Commando Weslake

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SeeleyWeslake said:
To expand on Matts history of the twins - Weslake built the Triumph 8 valve conversions for the Rickmans which went on pre unit and T120 bottom ends. Weslake saw the need to build a stronger bottom end and designed one during some quiet time in about 1971. However they got too busy with the speedway singles and turned the maunfacture of the twin engine and the conversion kits to Dave Nourish ( Nourish Racing Engines NRE)in 1976.
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Great info on the history. I remember in the early 70's when the twin engines were getting debuted in around the UK racing circuits. When they announced the 850 8 valve engines would be available for sale I tried to purchase one but my letters to Weslake went unanswered. Communication in those days wasn't what it is today and I never did make contact. There was a good write up in one of the US/Canadian cycle magazines in the summer of 1972 or maybe 73 on the engines with photos. It would be interesting to read that article again as these are such rare birds with not too much written history. It's great to see all the photos and links folks, keep em coming!
 
Was a write up / test / comparoson about 72 in a Aussie mag. of a 1970 Bonneville with a think a Rickman supplied
700 Weslke 8 Valve top end fitted . Unique pipes of course . Commercially available here ?? maybe not ?? .

A True ' Mitesse ' in the makeing obviously SteveA , :lol: AND If I here RRT2 one more ...... time , Why , :? :!:

The old ' Motorcycle weekly ' rag , newspaper style issue , often had tech trade write ups on supposedly ' the latest thing out '
Motorcycle Sport is a candidate too .

Ray Knight had a T140 Thruxton on track in one , All Alloy & Black . Periodically hanker after a ' 73 Thruxton Bonne ' . :cry:
Maybe the only one ever built . ?

Keep em comeing , Variety isnt the spice of life , its the very essence .R Pape . and HEs a Pain all right . :x
 
Matt Spencer said:
A True ' Mitesse ' in the makeing obviously SteveA , :lol: AND If I here RRT2 one more ...... time , Why , :? :!:
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Well, the word 'Metisse' was used apparently tongue in cheek as it was understood to be colloquial french for 'mongrel', but is seems there may be another interpretation.....You may find a 'magazine' called......Métisse........

“Métisse” is a French word for a woman who is multicultural, multiracial, and whose roots are multicontinental. You pronounce it may-TEACE. We use a French word because there is no word like it in English.

....indeed....

When delivered to me the chassis I commissioned from the brothers Derek and Don had a sticker on the tank saying Rickman, so Rickman it is.....Mongrel, well....

In those day it was pretty much Rickman and Norton, with a little bit of Quaife, Betor, Borrani, Lockheed and the ubiquitous Amal....not much of any of that made in the original factories today!
 
Matt Spencer said:
Commercially available here ?? maybe not ?? .
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With the complete engine I wouldn't say "commercially available" it was more like they breathed a hint that a select few may be available at that point in time. I had the impression since they were producing a number of them for themselves they were going to do a small run of them while they were at it. Probably not a money making venture but more a means to get some cash back from their efforts thus far. The castings and workmanship looked good and I think performancewise they looked promising early on with the 1st prototypes.

The article I spoke of must have been in the summer of 72 because I remember it being larger displacement than Norton or any other british twin engine to date. I'd like to hear more of what happened with these engines from 72 till 76 when as SeeleyWeslake informs us, the production was passed over to NRE.

Thanks for the video Paul, it sure sounds nice!
 
swooshdave said:
SteveA said:
We use a French word because there is no word like it in English.
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Sure we do, it's a "bitsa". A bit of this and a bit of that.
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I guess its is how you interpret it, I understood a bitsa was when you took parts from one motorcycle manufacturer and fitted them together with parts from another manufacturer, and added a few bits that were otherwise just laying on teh floor....the most popular being the Triton of course, though I never did understand why you would want to replace a perfectly good Norton engine an gearbox with a Triumph setup, but never mind...others...

TriBSA, TriCati, NorBSA, NorVin....

But the good old Rickman frame was built in various configurations. Mine was and is a frame configuration specifically designed and supplied to take a Norton engine and gearbox...OK, I had to file a few bits :wink: , but I was using a set of the last Commando MkIII cases made by the factory in '75, and the frame configuration had probably been established to the Atlas or 650SS! (out of interest it was from the last batch of 5 frames Rickman built for Nortons, October '75, I don't think they did any more Triumph road race or road ones either as they progressed on through Honda CB750 and Kawasaki Z900 road bikes).

Was it, or will it be, a 'bitsa'...in my eyes it will perhaps be a mongrel, which whilst an apparent derogatory term, but it can be something that combines two pedigree heritages to improve the breed :D

But I always was a bit of snob about these things, I am English after all, I only think of myself as British when you ask me for my passport :D
 
Like EGLI , DRESDA regeisterd the ' TRITON ' as a model , with Dresda , the Manufacturor . SO , ( bitsa :( ) :shock: in THIS CASE is a misnomer , Like a ' EGLI ' , It is a ' DRESDA '

Commando Weslake


picture of a Combat / Manx & a Vincent Manx here , along with a blast on the 1965 Barcelona 24 Hr Wining Dresda . :D :lol: Sometimes mistakenly referd to as a ' 650 Triumph ' . :shock: in reports .
featherbed-dual-loop-cradle-pictures-t11721.html

Unfortunately , why there ended up being so many Featherbeds with Triumph Twins in them , was the pre 1960 triumphs steered so atrociously you couldnt leave the thottle on long enough to blow it apart ,
But plenty went off the road , The Nortons , on the other hand , were ' The Worlds Best roadholder ' so delinquent youths could leave the throttle on the stop , combined with the maintainace regime , the things
blew apart . HENCE there were plenty of engineless Nortons and bent Triumphs going cheap .This seldom applied to Manx Chassis , or Bonneville engines .Though Cooper had to buy Whole Manxes to liberate
the Engines for his ' Cooper 500 ' raceing cars , so new Manx rolling chassis were not unobtainable . If you wernt short of a bob . or an engine , Like a Vincent or Combat . :D

Now , Weslake . ! Er . . . . Yes ! right .
 
Mark F said:
tootall Paul said:
You Guys may like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0C5RCuJKrM
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Hey Paul that's the same guy I met at the Ace Cafe. Though the bike in the clip looks to be an earlier version.
So what's the legend?
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The bike in the video is one i've just put together, its a 912 Puma Weslake, That was the first time it had been started since building it. I ve just sent all the bits off for chroming etc so when they come back it'll be nearly ready for the road. :D
 
I'm told by the British boys that Norton didn't sell Manx engine w/o the rest of the bike so whole bikes bought for the engine leaving frames to put Triumphs in.
 
tootall Paul said:
Mark F said:
tootall Paul said:
You Guys may like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0C5RCuJKrM
Click to expand...
Hey Paul that's the same guy I met at the Ace Cafe. Though the bike in the clip looks to be an earlier version.
So what's the legend?
Click to expand...


The bike in the video is one i've just put together, its a 912 Puma Weslake, That was the first time it had been started since building it. I ve just sent all the bits off for chroming etc so when they come back it'll be nearly ready for the road. :D
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So this bike(in the video) is not the same one as the one I photographed at the Ace? Is this bike yours or Micks? Nice stuff I've got to say. Where the heck do you guys come across these engines? I would love to build one of these but I think the wife would turf me out if I even suggested it! :lol: Tell me more about the 912 Puma. How about some more pics. Please. :mrgreen: Can you tell I'm envious?
 
Hi Mark

how do i post pics ? the bike in the video is not the one you photographed at the ace. i will put up a few pics if someone will tell me how.
 
Paul there are instructions at the top of the main page - Norton Commando Motorcycles. Ask if you get stuck.
So the one in the video is a new one owned by you? Nice.
 
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