Dave Sundquist Nortons (2018)

worntorn

VIP MEMBER
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
7,917
Notice triangulated swing arm, custom exhaust pipes, oil in frame, extra oil feed to followers, flat slides etc. Dunstall Norton in 2 nd photo.

Glen






 
  • Like
Reactions: baz
And here is a fairly long video about the bikes. Might not be everyone's cup of tea visually , but beautifully executed.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ujf7WSZKRo881T2ZAI3Xg
Yep there is some good stuff on them ,
But the headsteady is a bit questionable! Flimsy looking stainless steel bracket using the original mini cotton reels!!
And then the same on the bottom of the motor?
I do like the extra oil to the cam followers ,not sure if it's needed tho?
Also the oil filter looks good ,
But as you say not everyone's cup of tea , horrible style frame/seat/exhaust good for nothing rising rate forks and only takes it to 6000rpm for testing jeez I do that every time I take mine out!
I have a self imposed rev limit of 7000 but I've taken it to 7500 on a few occasions
 
Alan they are built for riding on the road like most people on here do, ride on the road, everyone have their own ideas in how things are built and don't build bikes that only go on the track once in awhile when they can afford it.
Like Glen said not everyones cup of tea but who cares they still look like they are well done and some good workmanship has been put into them, like my Norton it was built in the early 80s it has a lot of miles on it and has been ridden hard in all the 43 years of ownership but is showing its age but I still love it and I wouldn't change a thing on it as its built my way with my own hands.

Ashley
 
Like many of us here he has his own ideas of what to change and what to replace it with.

He did all of the painting. I think we can all agree that the paint job is beautiful.

Glen
 
Every road bike I ever had in the old days, suffered from cracked mounts on everything.
 
Styling aside, the exhaust is beyond words. As someone who rides with high pipes, that slip-on would hold your leg waaayyy out. Everything looks well executed and superbly finished.
 
You old fart stick in the mud just bite your tongues, that is a world class execution of elegant mods and inventiveness on clever OIF, that simply taps spine to drain out and pump back with only two holes in spine, not counting the pretty filler cap. Sounds more throaty than most so whats not to love and admire? Its an isolastic Commando, so even delicate mudguard stays are quite sufficient. Ya do know the billet side cover is also an significant oil tank cooler. Exhaust system must weigh half of ordinary common cafe's. Has long travel hi stance forks like Ms Peel so can out lean any ordinary common cafe's or too low slung racers I've seen foul peg to ruin a turn. Single squish small combustion chambers Full Auto can eat heart out over, ignored in put down opinions. Extra oil feed on cam/lobes, so nil damage below 2000 rpm, none the rest of us have. No claim of being a hot rod, just a dam decent pulling please'r. Its got Combat 2S cam so no end to power increase till blows up or pilot says uncle. Smallish hi velocity ports. Art deco chrome header roller coaster are dizzy impressive functional, snarly growly to tingle everyone's groins in authoritative delight w/o mis firing annoyance obnoxious Hogs. Tidy filter before enters rod journals, cool. Bragging rights on crank and tank ventilation w/o a flapper valve in sight! Polished robust Qualfe shell, like Ms Peel had before deciding on blower motor and nary a one ya yoose snubs got. Made frame more robust with lightened cradle I'm eating my holie-ness heart out over. Light headed oxygen flood just now to get past....
Dealt with my own AMC beef, lay shaft sleeve bush oiling over sight. Only one way to understand that issue so doubt only a few here ever will so over heads to recognize superior wisdom, most will not need anyway. Closest fitting swing arm following rear mudgaurd with robust extra vibe dampening fracture resistance no one else even thought about let alone do so elegant nice an ass end to look & stroke. Triangulated swing arm implies he knows about that bugger flexing to onset The Hinge Horror. He's not the first but still one of the few. Aw shit, even polished and red nipple covered the zerk on spindle covers, what a freaking obnoxious trailer queen jerk show off to envy. Air fill shocks like my load lugging car I'd never heard about on a Norton before, the dirty bastard Norton fence jumper should be drawn quartered if seen in public. Kind of a braggart on the front hub machining teasing others to mimic with plain facts to face. He faced solve identical rear hub issues Mz Peel did so up to speed on those trick triple alignment details. He likely measured on a bench, I hung frame leveled vertical from rathers with gear box/sprocket installed to make chain a plumb line everything else referenced too. Mz Peel is rather more intricate complexly simple Water Buffloo vintage bodge, cushdrive changeable sprocket like his and prettier vintage art deco to me. He warns others if rear - cascades of out the box machining compromises perfection plus plain brutal methods I can so appreciate and also advise don't attempt it unless a lugwig, Schmidt, Comstock, Canaga Jves, hobot sort of resources. Not afraid of opinion to use kissing cusion HD parts like me,oooh sinfulness of that. OMG its a freaking camel hump under modifed tank, extra strong stem and Deere under frame extra isolastic, sheeze, over killing me.
I see he's moved lighter kick stand to rear for more vertical stress loading like Mz Peel with lifted forks too. Ruined the iconic Z plates, so would slack him silly on that let down. Alexander The Great Gordian Knot Hog elegant rear loop solution with 1 inch taller shocks wisdom. Wonder plans on butchered frame so time well spent in fantasy land come true. Ain't got half the screwy features of Mz Peel so a laggard w/o much taste to me too eh.
 
So you liked it......or maybe not??
I'm ok either way, I just posted them as they are all interesting modifications of our beloved Commandos.
And the guy has some serious skills.

Glen
 
In the vid, he mentioned "aluminue" several times. The part he was talking about was put together of multiple small pieces made to look like one. WTF is "aluminue"?

BTW, Hobot, those "Z plates" were just flat plate cut to profile and sandblasted for a false relief. No actual factory Z plates were harmed. (Unlike the SS clone's hollowed shells of their former glorious selves)
 
Last edited:
Yes there are some great /interesting features to those bikes
But the seat/exhaust plus crazy amount of unsprung weight on the backend
And the mini cotton reels under the motor !!! They are rubber exhaust mounts at the end of the day,!
Not as good as a norvil head steady or a Dave Taylor rod link.
Taste has a lot to do with it here, personally I could not live with the way that God awful seat fits the tank! And the style of back end
The exhaust system is pointless etc etc
The finish is superb and a very interesting bike
 
Superb finish, some excellent engineering, some dubious engineering and butt ugly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: baz
claims at ~ 38:10 that 7 outa ten commando frames are twisted at the neck & they are the weakest ever motorcycle frame to come from england
 
claims at ~ 38:10 that 7 outa ten commando frames are twisted at the neck & they are the weakest ever motorcycle frame to come from england
He can't have ever ridden a rigid triumph 6t frame!!!
It is refreshing to see what people can do with a commando
The alternative would be to ride around on factory stock commandos and that would be bad IMHO
 
Last edited:
Back
Top