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 […]
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 […]
The last ever Avon tyre produced in the ...
Historic moment as last ever tyre is built at Avon ending production after more than a century This post is based on an article from the Melksham News from December the 12th, 2023. Avon Tyres have been a mainstay of British motorcycling from the very start. I, and most of my motorcycling friends, have Avon […]
BSA B25 Oil Pressure Switch 60-3719 Repl...
Whilst this post refers to the 1972 OIF BSA B25SS Gold Star, it also applies to earlier bikes, although the thread on the oil pressure switch may be different. Check yours with a thread gauge and make sure you don’t fit a tapered thread, when your old switch had a parallel one, and vice versa; […]
Andy Bamford Trials Frame Cotter Pin
I’m in the process of rebuilding a 1963 short stroke Model 16 AJS into an Andy Bamford trials frame. The frame needed touching up in a few places, and I needed to source a few parts such as foot rests and aluminium mudguards. One of the more important parts is the cotter pin which secures […]
Motorcycle Ignition Coils from Lucas Ind...
If you own a classic motorcycle, you may eventually have an ignition coil fail. There are several options available such as: Lucas (UK), Lucas (India), NGK, Remax, Bosch and of course manufacturers’ own offerings. Most of those will be good replacements, but the one from Lucas (India) is not. They simply suffer from reliability issues. […]
How to build a stand for working on moto...
If, like me, you enjoy restoring, rebuilding and repairing classic motorcycles, you’ll know that working on their hubs and brakes can be awkward when the wheels are off the bike. Some of the older ones have spindles / axles that don’t simply slide out of the hubs; they need to be pressed out. Having the […]
Repairing a vintage Rom Pom Grease Gun
Brand new grease guns are relatively inexpensive these days, but they tend to be quite large and unwieldy for smaller jobs; they are large as they are normally refilled using long plastic cartridges of grease. Medium sized vintage grease guns made by the likes of Enots, Tecalemit, Wanner and Rom Pom are available at autojumbles […]
How to start a motorcycle fitted with an...
When I bought my 1954 Norton International Model 30, it came fitted with its original Amal 10TT9 carburettor. I asked a few people about it on the relevant forums; some loved them, but many did not. I did try the bike with the 10TT9 on it; cold starting was relatively straight forward, but I simply […]