The has recently been quite a bit of discussion locally, regarding counterfeit (fake) NGK spark plugs. Those of concern to me, as a classic motorcycle enthusiast, are the B6ES, B7ES and B8ES varieties which are used on my bikes. Before I start, the best way to avoid these counterfeit plugs is to buy from a […]
Oil Feed and Return Pipes for Matchless ...
To some degree, I’m posting this as a note for myself…but I thought it might help someone else, so here it is. My 1963 AJS Model 16 off road bike project keeps getting delayed because I’m using an Andy Bamford frame, with a 1963 short stroke engine, aluminium primary chaincase and NOT the small WD […]
Lack of oil being fed to rocker box on A...
One of our section members brought this to my attention, so I thought it might be worth posting about it. He was completing the rebuild of his late fifties Matchless G3LS when he discovered that although there was plenty of oil circulating and returning to the oil tank, he had none feeding up the long […]
Tyre Pressures for your Classic Motorcyc...
Classic motorcycles with appropriate tubed tyres, do not usually run the same tyre pressures as modern motorcycles. If you read the manufacturer’s information, they will usually suggest a range of tyre pressures to suit your bike and tyres. Note: tyre pressures are critical to your safety. What I’m presenting here works for me and may […]
Volvo V70 – Bulb Failure Position Lamp
I’ve seen a few posts on forums and social media groups, relating to ‘Bulb failure – Position lamp’ error messages coming up on Volvo V70, XC60 and XC90 vehicles. There may be other reasons why the message comes up, but this is the reason mine came up. On either side of the car, at the […]
AMC Gearbox Leaking Oil
If you have a late 1950s, 1960s or 1970s AJS, Matchless or Norton motorcycle, there’s a good chance it’s fitted with an AMC gearbox. As you will see from my website, I have several such motorcycles. My 1964/65 Matchless G80CS, which identifies as a 1967 bike, had a habit of leaking oil from the gearbox […]
Can I use car oil in my motorcycle?
The short answer is PROBABLY NOT! I looked into this because a mate gave me some brand new 10W40 ‘motor oil’ which I hoped would work in my bike…it turns out it won’t. The reason is quite straightforward, and it’s all about the clutch. Car oil normally has more additives than motorcycle oil…many of which […]
Outlook 2010 Won’t Connect to Mail Serve
If you’re a bit of a dinosaur like me, and are still using one of the best Outlook e-mail clients Microsoft ever released, namely 2010, you may find one day that it suddenly won’t connect to your local mail server or internet service provider’s mail servers. The error message you will get could simply be […]
Annealing a Copper Cylinder Head Gasket
My mid 60s Matchless G80CS turned out to have a leaky cylinder head to cylinder joint; I could see small oil bubbles at the joint and exhaust coming out from the right hand side of the joint. These engines have a compression ratio of 8.7:1 and no cylinder head gasket; the head and cylinder joint […]
Preparing Your Motorcycle for Winter
Before I start, this is the process I use…it has worked safely for some years now. If you use another method and it also works, see how it compares. I hope this post is helpful. Incidentally, I like the word ‘motorcycle’ but you can think ‘bike’ or ‘motorbike’ if you prefer 😉 The Problem If […]