Dunstall or SFC

Lets see how devoted to Norton Commando's we really are?

68' Dunstall Norton Commando or 74' Laverda SFC?

The Laverda is virtually bullet proof, and makes the same power as the Dunstall without the compromise in workmanship. That said, the Dunstall has more wow factor. I'd go with both.

I think that a real SFC is worth much more than any Norton, but there are lots of copies around!

SFC every time. It just looks so right.

Sorry but the Dunstall looks like what it is... some extra bits cobbled onto a decent bike that looked better before.

In about 1973 the Kawasaki Z900 and H1s made almost every British bike redundant in Australian road racing. The Jim Eade SFC Laverda absolutely creamed them all at Phillip Island with Vic Vasella on board. The SFC Laverda 750 is a far superior bike to any 70s Commando. Even an SF750 with the SFC cam and exhaust and the lower comp. head would be better.
The problem is - where do you get the bits ?

Well I just can't make up my mind. So tell you what I'll do to help, just send them both to me & I'll spend a few years ridding them & then I'll get back to you with my decision... I wouldn't rely on getting them back though..Glenn.

acotrel said:

In about 1973 the Kawasaki Z900 and H1s made almost every British bike redundant in Australian road racing. The Jim Eade SFC Laverda absolutely creamed them all at Phillip Island with Vic Vasella on board. The SFC Laverda 750 is a far superior bike to any 70s Commando. Even an SF750 with the SFC cam and exhaust and the lower comp. head would be better.
The problem is - where do you get the bits ?

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Yes, British bikes...BMW won the 1974 Castrol 6 hour and were second in the 1976 one
but they are not really race bikes are they :roll:
http://www.deejay51.com/six_hour_1974.htm

Hi,
I have a 810 Dunstall but I'd rather have a sfc and not because I'm Italian!
Ciao
Piero

acotrel said:

where do you get the bits ?

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The crux of the biscuit.

Laverda SFC all the way. An original early Production Racer would be a more difficult decision, for me at least.

Wanted to poke around before I said anything. this one is GBP39,900 or +/- US$60K seems to me you could buy a pair of CNW for that kid of money......

http://racebikemart.com/adverts/Laverda ... 321037.php

a friend of mine has Laverdas, never did get them running right, big heavy lumps in my humble opinion. Nortons all the way for me :mrgreen:

All I can say is, do your homework, there is info on the Laverda's SFC 750;
http://www.bing.com/search?q=faults+wit ... rsationid=

Both have their pros & cons Norton 750s have spares available even today, what’s the spares supply like with the with the Laverda's SFC 750 :?:

quote, sfc It is not made for downtown traffic, or freeway usage ref;

http://www.motorsportscenter.com/printer_751.shtml

Assuming the link is to the first entry Bernard - that is the 650/680, a development of the Montjuic 500. Other than originally made by Laverda, not the same thing AT ALL.
Brit bike owners worry about spares availability, remembering far more Nortons, Triumphs etal were produced and they sold for far less new. They got bought and abused and neglected on a far wider scale than exotica like a Laverda - a real PR bike like an SFC is a rare beast indeed.
With the Laverda although you are going still going to need some service items, the basic bits are somewhat more durable in my experience (Mirage1200 replacing a very nasty triton). Sure you can break anything if you abuse it enough, but the 750's, the SF and SFC's are pretty tough.
Remember the SFC was a race bike, and could be thrashed like it needed it. They are still much loved by the marque aficionados, and as we see, fetch accordingly high prices.
There are folks around who make, build and fettle bikes and parts, but the sheer rarity means they are maybe not so well known.
Put down as a wanna...

The difference between a 750 SFC and a 750 SF motor is the camshaft and the compression ratio. My friend bought the SFC cam for the motor he had fitted into my Seeley frame before I got hold of it. The motor is too heavy, however if you can live with that, they are great. The SFC cam has similar timings to the E3134 Triumph cam. A Laverda motor is a lot different to a commando , in it's performance characteristics.

not that its an SFC, but i have 10:1, ported head, and an SFC cam in my SF2 - goes very well but is completely different than a commando (more stable, but less "flickable"). Shamrock is we'll known on the laverda forum and his bikes are sweeeetttt!!

anyone who'd chose a commando over a SFC is a bit out-there, as the money a real SFC fetches would get you a couple of real dunstalls (and you'd still be jealous of the guy that got the SFC)

I own both a Norton and a Laverda, I ride them both extensively. If you have the opportunity to buy A REAL Sfc fr a decent price, don't even hesitate one millisecond.

Now, an SFC is quite a different beast from a standard SF.
Engine-wise, it has a much lighter crank, diff rods, hi compression forged pistons, diff clutch, gearbox ratios are diff, the head is ported differently etc. Depending on the SFc series, you also have differences in the electric circuit, brakes, fork. The Sfc frame has reinforced engine lugs and some other minor variations. The last Sfc series has a lowered back frame, which for a very mysterious reason I have on my 1971 SF. Mine is a road bike with high compression forged pistons, hot cams, and Sachse electronic ignition. Great machine, but nothong like a real SFC, which is a true endurance bike, absolutely the best in the world at the time ine 1971-1972.

My Norton is a slimline racer with a hot 850 tilted commando engine, PW3 camshaft, Black Diamond valves and springs, Dunstall exhaust and full fairing, ported head with lightened rockers, balanced and lightened crank, Pazon ignition.

Both are great bikes to ride, the Laverda is by far the most reliable bike I have ever had. Didn't have to touch ignition, carbs or valves in the last 12000 miles. Zero trouble except for the starter engine freewheel which needs to be looked after. At 210 kg, compared with my Norton's 150kg or thereabouts, it obviously is less nimble, but stable as a rock at any speed. It will follow a Norton Commando Production racer driven in anger on twisty road with no trouble at all.

My Norton, besides the fact that it can be a bitch to start, is a truly fantastic bike. Faster and much ligjter than the Laverda. I took it yesterday to over 120mph on...the highway. Its ideal cruising speed on 1/4 throttle is about 85mph, at that point lightly twisting my wrist generates a thunderous roar from the Dunstall exhausts and an instant surge in speed that stretches my arms while the wind pressure tries to chop my head off. This engine goes.

Curiously, the Laverda, albeit heavier is much less tiring to ride than the Norton, even for long distances and more comfy...but the Norton has that waow factor...with an AP Racing vintage calliper and a 13mm master cylinder it also brakes very well, while the Laverda's big twin shoe drums are, hum, very pretty.

71


70?

Augusto Brettoni and Sergio Angiolini won the race, Bruno Cretti and Ron Wittich finished third and Borel/Schreyer 4th…. Laverda Olé!

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Goodey Goodey

http://www.vanderschalk.com/sfc/sfcphot.htm

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Of Course it shows what a half assed piss weak good for nothing bone idle gin swilling management prevented , As a Dunstall Norton couldve been . . .



Keel Haul The Scurvey knaves . :wink:

When I was first racing my Norton PR in the '70s, I was on the track at the old Ontario Motor Speedway in Southern California in a couple of races where Tony Murphy was racing his SFC, and he was considerably faster around the track than I was. Of course, some of that can be explained by the fact that he was Tony Murphy, but his SFC was also quicker down the long straight than the PR. It made noticeably more horsepower. He did have the full race kit on, with open mega exhaust and such, while my PR was still in original street legal trim. Great bikes, both of them.

Ken

As I said, in about 1973 I watched 23 year old Vic Vasella on the Jim Eade SFC at Phillip Island blow off all the fast A graders who were riding Z900s, and he made it look very easy - no desperates, just smooth very fast riding. I'm surprised that more SFCs were not sold in Australia.