different engine commando frame

MattinTexas · Aug 21, 2015

Member Seely Westlake raced this bike in the 1990s. To paraphrase Chapman a practical alternative to a Commando engine in a Commando frame. Probably the downside is the cost of the Westlake/Nourish engine.

Dances with Shrapnel · Aug 21, 2015

MattinTexas said:
Member Seely Westlake raced this bike in the 1990s. To paraphrase Chapman a practical alternative to a Commando engine in a Commando frame. Probably the downside is the cost of the Westlake/Nourish engine.

For the durability and performance, a Nourish Weslake is a real bargain. You get real reliable power right out of the box with a Nourish. Think about a Norton engine and all the beefing up, special machining and parts etc.

When you are all done with a proper Commando race engine build, the only thing OEM will be the points cover and rocker covers.

I raced against that Nourish Commando at Sears Point back then, quite the machine and rider.

Fast Eddie · Aug 21, 2015

84ok said:
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what-engines-fit-these-frames-t16754.html

Gotta wonder what the design brief was for that seat...

74ok · Aug 21, 2015

likely a kardashian influence, :mrgreen:

when someone said he'd seen 2 commandos with the honda engine, i was surprised mostly that the frame could deal with i assume the xtra weight, tho looking at a pix doesn't say much about that

the commando frame doesn't look to me like something that looks xtra strong (could be wrong tho?) from the get go, like the featherbed, or really suitable for much more than a motor very similar to the commando

74ok · Aug 21, 2015

Dances with Shrapnel said:
I raced against that Nourish Commando at Sear Point back then, quite the machine and rider.

nourish is still new to me (know nothing), looking forward to finding that info

74ok · Aug 21, 2015

http://thekneeslider.com/norkaw-kawasak ... mick-king/

http://thekneeslider.com/norton-nsu-spe ... ni-mammut/

http://thevintagent.blogspot.ca/2011/11 ... ycles.html

In this work, Garside was helped by Bert Hopwood, retired BSA and Triumph designer (a protogé of Edward Turner, and author of the excellent 'Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry'), and the pair added a second rotor to the Sachs engine (giving 588cc), with many times the original finning area, plus that redesigned intake. The engine was installed in several chassis over the years, from a Triumph 'Bandit' to a Norton Commando,

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1K9_7XvTuk/T ... norton.jpg

norton-flat-tracker-t4578.html

Without the Isolastics, that frame wouldn't survive more than a few hours. I did a lot of the structural tests on it, and though strong, it was vibration fatigue sensitive. Lateral bending strength in flat tracke use would also have been very hard on the frame.

norton-flat-tracker-t4578.html#p40852

Fast Eddie · Aug 22, 2015

84ok said:
Dances with Shrapnel said:

I raced against that Nourish Commando at Sear Point back then, quite the machine and rider.

Click to expand...

nourish is still new to me (know nothing), looking forward to finding that info

http://www.nourishengineering.co.uk/page.php

74ok · Aug 22, 2015

norton-flat-tracker-t4578.html#p40852

It was not as stiff in the bending plane, but still quite a bit stiffer than the older technology. When we transferred the design concept to the AJS Stormer, we started to see the limitations of the Commando concept in anything other than street use

seems to have adapted to racing ok? or perhaps more to it?

is the nourish/westlake isolastics fitted?

acotrel · Aug 22, 2015

Would an Aerial Square Four motor be good in a commando frame ?

74ok · Aug 22, 2015

from what i read, the square 4 won't go in a featherbed without frame compromising integrity mods, very difficult (tricky to get right) job and not many out there,

i saw one in an older norton frame, mighta been a plunger

Rohan · Aug 22, 2015

Would that make it a SquareBed, or a FeatherFour ?
Or a FeatherSquaffer.

Squaffers weren't renowned for reliability either, especially on hot days (warped heads/blown head gaskets),
nor their speed, so it may not be a match made in heaven.
We diverge from Commando frames, muchly ....

Fast Eddie · Aug 23, 2015

acotrel said:
Would an Aerial Square Four motor be good in a commando frame ?

There have even a few put into featherbeds. The cafe racers look a bit naff IMHO cos it ain't really a hot rod kinda motor. There have been a few built in near standard Norton appearance in the UK that really look like lovely bikes.

My understanding is that they are extremely smooth motors. So the point behind trying to fit one into an isolastic Commando frame is rather lost on me I have to say.

o1racing03 · Aug 28, 2015

Danno said:
New owner says he will get it going. If I hear any more, I'll update.

I am the owner of this bike and have a thread here on it now in the "other Nortons" forum. I believe the intent behind this build was having one of the best handling chassis of the time with the worlds fastest production vehicle motor in it making a great combo. Whether it works or not I have no idea yet. All other comments on it should be directed to the other thread.
new-norasaki-kawaton-t23032.html

o1racing03 · Aug 28, 2015

MikeM said:
84ok said:

could be a 500 or 750, i actually got (didn't have much choice at the time) the (KH?)500 after the 74 norton, gas mileage was horrible and ate spark plugs for lunch,

It looks like a 500. No power til about 5000 or so and then it comes on!!

Click to expand...

[/quote]

It's an H2 750. It's mine.

74ok · Aug 28, 2015

turns out right on the money 8)

Rohan said:
It doesn't have some of the expected brackets a manx would have,
and it has pillion footpeg provision !!, so its not very manx :?:

For an engine that had a reputation of having a pig of a frame, a featherbed makes some sense - put it in the best frame around... ??
Would be interesting to hear how it went, just for curiousity value.

o1racing03 · Aug 28, 2015

I wonder if those with negative comments would have the same train of thought in 1980 when this bike was built and featherbed frames were not as valued as they are today 35 years later? At the time it probably seemed like a great idea. Lets say the owner had the frame but no motor. What would it cost me today to source and build a correct engine for this bike? So if the frame has not been hacked is it worth more than this bike as a whole?

Rohan · Aug 28, 2015

No all comments were negative - look at my comments.

As mentioned on the other thread you have opened on this, this frame looks to be a road bike, no manx involved. ?
Can you supply frame number, or a photo of the steering head area ahead of the tank.
(Road bikes have braced steering heads, manxs don't. No mistaking apples for oranges).

o1racing03 · Aug 28, 2015

Rohan said:
No all comments were negative - look at my comments.

As mentioned on the other thread you have opened on this, this frame looks to be a road bike, no manx involved. ?
Can you supply frame number, or a photo of the steering head area ahead of the tank.
(Road bikes have braced steering heads, manxs don't. No mistaking apples for oranges).

I agree not all comments were negative, some agree that at the time it was built it was a smart idea. I'm sure these featherbed frames were as popular as Honda CB's were in 1980. The "cafe scene" has killed the reasonably priced Honda's to ungodly amounts. I placed a call to Mom to see if she has the VIN number on the bike to see if we can't help identify what frame it is. I'm glad I always called my bike a Road Racer and not a cafe racer. Cafe Racer was a derogatory term in it's infancy and it has come full circle as far as I'm concerned with the crap these young Hipsters are building and calling them cafe racers, when most are unridable works of artistic expression, which is a load of crap to me.

o1racing03 · Sep 1, 2015

84ok said:
i'm also quite surprised to read this (the bottom) figuring the kaw engine isn't (assuming can't be?) worth much, tho also have no idea what j.a.p. engines go for, which i will certainly be looking into

acotrel said:

Danno said:

Not a Commando, but a Featherbed...

Dude who inherited it from a late friend called it a " Norton Manx" chassis, "Kawaton"

Click to expand...

I wonder about the mentality of some people - to me that bike looks like DEATH !
A JAWA speedway engine fitted to that bike with an AMC box would be much better and much CHEAPER !

Click to expand...

I also was curious as to what these motors will bring today. After research I was surprised how expensive they are and this boat anchor keeps coming to mind:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1973-Kawasaki-H ... be&vxp=mtr

Rohan · Sep 1, 2015

Asking price and selling price can be 2 VERY different things....

different engine commando frame

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