2022-09-01 Practical Sportsbikes

PROJECT BIKES

EXITING PARK
CORNER WATER
STARTS APPEARING
ON THE INSIDE OF MY
SCREEN. ON A TZ THIS
MEANS ONE THING,
YOU MUST STOP

Laid out in bits on the bench for the umpteenth-millionth time. All part and parcel of the TZ experience On to the next round at Cadwell, in the
Stop smiling now Bruce. We’ve got the picture, ta When cylinder head O-rings let go, it’s living hell BEMSEE Blue Haze GP series that I’m leading.
Not how you want a head to look on removal. No VHM heads with separate chambers ready to fit Friday practice is fine, beautiful weather, no
hassles. Qualifying goes OK, second on the grid.
Lights out and here we go, through Coppice and
in touch (just) with the leader Stuart Hall then
exiting Park corner water starts appearing on
the inside of my screen.

On a TZ250 this means one thing, you must
stop. It's a water leak, but not external, it's one
of the head O-rings that’s gone. When they do
this they pressurise the radiator, then water
goes past the rad cap, into the overflow tube
and into the frame, some of it finds a way up to
the headstock, then gets sucked up behind the
screen.This scenario played out two more times
over the weekend. I managed to finish two out
of four races – and had a collection of burnt-out
failed O-rings to show for it.

The post-meeting investigation revealed the
TZ250 cylinders I've been running have been
replated several times in their 21-year history.
It turns out the ring groove depth on at least
one of the cylinders is out of spec. Not enough
to show up a problem in the Friday practice,
as I tend to keep the revs down by around 500
rpm on Fridays to get in the groove of the track
without spanking the motor. I save that for race
days where I get my head down and rev the
engine flat out for when it really matters.

Now, we’ve just come back from the Brands
Hatch GP meeting, and it looks like the bike's
demons are exorcised for now – it worked
faultlessly all weekend.

 
Big thanks to: Bilstein UK, EBC brakes, Rock
Oil, R&G, Phil Guillou, racebikebitz.com, Roland
from HCR Yamaha, Steve Stevelin Motorcycles 

Oxford chain tool

How long: two years  10
Cost: £74.99 (or less) 10
Contact: oxfordproducts.com

Combustion chamber volumes are adjustable Perfect for splitting and pressing rivet links
with these trick VHM inserts. Clever. Effective together, it will also flare over hollow pin links
with ease.I use it mostly on my TZ250 520

size chain, but there are
different side plates to
suit up to 630 chain. It
lives in my toolbox at
home and trackside too. 

Practical Sportsbikes 101

The story so far…

Alan’s daily rider takes no

end of abuse in it’s stride…

Until it decides to give him a

timely wake-up call

You can only neglect a machine for so long
before it will deliberately let you down

Alan Seeley
2000 Yamaha FZS600

Show no love, receive no love
Alan gives the Fazer a regular flogging, but infrequent attention. And it’s not happy about it

ven an old faithful will let you down With the carbs off, an exploratory finger to Silicon hose from Alan’s fave model railway shop
sometimes. A strong smell of fuel the cylinder head reveals number one inlet to
and a reluctance to start indicated be full of fuel. Dropping the oil shows that its
that all was not well in the carburation volume has grown by only half a litre – things
department of my 2000 Yamaha FZS600 could be worse. I change the oil filter and refill
Fazer. A final optimistic stab of the starter the sump with fresh 10w40 semi-synth and
button was met with a total failure of the turn my attentions to the carbs.
engine to even turn over. Could be hydraulic
locking. The most likely reasons for the fuel flooding
The oil inspection window reveals that lube are debris in the float bowls, worn or dirty float
levels are off the chart. Must be fuel in the valve needles, likewise their seats, or perished
oil. The old Fazer is going nowhere until some float needle seat O-rings. Indeed, it could be a
serious remedial work has been done. Taking combination of all of these.
the carbs off a Fazer 600 is a task relished
by few owners, not so much for the removal The float needle tips look a little borderline,
but the refitting. This latter task is a regal and the seat seals look even worse. The
pain because of the reluctance of the airbox brass seats are green with Verdigris and
rubbers to reconnect with the carbs. Still, mottled brown with fuel varnish. The emulsion
needs must. tube O-rings are perished past the point of
usefulness too, as are the airscrew O-rings.
102 Practical Sportsbikes Time for some carb rebuilt kits.

PROJECT BIKES

WORKING SOLO,
I’M COMPELLED TO
RESORT TO THE
BACKSTREET METHOD
OF USING A RATCHET
STRAP AROUND THE
ENGINE AND CARBS
TO PULL THEM FULLY
INTO THEIR INLETS

Tourmax stuff is pretty good, so I go online in Copious amounts of carb cleaner worked in and around with compressed air usually does the trick
search of a ‘short set’ repair kit for each carb
containing a seat, float needle, emulsion tube Green mould tells this horror story of neglect Kit OK except for float bowl gaskets too small
and airscrew O-rings, and a float bowl gasket. I
find some on eBay; £60 for four kits. Alan can’t walk past any form of special tool Yet he’s quite prepared to ignore maintenance

Plenty of carb cleaner and compressed air contorting my hand deep in the airbox to Bike It carb gauge 10
applied to the partially stripped carbs and I persuade them over the carb chokes, the whole 10
deem them ready for reassembly. New needles lot goes back into position, and I refit the fuel How long: two months
and float valve seats mean the float heights tank and sidepanels. Cost: £7.99
are going to be out. Somewhat unhelpfully,
particularly given the faff of getting the carbs At this point I remember that I meant to Contact: francosmotorcycles on eBay
off and on, the manual states that the only way check the fuel level as per the manual prior to
to check the float heights are correct is to fit refitting the airbox. It better be right. I attach Serious about
the carbs on the bike so they are at the correct a length of silicon hose purchased from my getting float
angle then use a clear standpipe on each one local model shop to each float drain in turn, heights right?
to measure the fuel level above the carb to turning the ignition on each time to ensure the Or like us, close
floatbowl join. bowls are pumped full of fuel. If Galileo was enough for jazz?
right about fluids and levels, and by now we This little fella
So if a float level is out, the carbs have to can surely assume he was, then as each carb beats squinting
come off. You remove the offending float bowl, is at the same angle and height, I can test the at a steel rule or
tweak the float tang and go through the whole level of fuel in each bowl against the outside DIY cardboard
process again. Last time I went through this carb body. The manual says 3.5mm for 2000 templates.
type of nonsense was with an Amal Monobloc models on and 4.5mm for 1998 and 1999
on an old BSA. What are you at, Mr Yamaha? models. I measure about 4mm. Close enough
for jazz, as we say in these parts.
Common sense tells me that there must
be a nominal measurement for the floats
taken in the more familiar way, with the
bowls off and the floats just compressing the
sprung plungers in the tops of the float valve
needles. Sure enough, the internet, where the
discoverers of such knowledge always feel
compelled to share it, suggests that 14mm will
be about right.

I make them so, and just as I think I’m on the
home straight, two new issues hove into view.
The first is that the new Tourmax floatbowl
gaskets are too small in both thickness and
shape. I elect to reuse the originals. A dousing
in carb cleaner plumps them back up a little.
The second issue is that on refitting the
floatbowls, the very last of the 16 screws I go
to tighten strips its thread.

My Helicoil kit collection has pretty much
everything but the required M4 x 0.7mm
repair kit. However my local Screwfix can have
one in stock the next day. Good enough.

After 24 hours away from the job, I have
mustered the not inconsiderable will required
to take on the refitting of the carbs. Working
solo, I’m compelled to resort to the backstreet
method of using a ratchet strap around the
engine and carbs to pull them fully into their
inlets. The airbox is the usual anticipated
tussle but eventually, between copious
applications of WD-40 to the rubbers, and

Practical Sportsbikes 103

Brain-melting levels of The story so far...
concentration from the boy
Grossly unfit man builds a
hill climb machine from a
Kawasaki S3 chassis and
H1F engine, and sends it up

a hill for the first time

Mark Graham
1976 Kawasaki KH1F

Uphill struggle for feisty Kwak

Barbon Manor hill climb in Cumbria is the venue for the competition debut of the 83bhp KH1F

nsurprisingly, the Percy Duff Barbon See how narrow the
Speed Hill Climb in late July was track is? Thin ribbon
very much fun. It rained, but then it
tends to do that in this country when you least
expect it/don’t want it, so no big deal. The hill
is a simple one, and a decent time depends
(almost entirely) on getting turn two right.
Which proved beyond me.
The KH1F behaved impeccably. With tyre
pressures dropped to 26psi front and rear, and
a 14T gearbox sprocket in place of the usual
15, it was lively off the start, lively in second,
and lively in third. Lively all round then. Even
hunched right over the front end on the line,
it would still head skywards before you could
snick second into turn one (uphill left).
Next thing you’re hurtling into the long, blind,
critical turn two, in third. You’ve walked the
course, you know it’s a late apex lefthander

104 Practical Sportsbikes

All action pictures: Darren Athersmith PROJECT BIKES

All the top men ride supermoto
machinery. MG is not a top man

ACHIEVING ’21 Brit Supermoto Champ Jordan Bannon (ftd) Greasy track made life interesting for everybody
ANY MEANINGFUL
CONSISTENCY IS A
CHALLENGE. AND IT
REALLY DOES FEEL
VERY NARROW IF
YOU GET A CORNER
EXIT WRONG

that opens out almost as soon as you’ve And you don’t have to be a champion at to. It’s a serious business, but not that serious.
failed to keep it nailed on the entry. It’s called anything to get an entry and try your hand. You If you can’t have fun hill climbing then maybe
Richmond, and it’s a real mind over matter, can enter on a road bike with a one day sprint/ motorcycles aren’t for you.
bottle corner. hill climb licence. You can ride that bike to the
hill too if you want. Check out the National Hill  
After fluffing Richmond, you’re onto a Climb Association’s (nhca.co.uk) website for
straight, then into a righthand hairpin with the refreshingly minimal rules and regs. S  nap-On MG325 wind gun
some positive camber mid-turn, then gas it
over the finish. As with most forms of racing Although this track is narrow at less than How long: one month 10
(against the clock in this case), you only make 2m wide (it’s only someone’s driveway after Cost: £70 10
time in the fast turns. Anyone can do the slow all) there are still options on lines to take Contact: local pawn shop
ones. Then it’s back down the hill to try again. and apexes to hit, although achieving any
meaningful consistency is a challenge. And it How I ever managed without one I will never
And all the while you’re parked in a field on really does feel very narrow if you get a corner know. Well, yes, I do know, I borrowed other
a hill, surrounded by woodland and wildlife, exit wrong. people’s. For undoing sprocket and clutch
in this case just outside Kirkby Lonsdale
in the south of The Lake District, or South Getting it wrong, and then trying to iron out nuts, and any
Lakes if you’re a local. As well as communing mistakes and improve your time is what makes other stubborn
with nature, you’re in the genial company this game so addictive. It’s basically uphill drag fasteners this
of other riders and their generally random racing with turns in any conditions barring is boss. After
machinery. Naturally enough the top doers snow and ice. No tyre-warmers are allowed finally doing the
favour Supermoto tackle and they’ll climb this which makes the playing surface as level as decent thing,
890 yard (810m) hill in less than 30 seconds, it could possibly be. It’s all down to having I can now lend
(fastest time of the day was 2021 British the right bike and some talent. Or the wrong this to other
Supermoto Champion Jordan Bannon’s 27.96s bike and little talent. The beauty is it doesn’t pests.
on his 450 KTM). matter all that much unless you really want it

Practical Sportsbikes 105

If Alan was moving a bit There is a buyer for this £A2SK0IN0G 0
faster – no, make that a lot somewhere. Hard to imagine
faster – with Bargains to where, though
Bimota (page 86) I could
have put three or four bikes HONDA VTR1000F FIRESTORM bad shout – if you can pretty-up the radiators
his way. There’s a lot of stuff somehow (they’re side-mounted as standard),
cheap on the market now, ‘My imagination kinda went a bit crazy’, the rest looks good under the fairing, and
and it’s not all knackered junk either. I’ve the seller reckons. No kidding… knobblies, they’re good for wheelies even without flat
seen a lot of bikes that people just haven’t skinnier forks, and a ComStar wheel from a ’bars added... but this is just a bit crap.
used, and as money gets tighter they’re 1980s Honda don’t spell fun to me, and the
selling bikes out of MoT, dead batteries, flat-tracker bodywork looks a bit cobbled-on,
gummy carbs and the usual storage issues. and badly thought out.
If you can work on your own bike to a
reasonable standard, it’s a great time to get a A FireStorm makes a great project because
bargain – either a decent workhorse or they’re cheap, good-looking bikes with loads
something more interesting. It’s often the of room for improvement. Going naked isn’t a
sunny Sunday toys that end up unused and
neglected because they’re not relied on. £1AS6K,INOGOO SPONDON
GSX-R1100
SUZUKI GSX550EF Lots of good bits on it, sure.
But still a long way to go (and Trick, no doubt.
At least part of this is surely going to all the hard, tricky bits too) Even with the
end up in the smelting pot. I’m all for before it’s a runner/rider Spondon name
individuality, but this is just wrong – reappearing as
60bhp, at best, pushing a sketchy tricycle Spondon GIA,
conversion isn’t going to be any fun unless original ‘Sweary
near-death experiences are your thing. Bob’ Spondon
Engineering frames
The little 550s rarely get much attention will always be worth
– they’re not that exciting or sexy, so the good money.
few about tend to be with owners who have
an emotive connection with them. It’d be a Ex-superbike
good spares bike (there’s another spares K-Tech forks aren’t
bike included too), but the front end needs cheap either, and
to go in the scrap bin. they were only sold
to race teams – so
£A3SK9IN5G never easy to come
by. Still £16,000 is a
Tricycle not twice as nice lot for an unfinished
as a motor bicycle bike – no wiring, no
carbs, no exhaust
106 Practical Sportsbikes (or turbo, as it’ll
probably end up
with, as a Steve
Burns ‘Monster’
clone). Plenty still
to do and spend
despite the good
stuff there. £12,000
is probably right.

£S1OL2D2FO0R

YAMAHA The nuttiest (at least styling-wise)
XJ650L SECA TURBO of all the eighties blower bikes

Bikes don’t have to be very good to
be appealing. Like this XJ Turbo – an
average bike, but the turbo does give it
a quirk, and the mad sci-fi styling would
look great next to a Tesla Cybertruck…

This one is a great resto candidate, as
it’s all there, all standard, and the seller
(DK Motorcycles’ import business)
says it runs on a bit of easy start, so
that’s a plus, so you’ve got a working
motor, and nothing missing. I’d like to
see one resto-modded – it’s about time
someone built a trick one.

SP always more money, £SO4LD1FO9R9 YAMAHA
but not always worth it YZF750SP

That’s a good buy.
The bodywork wants
some love, but the
metal parts look clean
so it’d be a mechanical
recommission and
sorting plastics, I’d say.

It’s a Japanese import
so there will be some
kind of restriction, but
it shouldn’t be an issue
to fit European parts to
sort that – something
like an Ignitech ignition
is an easy fix if the ECU
can’t easily be replaced
with a Yamaha part.
It has the SP-specific
parts, which is all that
really matters.

SUZUKI S£O8LD3F4OR
GSX-R400 GK71B
Fetching Supersport 400 for less than a grand. I should coco
I’ve been expecting these to go up in value
to some degree. When an early Slabbie is
upwards of £5k for the better ones, you’d
have thought the true ‘original GSX-R’ would
start to have appeal. I don’t recall seeing one
sell for more than a grand, and I’ve not come
across any restored bikes.

Which is a shame, because they’ve got a
look and detailing of their own – arguably
better than the big ones. This one looks like
it’s more of an elbow grease project than an
exercise in spending money. Good buy, I think.

Practical Sportsbikes 107

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