it was almost impossible to seal after years of use, or during a restoration of an older model. AMC persisted with this monstrosity until the 1960’s and even had the audacity to patent it! I restored several 1950’s singles and a twin and did manage to seal them by careful truing of both halves on a sheet of glass and emery cloth, and using modern silicone sealer, new aluminium band and new composite endless rubber seal. By the time I restored a 1965 G80 CSR they had finally succumbed and this one had a nice proper alloy screwed-on chaincase. VELOCETTE Much has been written about the very different Velocette clutch mechanism, indeed nothing too complimentary! Mostly beyond the ability of the general fairly mechanical owner/rider, ‘experts’ set themselves up all over the UK to do little else but set up and adjust Velocette clutches. Many articles have appeared in motorcycle magazines like Classic Motorcycle over the years on “How to set up and adjust a Velocette clutch.” One has to only ask oneself, why did they persist? Surely they must have lost some sales to other makes with straight-forward designs which were easily adjusted! BMW My everyday ride is a 1978 R100S Airhead and I love it! But even the Bavarians in their Teutonic wisdom made some mistakes! In a very hard downpour the old Beemer will conk out because there is water in the points. Who in their right minds would position the ignition points in the most vulnerable position on the whole bike: right in the front down behind the front wheel! The very well-made alloy housing has vent holes in both sides in what seems a deliberate effort to let water in! Even the British bikes have their points well above the ground and to the side and well-protected from direct jets of water! I have an un-insulated garage and in Canada’s brutal winter I remove the battery and take it inside. This takes me half a day because the huge 28 amp hour battery is such a tight fit! One has to take the two bolts out that secure the back half of the frame because the battery will not clear the bolt heads even if you replace then with carriage headed ones! But look out!! If you don’t make some device to support the frame sections the frame and therefore the whole bike will collapse in half! Still not the end of the problem however as the back half of the battery box has to be tilted backwards as well, necessitating removal of two bolts which also hold the back brake fluid reservoir on one side, and the turn signal bleeper on the other! Not to mention that when there is no bolt the brake fluid reservoir has to be wired up in an upright position to stop the fluid from spilling out!


HONDA Acknowledged by the world as the first superbike and the final nail in the British Motorcycle Industries coffin, the incredible 67bhp, 125 mph, four-across CB750 burst onto the scene in 1969. Four separate carburettor’s, overhead camshaft, huge disc front brake, electric starter, electrifying vibration free performance, smooth 5-speed transmission, no wonder that they took the market by storm. I restored a 1973 CB750 (my first ever Japanese restoration) and was immediately impressed by the superb engineering and finish. Designed no doubt for tiny Japanese hands and fingers, I found everything extremely snug and tight-fitting. The huge, heavy engine and transmission unit was especially tight and very awkward to get back into the frame and certainly not a one-man job. Imagine my gobsmacked consternation on completion of a ground-up restoration, and having a valve cover oil leak (even with new gasket) on initial start-up, to discover that that mighty engine had to be removed from the frame to take the valve cover off!! Never mind pulling the cylinder head to grind valves which of course was a simple in situ job on British bikes. Then only did I read the many posts on web forums about this problem and that a number of modifications are on offer which all require cutting and welding the top frame member! The later ‘F’ models were altered but owners of 1969 to 1978 models had to live with it! A monumental blunder in anyone’s book!

Author’s Note Opinions expressed here are entirely my own and not necessarily that of all classic motorcycle restorers. Whilst I have restored most popular British motorcycle makes I have never restored an American made Indian or Harley Davidson, but I feel certain that they have also had their fair share of failures and design blunders over the years. I have restored each of the makes mentioned “from the ground up,” with some like Ariel, BSA, Triumph and Matchless two or three times, with different models and years of manufacture.

Tom Hesom E-mail: [email protected]


2015 AGM HALL OF FAME PRIZE WINNERS

Best Royal Enfield on Show: Mike Mathews

Wooden Spoon Award: Aubrey Cilliers

Buckled Wheel Award: Gunter Markhart Best Modern on Show: Gary Leonard


Bum Pad Rider: Madie Van Hee (Received by Alain Beltran)

Youngest Competitor: Morgan Raatgever (Received by Hank Raatgever)

Highest Placed DJ Competitor: Richard Sawkins

Bike of the Year Award: Hank Raatgever, 1929 AJS Model M8

Oldest Competitor: Ray Nel Best Harley Davidson on Show: Gunter Markhart

Enthusiast of the Year: Jointly awarded to Salome van Niekerk and Aubrey

Cilliers



Documents

Classic Motorcycle Club of Natal - ncmc.org.za newsletter 2016 01 Shoptorque.pdf · Affiliated to the Vintage Motor Cycle Club Ltd – UK (VMCC) ... Best Royal Enfield: Up to MY 2011