, everydzy and (9154

     

mm are points m and mains! race tuck lasting. 0!! the mun-«M Iflnin, a
drum I; [he only plan when a bike anbe lzken to In handilglniiu In
reasonablz may. wilhwl dubbed"; a m. u a bu. on me way. u is ma 2 place
where mximum s s an be readied Innldyaud ugh-um m D!
prosecution. n is 9.5.. In monmu num- um I track, Ind film-aid is
am,- «my. Problems um oven] mung“: maven, ml mnlumpllan mu
nuupikobcuccmlnedm K .V 1,
Immmnerhmv oodn oriymmnsnmqunnmu .‘lhe
mulorcydebnyerls mmmmmbowinudlineis edlo
Mon. nus-55¢ wit expedence nus-mu, and he mighl
mu hmmmpwmmng Iinitsas bouillon-M avenll road
3

“I ‘QpflfiiMnmnambmolmwummuh
nm§_aemum.mnnomma wand-«112mm }

_ E”

4

   

conceivable rype oi eomer and gradieni. ii
is a piaeewhere, or-ice ouiside The “30” and
“so” limiis, a rider can do any speed he likes
provided he is nor a menaee ro orher road
users. ii is also a place lo whieh many
readers can relare rhanks ro TTWeek: when
we raik ahoui rhis comer or rhar, rhere is a
good possihil y rhar a lair proponioi-i oi
readers know iusr wherewe mean.

The only way ro ger aiair pidure oi rhe
iourh esw iesredwasioailowridersoi
dill gab iies lomake up iheteams. So
we inviied Manxmen Roger Surrliile and
"Kipper” p, who will ooih he Travelling
marshaisihrs year, so join us. in addirionro
sinilmen Perer Kelly, a iong-siandingT-r lan,
Dave Walker and Brian Crichron, rhere were
Brian’s hrorher Colin, oeeasionai MCM
iesrer Veler Hughes, and several riders hem
ihe irade represenied in our resi,

The hikes chosen were kawasaki's
hrand-newshalr-dn eziooo5T, Yamaha‘s
mighry X51100, BMW’s iaiesi R65 and
Honda’s C3650 lour. All ran he desenhed as
serious sporis Touring mounrs, and all lived
up in iheir promises.

A rri oi This narure always rakes a grear
deal o organising, and ourverysineere
Thanks musi is our ro all rhose who helped,
The iamiliar igure oi Shell’s Kellh Coiiow
made reiueiling arrangemenrs go smoorhiy
as usual. A ianker provided by Mani
Perroieiim waspuraiourdisposai. and rhe
only snag wasr ar we had no really areurare
measuring gau es. However, or The end oi
lhe session aiii e bikes errepi lhe BMW
were iilied io ihe brim belore doing one
linai lap. Then The ranks were iopped up
accurarelyai a Shell garage lo give us a
iasi.la avera e. The hmw'siuel check was
overlfielasl our laps.

Sieve Thrush and iohri Perers eame irom
Duniop; Hunda provided Roger zrceii, arran
Buieherand Niek Edwards; Nick ieliery and
Dave Hill represenred kawasakr, and
Yamahasenl along sreve Hackerr, and
meehanies Kevin Giles and Peter O'Connor.
Tony Yeomans, and Technical srallrnan
Aloerio Cliscuelo represenred th
(Albevlo was the methinm In BMW's I97}
MaudesTrophy aiiempi, when rhey pul iwo
R755 around rhe 11’ course ior seven days

 

 

   

  

 

MANIACS
GO MANX

and nighrs,soii was iamiliargroiindior
ii in addirion, s and s Morors oi
Casileluwn provided riders.

Every conreivahie (Dndll on was n-iei wilh
during ihe resi, irom ousy rraliie and ihe
vagaries oi Manx drivers lo a menagene ol
animaison iheroad, inrluding rabbi|§.
mite,5hee ,duoks,dogs,eais,somerhing
rhai iooke like a sroar or orrer and 7 sreve
Hackeuswearsiawolll Aclually irwas an
unheiievably ugly iarm dog in rhe
Tholl~y~Will seeiion, heeause Kelly saw ir as
weiil The wearher also ehurked everyihing
ar us in irue isle olMan siyle, ranginglrom
hriliianisunshine ro drizzle. rain, sleei.
snow, and even a much oi heavy mill. The
nighi riding was hirierly cold, wiih snow
lying on iheroad irom ihe Bungalowio
Creg-ny-aaa ar one siage. Even The roads
gave a mixiure ol everyihing. ir wasn'i
enough io know which way rhe corners
wen - ii wasrusi as rmporianr To be
prepared ro alier course as a car backed oux
oi a driveway, or a drain-cleaning maehine
suddenly appeared in lroni oi you.

ll was a rompiere iesi, bringing up exaclly
rhe eondiiions ihe poieniiai buyer mighr
expeer — and we're glad To say ihai ii
worked.

The original idea was io cil(u|ale rhe 1'l
course lor 24 hours, bui an ex ioraiory lap
around The moon by Peier i<e ly on The road
resi 4325 Suzuki rwrn irepori in ihis issuei
revealed ihai roadworks ar The Bungalow
were soil in progress, having been delayed
by snow, and ihe road was eileeiiveiy
elosed.

Ah well, hark To The drawing board! The
nexl idea was in use rhe TT eourse as iar as
Suihy (mssmads, ihen ro rum righr using

 

 

 

 

rhe speciaeuiarly heauiiiul, hui exrremely
ky, mounrain road lrorn ihereio ihe
Bungalow,ihmughTholl- vwiicien.
Almough This shonened ihe rouie bysome
an To a miles, we losr iirrie oi ihe Treourse
ekeepi ihe elimh our oi kamsey, and gained
a reallyirieky linle rouie wiih rwo severe
uphill hairpins, iighr iriile corners. sheep
grids and gares. iranyihing, iigave us an
even heiieriesr.

Although The daylighr hours were line and
sunny, rhe weaiher quickly deierioraied
during ihe evening, and ai apm heavy snow
beiween Yholl-y»Will and Clegsny-Baa made
i| almosi impossible ro keep visors riear.
show had even hegun lying on rhe roads.
However, ii ouirkiy rieared arid we
managed rosriok ioihe courseihroughoui
ihe resi, and when ihe sun eame up
on Wednesday morning, The wearher again
improved

Each mzthlne revered well over 1,000
miles during The (251; There was no marhine
horher ro speak oi; and no aeeidenis. The
Touring bikeszll lived up ioiheirpromise.
and everyone involved was very sarislied
wrihrhe resuirs.

There are aihousand sioriesroieil. These
are‘nsla'ew oiihe .

Kawasaki ZIOOO

Riders: Perer Kelly iediiori, Nisk ieilery
("Tanager consumer unite group,
Kawasak nave Hill (errecuiiv onsumer
services group, Kawasaki), Alan kiiilp iioM
n marshali,

 

 

 

 

1sz used To say rhar rhe hig kawasakis
were hinged iri ihe middle, even Though
iheir 900cc and moose iour-eyiinder
engines were porenr and vinuaiiy
in esrrunihie
The old specrre oi bad handiin has now
been laid wirh ihe iniroduciion o rheir
hixunnus shalidrive 2100051. ior over 24 '

  

4

   
  
 
  

outtrrrat BRIDGE 0

 

iltAttlAcs

GO MANX

hours oi testing the hig shaitbike proved
itselt in everyway.

it was, as mi hr be expected. smooth.
relined, with a uge reserve oi powerand
excellent handling. The new seat profile,
with a distinnive ip at the trout, made tor
an armchaircomiort tide, and there was no
soreness at all alter more than 4v, hours and
200<ptus miles or continuous riding,
Apart lrom an occasional buzz irom the
headlamp — and that will be explained later
— vibration was nan<xistenL the shalt
mechanism worked so perieetty that one
could be torgiven tor thi kin it was a
chain-drive bike. At no trme id the gearbox
give the slightest "dunk", and the motor,
giving a claimed 11 bhp more than its
predecessor, wasso flexible that ntostol the
time ear chan ingwas sustiorrun. Outot
the u trarsteepiairpln lrom tholt-y-Will,
the bike round plenty or tractablllry even in
third gear.

70

 

  

SULBV

b».— e.‘~___--_a

MMGEV

 

KATE'B COTTAG
GREG-NF“

MON“); cerium
GMWIND

Uus

RAM

DOUfllAS

 

CASTLETDWN

 

Most ot the time, because oi rain and
snow. braking had to bedelirate, but the
ninth-improved slntered brakes gave
instantaneous bite in bothwet artd dry, and
could be usedwirh great confidence.
Painting the picture too rosyt Not at all, For
rarely have i stepped oil a big bike with so
low signs ot disoomtort or weartnes —
even alter seven laps between 4-30 and 9am,
in tar horn penect weather.

Some time alter 9am the headlamp bulb
blew—twiee—andlateratusewas
replaced. how come, lithe bike's so
smoothi Well. the headlamp rubber
mountings had been removed to make way
iorthetwo extra spotlights, and the
hi h-trequency buzz mentioned earlier was
St) Icltttl to dothe rest. .
lrsa pity. really. that the extra lamps had
been thought necessary at all. because tor
most oi the time I round the headlamp tutl
beam pertectiy idet‘uate tor 70mph night
riding. It was possib e to avera 7i) and at)
mph through twisty sections o the circuit
without paying any heed to the gearbox.
you cou d lust leave the bike in top, rolling
the throttle on and oil a traction to meet
most circumstances, and lose hardly any
recovery lime at all. Tilere was all the torque
and acclyekratlort any tourin ride; eould

5“) need n r I Emil-pm.
Willi a redline at 9,000 — and xawasaki's

 

 

Div! "III Idmltted Io overrrewittg to Nil-IN
andevenilm—thetewasalwaysa
massive stack ow" wilting In reserve.
Feedback from was Excellent: the
Kamwraki gave a taut flayeiggd "MW” dig”
a In unexfidld . rt en a me
at 1oolttl§h on t steep and bumpy drop to
Cres-rly-flaa, the bike always seemed to hit
the road squarely and without drama. Dave
Hill was even pushing It to In Indicated
tzomph-pius on the smooth dro trom tlte
Cfi to Standish, agilnwllhoui ncldent.
eflrst rider to late out the Kawasaki
ms Nick lettery. He did a couple or laps on
the Glen Helen-Bungalow route and a
further couple Kmss Tholt-valll. He
handed over to Dave Hill lot I shnn spell
heiore «ripper Killlp, who rode a Honda
CBX during all years manhllllng duties,
look over.

“Upper” hid nevertried I Klwmkl
More. He stuck to the route until I took
over at nopm, and later it the ultimate
acclaim by saying itwoul make a greatTi
marshalt' machines He swore that a mlstlve
“dab'p'yrfl the Tholt -y ~Wl|l I}II In Wis it
mere a pping-up exetc se use e
did not “weathering upriggrtl Kipper
knows the rroourse proba ly better than
anyone, and pushed the Zionist hard, But
it gave him no anxious moments at all and
he came away impressed. when I took over
itwasthe firstth I had swungale over
the machine since the quick tryout n Malta
last year. I quickly beanie used to the bike,
which seemed huge atterste ping on the
475 Suzuki. But even belore llacrline on
the lirst lap iwn brimming with cnnlldence
with the teet oi it.

Through the twisty Glen Helen section, Its
manners were impetuble, and despite the
considerable power at ham! It never tell
vicious. tt an to rain lust beiore
Kirkmiduel, owner, and by Sulby there
were flakesotsieet In it.

Between the mountilnsldes of
‘rholt-yM/iil the weattm did not seem to
worsen— but alter the two hairpins, it
suddenly became thick driving snow and
the road was “witlted out‘l l reduced speed
to a crawl, lilting my visor every lew seconds
lose: re lwlsgolnthesnowwas
driven hnrlzontally in exposed areas, and it
mined this section would soon have to be
abandoned. All the way down to the Creg
the conditions persevered, and only by
Irandishwas it rain again. I called in at the
pits to explain what had happened, and
willed lat Dave Walker to arrive on the big
Vznuha. We decided to give itanother try,
and luckily byth: tint: w: reached the
section ayi», the snow, although still
falling, had moderated. Each lap thereafter
_and i did rrve — it got gradualt better up
there, and by 11.30pm it was bar: to rain

in.

one has robe cautiousabout pub-closing
round about topm, tor suddenly the Manx
roads seem to be lull or returning oars.
Commutation WIS needed to the lull, but
the Kawasaki was so easy to ride it really was
possible to target the machine Ind
concentrate on the other happenings.

This little road was incredibly rich in wild
life, especially at night-time. Ettt aithou h it
was imntensetysatisrying to see such a r ch
variety ol animals, it also meant keeping an
alerteyeall the time.

The Kamsaki was sousyto ride that,
once into theswing of it, Icouid have ust
gone on tor lap alter lap, l was sehedu ed to

MOTOR CYCLE MECHANICS

come in aher iive circuits, but eight would
have been no problem.

curing the night, i discovered the
diilerence between thinking you know the
11 course and really knowing tt. Roger
Sutcttlte took the big vatnaha past at a
thoroughly indecent speed and vanished
into the distance using a $th racing line.
And the Kawasaki wasn't nging about. tor
it had already passed,both the BMW and the
Honda.

i had noticed a slight weaving sensation at
the iront end oi the road rtp les and ridges
along the last stretch towar s ballaugh
bridge. The sensation was not unlike having
a puncture. but as soon as the road
smoothed out the Kawasaki was as steady as
a rock again. t had noticed this on kawasakis
belore. and dismissed it as rust a quirk ol
the standard tyres

when I returned to the pus at 11.15pm,
nunlop had arranged a tyre change to ked
Arrows anyway, and on my tater rtde the
bilre was transtormed. there wasn‘l the
slightest weave at this or any other section.

it later transpired that the xawasaki's
original tyres were latrly well worn when the
test had started which had helped m
transmit the road irregularities.

Afler handingoael to Nldt teliery,t
snatched a quick couple ol hours' sleep at
the vtlIiers Hotel. our headquaners, belore
returning to the pits at 4 t5am. The bike tell
exactly | e same as betore, Nothing had
deteriorated, and rt was sttlt as sweet as a
nut, the oil level had been checked twice,
but such a minimal amount had been used
that it was not considered necessary to top

up

Although the track was wet and slippery
around xukmlchael. the snow at
Thallsysthl had all but ceased lalttng. It was
there. but no longer a threat By now,
however. a slight coating had been laid on
the main 17 course between brandywetl and
Kate‘s Cottage, especially at the last
lelt-hander hetore Kale-s. and it was
necessary to take these bends w h caution

Alter two laps, thecountrys e began
stirringawake alter the long night: hills
wore outlined against the early dawn, and it
was ssible to discern the taint colours ot
liel s and cottages, it is always a magical
moment on a big motorbike, and this was
no exception.

Allhuu h I had been adused by Nick to
come in or retuelttng atter every three laps.
I was not uslnganythin like maximum revs,
and there was a pcttect y adequate range tor
tour. wince durin the nigh! I did
continuous in miles stintswithout even
going on to reserve. However. the petrol
gauge was iusl a btt oli-putttng it would
show almost tutt tor the tirst two laps, then
go down a littleon the third. and iinatty
suddenly slump to nearly‘ empty" on the
tourth.

My linat lap was the luel consumption test
at the end, when tho Kawasaki used exactly
one gallon tor the 33 miles. tt dtd not go as
smoothlyas rd ho ed, becausea luse blew
along the straight tom Quarter idge to
araddan. and I lost some ttve minutes
eitetting repairs. i had noticed, too, that the
luet gauge was not working. hutl later
discovered that this had been purposely
disconnected by Nick tellery when the
headlamp lilament blew. These slight
problems no way distracted item the
Kawasalc nstant appeal as a sensible,
luxurious. smooth and powertul

JUNE l97s

 

 

 

 

 

 

long-distance tourer.

Apart trom the inevitable “incidents on
the road when you embark on this k d ot
test. the kawasaki provided a reiteshing and
enioyable ride.

One ol these nctdents sticks out above
the rest, I had a it ghtenin moment during
the early morning as l hea ed down to
ballacraine at a tan rate at knots. Suddenly.t
saw a man crawlin across the road on all
tours. wearing a w ite sturt and green
Ironseis, tor an awtut moment t panicked,
wondering what the belt was going on while
standing on the brakes, Then I discovered
that the "man" was three ducks waddling
across. I was certain Iwisvfiuing to hit them,
but there was a sudden a ul ouacking and
ttuttering, and a dark shape tlew across my
visort

the zmonst is not iust yet anothe
updated version ot an old iavourit - it's a
brand new bike iront the ground up.
ltawasaki's engineers have produced a
smoother, taster, more comlonabte and
bellebhandling big tour than at any time in
the past, For astart. the engine roduted a
claimed to bhp more than the o d
ch drive 2mm model _and these
changes have also been incorporated into
their new chain drive version too.

Newzamm Mikunis e the last versions
were zbthm —— and a new exhaust system
have ti ped their claimed bhp ltom dz lo 93.
ihecy inder head is ditterent to meet the
latesl us s ilication, and although
primarity estgned iron. a Imaemissmn
point ot view it also has a better porting

 

 

 

 

s .

r2: crankshalt has been beeted-up, even
though there has never been an hin to
suggest that the old crank woul not ave
coped perfectly I]

The gcalbox is stmrtar to the standard
version, but a number ol shock absorbers
have been incorporated because or the
shah dri .

The trame is brand new also, and has a
luv 2 box~sectlon swinging arm on taper
rol§er bearings. rhe shatt runs up the centre
ot the ten-hand arm.

There is new. better way suspension 7
and this was borne out in out lsle oihtan

 

 

 

test — and the steering head now has taper
roller bearings in place ot the previous cup
and (one version.

the new sintered disc brakes work almost
as well in thewet as theydo in me dry.

All rn all, ”s Kawasakl's best bls 'louv’ yet.

Pelt! kelly.

BMW R65

kt ers tirian Crichton tstau memberl,
Colin ct-irhton (invilcd ridert,1ony
Vennum tablw cone managcrl, George
Slum (5 and s Motors, Castleton, tth
iohn Pelels tnunlop chiet tester). Mike
staley ts and Serndy nubest is and st.

tNtltomtcm in 1978 BMW‘s 645“ R65 has
Fenemlly been construed to be smaller and
ighter than the biggerdisplace t models
xn the BMW range. in tact, accord. to
BMW luallzls [he R65 weighs motel all (he
Raw, the RIWT and the tunes. in other
wordsat 452“: d it ts the third heaviest ot
the seven-mode range.

to make it appeal to a wide cross section
at the public 9th made the seat height
lower on lhe K65 and R45] lhan on [he
bigger dis lacement models. Vet the has
st. I has a airly tall seat height, ol the tour
bikes in the 24—hour test it was the second
tallest, the awesome xsnw Yamaha taking
the "honours" here.

its wheelbase at 54.75tn is 3.25m shorter
than the biggerbMWs and this lactor is
probably the main reason why the RC6 is
easier to nzgoliale through tight bends.
wnh regar to tuel consumptron the R65
cannot olter much more than its bigger
brothers. Even at steady touring speeds it
can barely reach sampg. while circulating
like clockwork lot lheZAshour test it gave
auntpg. from previous experience with
the tmocc models they could have
equalled, and possibly bettered these
tigures.

in other words, apan lrom a lower
purchase price and slightly dillerent looks.
the new no; otters little as an alternative to
thebrggersMWs. Bul totall that, likeits }

   

7l

4

MANIACS
GO MANX

big er hroihers ii is siill a lirsi class molor
rye e displaying lhe sam kind oi long
dislance rourin capabililies,

Afler laking elivery oiihe BMW lhe day
belore ihe 24—hour iesi commenced ihe R65
gave 68.5mpg while carrying oui a sedaie
[wacup reconnaisance ol lhe isle oi Man
ihis preparalion was in order in ealrulare
how many la s could he lackled nonsslop
oeiore relue ling was necessary. since, apan
possibly irom eomlon, lhe range oi ihe
4.34gal iank lincludingiud al in reservei
was ihe only advanlage lhe MW mighi be
considered in hold over irs rivals.

As you will have already read ihe rouie we
ioilowed was loiced lo deviaie lrom lhe TT
course lsee map). I had caleulaied ihe nighl
beiore ihal al lasl louring speeds lhe bike
should reiuroa umolwrnpgand
lhusa ioial minimum range oi 192 miles
includin reserve.

lwasl e iirsl rider oul al lhe slarl oi ihe
lull day's run and aner loo miles had dialled
upon ihe lrip meier I rode pasi ihe
Grandsiand lo slarl whai l lrnew
would be my final lap.

Aloe-rip Criseuelo, BMW’s servires
xechnical manager who had iiown over irom
London upervise lhe BMW, iried lo
wave me He lel oul a loud wail as l
cruised pasi in lhe 30mph resiricied zone.
Apparenily he was convinced lwas going lo
run our o peirol. while i began my
iinal Ia oi lhe iirsi slinr he apparenrly
rushe around io rind a allon can oi peirol
lo chase aiier rne, lhen i oughi beiier oi ii
and decided l0 sweal our lhe null! 35
mlnuies ai ihe Grandsiand pil area,

The ma hine ran on in reservewilh l7l
miles There’s aboul 20 miles leii in ihe
lank, iheughl asl lried lo caleulaie how
many miles were now berween me and
home. AI 40mpg il leli l7.5 miles range lo oe-
ekael ii lhe bikewas ninniog ar 40!"sz l ielr
sure il was a lime more eeonomical ihan ihis
and ihoughl I would riol sacrifice speed ior
ihe sake oi consumpiion. Allcr anolh 15
miles il was my lurn lo sweal. Was I g rig lo
blow lhe iesl righl ai ihe sian by running
oul oi iuel ? iwinges oi eompunciron shui
ihe ihrolile where normally I would have
kepi ii open. ihankiully ihe BMW rolled
inio ihe iiswiih 191 miles up— lhe lanlr
perilous y close io dry.

Al leasl ihe BMW had a head sian on ihe
olher machines which had all siopped loi
reiuelling. Linionunalely lhe cold wealher
and snow and rain during lhe nighi dirlaled
ihal il was uniair in ex olher riders lo sil
lor six laps in make iu l use oi ihe lan ,
which as ii iurned our could beequal ed by
iheoso Honda. when niiysecond lurn came
round again al 1.45am and l rode ior lour
laps 7 one when il was snowing and loggy
on lhe Mounlain — lwas lad lo gel ofl
because I was elling coldg.

lusl oeiore l lsecond slinl Mike Slaley
irom s and s Moiors oi casileiown, ihe
BMW dealerwho supplied lhe bike, came in
wiih ihe rear lighi assembly and indiealors

72

 

 

   

 

 
    

 

   

 

 

urian cnchlon negoliales lhe hairpin al molly-will on lhe 550 alvlw.

being dra ed along lhe road by ihe wiring
loom, Our irsl reaclion was lo suspeel a
rumble somewhere in ihe darkness. ln lad
ihe lighi unii loll oll onl a hundred yards
heloie Mike oiled in a iera lwxrlap
session. The ike was reluelled while BMW
zone manager iony Veomans and Mike's
business panner George snon robbed a
lighi unii nli an keiw lo ei ihe R65 rolling
again, ll cosi aboui l5 moms and was ihe
only problem lhe bike gave. Asyoll can see
irom ihe disiance covered charl lhe BMW
iinished hard on lhe heels ol lhe Vamoha.

li could be argued rhai bui lor ihis
incideni lhe BMWwould have beilered lhe
liamalia. Bu! lhen again ihe Yamaha ream
could have also argued miiigaiing
(ilcumslances in lavour oiawide "winning"
margin. The same eould be said loi lhe
olher bikes. The poinl is lhal il was nol a
race. li was a reliabiliiy run lrom which
demonslraled in ihis case lhal large
horsepower advanlages do noi necessarily
represeni ihal much ol an advania e over a
lon road disiance, All lhe bikes li shed
wir in 37 miles oi each olher. Speed
icsiiielions in lawns, ihe vagueness oi some
oi ihe Manx drivers irnay lhey iorgive me ior
sizing so) and general hazards oi road
n ing (Ii! down enormously on lhe
opponunilies logiye an over wohp
moioieyele, such as ihe x51 loo. ils head.

The aMWscoied in having generous
ground clearance ior iasl, lighi earners, li
was a pleasanl machlne in rep and iounh

ears giving a comlorlable ride even lhough
l e machine iealuied a charaslerisiie
{outrslroke lhrob e sialey commenled:
"ll vibraies like b In lacl lhe vibraiion
caused no discomlon. Aller lhe iiisi
19l-mile slini lwas liee lrom all aches and
pains and pleasanily su rised.

In my paniwlal casel e riding po 'lion
was loo "Iar e". l round mysell sli rig io
lhe bark an e riders halloi lhe seal and
consequenlly having lo pull mysell back up
again. Aggravaling mailers was ihe iacl lhai I
had leli lhe rear nails on lheir hardesl
preload selling and lhis gave a harsh ride
on lhe island's bumpy roads. oirei some
sedionsy panicularly where lhe machine
was under acceleration I was our oi lhe seal
more ihan lwas in ii and ihe bars shook
irom side lo side under rriy lighi grip as ihe

 

    

 

 

 

ironi wheel skaled over lhe ripples.

Pulling lhe unils on ihe soriesi posilion
alieriheiniiia erelievedlheproblem
enormously. Meanw lhe seal was
heeoining more and m re compressed.
Fvom my palm oi view ii ' proved mailers,
giving a beller riding posiiion and reducing
seal heighi Thesunken sear wassrill
eomiorlable, even ai ihe end oi lhe lesl by
whirh iime ihe seal iealuiod iwo deep
creases whirh seemed lo be pennanenily
inscribed.

Suspension movemeni on lhe kiss is loss
ihan on lhe bigger capacily liMWs, lending
a more spony leel ro lheliso in lhal
slis ensionisiirmer,Graphinglhelrpnl
oiaEe uses up ihelull loik spnngiravel ol
jusl underseven inches, and givesihe rider
good ieel wilh lhe road surlace.

Andy Dubosl was impressed wiih ihe
gearehan e compared lo previous liMWs
whizh di nor ieaiure ihe new lorsloo
damper in lhe shall. in lhe lower gears lire
drive isslill very direcl, |' - glhe rear
suspension as lhe power is applied. The ear
lype clulcn isasigniiieani laeioi in ihis
sudden drive rake-up bu! as Andy says, ihe
gearchangeis much improved, in iaei ii
slois down I0 iounh irom lop so neall ihal
ii leaves ihe riderwondeiing il lourih as
indeed been selecled, l lound mysell going
inlo some corners and ms! loeiri down lhe
leveiwilhoul usin lhe eluleh lo avelhal
e bii einra acce when available when
exiling.

when crankingihiough lighi bends lhe
R65 relains lhe mould o ils larger ornihers
in iha eouizesdeli eorders io bank ii
lrom veilieal, lohn Yeters said il was a
diiiicull machine in gel used io. Through
ihe lighi rirsl and second gear almosl lrials
lype corners oi Tholh II he reckoned il
was lhe hardesi ol ihe bikes he rode lo gei
round.

I believe ihal lhe reasons ior ihis were: a)
lhe naluie oi ihe machine-s handlin as
menlioned in lhe prev usparagrap .oilhe
direeiness ol ihe drive. c) a slighlly slieky
lhroiile conirol. d) rwo handluls were
reduired lo eiiher open or close lhe lhrollle
lul y.

     

   

 

 

   

 

ll was difficull to gel lhrougla ihnliywnl
smooihly oeeausel e ihrolile conlrol was
nel silky. And because ihe machinewas in

MOTOR CYCLE MECHANICS

l
1
L1 l

ii iii

 

 

Guess wherei Colin Crichlon lakes aailaugh Bridge on lhe BMW.

low gear opening ihe ihroliie immediareiy
‘erkedlhebikelorward,arrhesame e
iiiing il on s suspension which had rhe
eilecloliry gioslraighienilupiromrhe
cranked posulon,

iieason dl proved lo be quire signrlicanl
ihroughoul lhe iesi. To am maximurn
accelerarron where possible rhe lhrollle had
lo be opened iuily wrlh one movemenl oi
ihe hand. This eniaiied exaggerared sweeps
oi lhe elbow which rnusl have looked quiie
iranlic lhrough lhe eyes oi a iollowing rider.
likewiseshulling iherhrolile iuiiyrequrred
a lar e backsweep oi arm movemenl, Wilh
mumif gioveson ilwasrrnpossihleio slop
lhem uringroundlherwislgrip.Theresull
was ihal somerirnes lhe rhrollie was nol
iuiiy closed and so when lhe ncxi gear was
selecled and lhe clulch lever dro ped lhere
were already loo many revs whit; gave a
sudden lurch iorward, a squeak irom lhe
iorsion damper as us carn lwrsied a ainsr
the ramp, and on one occasion a wfieelie
when changing irom iirsi ro second.

The BMW was mosi ai home in iop gear
rhrough bendswherclheri ercouldsee
lhe exils. This avoided pa c measures hali
way roundAi nighl i misjudged one corner
slighrlywhen rn iourih and more ouloi
s inal ihan conscious rcaerion sraboed

own inloihrrd. The back iyresquealedior
a spin second and lhe lyre broke away ,usr a
louch. il reminded me rhal EMWs can
chasrise riders severely ii lhey do nor gel
rherr cornering homework vighl.

u nglhenighlihesmaliouarlzhaiogen
headii hi ave a surprisingly good spread ol
lighi. he iade drp swirch on lhe leii bar,
hidden lhroughoui rhelesl by handlebar
muiis [0 keep our lhecold. waseasyio
operaie — ihough lohn Perers complained
rhal hecould nol irnd it. The only problem
rose when cranking over lairly hard. The
beam lhen had lhe cilecl oi being “drawn
in” ihus reducing ihe disrance lhar could be
seen ahead. Obviousiyrhe same ha pened
when lhe ironi brake was used har and
puiledlhelorks down.

l iound lhal lhe rear drum braile did nor
quile have lhe ieel iwould have expecied
irorn il. when brakin heavily lhe lronl
discs, which were rar er loo easy lo operale
loo severely al slow speeds. ihrew lhe
weighl bias iorward leaving lhe backwheei

JUNE 1979

 

   

 

iighi. olien lhe lirsi l knew rhal rhe back
brake was acluaiiy working was when i
could hear punciuared squeals lrom rhe
back lyre as ii hopped over rough road
suriaces.

0nrhesubiecl oi wheelsrhe Dunlop slali
said ihal should lhe BMW reouire wheel
removal bolh were easy lo pull our, BMW
have lhoughlahoullhis by balancinglhe
machine so lhai when o cenlre sland
lighl linger pressure can ya ii lo resl eiiher
on ils lronl orbackwheel.

As lhei res wore lowards lhe end oi lhe
iesiihey idaileerhandlingslighlly.ii
series oig‘rooves in rhc road jusl heiore
aallaugh ad lhe BMW‘s head noddingirom
side lo side. i had nor really nouced lhrs loo
much early on uniil Co|in Criehion poinied
iioui, Orralher l had dismissed il as road
irregularily ralhcr ihan anylhing so do wilh
lhe res. Laler conversairon wrih lhe

< Dim op represenialives coniirmed rhal
worn iyreswouldacceniualelhe
chziiclevislit,

whai i did expeci irom lhe Rwaasa
speed weave, having experienced lhis
lendency. allhough very slighi, on a modeii
rode on lhe Coniinenr iasi year when ii was
lirsr inrroduced. Down lhe llil-oul run lmm
Creg-ny-baa \l never happened, even
ihoughihe needle once reachediizrnph.

Periormance lrom lhe pushrod engine
was very res clabie. Wilh lhe abilily lo rev
inro lhe red Bind drawn ar 7soorpm,
suiplisinflyhlgh,theen inegayea
s reado powerwhicha owed ilro lrck
aongal looorpmin lopgearandsliii pick up
smoorhiy. Al sumph is was revving al
morpm and al 70mph revs were 4200 when
lhe en ine wenl lhrough a slighi rough
palch. hrs ar leasr served lo lei lhe rider
knowwhen he was al lhe mainland
maximum speed lrmil — irrelevani on lhe
island—wilhoulhavingro lancearrhe
speedomerer. By 4500mm! e roughness
hadvanishedburilalwaysa peared
whelherlheenginewasbuirding upor
droppingrpm.

Allhesranoilheresrorilevelwasalrlile

 

 

 

 

poinl belwcen rnr mum and maximum.
Thou h il was nor measured ir had probably
used iusl over hall a pinr. Albenc Criscuelo

 

 

wanred aboul lhe dangers oi overiilli g,
which he said would rcsuir in loo much
crankcase pressure. The crankcase brealher.
makes a srrange "slugging" noise when lhe
engine is lull, audrble ar low speeds only.
Once lhe oil ieveldropsihissiops,

neiore lhe lesr srarled lyre rcssures were
checked. Accovding lo lhe in ormaiion
slamped on lhe rear mudguard ihese are:
ironi 27psi and rear 25. Surprised rhal lhe
ironr required more ihan rear we poinied
lhisoullo Nbenowhzn hearrived. He
rniormed us rhal ihis was wrong and should
have been 27 ironi and 29 rear. Thai made
us even more surprised. ww do nol
usually siamp mislakes on lo rheir bikes.

Alberlolefusedlhe Duniop
represenlaiives penni on in ui Red
Allows on alrer 11 hours. This e did
because oi company iicy. Dimlo have
ap lied lo lhe amw aclory ior an? Arrows
lo e lisred as permissible replacemenl iyres
lo lhe recommended Meiacler and
Conlinenial lyresiiiledasori inal
:quipmeni. they are preseni y awailing an
answer.

Anorher inieresiing poinl is lhar lhe
overnmenl has asked BMW lo slop lhe
Ilmenl oi "heaping”indicalurslolhelv

machines. According lo governmeni
oilrcials lire could he mislaken by a blind
person ior lhe noise made by a pelican
ElossmF. The bike on lesi beeped and lwas
grareiu ior ii. The noise gave an audible
warnin lo oiher road users lhal i was lhere
loo an on ihe poinl oi changing direciion.
in iaci ai lown speeds lhe beep was noisier
rhan lhe pleasani exhausl noie, i swear lhal
one lap nobody noliced me as i wallied pasl
lhe oil area because on lhe overrun lhe
cxhausiwassoouiel. All lhe ' es were lhe
same andir is rhanks rolhee eni
siiencingrhalwewereablelo run dayand
nrghl ai a brisk pace wilhoul causing a
nuisance lo lhe Manx residenis.

We did nor spend loo much lime looking
inlo ourrearvrew mirrorsduringiheresi,
ihough lhe odd glance lo see ii some oi ihe
quire iasl car drivers on lhe island were
ioining in lhe lun did nor go amiss.
Unionunareiy BMW do rrol iurnish large
enough mirrors, nor do ihey have sullicienr
adjusimenl movemenl ior good rear
observaiion.

Al lhe end oi lhe resi lhe engine was
oiliighl, lhough ihe valve clearances on lhe
iclr cylinder sounded in need ol
adjuslmenl. Underrhecrrcumsrances ollhe
lesi a quick aciion lhrorlle would have made
iiie a lilile easier — lhough lhe BMW cannor
be said ro have made any ol il hard. For ihe
iouringridcrwirhasponinginsrincl rhe R65
is a worlhy exlension lo lhe ww range,

Brian Crlclllmi

Honda C8650

Riders: Pelt! iiughes iinviled iesleri, Roget
E112“ (Honda pu i I, Irian Eulzher
(Hand: mechanlt), Nlck Edwards (Honda
mechanic).

 

 

 

THE prospecr oi riding Honda‘s new 550
during a 24 hour lesr around lhe 11 course

was cerlainiy an apfiealing one. when lhe
650was on lesl iol e mag ' eearlier in

lhe year. she wearher condrlrons were so

bad lhar rhe lull porenriai oi lhe bike could I

73

   

 

4

MANIACS
GO MAN;

never be realised. The resl on lhe lslano'
seemed lhe ideal opponunily lo haye
anolher craek ar lhe bike, whlth by
coineidenee was lhe same one aswe had
nied preyruusly.

Al 12.15 lhe hikes were flagged o" and In
(umpany wllh Dave Walker on lhe lloo
Yam, Nl(k Iellery on lhe Kawn and Dunn
Crichlon on lhe am. | sel oll down lhe
Glencmkhery Road and bray HIII ro Quaner
andge Going lhe sorreu way around lhe
roundaboul, which lhe racing boy-s don'l,
lhe bikds enxered lhe deleslncled zone and
llhink we all lelnhallhe [95! was lrnally
underway FollowingmelamuusTTuluvso
over Bradden andge, lhrough Union hulls
and Glzn Vine down to Ballacralne lhe bike
tell really "Kc lhe rldiu sllion (ell
poslliyely eonilonable, a r Laugh as a
personal "flag. I would have preierred lhe
luorresls a shade higher, The only vaguely
nnpleasern (eellnngs lheway lhe bike
lwnrhed aver ripples rn lhe toad surlace
belween GIL-n Vlne and me Hi hlandcl.
rhls was pmbably due lo ll slil weavlng lhe
Hal lapanese ryres,whirh In allolher
raspeus§ave no problem wharsoeyer,

We hi dedded "Ill WE only needed In
slop in lake on luel every so laps as she
Honda would probably do almosl Sumpg
and ll had a a gallon rank lnillzlly lhDugh.
we derrded l0 slan o'lby dovng .usl fum
laps and rhen decide howwklells

Allin all, logzr's ride was prelly
uneyenrlnl and he pulled in aller domg lour
laps and adding 12a resorded rniles lo [he
lally, The only problem lhal he’d had was

75

 

 

 

losing a loonesl rubber beeause he had
sheared oll lhe relalnlng boll,so,whilerhe
brkewas being luelled. 8nd" aulcher
replared burh loorresls.

Nitk Edwards look over lhe nexi snrn and
had a lairly easy r.de handlng over ro lanan
allerlhreelapsdna snderookhnnrnlo
lhe darkness and al lhe end ol n, belore
handrn over rd me. he made a quick check
ol lhe e aln adluslrnenl.

I selollala 40 m on wharwaslhe lirsl ol
rnyreallaps.an mdavknessloolThe
Honda rneehanies had lined .wo cznle
s Illghlsm lhe brkern nrderlo lmpvovl

ion dulln lhe nigh! and rhey (enalnlv
made a bi rllerenee, lrghung up lhe road
way ahea ,One ml lhe lhrngs lhal slrurk me
now aboul lhe ("(ulljomg oul lhis nrne
was lhe change in ma condllions over
drlIerenl pans ol lhe course Some pans ol
rhe road were nuile dry, while olhers were
very, \‘erywel. Along lhe Cmnk~ Noddy, all
lhe snow ol lhe morning had lsappeared
and lhe road surlase was almosl pleasant.
“Imush Baneganov and pasl lhe
rhineernh milesrone lhe bike lelr
absoluiely greal. Enlc . g xirkmrehael, rhe
Ilghls preked up lhlck snnw on eilher side al
lhe road allhough lhe road sell was rlear
rhe rrees lseloro Bdllzngh a Idgeznd zgam
lawardsQuarry Bends,were lereshng
because while lhe powerlul llsllls prsked up
lhe lrees on enher side oi lhe road, lhm’
Kicked up very lilllnahovr: aboul ren leer

lgh and lehonewllhlheimpressionlha:
onewas ndlng Ihrough a rree runnel

Mus! ol lhe mounl ‘n seaan was
(nvad wrlh a s ng ol snow and riding
was beginninglo be a (old business, Hanng
Fm up [D arandywell and Windy Corner, lhe

ighls ol Douglas (mild be seen \vckommg
below and rho longdmp inm lhe ruwn
sinned Down lrorn Kare‘s Collage lo

Cre ny.saa wasa lasl drop and my
reaelion, rrdingalong lhrs seciion and oh la
arandrsh Corner, was lhal ll seemed almosl
impossible loreven a road raeer lo dock up
a speed in excess ol190mph along here,

   

 

  

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

Aher rhe hen downhill session id Hillherry
and on Io Signposl Cornercanie lhe loyely
leelrng lhal l had alrnosl (ompleled a lap.
One more lap and l handed over, nor
relunanrly, l0 Roger.

Ome again, riding down from Keppel
l-lorel, [(mlldn’l help a momenl ol
a drniralion lor rhe really lasr riders who
hummerdwnlhlssmionollhecoulsee
Brakin for lhe leh handeral arandish l
none lhar lhe li hlsweren'i as
rhey- had been an braking was obviously
maklng rhern even dimmer. Des lle
keeping the revs light up, byl e linie l
had negonaled Sign?“ and lhe Governur‘s
Briljgeseclion, a ri bleolyelluwligm had
,usr aboul Enough energy l0 lall oul ol lhe
he adlanip shells.

/\s| handed oyer ID Nick Edwards, we
r in (nnnened lhe lronl hrakelighl swllch
a nrl Nick wenl olldeerding [0 keep lhe vevs
u p In an anernpr lo recharge rhe banery. As
a pl «dulion, Brian pulanorherballeryon
d ia rge ready to change the near lime
Ni d: rarne lhrough, the Honda generalov
pu ls cull 170wdlls bu! I suppose runnlnga
55ml headlamp andrwospoisolwwans
api er e, plus indinlms and sloplighls, ix was
52“" vg a on near lhe rnark. As lhlngs ruined
our, llhealrernaloreopedandlhespare
banrer y wasn'l needed Nick rode inlo lhe
day, w hieh he seemed l0 lhoroufihlyemnya

Wire "Honkoveragainlmmy asrsrlnr,
despi re -lhelamhal ilwasapleasanlehange
rosee v yherexhe road was going, l nrusl
eonlesis lo being horrilied dnacouple ol
ottaslul V5 in see lorlhe hrsl limev—(afl
hadn'l n sen rnoslollhe (ourseln daylighrl
whal wol rld have oeen rny lale il rd run our
ol road.

There-s lol lhelapswere compleied by
lldelswl‘ll xdespllebaln increasinglylired,
weres l r -n1uymglhebi e.

lliked lr -ebrkeverymuch II was
(umlorlmbl eand unllringm ride even under
lhe (ondi in 'ms lhal we expevlemed during
lh.sresl.lh erwindlsesunlhelronl,
mgclhmvull hlhellghlznlon lrhebrake
lever. gave a lololeonlidencernlhe brakes
and rhey we re up lo anyrhing lhls
lesr ehueked al n. the back drum brakewas
a lot less posl nyeand had a rarherwoolly
leelron.Arnl mlhallalwaysseeniro
make ol Hon d a (oncems lhe lwlslgrip
aellonandlhis osllwas noexceplion.1he
lhrunle needer Ilwo big oiles Io gel ll lully
open and .n h e wily loved hands, lhis was
nor easywrrlhin ‘lhe lslhanhelesl
imposed. Ihehal ndling ollhe Honda was
supern and gene rallylhe bike was so
responsive and e. isy lo rrde m2! lhere is very
Iilllelovemzvktm .

The brkerelurrn vddasrnpggningna
range olalrnosr m lnnles, and h used less
lhanhallaprnloro ilaThelyrewzszds
qunernleresnng. 'n \eonginalMigMopus
lyres bolh runnin g a I 29psi, (overed lhe lirsr
ll hours and 5761"“. ‘35 ullhe lesl Th: Red
Arrows. again zl2'9ps i,wereonlarlhelasl
11 hours. The leel or. he Red Arrowswas
greai, allhough II'I lain 1ess,lhe nnly
eririeismollheMa M opnslyreswaslhe
way lheywanderes on 213thangl’ng road

dare.

AI nalllhelesl vas\ 'ErYeruoyahle,
despne rhe (andlllc s, . and I'm now lookin
lorward Ina veluml np n o ride on she lslan
andalsolooklngfonuard lolryiugHondd's
650 on lhe lack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pelzr Hughes

MOTOR c VCLE MECHANICS

 

Yamaha XSIIOO

Ill-ism Dive Willa! (lull), loge! 5|"de
(Lem. "Manila”. Sim Home“ (Vanulla
Puhlldly), Kevln Olin (Vanilla Yedlnlal),
Pelec UCnrlnor (Valhalla redo-lb!)

“YOU'RE sure in nor a racei“ queried
Kevin ciles; he had been looking ar ihe
huge 5E0 amps boiled io ihe Kawasaki. As
he spo iwo Honda men were pulling iheir
osos wiring a ll, lo fix up some lamps
sloien lrornl eirvan, In iheory ihe ideaoi
lhe addlrional ilghiing was lo aid salely, noi
lncreasespeed uringlhenighr.

On rhe same grounds ihe Yamaha xsnoo
was sponin a sei ol lied Almw lyres. They
had, ll was c airned, been fined lo several
lines on ihe road iesl lleei so ihe biiie could
nor really be considered non-siandard. An
iniiiai spin on ihe bike ihe nighi beiore ihe
lesi proved lhal lhe big square lighi on ihe
Yamaha was more rhan u ro ihe lob on ihe
I,O.M. iwisling circuiis, e moror lelr
cris ,lhe suspension a liiile soil and ihe
bra es a iriile spon .

beiore ihe slanl brakes were bled and
ihe engine oil drained, lo be replaced wilh
Shell iubricanr. Feier iried rhe bike up ihe
road and rhoughi lhal ihe new oil had
helped ihe gearchange a lirile; ihe xsnuu
isn'l renowned lor irs smooih change. ihe
brakes remained eiiacliy ihe same in spire ol
ihe bleeding operaiion.

Belore ihe oil my Yamaha ream or
rogelher lo sorr ovl ihe order or ri ing, and
how much each individual wanied io do.
Kevin and Peier said ihey would onlydo a
couple ol laps each because ihey inlended
lo siayawake ihe lull 24hrs iusr in case ihe
bike gave any irouble, or rherewas any
crash dama e. Roger lSuliyi siilclille had
raken rwo ays ol work and was dead keen
— | ihink he would have done ihe whole
24hrs given hail lhe chance, Sieve Hackeri
wisn’l quile so emhusiailic, he (Izimed no!
lo have ridden a bike lor some lime and he
wasnl loo ha aboul Iidln amund [he
Island ln [he Sir .Wc lhinkl [same ol [he
hairy srories aboul ihe island circuii, going
:‘rpnnd ihe bar ihe nigni beiore, had goi al

im.

lsianed ihe iau nl lor ihe Yamaha ellori
and unified |he Yo-Vo clKull unll| we ol
[he word In go. Nlck Ielleries look all lke I
scalded cal and | sluiled ihe lino u his
Silencer and mod {0 slay lhure. Ill ad
dropped back more ihan a cou ie ol ieeil
would have lound ihe amws mm wheel
grinding away in lail lighl.

Throu h ihe 1 oil - y . will secrion l was
having a or ollroubie siaying wirh ihe
Kawasaki. The Yamaha was gelling
aliogelher loo lively over lhe broken road
surlace _ il ihe road wasn'l badly broken l
was sure ii would be ailera 24hr pounding
ironi lhe heavywei hi Yam. Nick iopked
anti"? zl ease wilh! e “m shall soaking up
i e road and while he was goin quickly, he
was obviously s n lull conlro and
keeping io ihe correcr side oi ihe road.

an i e Vamaha lwasn’l sure il as prior
or passenger, ihen rhe sland dug mand
lired me across ihe road lowards a srone
wall. Once | realised lhal l was no! In lolal
conlrol l lei ihe Kawasaki slipaway up lhe
mouniain. Once over ihe lop ai ihe
Bungalow ihe green nieanie was some iwo
hun red yards ahead and ii remained ihere
lor ihe resi oi ihe lap on ihe drop io Creg -

JUNE 1579

   

  

   

 

 

 

Dav: WIIIlu (Vanuha XSIIOO) lads P21" Hughes [Cm Nona) at Cres-ny-Iur while

Pelt! Kelly (milling on [he ‘75 Sum“) Inflows a lorry [wands Kate'sa

riy - baa lhe iloli was qiiile lively and i
remember lhlnkin lhal ihe brakeswere nor
really up in rhe racing speeds oi which ihe
rnolol was capable — around soulb is a loi
oi weighl lo drag back once II'S moving al
over immphi

lnro ihe piis ior rhe lirsi riderchan e and
we had us queue lor irol because | e
Kawasaki had arriv iusr ahead ol us. i
lhoughl ihere mi hi be somerhing ol a
lrallic ianl when i e BMW and ihe Honda
caughl up, bur in lacr Brian on ihe see M
carried on lor ihe equivaleni ol six la s—
somelhing arian described as: an o vious
ploy"; iry ng lo maiie ihe long range lank ol
ihe 650 M pay all, because liie rnolor
lacked ou ghr power.

By rh e Sleve Hackeii had gollen inro
his riding gearand ihe ike was luelied, we
losi ihirieen nlinules in ihe pils — much loo
long. Sleve's srinl lasied lor ihree laps and
ihere was a decided lack ol ieed back
regarding lhe bike and ihe circuil: "a bii
hairy" was his only cornnienl.

As Sieve came in Re er suicliliewasali
bui climbin on ihe bi e beiore ii had
sropped rol in ,iueiiing and a quick check
on ihe oil ieve look six minules, rhen koger
was away lor rhree very rapid laps. Roger's
lirsr impressions ol ihe bike were ralher
fiuarded in lhe handlingdepanmen . il

andles okay': was h's only commenl.
However, on lhe engine side he was really
enlhusiasiic. praising lhe pulling powerol
ihe mororand sayinfilhal il didn i really
need a gearbox. Wir our any prompring
Roger also raved on aboui ihe Red Arrows,
lo ouole Roger: "lhey are lanlasiic tor a
road lyre".

On my lirsi siinl I had nol been loo happy
wilh ihe ralher wll suspension and ihere
was also a lendenqy ro wallow on ihe lasi
sweeping bends over ihe mou niain. Kevin
suggesled we "jack up" ihe suspension one
slop, lor boih ironr and rear springs. The
improvemenl was immediaie. Allhough nor
compierely eliminared, lhe wallow could
now be ignored and some really enioyable

   

 

 

 

 

bend swing g indulged in. ihe whoio bike
lell rnuch --li ME!” and easier lo ride.

Ariel lhe le l hander ar Kale‘s Collage, ihe
road iusl drops away. ll really like ”Inlllng
oil a mountain”. The awesome power lroin
ihe lllillcc molor combined wilh ihe iorce
oi gravily lo provide ihe son ol acceleraiion
lhal could only be described as ”mind
blowing".

the uneven road surlace and lhe
slighliy harder sus ension meani lhal
you had io work lo eep lhe bike on your
side oi lhe while line. Abaul hail way down
lhereisadipin ihe road. and wilh a slighrly
higher approach speed and harder
suspension ihe bike was aciuaiiy rakin oli
al over loomph. arian Crichlon, on i e
ahiw, lound lhal ihe l‘roni wheel oi his
mounl was gelling airborne in lhi: same
piaie. However, heaiso discovered lhal il
you move io lhe righlol ihe road you n .
ihe worsl ol ihe "lamp" and boih wheels
remain in coniaclwilhihe road.

Apavl lrom ihe odd inghr, when you look
a bendlhai vou recognised ion|y iolind
lhal you were nor where you ihoughl you
were, ihe lapswr-re becoming rouline.
when i came across ihe EMWai Glen Helen
l remembered whai we were all doing on
lhe lslandand sraned ro presson once
more. lloweuer on reaching ihe mounlain |
wasiniorasur se,ilwassnowin .1he
llakes were serlling on my visa! an visibiliry
was reduced draslically. All you could do
was iollow ihe line oniheside oiihe road.
riding wilh a precauiionary loul sruck oul
around ihe bends. l have never experienced
changes in wealher condilrons such as ihe
isle lean produced. Alonerime ilwas
sunn nnou las,buirainingal
Kirkmichael. She lap ialer ihe condilions
were reversed ~ wilh snow on lhe
inouniain lhrown in ms! lor good measure!

Duringlhe ' irhelwo yamaha
rechnicians, kevin and Sieve, siepped in
and did a lap each which provided a
welcome breaihing space ior ihe regular
riding learn. Roger Surciiilewenl oul

 

 

   

77

>

MANIACS
GO MANX

around ions in «he morning and did a
double siins clmk‘lng up seyen laps and
only sin ping lor peiroI When he finally
ssoppe Rogersald rhal «he handling was
soo per (en! oesser «han she iirsl lime he
rode lhe bike and ihas he was really looking
Iorward so «rying a few ”quitk‘ laps in
daylighi,

Come «he morning Slzve Haskell was
walling lor «he bike so come in when he «old
me «has «he yamaha was miles ahead oI
eyeryslilng else. According so «he irip
mesers wewere ahous 200 miles in irons ol
«he Kawasak Sieve sei all as a leisurely
paee Io do a spos ol sighiseeing.

In she meanlinse l was «rying lo work on!
how the Yamaha had made 200 miles on [he
oiher bikes. The BMW had sullered only
one minor delay when ns iail sighs same
loose and she Honda had only saken sen
minules lo (hinge bolh lhe Kyles. l sinned
eheslslng she ligures lrom «he main speedo
reading and comparing Ihem so she slip.
Somehow our srip meies had "lumped"
over 100 mlIES!

ls was panic slalions now and I ran Ins my
riding gear. Sieve was down so hall speed
and Ios«asull lapin iusione haul! Wayin
him In we looped up wllh pelml 2nd I l
an alter "1! BMW, which had lull left
ihe piss ahead ol me. The Yamaha men
were less arguing among ihemselves as so
she toned mileage.

0n «he dearesisiesed slreldl oi road
helween Union Mills and Glen lnne, she
Vaniaha les« she see Em lor dead nus while
walling as she aallaeralne isallic
eould yei again hear she insursasmg "bleep
lsleep" lrom ihe mw s audlhle indieaioss.
ls look a lull «wo laps ol she sourse so lose
«has iisile bleeperonce and los all. when «he
Vamaha pulled in and Roger siiieli e look
over lor she lass lap. is was only s-x minuies
ahead oi she BMW, and ihas was alier 125
miles ol scmching!

Ra eswasshelaslawa loriheiinallap,
ands e lirsi one back. A er eheelsin ine

edoand cosreciing «he errorwe ound

 

   

 

Specifications

BMW R65

ENGINE: horizonsally opposed airsooled swin
eylinder sour—slrolse wish uverhud valves open
ased by purhrods. Camurelse Iwo 32mm sing
sonslani yeloniy mm l by eosl and 12
vols IMh hassery reehasg'esfny Imus-m alieoiasus.
ssanlng by eIeesris siarler only. Wes sump Inhala-
« n.

 

  
  
 
 

 

 

medpowev
slairned «orque
CHASSIS: lwlll loop sseel «iroe eradle lramewiih
belied on rear session. relessopis my
damped sorlsswirh 5.9M movemeni, swinging arm
rear suspension wiih ihreepolnl adlussmens and
I.3in spring navel. nukes: swir- lsui'n diameler
disia as lions mn dlameier sis drum as rear.

wheelbase.
mull lengi
ouerallwidin,
dry wei hi.
sues «an .

TRANSMISSION: single plase dry eluseh so (Ive
speed gearooa, rinal dsiye oyshals io srown wheel
and pinion. eear raises I-S: mo, 2.“, 2.07, 1.57.
1. sir. ssear asle rasio 3. «.

run: is. m wanann s2 monihs uniimiian mllulr
Imml. mw nonreanoiianer cu lid MMuIMIe
Dumlnn 161065 Cnlmck nigh load Landon wr Ms.

HONDA C3650

ENGINE sranwerse soureysinder alrsooled loin.
ssrolse wish overhead vilvex operased by single
overhead samshals. carbureners: lous 26mm
iseihin slide sype. l... n ny soil and u vull leh
hosiery. sraning by e eesris ssaner and Inels, Wei
suiri luhllulian.

disp aeemei-ii
«seiexsirolse
sompiessionraiio... . . -
power (MCM dynamomelu) anon: ai esoorpsn
loroueiMCMdynamomeserI. 33ml asmpm
CWSIS: rwiri loop sseel suoe (udk lrame.
Suspension. «elessppis Irons lorlss and swinging
arm ml suspension wish llvvwdy prelpad adiiisl-
mens. Biases: rwln dises ai Irons and sls drum al
rear.

wheelbase

 

  
 
 
 
 
 

 

   

  
 
  

yVo sha driyeiosoimser-
shasr, gear dnye so molsiplaie elulsh and five
speed g.earl>oa final drive ny shaln. Pdmiry
seduelion 2717. Final redussion 2.5a. Guvbox
raiiosss 2.5m 1.7221533. luu nus
nice: ssrrs Warrann ramshaunlimised mileage
mm: Nomi: ms mum Chuvad [m
wa

YAMAHA X5111!)

ENGINE: sransverse lour eylinder aiseooled loin
sssolse operased lay dnuhlz nmhead samshalis.
Carouseners; loos Milsuni 34mm cv «ype. [lee
norm: ignlilon and l2 vols zoAh oaisery. Elmn:
and Isisls slarsing. Wes sump lubllfi'lun.
displaeemens.
oosexslrols
eompression ms
poweroulpul iMcrn dynamomeserl

who as sworpm
soroue mm dynamomererl .bSfl-lh as 6,Mlpm
cuAsslS: lwin loop sseel iuoe sradle Irarne
Suspenslon: adjussaole ielessopis sronllorlss,

. noise
715 asumrn
9.2-1

 

   
 

swinging arm rear wish siye posiiion adiusishle
dampers, liralses: iwin dises on Irons, single disc
on rear.

 

TIANSMISSION:HyVo<MInX ' eshali. ear

so dulzh. rive speed geaioos.l al driye by s all.

Primary redirsslon: 1.657. rinal redusslon 1.251,

oearoos railos I In .235, was, ms, um.
inn.

   

 

ma. mums w. warran - muslin-smiles.
swam-s. muo- lid or wall” so chesssnssisn,
surrey

KAWASAKI ZIMST

(NGIN transverse luur~<yllndel als sooled
lam-stroke wish mmuo valves operaied by
double overhead samshals. caroumseis: loin
2dmm MlkuniVM less I nlilon bymllindflvoll
leh oaisery and hills ai oflsedlgullianjnna
rig by elrtlIK slarler and Isisls. Wes sump luhriea.
'.

   

 

   
   

 

 

displacemeni.
hole a snuls

.lolsm
mmrnsoomrri

 

   
      

 

   

 

sompresslon railo. .711
power lslalrnedl 93th al Ismvpm
sorouesslainiedl . dsdzss-l ass,soorpm

 

CHASSIS: douole ssadle sulnilar srame. siispein
sion- selessopis Innis soils and swlllgllndgaml rear
sus nslon wiih nve-wzy preload luslmenl,
es: swirl dlsss as lions and single dlsr as «ear.
w’h‘eelhxe. 1515mm
overlllkn "Im 2205mm

   
 
  

overallwi s Isumm
drywei hr. 155k
luelian . s.lga
TRANSMISSION: Geardrive ihroai ooi yia wei
mulsiplale dussh «o rrossorer sha , live-speed

gearbox. Final dnve lry shall
Vnmary reduellori Ln-l, Iinal sedunion 2 2
Gearbox rasios, 1. , 347, In. IN, 13:, s

 

   

m: DJW'IM win wansnn. sanonihs, ismlrnnns
bul “Ada W

imm- ranasasi Melon us lid. mm mains...
lrading snare. slurry-M

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I allhe Vamaha hidlvmlled iusltism VAMANA sxmo mw ass KAWASAKI ZlmSI NONDA cm
mlles lunhes lhan she second hike, whidl Mneage eoyered "1:7 "59 ma 1156
was sheliisle oleepermeriiioned earlier. MPG also In 3:1: as
Merle-m I’l-l‘tlih-Mums
Iyrrsssauisssyiumnu' IIrIZIoIniIkId-u) Insomnia-s sun-slum
hers rear lnrin Ill!

MI seals. riau eaiius rig-l lass e-lrs signs
will Dunlap llsd Amrw lllms nurilsro lssd Anon amen as III ll! N 11 Ill 15 1a :slI ill a: as
has under lzssul aisle sz Mnsslsssmsm ImlfiTnlmnl Spnill III as N U! 3| us 1s 1| al 51 12 35
1mm aids-min May Maw: ml 35m: ands-diam Mam 4.91le I: n5 as III u no 1! 25 17 u in 2

(amino lied Am LIWI!) miiiuiip lied Anew smell) II as a: M u on a: u :7 as SI 52
cm Emma Mn Monks sm mills Brownie Mrs Mlpiis SIII Ilsslll In M a: as 25 DJ Li 7,5 I5 M :u u

(lIiisiliip lird Am uwssl Iniinlop lied Amrri usnsvml In DJ II: III H In :J :u u 50 u El
73 MOTOR CYCLE MECHANICS