40 race events without a major rebuild

Below is a photo of a race Norton built buy Jesse Seary (now owned by Dennis Donahoe – winner of the 2015 pacific cost championship). The amazing thing about this Norton 750 race bike is that is has been on the track since 2010 with no tear downs other than head refreshening.

With current owner Dennis Donahoe in the saddle.


Email from Jesse:
“My bike was using your [JS] Pistons (gapless rings) with .005 clearance, rods, and camshaft kit. It used a Maney crank and cases and, some may scoff, a Hemmings big valve head (3mm larger intake valves). It has Les Cook lightened and polished rockers, RD valve springs... With these on board, the bike has done approximately 40 races [not weekends]. The motor has had no issues and is still running strong. The head has been refreshed with the race valve springs changed every year. I regard this as routine maintenance but it has been my experience that most racers overlook this task. The bike is not mollycoddled.”

”I sold the bike to Dennis who came every year to see the Norton run and asked me to consider him if I was ever to sell the bike…”

”With me riding the bike I consistently finished 2nd at Road America,Grattan, Miller, Willow Springs, Cresson. 1st was usually had by some deep pocket racer. At Road America the bike was exceptional pulling a Seeley on one of the long straights. With Dennis riding the 2nds are becoming firsts… The bike is quite exceptional.”

“I would still argue that the motor comprised of your parts and Maney's crank, cases, and exhaust has/is somewhat of an anomaly relative to any reasonable expectations. The bike has been ridden hard and I expect it to keep performing even though I have tried to urge Dennis to tear it down. The bike runs as it does because of the quality of parts and because it, if I may, is the product of a working class man's careful construction rather than being formed out of deep pockets...”

If anyone has questions about this racebike they can contact Jesse Seary at:
Jeseks@gmail.com

Original builder and rider Jesse Seary at Willow Springs raceway (my old home race track).

He has probably made the motor pull harder without revving the tits off it.

Excellent stuff - it'd be good to know more details about the bike though - it appears to have lots of little extra bits on it that I don't recognise!

Aw man! you've cursed it now. :cry:

I've seen the bike at AHRMA races and talked with Jesse and Dennis a number of times over the last several years. They are both serious Norton crazies, with Jesse as the old guy with all the experience, and Dennis as the young gun with lots of enthusiasm and desire to learn everything. He's also become quite a talented rider. The bike works very well, and is very impressive for a home-built racer. It has lots of interesting chassis and bodywork bits, almost all hand made by Jesse. Jesse raced it until medical issues forced him to turn the riding duties over to Dennis, and he eventually sold it to Dennis, who is continuing to race it. He's a working guy with a regular job, and running on a low budget, so can't make all the races, but usually does quite well at the ones he makes it to. Dennis lives in the Salt Lake City area, and I've seen him at the races at Miller, Willow Springs, and Sears Point/Sonoma, but I don't know what other races he's managed to get to.

I agree, it would be interesting to see details on the bike posted here. I've seen it enough times, but just don't recall all the details. All that comes to mind right now is that it's a featherbed frame with an alloy tank that Jesse hammered out on his own.

Ken

Ken
Here's another you'll like - our old friend Mick Ofield on his Seeley 750 probably at Willow Springs in the 1980s. Those were great races for all of us.

'Here's another you'll like - our old friend Mick Ofield on his Seeley 750 probably at Willow Springs in the 1980s. Those were great races for all of us.'

It can come again.
All it takes is for the race classes to be based on engine technology and capacity. The mix of bike types kills the race classes. What is needed is a set of capacity classes for air-cooled two valve single and twin engined bikes. i.e No two stroke or four cylinder engined bikes in those classes. The engine technology determines how the bikes handle and thus their racing lines, so there is also a safety factor involved. Any bike which has either a watercooled or four valve engine is 'modern' and should run in separate classes. Two strokes and small four cylinder engined bikes could run in 'GP' classes. The rest are superbikes.

”With me riding the bike I consistently finished 2nd at Road America,Grattan, Miller, Willow Springs, Cresson. 1st was usually had by some deep pocket racer. At Road America the bike was exceptional pulling a Seeley on one of the long straights. With Dennis riding the 2nds are becoming firsts… The bike is quite exceptional.”

Click to expand...

what other motors/model/make bikes run the same class?

84ok said:

what other motors/model/make bikes run the same class?

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Dennis has been riding it in the AHRMA BEARS class, which is open to two-cylinder pushrod engines built up to December 31, 1968, and like-design models from later years. AHRMA lists the following as among the eligible machines:

BMW 1971 and earlier twins up to 750 cc.
BSA all 650 and 750 twins.
Norton all 650 and 750 twins.
Triumph all 650 and 750 2-valve twins.
Moto Guzzi all pre-1969 twins.
Harely Davidson KR750 and 1971 XLCH and XLH.

The grid is usually mostly Triumphs, Nortons, and BMWs.

Ken

info on these "deep pocket" racers?

With me riding the bike I consistently finished 2nd at Road America,Grattan, Miller, Willow Springs, Cresson. 1st was usually had by some deep pocket racer.

Click to expand...

Jesse says he'll be putting another Norton race bike together with similar parts this winter. This time in a Commando frame with a TT industries 5 speed tranny and hopefully adding a new 2 to 1 exhaust system by Mike Hamilton if-when when they become available.

I can't be I let myself miss going to Willow the last two years. I've never raced personally but sure do love the smell of race fuel in the morning!!!