Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

Project Suzuki B120P part 1 Blooping thing!

I started to hanker after a Bloop a few months ago. I’d sold a lot of them back in the 1970s and, apart from one failed main bearing, I had never had a mechanical failure, even on examples that had been hugely abused both on, and off road.

Starting in 1966 the basic format remained for the life of the bike. Why? Because it was tough. The frame and forks are simple but strong, and the beating heart is a pearler, with a weighty flywheel sitting on a substantial crank with ball and roller bearings of a size more usually seen on 500cc bikes. The Bloop can handle incredible amounts of abuse. After a few days I located a low-mileage bike (775 miles to be precise) just up the road in Chorley. But don’t be misled by the

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