When I first handled this jacket I was taken aback by its weight and thickness. It was certainly heavier than I had first imagined, but then it did come complete with elbow and shoulder armour and a back protector. Also, I’d ordered in my normal size

CHOOSE WHICH CMM SUBSCRIPTION SUITS YOU BEST 1: 12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION BEST VALUE 12 print issues for £47 Direct Debit 12 print issues for £52 credit/debit card SAVE £15.40 2: SIX-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION 6 print issues for £25 Direct Debit 6 print issues f

At the risk of going out on a limb here, we’d cautiously suggest the earlier Suzuki GT550s are very possibly some of the best half-litre stroker triples to have ever come out of Japan. Not wishing to raise the ire of Kawasaki H1 owners here we’d furt

What do they say, if you’re digging yourself into a hole? ‘Oh that’s it: STOP!’ However, there’s also: ‘I’ve started, so I’ll finish.’ I knew by now financially (in profit terms) there was not going to be anything in it, probably a loss, but what do

We want to see YOUR pride and joy in our pages, so you can share what you ride and what you restore/build with fellow readers. Email your hi-res shots to bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk or mail in some photos at the address at the front of the mag. Let us kn

Giacomo Agostini’s critics (why he should have any is beyond us) would always complain that a number of his titles were against little in the way of opposition. Sure, he was often on the dominant MV Agusta machines in both 500 and 350cc classes, but

Suzuki’s biggest TS is gradually getting there as I work my way through the list of tasks. Unfortunately the inventory doesn’t seem to be decreasing pro rata; for every two jobs I complete I seem to find another one or The Gods of Restoration throw m

As many of us do, I happen to have a garage full of bikes. I'm very proud to say most of them work, but there’s always that one, isn't there? If you’re lucky it’s under a bike cover, but it may be under an old bed sheet or even covered with lots of o

Twenty or more years ago, the shrewd amongst us would often eschew the likes of sports-bikes or even sports-tourers for doing distance work and instead we used to enjoy going places on ‘big trailies’. Big trailies looked like the bikes that took part

Last time out (November 2023 issue) I was in a bit of a fix: testing at Cadwell Park and the bike suddenly died. With coolant and oil around the engine I was hoping for a ‘simple’ head gasket failure but taking the bike apart, the rattling sound from

If you want to buy a modern Yamaha YZF-R1 for the road, you’d best be quick… In a move similar to that of Suzuki and their sporting GSX-R1000R, which was discontinued at the end of 2022, Yamaha are doing the same with the R1 and R1M road machines. Th

There’s no point in trying to conduct a normal, structured interview with Guy Martin; his brain just doesn’t work that way. Renowned for his riding and engineering abilities, the Lincolnshire man has also thrilled millions with his TV shows and world

*and FB Marketplace, and Gumtree, and anywhere else we spot something we like… Asking: £525 Oh, I do like a nice DT-MX, and this one – spotted on Marketplace in France – has the air of not having been buggered about with too much, and looks a great c

We think it’s time, we really do. Kawasaki, do the decent thing and build a four-cylinder retro recreation of the sweet and sublime Z650: pretty please? We know that their current model, the Z650RS, is a fine machine – we tested it back in the Decemb

It’s almost like we planned it… Ducati Darmah – named after a Tiger – and Triumph’s Tiger which is, well, a tiger… I’d chosen these two tests to be in this issue before I’d even heard of the fact that ‘Darmah’ was the name of a tiger in some Italian

Since first seeing images of a Ducati 750GT in 1973 I’ve loved the look of the early big twins from Bologna. Some years later I was standing outside Coburn & Hughes’ Luton motorcycle emporium in Crawley Road debating whether to part exchange my RD350

There isn’t a great deal of point in me listing the bits I bolted on and what spanner I used; you all know exactly how to do that, but there are always tweaks and wrinkles to test the patience! One such was the pesky left-hand exhaust silencer/muffle

I have tested quite a number of jump packs, but this is the first to grace the pages of this fine organ, because prior to this example, not one has been an acceptable alternative to my old and trusted Mk.1 Ferrand jump pack. The eagle-eyed amongst yo

WITH MORE THAN 30 PAGES OF PRACTICAL ADVICE! KAWASAKI KH250: Steve Cooper rides a brace of lovely two-stroke 250s HONDA CBR900RR FIREBLADE: Bertie Simmonds on the 929 iteration of the brilliant Blade SUZUKI GT750 KETTLE: Buyer’s Guide SHOW US YER SHE

Post to Mechanics, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ or email your pictures to editorial@classicmechanics.com We love to hear from you, so why not let us know what you like, or dislike, in YOUR magazine. Simply get in touch by sending emails to: l

Q: A while back I purchased a 1984 Yamaha XJ900 which has been given the Café Racer treatment. I was advised at the time that it wasn’t charging and it was priced accordingly. My investigations so far: Stator: 0.47 Ohms between all three pairs of whi