Table of contents for Issue 39 in Retrobike

THE original BMW R7 from 1934 is a 790cc boxer twin, with 34.5hp and a top speed of 145km/h. The Tribute R7 from 2019 is a 110cc single cylinder, with 6.5hp and a top speed of 90km/h. Our R7 is extremely enjoyable to ride, purely as it is our own creation. It gets looks and comments everywhere it goes with people often asking where I get parts for a bike like that. The bike is quite small compared to a modern bike. It is very low powered and close to the ground, with a hardtail and a Cub front end. The only suspension for the rider is the sprung seat and the air in the tyres. It’s not fast, it’s not overly comfortable, but it is satisfying to ride.…

JUST as the Yamaha SR500 and 400 singles kick-started the modern-day café racer culture, so too the much-loved XS650 twin has led the way in the bobber revival. Almost as pretty as a traditional pushrod Pommy twin, it is infinitely more reliable and easier to maintain and, courtesy of its 360-degree crank, sounds just as good. The chain-driven SOHC design came to life in Germany in 1950 as the Horex Imperator, and was subsequently also built under licence in Japan by Hosk, who continued to manufacture them after Horex went belly-up in 1958. In quick succession, Hosk was acquired by Showa, then Showa by Yamaha, which later developed the Imperator into its first-ever four-stroke model, the 650cc XS1, released late in 1969. The XS1 was upgraded with electric start and…

AUTHOR Frank Sander did manage a short test ride when photographing the bike and was impressed by its easy handling, even with the unusual (at least for custom bike-experienced riders) M-shaped handlebar. Not to diminish the outstanding effort of the builders to cut the weight and optimise the riding performance, the Chief Racer handles and rides like a Buell, he says, albeit one that was a little bit overfed. But who cares about a little extra weight? Nobody would compare this stunning beauty with a 500cc Manx, he says, even if this Chief has lost one quarter of its weight in a few weeks and even looks much lighter than that.…

RIDING high on the success of the landmark CB750 Four but under challenge from the new 900cc Kawasaki Z1, Honda thought outside the inline four-cylinder square with its new flagship, the GL1000 Gold Wing released in 1975. It was like nothing before it, powered by a liquid-cooled boxer-style SOHC flat-four making just under 80hp at 7000rpm. It was a heavy bastard at 265kg dry but carried its weight low and handled well enough. Honda had it tagged as a heavyweight sportster, but the riding public was quick to realise it made for an even better tourer, especially on the wide-open highways of Australia and the USA. Capacity was increased to 1100cc in 1979 then 1200cc in 1984 as other Japanese manufacturers entered the market with ever larger bikes. In 1988,…

FOR ME, one of the most exciting parts of the build was the construction of a pair of leather fork gaiters,” Vic Summers says. “I saw these on a series of pictures of a custom Harley Wide Glide that was built in Europe. As soon as I saw them I knew I needed a pair. You just don’t see them. I could have had the guy in Europe who made them make a pair but I decided to do it myself. “I knew a bit about the process of blocking leather and needed a wooden mandrel upon which I could block a tube of wet leather to form the gaiter. I also realised that the mandrel had to be cut lengthways into seven pieces so that it could be removed…

BMW’s first motorcycle was the R 32 of 1923, and was powered by an air-cooled flat twin, in this case a 500cc side-valve making a heady 8.5hp at 3200rpm. It was also shaft-drive. It was followed in 1925 by an OHV version making 16hp at 4000rpm. BMW found its factories on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain after WW2. Production of flat-twins resumed in Berlin in 1950 with the R 51/2 and later the souped-up R 68. The range was updated in 1955 with sidecar-friendly Earles forks and enclosed drive-shafts on the R 50 and R 60, and again in 1960 with the R 50/2, R 60/2 and highly collectible R 69 S. The venerable flat-twin was comprehensively redesigned in 1969 with the R 50/5, R 60/5 and R 75/5,…

AFTER radically changing the motorcycling landscape forever with the SOHC four-cylinder CB750 in the late 1960s, Honda sat on its laurels for much of the next decade. By 1978, Kawasaki’s Z900 and Z1000, Suzuki’s GS750 and GS1000, and Yamaha’s XS1100 — all DOHC, eight-valve fours — had made the original superbike look old, slow and frumpy. Honda responded with the six-cylinder DOHC 24-valve CBX1000, a technical marvel but scarily complicated in the eyes of many enthusiasts. One year later, Honda released the CB900F using much the same four-valves-per-cylinder technology but in a more manageable four-cylinder format. Making 95hp at 9000rpm to the CBX’s 105hp at the same revs, but nearly 15kg lighter and much less expensive, there was nothing between them on the road. Some commentators wondered why Honda chose…

DUCATI built its reputation on a succession of air-cooled 750/900/1000 V-twins fitted with desmodromic valve actuation operated by bevel gear-driven, single overhead camshafts. Apart from a few touring GT models which had conventional valve-spring heads in the 1970s, every Ducati produced ever since has been a desmo. The ‘bevel-drives’ had some success on the track and were popular if expensive road bikes, but they weren’t the easiest things to live with. So Ducati chief engineer Fabio Taglioni reconfigured what he acknowledged was one of his most complex engines into one of the simplest. The old roller-bearing crankshaft was replaced with a more modern plain-bearing unit, and the single overhead cams were now driven not by bevel gears but by toothed rubber belts. Initially released as the all-new Pantah 500 in…

ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke inline four; DOHC, two valves per cylinder; 69.4 x 66mm for 1015cc; 8.7:1 comp; Mikuni RS34 smoothbores; Dynatek ignition; wet sump; crossover headers; wet multi-plate clutch to five-speed gearbox; chain final drive; 83hp @ 8000rpm (stock) CHASSIS Dual-cradle frame in tubular steel; 36mm conventional forks, 2 x 295mm discs on 19in Enkei mag; reproduction Z1000 rear shocks, 1 x 295mm disc on 18in Enkei rim; Metzeler Sportec tyres BODYWORK Airtech Streamlining fairing; Gustafsson screen; stock fuel tank; Airtech tail unit; stock mudguards; seat by Loyalty Road Upholstery; paint and graphics by Collide A Scope Motorcycles and Workshop Garage.com SPECIAL THANKS My mate David Parker; brother Wayne Horwood; Lawrence at Collide A Scope; Dave Simmons in the US; Tony Williams (machining); Etienne Pasquier (radio); Stephen Thatcher (blue lights);…

ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke horizontal single; SOHC, two valves; 52 x 50mm for 105cc; 8.5:1 comp; wet sump; Harley muffl ers; centrifugal clutch to four-speed gearbox; chain final drive CHASSIS Chassis stretched 150mm; Honda Cub forks, CT110 drum-brake hub laced to Kepspeed 1.85 x 17in 36-spoke rim; rigid rear, CT110 hub laced to Kepspeed 3 x 17in 36-spoke rim; Michelin M62 tyres BODYWORK Tank from eBay; fabricated aluminium side-panels by Chris Lake; Cub front guard, Harley rear; eBay seat; early CT110 6V speedo; paint and pin-striping by owner SPECIAL THANKS My dad, Chris Lake, for all his hours, effort, tools and understanding; Lambda Motorcycles (0413 395 565) for CT110 parts; SCMoto (02 4982 7577) for the rims; Gold Coast Tyres & Mechanical (07 5554 6411); Inspirations Paint (07 5578 4388) BEST…

ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke vertical twin; chain-driven SOHC, two valves per cylinder; 75 x 74mm for 653cc; 8.4:1 comp; wet sump; 2 x 38mm Mikunis with inlet trumpets; custom exhaust; multi-plate clutch to five-speed gearbox; 53hp @ 7200rpm (stock) CHASSIS Twin-cradle main chassis in tubular steel; fabricated hard-tail rear; shortened and revalved telescopic forks in custom offset triple trees; 16-inch Harley Fat Boy wheels and brakes BODYWORK Reworked Virago tank; custom seat; vintage WSK headlight; accessories and paint by ESG BEST Perfect style, proportions and stance; quality of finish NOT SO GREAT Riding in the wet…

1897 George Hendee founds the Hendee Manufacturing Co, a bicycle manufacturer 1901 Hendee hires Oscar Hedstrom to build a petrol-powered pace bike for bicycle racing 1902 First Indian motorcycle sold 1906 First Indian V-twin race bike built 1917 Indian builds 50,000 bikes for US military over three years 1923 Name changed to Indian Motocycle Co (sic) 1940 Indian builds 40,000 bikes for US military over five years 1953 Indian ceases manufacture of all bikes 1955 Brand relaunched with rebadged Royal Enfields, until 1960 1967 Burt Munro sets new land speed record of 184mph at Bonneville 1998 Indian relaunched with Harley-style S&S engines; folded in 2003 2011 Indian brand acquired by Polaris Industries 2013 New Indian range released with Thunderstroke engines…

ENGINE Air-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke; OHV, two valves; 70 x 90mm for 346cc; electric & kick start; single carburettor (!); twin-spark electronic ignition; wet clutch to five-speed transmission; chain final drive; 19.8hp @ 5250rpm (stock) CHASSIS Single downtube steel chassis using the engine as a stressed member; telescopic forks and twin rear shocks; 19-inch laced wheels; single twin-piston 280mm disc front, sls drum rear; Firestone tyres DIMENSIONS Length 2140mm; seat height 804mm; kerb weight 193kg; fuel capacity 13.5 litres BEST Makes a Classic beautiful NOT SO GREAT Thinly-padded seat…

ENGINE Liquid-cooled four-stroke flat six; SOHC, two valves per cylinder; 71 x 64mm for 1520cc; 9.8:1 comp; 6 x 40mmm Weber downdraught carburettors; custom 6-into-6 exhausts; five-speed gearbox; shaft final drive; 100hp @ 6000rpm (stock) CHASSIS Fabricated duplex frame in tubular steel; Ohlins USD forks with laced 19in rim, 2 x Brembo monoblock calipers on custom 360mm brake rotors; swingarm rear with twin Ohlins shocks, laced 18in rim, single monoblock caliper on 320mm rotor BODYWORK CB750 F1 tank; custom seat; paint by Dimitri Tolen; leather by Senen; Motogadget speedo BEST Tough stance; even tougher engine; big brakes NOT SO GREAT Limited fuel range…

ENGINE Liquid-cooled four-stroke horizontal inline four; DOHC, two valves per cylinder; 67 x 70mm for 987cc; 10.2:1 comp; wet sump; Bosch LE-Jetronic engine management and EFI; standard exhaust; dry single-plate clutch to five-speed gearbox; shaft final drive; 90hp @ 8000rpm (stock) CHASSIS Tubular space frame with engine a load-bearing component; fabricated seat sub-frame; telescopic forks with 18 x 2.5in mag wheel, 2 x 285mm rotors with twin-piston Brembo calipers; single-sided swingarm with copper-shrouded BMW mono-shock, 17 x 2.75in mag with 285mm rotor and twin-piston Brembo caliper; white-walled Dunlop/Shinko tyres BODYWORK Stock tank and front guard; owner-built seat unit and rear guard; paint by Unique Skin Coatings; seat upholstery by Vegas Croc; leatherwork by owner; Halcyon mirrors SPECIAL THANKS Chris Holtum for the use of his lathe; his father-in-law Derek Giles…

RATHER than heading straight for Yamaha’s museum in Japan, the Six Hour-winning XS1100 — matching numbers 2H9-100267 — was sold in 1979 to Team Avon pit crewman Graeme Hadley, who clocked up 35,000 road km before garaging it in 1989. Following Graeme’s passing, his widow Debbie sold it in 1996 to Sydney fireman Bruce Loy who pushed the odometer to 69,000km, before being tracked down by Mal Pitman in 2007. “I knew it was the genuine bike by the engine and frame numbers but I soon found all the tell-take signs that said it had been a racer,” Mal says. A lengthy and exact restoration followed, finished in 2014, after which it debuted at the Broadford Bike Bonanza, where I tested the bike. It was subsequently sold to Motorcycling Australia…

ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke in-line four; chain-driven DOHC, two valves per cylinder; 71.5 x 68.6mm for 1102cc; 9.2:1 comp; 4 x 34mm Mikuni CV carburettors; transistorised coil ignition with vacuum advance; Hy-Vo chain primary to multi-plate oil-bath clutch and five-speed gearbox; shaft final drive; 95rwhp @ 8000rpm CHASSIS Tubular steel, double-cradle frame; 37mm Kayaba forks, adjustable for spring preload, 2 x 298mm steel discs with single-piston calipers on 3.5 x 19in cast wheel; two-piece steel swingarm with twin Kayaba shocks adjustable for spring preload, single 298mm rotor with single-piston caliper on 4.5 x 17in cast wheel; Avon Roadrunner tyres DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 1545mm; 256kg dry, 278kg wet; seat height 81cm; fuel capacity 24 litres BEST Effortless long-distance tourer; giant-killing endurance racer NOT SO GREAT Heavy; getting hard to find…

BLACK HAWK JACKET Boasting a military influence, the Black Hawk men’s motorcycle jacket delivers the ultimate throw-on-and-go jacket. With a lightweight yet durable water repellent cotton outer and inner Reissa waterproof liner this jacket will keep you dry in those unexpected showers. Brass press-stud clasps at the cuffs, four outer pockets and two inner pockets ensure you’re in command on dusty trails or inner-city destinations. $399.00 RRP, blackbirdmotorcyclewear.com PLATE YOURSELF! Jane Plating kits was born from a dedicated vintage bike restorer and the idea that it would be more convenient and economical if he was able to plate his own parts at home. 15 years on these amazing home plating kits allow professional plating results to be obtained in your own workshop. No sending parts, no waiting, no lost parts…

ENGINE Air-cooled 45-degree four-stroke V-twin; OHV, two per cylinder; 92 x 114.3mm for 1524cc; 8.2:1 comp; single 47.6mm S&S Super E carburettor; S&S Super Stock electronic ignition; dry sump; Akrapovič exhausts; Gates belt primary to BDL automatic clutch and JIMS six-speed gearbox; belt final drive; 49rwhp @ 5000rpm CHASSIS 4130 chrome-moly tubular steel single-loop backbone frame with duplex engine cradle; integrated fuel tank; 39mm Air Ride telescopic forks with 3.5 x 30in carbon aluminium wheel, single 26in brake rotor with six-piston Nissin caliper; single-sided tubular steel swingarm with 6 x 17in wheel, with 250mm rotor and twin-piston Brembo caliper; Vee Rubber and Dunlop D407 tyres DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 2000mm (79in); 230kg with oil, no fuel; seat height 70cm parked, 84cm mobile; fuel capacity 9.0 litres BUILDER Dreamachine Motorcycles, Ljubljana, Slovenia; www.dreamachine-motorcycles.com…

ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke boxer twin; OHV, two valves per cylinder; 94 x 70.6mm for 980cc; 9.5:1 comp; wet sump; 2 x Bing 94/40 carburettors; custom exhausts; dry single-plate clutch to five-speed gearbox; shaft final drive; 70hp @ 7250rpm (stock) CHASSIS Much modified R 100 RS chassis with fabricated subframe; Royal Enfield girder fork, 2 x 260mm rotors with Brembo twin-piston calipers on 19-inch wheel; twin shock swingarm with Burly Slammers, single 260mm rotor with Brembo twin-piston caliper on 18-inch wheel; Avon Speedmaster (front) and Metzeler tyres; all fabrication by Black Cycles BODYWORK Custom peanut fuel tank and rear guard by Black Cycles; leather seat by John Moorhouse; paint by owner SPECIAL THANKS Noel at Black Cycles; John Moorhouse; Cam at Elljays Auto Electrics; Mark at MMM Boxerworks; my girlfriend Kerri…

ENGINE Air-cooled inline four-cylinder four-stroke; chain-driven DOHC, four valves per cylinder; 64.5 x 69mm for 901cc; 8.8:1 comp; 4 x Keihin CR smoothbores; electronic ignition; custom four-into-four pipes; multi-plate clutch to five-speed transmission; chain final drive; 95hp at 9000rpm (stock) CHASSIS Fabricated duplex chassis in tubular steel; custom chrome-moly sub-frame; conventional CB900 forks with custom top triple clamp, dual 280mm rotors with twin-piston calipers on laced 21-inch rim; shortened CB900 swingarm with dual 10-inch shocks, single 297mm rotor with twin-piston caliper on laced 17-inch rim; Avon Cobra tyres BODYWORK CB750 K3 tank; fabricated seat and rear guard; Purpose Built Moto head and tail lights; paint by Popbang Classics WANT MORE? Go to https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=0v8d7wDbPac for build and ride video BEST Laidback style; quality of finish; everything works NOT SO GREAT…

ENGINE Air-cooled four-stroke 90-degree V-twin; 94 x 71.5mm for 992cc; 10:1 comp; wet sump; Marelli ignition and EFI, 45mm throttle body; Spark exhaust; straight-cut gear primary drive to dry clutch and six-speed gearbox; chain final drive; 85hp @ 7750rpm (stock) CHASSIS Trellis mainframe in tubular steel; fabricated seat sub-frame; 43mm fully-adjustable USD forks with Eibach springs, 2 x four-piston Brembo calipers on 320mm rotors; cantilever swingarm with Ohlins mono-shock (Eibach spring), single dual-piston caliper on 245mm rotor; 17-inch mags with Continental Road Attack Evo 2 tyres BODYWORK Walt Siegl fairing; 1988 900SS tank; Shed-X tail section and mudguards; Alcantara seat; Mercedes AMG satin grey paint, also by Shed-X SPECIAL THANKS Jim at Shed-X; D Moto; Racers Edge; Rob Hannah; Spark Exhaust; Motogadget BEST Ripping smooth mountain roads to shreds; that…

ENGINE Air and oil-cooled 49-degree V-twin; triple cam OHV, two per cylinder; 101 x 113mm for 1811cc (111ci); 9.5:1 comp; EFI with 54mm throttlebody; custom exhaust; gear primary drive to six-speed gearbox; belt final drive; 74rwhp at 4360rpm CHASSIS Fabricated twin-cradle main frame in tubular steel; lightly modified Indian Roadmaster forks; swingarm converted to dual shock with Scout dampers; stock Indian hubs and brakes re-laced to 18-inch alloy rims, 3.5in front, 5in rear BODYWORK Handcrafted in brushed aluminium by Michael Naumann BEST Timeless style; much reduced weight; amazing transformation NOT SO GREAT Still heavy for a sports bike…