Volume 36 / Number 5 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2015 • $5 The WHAT’S INSIDE: Tale of a Yamaha YL2 KCVJMC Visits Allen Press Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. IN THIS ISSUE Features EVENT: Kansas City VJMC’s COVER STORY 4th Annual All Japanese Motorcycle Rally 6 & Swap Meet The Survivor 40 PROJECT BIKE: Tale of a Yamaha YL2 12 EVENT: 10th Annual Antique Bikes 19 on Main EVENT: 2015 Santa Fe Motorado 20 Bike Show EVENT: Kansas City VJMC Visits Allen Press 24 PROJECT BIKE: My 1972 Honda CB750 K2 28 Restoration EVENT: 2015 AMA Departments Vintage Motorcycle PRESIDENT’S LETTER: 44 Days at Mid-Ohio Partnerships Create Fun ......................................................................5 RIDING SAFETY: BACK IN THE DAY: Vintage Motorcycle Honda CB750K2 / Richard A. McGuire .......................................... 10 Safety 49 FROM THE EDITOR: Event Filled Fall, Winter Projects, & the Lady Yamaha ............... 11 ODDS & ENDS: Attention Project ADVERTISER’S SPOTLIGHT: Deficit Disorder Spotlight on Advertising ................................................................... 54 53 TECH HELP: Tech Tip #10: More on Powder Coating & Bridge Rectifiers ...... 55 Volume 36 / Number 5 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2015 • $5 On the EVENTS CORNER ......................................................................... 57 The Cover “The Survivor”, CLASSIFIEDS .................................................................................. 58 Scott Sturgis’s 1976 Honda ADVERTISERS’ INDEX ............................................................... 61 CB550F WHAT’S INSIDE: Tale of a Yamaha YL2 KCVJMC Visits Allen Press Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio cover photo: OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. Scott Sturgis VIntAGE JAPANESE MotorcYCLE MAGAZINE 3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER Official Publication of the VJMC Partnerships Create Fun OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2015 he road to the future of this club is to create and strength- Volume 36, Number 5 en partnerships. Intuitively, we have always sought part- PRESIDENT T Tom Kolenko ners to leverage our limited resources and expand our reach. 770-427-4820 We are growing successfully because we have members who [email protected] have cultivated and nurtured events with partners. We are EDITOR all volunteers, and no one gets paid to prospect for partner- Michael Fitterling 863-632-1981 ships. Partnerships create great fun for all our members. [email protected] Whether it is in Indianapolis, Phoenix, Boise, or Kansas DESIGN DIRECTOR City, we have volunteers who have built relationships that ultimately serve our Nadine G. Messier members and their partners in that locale. These VJMC partnerships have [email protected] typically been with vintage-friendly dealerships and shops that support open CLASSIFIED ADS houses, meetups, rides, and shows. Gary Gadd 817-284-8195 I am always amazed at how many visitors to these events do not currently [email protected] own a bike or have one roadworthy enough to ride. But seeing the gathering of MAGAZINE DISPLAY Japanese iron rekindles the good vibes of the past. Intentions to ride increase, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR repairs move forward, and “new to me” motorcycles get purchased. Fresh tires, Bryan Bentley 864-923-0559 oil, tune-ups, riding gear, and other necessities are purchased where members [email protected] feel welcome. Successful local dealerships and shops have learned to invest in MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR these partnerships. Bill Granade Great local and regional VJMC partnerships can also be developed with ex- 813-961-3737 [email protected] isting or established motorhead events, like charity vintage car and aircraft shows. As invited guests, we often are provided with booth space and are part CHANGE OF ADDRESS of the show’s excitement. We help advertise the event and build visitor traffic, Please direct these requests to Bill Granade: [email protected] supporting the charity and vendors there. Devotees of vintage bikes, cars, and planes often have common gene pools. ADDITIONAL COPIES In order to minimize unnecessary expens- The VJMC has a strong national partnership history with the AMA Mid- es to the club, VJMC prints a limited number Ohio event; Barber Vintage Festival; IMS shows; Riding into History; Yama- of each issue of Vintage Japanese Motorcy- cle Magazine. However, we would be glad to ha; and, recently, AIMExpo and Ace Café Orlando. These organizations have accommodate any requests for additional copies been very generous to the VJMC each year, permitting us to grow and better from members. serve our members. They deserve our patronage and support. Please thank These requests must be submitted before the those partners who are so committed to creating great times for our members. 15th of the month preceding each issue. For ex- ample: for the Feb/Mar issue requests must be All these relationships have to be grounded in respect, sharing, and mutual received by January 15. benefits if they are to endure. We are often approached to promote or sponsor MISSION STATEMENT: events which do not share these basics, and they typically do not work out. We The purpose of this organization is to promote recognize that we are a niche organization and focus on our members’ needs the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of first. vintage Japanese motorcycles (defined here as those 20 years old or older). The VJMC also will Ultimately, it’s members that make events happen. It was Ellis Holman, Jim promote the sport of motorcycling and camera- Townsend, and Sean Carrigan and their fantastic team that created fun times derie of motorcyclists everywhere. again at Mid-Ohio this year. Similarly, Jack Stein and Bob Leonard kept the © 2015 Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club of North America, an IRS-approved Not-for-prof- annual West Coast Rally tradition alive in Arizona. These big events take re- it 501(c)(7) corporation. All rights reserved. sources, time, and dedicated volunteers to make them happen. Thank you all! No part of this document may be reproduced Events are important to our members, since an active club is a growing club. or transmitted without permission. All articles copyright by their respective authors. While our members don’t need excuses to ride their bikes, riding to a VJMC Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Magazine is pub- event is always sweeter. I hope to see you all at the Barber Vintage Festival and lished six times per year, in February, April, June, other great fall events. August, October, and December. The views and opinions expressed in letters or other content are those of the author and do not necessarily Ride safe and often, represent VJMC policy. The VJMC accepts no lia- bility for any loss, damage, or claims occurring as a result of advice given in this publication or for Tom Kolenko claims made by advertisers of products or ser- VJMC President vices in this publication. [email protected] VIntAGE JAPANESE MotorcYCLE MAGAZINE 5 6 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2015 Kansas City VJMC’s All Japanese Motorcycle Rally & Swap Meet VIntAGE JAPANESE MotorcYCLE MAGAZINE 7 8 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2015 EVENT by Mark Bayer, President KCVJMC & Kansas/Missouri Field Representative / [email protected] ur fourth annual All Japanese Ral- Oly was held on Saturday, June 27th, 2015. This year we moved our annual swap meet to this event because of the need for more space to accommodate it. 2014’s event turned out to be our most attended event last year and was the one which people commented about the trunk or parked a trailer. most. This year turned out to be every bit Some of the first bikes to show up were as successful as last year’s. The weather two perfectly restored 1969 Honda K0 was great, the larger lot allowed for the CB750s, recently completed by Jerry swap meet to have plenty of space, and Jeunemann. The pair looked like they we had many new attendees join us. could have been sitting on the show- Each year and each show seem to be room floor or should be in a museum! very different from the previous. This There was an unrestored 1963 Honda year, the swap meet vendors came ear- C110 and an unrestored 1972 Honda ly, and the bulk of the bikes seemed to CB350 which was in really good original come in a little later. Each of our events shape. Randy Sams brought a gorgeous In all, we featured between 120 and are intentionally different. Our spring yellow Yamaha RZ350, and his son rode 150 bikes, and I estimate we had well show is intended to kick off our year- a Yamaha RD350. There was a fully re- over 400 guests. ly show and events season. This event, stored 1974 Kawasaki H1 in European We had guests from the Lincoln, Ne- the All Japanese Rally, is a more casual green, along with a really nice 1975 Su- braska, VJMC club, as well as Kathy and event, and our VJMC Regional is an at- zuki Titan T500. Pat Cipolla showed his Bob Steck, from Blaine, Minnesota. The tempt at a more organized show. We al- 1973 Suzuki TS400 with all the original Stecks came specifically from Minneso- ways end the year with a popular multi- paperwork from the original purchase ta to our event—that’s over 500 miles! club picnic. of the bike. Other bikes included a 1964 We love visitors, so please let us know if This year’s rally and swap meet was Super Hawk with the low bars, which you come to one of our events. We also a mix of about half vintage stock Japa- was fully restored, a restored Yamaha had numerous visitors from a 100-200 nese machines, about a fourth vintage XS650, an early Kawasaki Z1, and a nice mile radius. Japanese customs, and about a fourth original Honda 500T in the original Our next event will be the VJMC Re- were Japanese bikes from the late 1980s brown color. At mid-morning, someone gional Show, scheduled for Saturday, and later.