New Bikes

[willedoo]

Will these new Norton Commandos become a reality, or are they already making them? Unfortunately, I'm too decrepit to be able to ride one. I'd need a hip replacement even to be able to ride a Ural + sidecar.

 

The styling reminds me very much of the Norton Commando Fastback I had in 1972. I'd bet the new ones are more reliable. There used to be a joke about the original Commandos that if you got a bike built on a Wednesday, it would be ok.

 

[facthunter]

The seat's too high on nearly all of them, for a lot of people..  Get the right model Yamaha TRX and red plate it. I've worked on plenty of Commando's over the years up until a year ago..  Nev

[willedoo]

Being 5'9.5", I'd have Buckley's chance on tall seated bikes of today. I remember the 1972 model Norton Fastback I had was almost too tall; could only get the front half of the feet on the ground. The Roadsters were lower in the seat and more comfortable. Even the Fastback seat itself wasn't very comfortable. You had to trade comfort and practicality for looks.

[onetrack]

I've got an '83 Honda CM250 Custom, which enables me to think I'm driving a Harley. I don't see where anyone would need more than 250cc to get propelled around on two wheels. 

[Jerry_Atrick]

I miss my VFR750.. It needed every cc on that bike to lug me around...

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Jerry_Atrick

[Old Koreelah]

3 hours ago, willedoo said:

Will these new Norton Commandos become a reality…

I want one almost as much as the Candy Apple Red one with Vivien Neves draped over it…

 

3 hours ago, willedoo said:

Being 5'9.5", I'd have Buckley's chance on tall seated bikes of today…

Me too, and I’m tall. I suspect on reason for the Commando’s high seat was the 19” wheels each end.

[facthunter]

She's got legs right up to her armpits or on stilts. Back tyre is too  small  a section for the HP Output They were quite torquey. Newv

[spacesailor]

Those Commsndo,s went heaps better !.

AS

A Norvin !!.

1000cc twin pot, 

Vincent of course. Mine Was the Black Prince, into a norVin, but couldn't win the race. As far too thirsty .

spacesailor

[onetrack]

My late stepfather (who was 76 when he married my 80 yr old mother!), proudly informed me how he had owned a Brough Superior when he was but a lad in the U.K.!

 

Of course, I had no idea what a Brough Superior was, and this surprised him greatly when I told him exactly that!

 

He promptly enlightened me as to where they stood in the motorcycle world! - the "Rolls Royce of motorcycles", and the first production motorcycle to exceed 100mph!

[willedoo]

32 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

Those Commsndo,s went heaps better !.

AS

A Norvin !!.

1000cc twin pot, 

Vincent of course. Mine Was the Black Prince, into a norVin, but couldn't win the race. As far too thirsty .

spacesailor

One of the nicest looking bikes I ever saw was a Norvin. It was at Phillip Island, a Black Shadow motor in a Norton featherbed frame. It was done up in the boy racer style with clip ons and small single race seat. Always wanted to build one. I tracked down a nice fearherbed frame, but Buckley's chance of ever getting a Black Shadow motor to put in it.

[spacesailor]

But Oh so thirsty. 

The Shadow was for ' sidecar ' use. & the Comet half a bike. LoL.

The Prince was the Sport bike.

AND most young riders used clipon,s to rest on the tank.

The standard bars were very short .

spacesailor

[facthunter]

Ken Lucas built quite a few Norvins, and raced them but he used  a Matchless G50  mostly .  The Vincent lightning motor was developed to whatever you wanted to try to get it to but  the standard shadow was 55 Horsepower  which is not that high for a 1000 cc motor. The ports were not the best flowing and needed to be welded and reshaped and one of the heads was used on BOTH cylinders

. George Brough used Proprietary parts mostly JAP Motor and Sturmey Archer Gearbox with a fairly ordinary single downtube  frame for the faster bikes and his own rocking beam motor and an Austin 7 powered model were very "different.. ALL Broughs are very collectible especially genuine ones that have  a  provable history./ Laurence of Arabia had a couple and died on one.  Nev

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Laurence of Arabia had a couple and died on one.

Actually I think he died because he came off one, trying to avoid two kids on bicycles on a country lane.

 

Weren't those Vincent engines the goto  engine for speedway outfits?

[facthunter]

By about 1950 yes. Before that it was the JAP KTOR based V twin with two speedway barrells. Alcohol Fuel gives a lot more power and runs much cooler. The Vincent bottom end was probably one of the best at the time.. Vincent also made a motor for DRONES for target shooting called a Queen Bee. Bits from those are much the same as the Bike motor.  Nev

[red750]

Now this could be fun....

 

 

 

[onetrack]

91mph on a mobility scooter?? The bloke's got a death wish, that's going to come true very shortly! Is that that mad Colin Furze?

 

Edited June 10, 2022 by onetrack

[Marty_d]

My butt was puckering just watching that.  Doing those sorts of speeds on a vehicle designed for 15km/h or so, with no protection...

[old man emu]

Just the thing for outrunning the Grim Reaper.

[facthunter]

Speed might have been measured at the back wheels with plenty of wheelslip.? Nev

[Old Koreelah]

22 hours ago, Marty_d said:

My butt was puckering just watching that.  Doing those sorts of speeds on a vehicle designed for 15km/h or so, with no protection...

Too plurry right, Marty!
I suspect they depend on that heavy lead battery for some stability, especially with the morbidly obese people I’ve seen on them!

 

As part of a community steering advisory group, I helped ensure our Council planted a curved hedge at the bottom of a steep hill below our retirement home- in the hope it could catch runaways before they hit the traffic!

[Jerry_Atrick]

Maybe this will lighten the load:

 

[facthunter]

Mr Bean drives a McLaren. Nev

[onetrack]

And here was me thinking, Mr Bean always drove a Reliant Regal Supervan!

[facthunter]

I think he has owned a couple of McLarens. Think I'd rather drive a Ford RS Focus. Nev

[Marty_d]

10 hours ago, onetrack said:

And here was me thinking, Mr Bean always drove a Reliant Regal Supervan!

Nah - Mr Bean has the Mini.  He always ends up causing the Reliant driver to tip over (apparently very easily done in that 3 wheeler).