Inside: Super Rare CE71 Dream Sport • Don’T Just Check the Carbs • Restoring a Water Buffalo • Hundreds of Classifieds
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Vol. 32, No. 2 THE June 2011 • $5 •Inside: Super rare CE71 Dream Sport • Don’t just check the carbs • Restoring a Water Buffalo • Hundreds of classifieds OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. THE COVER STORY 08 Nightmare of a restoration Kawasaki H1 provides plenty of headaches FEATURES 14 What are the odds? 26 Waterproofing vs. water resis- Bill Silver never expected to see one tance CE71, let alone three. Do you frequent your local marine acces- sories shop? 16 Bringing water to boil, 1970’s style 30 ‘It just needs the carbs Gordon East wanted a more challenging cleaned.’ Wait! project. Other things to do before you check just the carbs. 22 Got my RZ350 with one wise- crack What’s the backstory on your favorite ride? DEPARTMENTS 4 President’s letter 15 Letters, news and miscellany 6 Tech Q&A 32 Classifieds Vol. 32, No. 2 THE June 2011 • $5 On the cover Photographer Doug Mitchel spent time with author Roger Smith’s restored Kawasaki H1 for this Inside: • Super rare CE71 Dream Sport month’s cover feature. • Don’t just check the carbs • Restoring a Water Buffalo • Hundreds of classifi eds OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. June 2011 www.vjmc.org 3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER THE VJMC magazine June 2011 Vol. 32, No. 3 President It’s event season! Hal Johnson inally the spring [snow] together with your fellow vintage 402-660-6710 [email protected] showers have given way to motorcycle enthusiasts, I’ve got sunnier skies and warmer several people you should get to Editor F Brendan Dooley temperatures. The signs of sum- know. [email protected] mer are upon us; motorcycles have The first is your local VJMC emerged from their garaged hiber- Field Representative. VJMC Field Art Director Rhonda Cousin nation and are getting their annual Reps are enthusiastic “player- cleaning and waxing, wrenches coaches” who take a great interest Classified ads to ride a motorcycle? I know that Gary Gadd are active in restoration, and our in anything VJMC. They can help 817-284-8195 auction site of choice is abuzz with recruit fellow VJMC volunteers, sounds like a funny question but, [email protected] surprisingly, it isn’t. Are they all vintage bikes for sale. There’s a bring together logistics, help with Display Ad Director/ 1970 Honda SL350, No. 4497, securing a central location for an insured? Are their motorcycles Bob Billa licensed to be on the road? Oh 760-636-3288 over in the corner of my garage event and even send out postcard [email protected] that has been beckoning me to mailers for your event! by the way, when it comes to an begin her extreme makeover. Tis The second person you may event related to VJMC participa- West Coast Rep tion, I have a very strong recom- Bill McClennon the season! want to contact is our National 714-996-2278 My email has begun to fill Field Rep and Event Coordina- mendation for you; stay away from [email protected] anything alcohol. Motorcycles and with announcements of motorcycle tor, Jack Stein. Jack can supply Mountain States Rep rides of every shape and kind, you with much of what you would intoxicants do not mix. Volunteer Needed from midnight runs to mystery need to host a VJMC booth at a All of the people listed above can be found in this magazine and Central States Rep rides, scavenger hunts to hare- motorcycle show or event, and can Volunteer Needed and-hounds. I love event season, give you a lot of direction when online at vjmc.org. As always, if you do not have an active VJMC Northeast Rep when I get to pick and choose my it comes to marketing and getting Volunteer Needed Saturday fun. ready for your event. chapter in your area, I encourage you to start one. Begin by contact- Southeast Rep Have you thought about or- Last, but most significantly, Volunteer Needed ganizing a VJMC summer event? please contact our National Safety ing your Field Representative. Membership Director Provided you have enough time Coordinator, Lloyd Blythe. He can Have a fun, and very safe riding season! Bill Granade and volunteers to help, it can be provide input regarding waivers and 813-961-3737 a great experience and really get talk with you about all things safety [email protected] Hal Johnson, people active in the club. If you’ve such as route selection, mechanical Mission statement: VJMC president The purpose of this organization is to contemplated taking hold of the inspection, etc. For instance, do all promote the preservation, restoration handlebars and organizing a get- of your participants have a license and enjoyment of vintage Japanese motorcycles (defined as those 20 years old and older, until 2011. We will em- brace 1990 until then). The VJMC also will promote the sport of motorcycling and camaraderie of motorcyclists everywhere. © 2011, Vintage Japanese Motor- cycle Club of North America, an IRS-approved Not-for-profit 501(c) (7) corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be re- produced or transmitted in any form without permission. The VJMC magazine is published six times per year, in February, April, June, August, October and December. The views and opinions expressed in let- ters or other content are those of the author and do not necessarily represent VJMC policy. The VJMC accepts no liability for any loss, damage or claims occurring as a result of advice given in this publication or for claims made by advertisers of products or services in this publication. 4 www.vjmc.org June 2011 Roberts Knows Retro! “Someone’s nally paying real attention to motorcycling’s glory years, a time when the sport changed in so many dramatic ways. Moto Retro Illustrated is a great read, a magazine that takes me back to those exciting years with in-depth research, writing and great photography. If you love moto-culture from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, you’re gonna dig it.” —Kenny Roberts THE BEST OF DIRT, STREET AND MINI MOTOCULTURE FROM THE ’60S, ’70S AND ’80S! ISSUE #2 WINTER 2010 King $10.95 USD Kenny Then and Now ’75 INDY MILE YAMAHA DT-1 CARLSBAD— THEN AND NOW HONDA SL70 ing Kenny built a career telling it like it is, so we’re obviously jacked to hear his thoughts. He’s right, of course. Moto Retro Illustrated is the only full-coverage—dirt, street and mini—retro magazine around, and because it’s K HANNAH! written by folks with decades of journalism, riding and racing experience from the very eras and categories we cover, you know the stories are gonna be good. We’re more expensive than your average magazine, but we’re worth it. Moto Retro is ISSUE NO.1 large-format, glossy and printed on thick, luxurious paper. We dig deep and go behind the scenes on the bikes, technol- Eddie Lawson, Kawasaki’s ELR, Yamaha’s ogy, collections, races, events, racers and collectors you remember from the glory days of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, and we rst monoshocker. limit advertising so you get a magazine packed to the sidepanels with great stories, killer photography and hair-raising ISSUE NO. 2 tales from Back In The Day! Kenny Roberts, 1975 Indy Mile, So subscribe to Moto Retro Illustrated today and you’ll soon know retro as well as Kenny Roberts! Yamaha’s DT-1, Honda’s SL70. Moto Retro Illustrated is quarterly (4 issues per year) and available only through our website or by mailing ISSUE NO. 3 a check or money order to Moto Retro Subscriptions, P.O. Box 202, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274. Mike Baldwin & Team Honda’s Yearly subscriptions are $39.95 (U.S.) and $59.95 (International). Please email (mitch@motoretroillustrated), 1982 Superbike, Rupp Roadster. write or call (310.849.1845) for info on single copy sales, advertising information or dealer sales packages. ISSUE NO. 4 Available Dec. '10. Honda’s '83 Interceptor, www.motoretroillustrated.com Suzuki RM125, Honda Z50 and more! TECH Q & A Primer on proper tire care By Jan “Dr. CBX” Ringnalda, to check it completely. VJMC tech editor Buying a used bike is always tricky, the tire tread is easy to check, but what about hidden ex- This is a question we have (or at least should tras? I have had two or three bikes where I found have) all asked at some time: “I wonder if my plugs to fix punctures which, to me, is unforgiv- tires are OK” able. Anybody who says it’s OK, fine, do it on your This tire was for sale at Mid Ohio in 2010 for This is NOT a question to ask yourself when own bike; don’t sell the bike, and live with the $55. Brand new with the original manufac- turer sticker still there! It was hard as a rock banked over at 70 mph in a nice sweeping bend! thought that the tire is the only interface between and the DOT date of manufacturer showed A few issues ago we mentioned how to check your @$$ on the seat or on the tarmac. the tire was already 10 years old. Brand new? your bike after winterization, and mentioned the A good tire will feel sticky, no stones or tire checks that should be done. To be honest, foreign particles in the treads, and the rim will be them for customers. Let this be a statement for any proper motorcycle pre-ride inspections include clean. You will know the history of the tire, and serious motorcyclist, if a professional tire outfit tire checks, not just pressure, but integrity.