The Issue # 187 March 2020

The Bi-Monthly Journal of the Central Coast Classic Motorcycle Club

Geoff Hookham above with two of his

bikes Geoff also owns a Yamaha RZ500

similar to this one which was on display

at Greta Show and Shine. He also took

some photos at our last Hub Run which

are inside

Club Membership is by nomination only and is open to those persons interested in the restoration use and preservation of old motorcycles

submitted by Geoff Hookham Hub Run February

President’s Report – March 2020

Well, what an interesting year it has been so far. We started with bushfires, then floods and now Corona virus!

As you are all well aware, things are changing – not daily, but hourly. Consequently, your Committee has decided that in the best interests of our members we are cancelling our March Members’ Meeting. We do not want to see our members’ health affected in any way. Other meetings may well also have to be cancelled.

No doubt other motorcycling activities will suffer and one I know of, the Gloucester Motorcycle Expo, had already been cancelled. We are living in interesting times for sure.

We will try and keep you informed on other activities as we become aware of them. Your patience and understanding are appreciated. If you have any concerns please feel free to contact me or any Committee Member.

On Monday 16th March Merrilyn and I attended the Funeral for Wesley Hitchcock, son of Phil Hitchcock of Road and Race at Tumbi Umbi. Phil is also a past member of our club. The Chapel at Palmdale was packed (no thought of the 1.5 m exclusion zone) and most of those then followed on to the Wake at Ourimbah RSL Club. We also caught up with a few of our other ex-members – Kevin & Narelle Spackman, Jim Velliss, Tim Deeble, and Wayne & Felicity Hoad. Our long-time members will no doubt remember these people. Also, in attendance from our club was Ben Brouwers.

Wes died in a motorcycle accident on Mandalong Road on 2nd March. He was only 37. A sad loss indeed. Our sympathy goes to Phil, Becky and Family.

Ride safely,

Mark Gattenhof

President

Editor’s report The past two months have been very up and down with widespread bushfire, floods and currently the Corona virus. I managed to get in a trip to Phillip Island for the World Superbike races the last one for a while due to the Virus forcing cancelation of at least one round; the ride itself to P I was very enjoyable in many places there has been a lot of re-growth and the weather held off until the last leg of my return trip when it rained from Ulladulla until Campbelltown. I bumped into club members Dean Faber and Doug Pender in the Yamaha promotion area and got some photos of a few classic bikes that had been ridden to the track or on display. The racing was extremely close with up to six bikes vying for the win in each race. Since returning from the races it has been too wet for a lot of riding but I rode up to Greta to check out their Show ‘n Shine which was well attended by both people and their bikes; one of the stand out machines there was a rare U S army Indian across the frame V twin designed for desert duty much as the civilianised Gilera 500 featured further on would have been.

Thanks go to all those readers who contributed articles and photos for this issue and please note if sending photos from a mobile phone; send to my e mail address [email protected] as those sent to my phone4 message box cannot be enlarged. Clint.

The mystery of what bike Mr Pirsig rode in his novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has been solved by a keen reader(I thought early Honda or BMW) Hi Clinton, Thanks for your review of Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. It is one of my favourite books. I have read it a number of times now and each time it is like the first time. How can a bloke think like that?? I have included a couple of photos. One is of the author Robert Pirsig and his son Chris on his Honda. I believe. Regards Mark Jemmett

An Excerpt From Big Country: part of a four page article. Submitted by Col Graham: The main body of the story deals with a British writer’s view of the Australian classic bike scene in 1986 and how motorcycling evolved in Australia the author’s opinion is the classic scene was entering a boom period then (1986) He also mentions the Gosford area and a rally held then

Laura Thomsonhttps://www.goodwood.com/grr/race/historic/2020/1/motorcycle-hero-colin-seeley-has-died- aged-84/ Motorcycle hero Colin Seeley has died aged 84

The British motorcycle legend Colin Seeley passed away Tuesday 7th January 2020, at the age of 84 following a long battle with illness. He will be remembered for his pioneering motorcycle frames, his successful sixties sidecar racing campaign, , his charity work and, later in life, his books. Seeley’s affinity with motorcycles began at a young age, upon learning to ride his father's Vincent Rapide. After taking his licence at the age of 16, he became an apprentice for Harcourt Motorcycles, nearby to his family home in Crayford, Kent. Before long, Seeley was experienced in working on many different marques, while also repairing and motorcycles in his spare time in his parent’s garden shed.

While working his way through various mechanics positions Seeley became acquainted with , with whom he would later work – first in the 1970s as joint Managing Director of Motor Racing Developments at , and later in 1986 with the Brabham Formula 1 team.

Long before that, Seeley saw success in racing himself. His first race was a one-hour endurance event at in 1954 aboard a 500cc BSA Star Twin. His second came three years later when he entered a scramble on a part-exchanged Triumph twin. This lacklustre start to his racing career was due to pressures of work. By 1958 he was riding scramblers for , before turning to sidecars come the ‘60s.

Bolting a G50 race bike to a Canterbury racing sidecar, Seeley dabbled in local events before entering the Isle of Man TT in 1961 – his first Grand Prix event – and finishing sixth.

From 1961 to 1967 he raced in British and world championship sidecar competitions, originally aboard his own machines with Matchless and Norton engines. But before long, he had swapped the single- cylinder Matchless for the flat-twin BMW S54 Rennsport engine. During this period, he achieved a first place at the 1964 Dutch TT and second-place finishes in the sidecar competitions at the 1964 Isle of Barry Sheen among other top racers used Man TT and the 1966 French Grand Prix at Clermont- SeeleyFerrand. frames Following his retirement from competition, the talented craftsman began producing his namesake frames, powering them initially with AJS and Matchless motorcycle engines and later with engines from the likes of Yamaha and other Japanese manufacturers. These frames – both production and race – earned a reputation for their fine handling, with describing it as the describing it as “the best steering solo he'd ever tried”. They were soon the race bike of choice for privateers of the era. A replica built by In the 1969 Isle of Man Senior Colin Seeley after Read’s 1977 TT, Seeley-framed machines TT win finished third, fourth, sixth and seventh. The following year Tommy Robb rode to a fourth- place finish in the 500cc world championship aboard a Seeley. And in 1971, rode a Hi-Tac Suzuki T500 engined bike to win the British national championship, before declaring it the best-handling motorcycle he had ever ridden.

The popularity and highly-rated performance of Seeley’s race bikes promoted his road production bikes, a business which thrived throughout the ‘70s. Since the late ‘80s, when vintage racing rose to popularity, Seeley machines have won twelve times at the Manx Grand Prix. Following his stint alongside in automotive racing, in 1992 Seeley became involved in running the Norton Rotary race team.

He dedicated much of his later life to charity work, establishing The Joan Seeley Pain Relief Memorial Trust in memory of his first wife, who died of cancer. And in 2006 and 2008, he published two autobiographies, documenting his life and memories of from the 1950s to the present day. Colin Seeley made an irrefutable impact on motorcycle racing and will be greatly missed.

Colin Seeley and one of his iconic creations an AJS 7R in one of his frames including bodywork

Gilera 500 shaft drive side valve

Nothing too special at first glance but this is a shaft drive 1930 design built in 1940 for the Italian North African war effort; the shaft drive being more durable than a chain in sandy conditions. I’m guessing the carburettor would have an air filter if it actually went to the desert this however is a civilian model which differed slightly from the military model. The chassis was designed to have a sidecar fitted with a driven wheel; note unit construction design and scissor type friction rear damping as used by Moto Guzzi

Various photos

British bikes at Greta

A Henderson Streamline without the body shell

An 841 Indian WW2 Army motorcycle on display at the Greta Show ‘n Shine: shaft drive with Moto Guzzi across the frame engine layout

Motorcycle art on display at Gresford Pub

An Indian Scout on display at Phillip Island Classics at Philip Island The first Z1 Kawasaki 900 in the spectator’s area and a pre-war V twin Royal Enfield outfit.

The Ariel twin was at this year’s Orange rally taken from Facebook

Excerpt from e mail sent by Tim Corlett on the work done on his Bennelli Sei Photo attached of the finished Benelli Just fitted the new exhausts Looks beautiful the before shots were in the last issue; here’s the after shots Items done: re paint to original red, carbies cleaned and new seal kits, new tyres, new chain and front sprocket, front brakes, pads and painted callipers, new clutch plates, new O rings in oil pump, New rubbers to carbies, engine and wheels re painted, S/S bolts, nuts and screws fitted Cleaned and polished, several times The Sei came up a treat.

Tim’s Sei at Kulnura looking like new. TUNING TIPS & FAULT DIAGNOSIS: Part 3 (Carburettors & Fuel) By: Paul Rogers

This third part of my articles will comprise some basic carburettor design, cleaning & some fault diagnosis. As a very good example, I will use a fairly common older type of British carburettor: The Amal Monobloc 375 because of the relative simplicity of its design. This model will also be of more interest to the greater majority of CCCMC members. This style carburettor can be divided into four basic sections: 1. The air horn (possibly with its attached velocity stack fitted) 2. Air slide/piston & needle valve 3 Float chamber & 4 The inlet throat/venturi & manifold.

There is a bit of physics behind carburettor design & I won’t go into any long extensive detail but most motorcycle carburettors are of a “pulse” type design, in that they do not operate under constant vacuum conditions like a car carburettor; being single which feeds multiple cylinders. So, these types of carburettors tend to struggle in idle & low speed situations (unlike more modern Constant Velocity designs & those fitted with accelerator pumps). Now, motorcycle engines don’t suck the combustible fuel & air vapour mixture into the combustion chamber. As the crankshaft rotates & the inlet valve opens, air is actually pushed in by the action of the external outside air pressure pushing the air through the carburettor air horn, throat & then venturi picking up its precisely metered quantity of fuel along the way via its associated internal mixing stages into the combustion chamber. The explosive fuel vapour mixture is actually forced into the combustion chamber through the carburettor passages due to the pressure differential between the existing outside positive air pressure & the negative swept volume pressure within the combustion chamber. The fuel vapour mixture rushes into the combustion chamber because of the negative external air pressure force acting on it.

The inlet air journey starts at the air horn/velocity stack (or, more modern air filter and box on later design carburettors). The velocity stack shapes the incoming air volume into a toroid (donut) that accelerates as it enters the carburettor’s smaller diameter throat. This action serves two purposes: 1. As the air heads upstream it is smoothed out & concentrated towards the centre of the carburettor inlet throat just before the chamfered section of the air slide piston cut-away & the (adjustable) needle valve. 2. It creates an area of lower pressure around the outside perimeter of this incoming toroid of air with resultant slower air movement & is utilised to lift (along with the differential pressure within the fuel bowl) the fuel up through the main jet & the needle valve & jet orifices into the carburettor throat area on its passage to the combustion chamber for wider open throttle settings. The slower air is also diverted to the low speed pilot jet circuit for idling & slow running up to 1/8 throttle which is handled by the adjustable pilot jet & its setting. Smooth idle & stable slow running conditions are very much dependent on these internal circuits & settings (with tiny air passages & smooth surfaces) being very clean & absolutely unrestricted. From 1/8 to 1/4 throttle the needle valve & air slide chamfered cut-away controls mid-range performance. From 1/4 to 3/4 throttle the needle clip position controls mid to the upper range. At 2/3 throttle the needle valve has lifted clear of the needle jet. The main jet & its size then controls full open throttle performance from 3/4 throttle on.

So how do you get your carburettors working correctly & looking all pristine & new again? Well, there are a few useful pieces of equipment to help you. An ultrasonic cleaner is exceptional at cleaning carburettor body parts & internal jets & leaves a good clean bright finish on the carburettor body. These are available for purchase at Jaycar & also quite cheaply on E bay ($50 - $100 with built-in heater). I bought mine from Supercheap. Just make sure it’s large enough to accept the whole submerged body (remove the jets) of the main part of the carburettor & the removed float bowl. I have also seen some cheap soda blasting kits available now which work off a compressor. Access to an air compressor is essential for blowing out all those minute carburettor passages & jets but they’re more expensive & take up a bit of space in the workshop. I’m sure a mate or, fellow CCCMC member has one. Although not generally recommended, jet cleaners are very useful for cleaning stubborn internal deposits IF used very carefully. Electric steel guitar string (top ‘E’ string .012” - .013” thick is best) for those long, tiny hard to clean internal passages & ports. An aerosol tin of carburettor cleaner and Factory float level gauge; if available.

You will need to source some replacement components so you have them on hand prior to carburettor reassembly. New float needles, inlet mounting gaskets (if they are old, distorted & leak air your engine will run lean). Also new throttle cables are good suggestions. New “Stay Up” floats & Viton insert float needles are now available from Amal which are resistant to Ethanol. You can even now buy new complete Amal carburettors from the UK if you want!

During dismantling & inspection don’t mix & match the same components between other carburettors. Keep them in neat organised individual groups. Take note of the existing needle clip position. There are five clip positions, with the factory standard setting being the middle position. Parts like the throttle slides, float chamber floats, float needles & needle valve & needle jets are not interchangeable between multiple carburettors. Usually, only the float needle will need replacing especially if the carburettor has been flooding. Don’t replace any jets or needle valve with non-factory (Asian) kits as they are inferior, are not dimensionally accurate & usually have no jet or needle size or identifications stamped to confirm if true replacements. Jets don’t usually wear, they just get blocked so, maintain your confidence by cleaning & reuse them. for older British bikes Amal UK do sell repair kits for approx. $65 & VAT+ postage.

If you plan on changing the inlet & exhaust design by fitting pod filters or, a new free flowing style of inlet filter or sports muffler or, both you will need to change the internal carburettor jetting to compensate for the faster moving air flow through the carburettor. Now is the time to make these modifications while the carburettor is dismantled. The engine will now run leaner & you never ever want that. Couple of things to remember: 1. The air volume & correspondingly the air speed are constant at any given throttle position. It doesn’t change. 2. If you increase the main jet size you will need to fit a slide with a larger chamfer cut-away to compensate & vice a versa.

Note Amal jets are numbered by Part # & fuel flow in CC’s/min at a specific head. ie 376/100-110 = 110cc/min. Keihin & Mikuni jets are numbered by hole diameter in metric. ie 110 = 1.10mm or, 40 = 0.40mm

You may be digging yourself a hole even before you pick up the shovel. These sorts of modifications will consume considerable time & energy in trying to get the fuel mixture just right across all the range of throttle positions. You need to physically swap jets in & out & change needle clip positions by trial & error & also confirm your settings with various spark plug chops on the road. If you think a Dyno tune will sort this out for you, bring your wallet with you! Modern fuel injection is more adaptable to these sorts of modifications because engine sensors placed within the air inlet & the engine’s exhaust provide accurate information for the infinite fuel calibration settings within the management software (you can modify these settings with a laptop & software). Lots & lots of bikes I hear on the road with modifications still have that deceleration popping & annoying backfiring through the exhaust which is a very good indication of a lean mixture. Even modern fuel injection & computerised engine mapping are not perfect if you change things! Now, first & foremost: The one main thing to remember when dismantling & cleaning carburettors: Every single orifice, fuel gallery/reservoir, air passage & surface should, when cleaned be as it came delivered new from the factory! The correct operation of the carburettor is very much dependent on the minute pressure differentials & clean surfaces within the various internal slow & high speed air passages, together with the all-important carburettor jetting & also importantly the correct float bowl/reservoir fuel level height adjustment. Be careful when removing & reinstalling jets & small screws as the casting quality of carburettors is generally quite poor & threads easily strip. You may need a special adaptor/tool to remove & install some types of jets. Soak the carburettor & its components with carb cleaner overnight & wash off the residue. Make sure all traces of Ethanol & the old dried fuel residue are removed. Place the carburettor body & components in the heated ultrasonic cleaner & fill with a mixture of distilled water, Bi-Carb Soda & Vinegar. Experiment with the ratios or, Google for a good recipe. Turn on the cleaner & leave them in for a couple of hours (not too much heat!). You will be rewarded with nice clean carburettors at the finish. Next, blow everything out clean with compressed air & an air duster. Make sure ALL holes are clear of dirt & foreign matter. Especially all the small holes in the slow speed circuit that are responsible for that much sought after sweet running idle tick-over & 1/4 throttle position that won’t stumble when accelerating off slowly from a stop. My Honda Four absolutely confounded me with this very problem. It turned out to be the very small air bleed passages from the air horn to the emulsifier tubes which were blocked on the #1 & #2 cylinders. This made the engine run rich, sooting up & fouling the plugs on those two cylinders. It wasn’t until I used the jet cleaners & wire, together with the air compressor & carburettor cleaner that I finally cleared the passages & solved the problem. Honda Fours are renowned for sooting up plugs with the Keihin carburettors running rich in the low speed circuits if not absolutely clean & the float level heights set correctly. Now your carburettors & jets are nice & clean you can reassemble them. Check your floats have no holes or damage. Replace them if they are. If your float needles have wear ridges or grooves on the tapered seat replace them now. You will also need to confirm the float level measurement with the factory specifications if you are using new float needles. Make sure it’s right, as it’s an internal adjustment & you don’t want to have to remove the carburettor again if it’s wrong. After long use the slide needle may develop a slight circular wear mark where it sits in the bottom of the slide especially if the return spring is strong this can cause a rich spot when transitioning from the pilot to main jet; this happened in a Keihin carb on my XL350 after 50,000 kms, when the rebuilt motor had a rough spot around 3,500rpm the problem was solved by replacing the worn slide needle (Clint) Install the throttle adjusting screw. Install the pilot screw & set it to the factory recommendation. Nominally, screw it in till it lightly seats & then screw it out say one turn. This will be a good start for when you are doing your final tuning settings when the bike is running. Check the operation of the choke. Replace the carburettor inlet manifold gasket &/or O-Ring as you don’t want these to leak & introduce excess air thus making the mixtures lean. If you have flexible carburettor boots fitted to your carburettor inlets with hose clamps, make sure these are in good condition. If not, replace them as they will leak air when hot. In my last & final article I will delve into the black art of carburettor tuning. VERY INTERESTING STUFF Submitted by Bruce Crukshank Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only..Ladies Forbidden'.. .and thus, the word GOLF entered into the English language. The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury. Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better. Coca-Cola was originally green. The U S State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...) The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38% The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400 The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000 Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.. (Just a minute ... let me check.) In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb' The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades - King David Hearts - Charlemagne Clubs - Alexander, the Great Diamonds - Julius Caesar 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what? A. Their birthplace Q.. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'? A. One thousand Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common? A. All were invented by women. Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil? A. Honey In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'

BMW Promotional Material 1960s BMWs were not very fashionable in the USA so the company relied on the bike’s proven reliability over long distances- information submitted by Adrian Kuiters who owns at least one 1960s BMW 250 single and a few twin Cylinder BMWs

For Sale: BMW F650GS/ 2005 silver colour/ Dual spark plug ignition/ 49,835KM new oil filter New rear tyre/ brake pads/ steering head bearings and manuals included Reg 23/06/20 UHW81 eng no 08046158651EA $3600 ONO Contact Lee Suine 0404806364

Jokes Page

A bucket seat on a Chinese family sized motorcycle

Not an Irish joke

CCCMCC EVENTS CALENDAR - 2020 March Sunday 29th Hub Run Woodbury Park

April Date Event Remarks

Sunday 5th Sunday Ride TBA

11th / 12th / Inverell Rally Invitation Event – Contact Events for Entry 13th form Sunday 19th Maitland Steamfest Show & Shine at Maitland Park. $10 entry (proceeds to charity). Tuesday 21st Committee Meeting – Ourimbah RSL 7.30 p.m. Tuesday 28th General Meeting – 7.30 Ourimbah RSL p.m.

May Date Event Remarks

Sunday 3rd Hub Run Woodbury Park

Sunday 17th Sunday Ride TBA

Tuesday 19th Committee Meeting – Ourimbah RSL 7.30 p.m. Tuesday 26th General Meeting – 7.30 Ourimbah RSL p.m. Sunday 31st Hub Run Woodbury Park

Friday’s ride to Jerry’s at Kulnura is a club ride but you must take a direct route home or use your log book

Further notes: 1. Every Wednesday & Friday morning we meet at Jerry’s Café at Kulnura. Wednesday Lunch ride is Riders Choice. 2. Sunday rides (except hub runs) depart McDonald’s Tuggerah @ 10.00 a.m. unless otherwise stated. 3. If you are riding a “Club Plated” bike to any event other than those listed above you must either fill in your Log Book or notify the Registrar, Fabian, of your intentions. 4. Events coming to our notice after publication of The Flywheel will be listed on the Club Web Site. CCCMCC Office Bearers 2020

Position Name Telephone Mobile email President Mark Gattenhof JP 4328 4060 0419 237 706 [email protected] Vice President Peter Redman 4392 6319 0408 509 821 [email protected] Secretary Bob de Vries 0414 076 842 [email protected] Treasurer George Burroughs 4362 3585 0407 085 646 Public Officer Mark Gattenhof Committee: Neil Crocker 0418 233 196 Robert Orr 4367 3055 0414 692 018 Barry Allertz 0425 286 201 Events Co-Ordinator Rob Clarsen 0490 194 092 Rally Co-Ordinator Bob de Vries 0414 076 842 [email protected] Rally Secretary Bob de Vries 0414 076 842 [email protected] Catering Merrilyn Gattenhof 4328 4060 Trailer Booking Bob de Vries 0414 076 842 [email protected] Editor Clinton Williams 0422 059 995 [email protected] Library Bill Worden 4332 4485 Machine Registrar Fabian Mensitieri 0421 474 113 [email protected] Property Officer Clinton Williams 0422059995 [email protected] Regalia Nigel Smith 4397 2271 0490 098 306

MACHINE EXAMINERS

Area Name Telephone Mobile BENSVILLE Kim Carothers 4369 3097 ERINA Robert Orr 4367 3055 0414 692 018 NIAGARA PARK Tony Carter 0415 488 194 TOUKLEY Bruce Cruckshank 4396 4647 WYOMING Col Graham 4324 3259 0417 203 322

LIFE MEMBERS: *Vern Whatmough, *Brian Wishart, *John Cochrane, *Noreen Cochrane, Mark Gattenhof, Merrilyn Gattenhof, Paul Kiley, *Clive Townsend, Lindsay Brown, Alix Brown, *Norm Neill, Bruce Cruckshank, Edna Cruckshank, Col Graham, Jack Taylor, Nick Vassilopoulos, John Mills (*Deceased)

Club Postal Address: P.O. Box 9006, WYOMING NSW 2250 Club e-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.cccmcc.com.au

Magazine Address: The Flywheel, 5 Lambert Street, CESSNOCK NSW 2325 Magazine email: [email protected] Magazine Distribution: Steve Cooper

MEETINGS: Held on the 4th Tuesday each month (except December) at Ourimbah-Lisarow RSL Club, Pacific Highway, Ourimbah commencing at 7:30 p.m. Visitors welcome.

MEMBERSHIP: By nomination only, open to persons with an active interest in the preservation, restoration and use of Veteran, Vintage and Classic motorcycles.

The FLYWHEEL The magazine of: - The Central Coast Classic Motor Cycle Club Inc. P.O. Box 9006 WYOMING NSW 2250