Hi Chris ! Its nice to see a Vendetta restored to such a high standard - I tried to enlarge your thumbnail pic to add to my "Frame History" but it seems to have been deleted. I know where most of my frames are are surprisingly, even found one at Spa - its owner thought it was a common (!) Seeley - he was delighted. If you could e-mail a photo or two it would be nice. Yours in Sort John Caffrey

IMAGES ARE ALL GONE!!!

Welcome John. It's always nice to have "insiders" on the forum.

vendettaframebuilder wrote:Hi Chris ! Its nice to see a Vendetta restored to such a high standard - I tried to enlarge your thumbnail pic to add to my "Frame History" but it seems to have been deleted. I know where most of my frames are are surprisingly, even found one at Spa - its owner thought it was a common (!) Seeley - he was delighted. If you could e-mail a photo or two it would be nice. Yours in Sort John Caffrey

Here's another one of yours, John. Martin Adam's old Commonwealth Norton. This is how it looked originally in 1984.





This is it at either Daytona or Laguna Seca back in 1986 or thereabouts.



And without the fairing in '86



And one at Daytona with Dave Pither aboard in 1987



I bought it from Martin some years ago, cleaned it up, and eventually sold it to a friend of mine, Fred Eiker, in New Mexico. The last picture I have of it is from Fred's adventure with it at Bonneville in 2008.



Ken

Hi

Sorry Tried to organize my photobucket albums & did not know it deleted them from previous posts.
Updated my posts.
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/phot ... 231679.jpg

Hi

Couple of photos
Lydden hill with fairing. First real run.


Then 1 year on again Lydden. No fairing. I cut 3 plus inches of the screen & still bashed myself silly. Never going to win so I thought I would let people see the bike.

On the bench as a bare frame again.
Quaife is playing up. 750 Maney engine back in, welded cases, standard rods, lovely head.High level Maney exhaust being altered to fit. It will not go around the frame tube.
The exhaust was the main problem as it dragged on the ground & I ended up wondering when it would slide on the pipe.
Very neutral bike, if you move your weight around the bike you can alter the way it handles.
Lydden again, notice the pipes!

all the best Chris

I have to know! What is the story on what looks like pillar bolts on the photo that shows the cylinder? Is this a monified 750 type cylinder?
THNX,
Rj

That's is too cool, many versions of the same bike.

rotorwrinch wrote:I have to know! What is the story on what looks like pillar bolts on the photo that shows the cylinder? Is this a monified 750 type cylinder?
THNX,
Rj

If I understand correctly, what you are looking at are shanks of the through bolts from the top deck of the barrel down into the engine cases. This looks like a Steve Maney alloy cylinder.

Looking through this thread makes me think we need a thread of "frame porn". I would enjoy learning more about the evolution of these frames.

Russ

Hi RJ

The early photos show my friends engine, he is a Paul Dunstall follower. He copies everything from the old tuning books. The engine is not far off being as quick as the Maney engine but we think it will wear out quicker! The pistons are machined as per Pauls ideas & there is not a lot left.
We believe this was one of the problems with the Rickman engine. I will photograph it to show you what I mean. The Maney engine is stronger, so "touch wood" hopefully it will last longer. John drills through the barrels al la 850 & extends the barrel nuts to lock them up. On the last Lydden photo you can see the Maney alloy barrel, made as a through bolt type but Steve doesnt bother with covering the lower studs & the finning is absent.
Russ I would love to see John Caffrey put some of his frame building history on here. He got permission from Colin Seeley to build the MK4 frames. Mine is from the later second batch of 6. The only thing I would change is the swinging arm taper rollers to ball bearing & spacer. These wore over a season as the footpegs are threaded on the end of the spindle & kept coming loose!!! I think locking them up didn't do the bearings any favors. On the Mk2 I have moved the footrests back (as you can see its a very compact bike) I intent doing the same with the MK4.

all the best Chris

Thanks Chris,
I had talked myself into seeing a modifed cast iron cylinder. I have a couple on Maney's alloys around here. Should have seen the similarity.
Rj

Chris wrote:Hi RJ

The early photos show my friends engine, he is a Paul Dunstall follower. He copies everything from the old tuning books. The engine is not far off being as quick as the Maney engine but we think it will wear out quicker! The pistons are machined as per Pauls ideas & there is not a lot left.
We believe this was one of the problems with the Rickman engine. I will photograph it to show you what I mean. The Maney engine is stronger, so "touch wood" hopefully it will last longer. John drills through the barrels al la 850 & extends the barrel nuts to lock them up. On the last Lydden photo you can see the Maney alloy barrel, made as a through bolt type but Steve doesnt bother with covering the lower studs & the finning is absent.
Russ I would love to see John Caffrey put some of his frame building history on here. He got permission from Colin Seeley to build the MK4 frames. Mine is from the later second batch of 6. The only thing I would change is the swinging arm taper rollers to ball bearing & spacer. These wore over a season as the footpegs are threaded on the end of the spindle & kept coming loose!!! I think locking them up didn't do the bearings any favors. On the Mk2 I have moved the footrests back (as you can see its a very compact bike) I intent doing the same with the MK4.

all the best Chris

I rode the Maney engined Vendetta in a couple of Parades in 2010, and Chris is not joking when he says 'compact'...I had to put a lot of foam on the seat to allow me to make down changes the first time out a Pembrey. I move a bit more than Chris, but the handling seemed about as neutral as you will get.

The Rickman referred to is what I hop to ride this year...asssuming the problems encountered last year are fixed...whilst my own very slow project of my original '75 Rickman goes on.

I met John Caffrey once in '76, it wasn't a friendly exchange, my Rickman had just consistenly outdragged his 840, 180 crank Weslake at Oulton Park...seems John paid over 3 times as much for his motor as I had for mine, and he was curious what it was, I wasn't telling.....maybe we should meet up sometime and I will tell him exactly what is was, though the observant members of this forum can find the information, and maybe work out why I wasn't saying much

please someone has web site of John caffrey??
henri

Henry

John does not have a website as far as I know. But if you go to the top of this thread you will see one by Vendetta frame maker.
This is the man himself Click on his name in the post & send him a personal message.
I will try & find his home phone number for you.

all the best Chris

Hello. I am thé owner of Spa of thé "single Seeley
M'y bike and tour frame is. really fantastic

NeXT Time Y send you more. information
and photos. Manu thanks