As I surveyed the steaming, smoky mess that was giving off sounds like an annoyed cat, I knew it was time to rebuild my engine.

Not all engine rebuilds or repairs are prompted by a big hole in a crankcase; sometimes it's just time to freshen up that tired old engine. But before an engine can be rebuilt, it must be removed from its frame, and there are a lot of tricks that will make this job easier.

Removing an engine from a motorcycle is all about forward planning (it's too late to remember you should have drained all the fluids when oil is running down your leg). This planning must include where the operation will be done, what tools (including special tools) will be needed and how heavy is the engine.

It is not essential to get assistance, especially with a small engine, but it is usually a good idea. And, as with many classic bike jobs, it a good idea to take lots of photographs before you begin.

If you have a budget of $5,000, you can choose from some great classics. Whether you are buying privately, on eBay or at an auction, $5,000 will get you a really good bike.

And even better: classic prices are rising in most sectors, with industry experts predicting a jump in prices for the bikes in excellent original condition. However, if you are new to classic motorcycles, be very careful when buying and double check your research.

Another area of the classic market that keeps on growing is the scooter sector. With new scooter sales on the rise every year, the whole market has seen increases in sales with prices sure to follow.

I put a steering damper on a motorcycle of mine many years ago. The mild handlebar shake I used to have, when accelerating from a corner, became an almost uncontrollable tank slapper with the steering damper fitted!

The problem was that I had masked the original problem, and with only a mild amount of damping the phenomenon had moved up the speed range and become more violent as a result.

The lesson here is to find what is causing the problem before resorting to fitting a steering damper. And if your recent classic came with a steering damper fitted as stock, you can be sure that the engineers gave up trying to solve an inherent problem. So if one of these bikes starts to have handlebar shake, it's time for a new damper (or you can try to find what it was that the engineers gave up on!).

In the early days of motorcycling, the machines were all naked. But in an attempt to increase speed - as engineers began to understand aerodynamics - race bikes began to appear with fairings. From small cowlings on the handlebars of Manx Nortons, to dustbin fairings on Gillera's, fairing became popular on every racer.

Street bike fairings were developed (primarily) to give the rider better weather protection, especially on touring bikes. Bikini fairings were used on some machines, such as the GS1000S Suzuki's, but for the most part, manufacturers kept away from supplying bikes with fairings as a stock item until the 80s.

Fitting a motorcycle with a fairing is not without its challenges, and the owner is well advised to do some extensive research first. And while a fairing will keep a lot of the weather off of a rider, there are drawbacks, too. In particular, the bike will become more susceptible to side winds--be particularly careful on highways when going through an underpass.

Bottom line is try to get a test ride on a similar machine as your own that has a fairing fitted; it will feel very different!