SCOOPERMAN!

The sunny side of the classic world, with the VJMC’S Steve Cooper

Without question we have become supremely dependent upon the internet and it’s happened in less than a generation.

In our strange and bizarre world virtually

(sic) everything we might ever need to know about our old classics is, theoretically at least, on line. Or is it? Just how confident are you that the data you need is always out there and, more importantly, accurate? If you cross-reference over five websites brake shoes/pads, sets of points, condensers, air filter, etc., then surely if they all agree then the part number has to be correct? Well, you’d like to think so, but that’s not always the case. The internet is arguably the modern home of plagiarism where misconceptions, misinterpretations, half-truths and often lies are continually perpetuated. Why? Oh, that’s simple... because it’s just oh so easy to believe someone else’s work to be accurate and authentic.

Of course, it would be erroneous to assume that everything you read is iniquitous, but there’s still enough stuff out there to seriously wrong foot you. A recent case in point was the search for some modern brake shoes for a 1960s Yamaha, which could have ended with the owners getting the wrong parts. As an American import it made sense to look at Yamaha USA’S website, but since the advent of GDPR it’s not always possible to access it. Eventually the part number was found, which subsequently up-issued to a revised number. Entering this into ebay then threw up three alternatives, which certainly added confusion to the matrix. Some of the listings then had fitment lists, which hindered rather than helped making selection of the parts even more difficult.

Ultimately the only accurate, verbatim data that can be generally trusted has to be a manufacturer’s parts book from the correct model year and, crucially, the correct country. Although items such as brake shoes are unlikely to vary much around the world, other parts might, notably carburettor jets, control cables, lenses, and even seats or tanks can and do. At minimal cost a parts book was obtained and, low and behold, the clouds of confusion were lifted and the correct part number was confirmed. Two of the numbers found on-line were wrong and the third was a revised part number that was no longer recognised. The brake shoes have been supplied and fitted and the bike now stops efficiently, so job done, etcetera. What does this tell us? Quite possibly it confirms the old adage... ‘Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you read’! For the sake of a few quid isn’t it worth investing in a well-thumbed parts list for each bike you own? You can always move them on as and when you sell the bike, but in the meantime you’ll have an accurate reference to the correct parts for your bike. Why wouldn’t you want a parts book?