Vintage Festival
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume 37 / Number 6 DECEMBER 2016 / JANUARY 2017 • $5 12th Annual Vintage Festival WHAT’S INSIDE: Suzuki Colleda David Silver Honda Motorcycle Museum Honda MR175 Restoration VJMC Summer Fun in Michigan OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. IN THIS ISSUE Features EVENTS: Bill Brown’s Midwest Regional 6 Sidecar Event PROECT BIKE: Conflicted Classic COVER STORY 12th Annual 15 Barber Vintage Festival 36 HISTORY: Suzuki Colleda — “This is the One” 18 COLLECTIONS: David Silver Honda Motorcycle Museum 24 EVENTS: 5th Annual KCVJMC Picinic 26 PROJECT BIKE: Departments Honda MR175 Restoration PRESIDENT’S LETTER: 30 Like Family Reunions ...........................................................................5 COLLECTIONS: BACK IN THE DAY: Across the US Laconia Days / Joe Lachniet ............................................................. 10 Collecting Classics FROM THE EDITOR: 40 Another Successful Year Thanks to Our Members ...................... 11 HISTORY: CUSTOM CONNECTION: Honda Redbooks Ace Corner .......................................................................................... 12 44 KICKSTANDS UP AT DAWN: Do What You Love, Love What You Do: EVENTS: Vintage Bike Repair and Patience .................................................. 23 VJMC Summer Fun in Michigan! ADVERTISER’S SPOTLIGHT: 46 Gasolina High Octane Boots ............................................................ 53 TECH HELP: Volume 37 / Number 6 DECEMBER 2016 / JANUARY 2017 • $5 Tech Tip #17: Starting Problems ................................................55 On the Cover VJMC members 12th Annual get their turn EVENTS CORNER ............................................................................ 57 Vintage Festival at riding the WHAT’S INSIDE: famous Barber Suzuki Colleda CLASSIFIEDS .................................................................................... 59 David Silver Honda Motorcycle Museum track ADVERTISERS’ INDEX ................................................................... 61 Honda MR175 cover photo: Restoration VJMC Summer Fun in Michigan Michael Fitterling OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. VINTAGE JAPaneSE MOTOrcycLE MAGAZINE 3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER Like Family Reunions Official Publication of the VJMC DECEMBER 2016 / JANUARY 2017 he VJMC in 2016 has held many “family” reunions—ral- Volume 37, Number 6 Tlies, expos, festivals, and other gatherings. What always PRESIDENT impresses me is how hard-working volunteers and great Tom Kolenko planning make these reunions so successful for our mem- 770-427-4820 [email protected] bers. It is amazing that members that only see each other once or twice a year, once onsite, mobilize to get booth set- EDITOR Michael Fitterling up, registration, membership, and other tasks done in record 863-632-1981 time. [email protected] Dedicated volunteers are the soul of this club. Others observe this standard of DESIGN DIRECTOR behavior onsite and want to join in. Members create energy at our events and Nadine G. Messier [email protected] others notice. Nowhere was this more evident than at the Barber Vintage Fes- CLASSIFIED ADS tival 2016. It was our largest ever bike show with 109 entries and 176 bike show Gary Gadd ballots cast, and added 58 new members and 10 renewals. 817-284-8195 When I showed up at noon on Thursday for setup, there were already ten to [email protected] fifteen members assembled under our tent, ready to get to work. Many hands MAGAZINE DISPLAY made setup quick work. Thanks to Keith, Barry, Marty, Claude, Bryan, Don, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Bryan Bentley Brian, Randy, George, Barry, Warren, Norton, and others for your hard work. 864-923-0559 Special thanks to Randy Mayes, our volunteer coordinator, who made it all work [email protected] all weekend, keeping us on task and schedule. Thank you for your leadership. MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR Thanking VJMC long time supporters is always a pleasure. Mr. Barber and Bill Granade 813-961-3737 his team of Jeff Ray, Brian Slark, and Jennifer Moody made the world’s largest [email protected] motorcycle museum’s family reunion (BVF 2016) so much fun for our mem- CHANGE OF ADDRESS bers. Yamaha’s team, headed by Steve Liberatore, with Guy Reynolds and Lisa Please direct these requests to Hogue, support our club all year long. The VJMC Board of Directors continues Bill Granade: [email protected] to guide this club with their commitment of time, energy, and resources for 13309 Moran Drive, Tampa, FL 33618 which I thank you. Membership check renewals: Some housekeeping comments are in order to better meet our members’ 1 year - $30 / 2 years - $55 / 3 years - $80 Outside North America: 1 year - $50 needs. First, please include all your contact information: name, address, phone ADDITIONAL COPIES number, and preferred email address in all correspondence with the club. Folks In order to minimize unnecessary expens- that say they haven’t gotten our magazine in months may not have updated es to the club, VJMC prints a limited number their new address, but we try and solve issues ASAP on the phone or using the of each issue of Vintage Japanese Motorcy- cle Magazine. However, we would be glad to best channel possible. An email complaint without a full name, membership accommodate any requests for additional copies number, address, or phone number takes too long to solve; become part of the from members. solution. Help out our Membership Chairman, Bill Granade! These requests must be submitted before the Second, new VJMC Field Representatives have been approved by the BOD 15th of the month preceding each issue. For ex- ample: for the Feb/Mar issue requests must be to help serve our members. Please welcome Duane Ash (central Idaho), Tony received by January 15. Berry (central North Carolina), Jim Neuwirth (western Nebraska), and Craig MISSION STATEMENT: Schneider (central Ohio) to the ranks of volunteers at the local level. If you are The purpose of this organization is to promote interested in becoming a VJMC Field Representative, willing to sponsor, con- the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of vintage Japanese motorcycles (defined here as duct, or partner with local events in your area, please download the application those 20 years old or older). The VJMC also will materials from our website and send them in. promote the sport of motorcycling and camera- derie of motorcyclists everywhere. Other VJMC topics of interest must include our recently added YouTube videos from George Martin. He has attempted to capture events, rides, etc. © 2016 Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club of North America, an IRS-approved Not-for-prof- using camera and video to share with all members. Check them out. Finally, it 501(c)(7) corporation. All rights reserved. two passionate German members, Hans-Peter Engel and Volker Wolff, have No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted without permission. All articles written a ninety-five page book on the 1960s’ Honda Cuby training motor for copyright by their respective authors. the world to enjoy in English. So, if you are one of those Cuby fans, check it out. Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Magazine is pub- In the spirit of the Thanksgiving season, the VJMC BOD and I want to wish lished six times per year, in February, April, June, everyone a joyous Holiday Season and bountiful New Year. Stay warm and August, October, and December. The views and opinions expressed in letters or other content think about all the great rides you will take in 2017 celebrating the VJMC’s are those of the author and do not necessarily 40th Anniversary. represent VJMC policy. The VJMC accepts no lia- bility for any loss, damage, or claims occurring as Tom Kolenko a result of advice given in this publication or for claims made by advertisers of products or ser- VJMC President vices in this publication. [email protected] VINTAGE JAPaneSE MOTOrcycLE MAGAZINE 5 6 DECEMBER 2016 / JANUARY 2017 EVENTS Bill Brown’s Midwest Regional Sidecar Event by Mark Bayer, President KCVJMC, Kansas/Missouri Representative / [email protected] t’s great to have good friends, and ing over forty scooters and motorcy- IBill Brown has been a good friend of cles next door. A large concrete deck Kansas City’s VJMC. Bill is a commit- in front of these areas is used to show ted member who collects motorcycles, many of his machines. A large drive- scooters, sidecars, and other interest- way and adjacent field are used for ing artifacts related to these fields. bikes which are brought in to show. He is also a Japanese motorcycle and Bill has an impressive scooter collec- scooter enthusiast. Bill has worked as tion, which includes machines from RIGHT: a Porsche technician, exotic car tech- nearly every continent that produce Our host nician, and has taught automotive and them. His collection of Japanese bikes Bill Brown motorcycle repair and theory at sever- is impressive, as well as being heavy on al local colleges, for General Motors, at small Honda mopeds, scooters, and Pittsburg State College, and at numer- mini-bikes. He also has several micro ous other educational institutions. His Japanese mini-bikes with actual mini career has spanned thirty-six years, so sidecars—what fun! he is no novice when it comes to the At the sidecar event you can see ev- knowledge of mechanical things. Ev- erything from large traditional Amer- ery year Bill sponsors a spring picnic ican V-twins with sidecars down to and a fall sidecar event, which our club mini-bike sidecar set ups. Bill also has