Factory 1974 Spaceframe Racer

Mark Savage

Mark Savage

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I visited the Norton Museum in Best, Netherlands yesterday on my way to a Norton Rally near Maastricht. Albert’s prize possession is this spaceframe racer which is the one that Peter Williams had his career ending accident on in 1974. It was repaired and also raced by Dave Croxford and others after. Notice the smaller AJS Stormer clutch to lower the weight being spun round on the mainshaft and also the extension to the rear brake reservoir to aid cooling as the original small one led to the fluid boiling.

 
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Wow !

I believe there is a bearing in that primary cover inboard of the clutch too.

Whoever heard of boiling the REAR brake fluid ?! Those Boyz were pushing those things to 10/10ths for sure !!
 
Mark Savage said:
I visited the Norton Museum in Best, Netherlands yesterday on my way to a Norton Rally near Maastricht. Albert’s prize possession is this spaceframe racer which is the one that Peter Williams had his career ending accident on in 1974. It was repaired and also raced by Dave Croxford and others after. Notice the smaller AJS Stormer clutch to lower the weight being spun round on the mainshaft and also the extension to the rear brake reservoir to aid cooling as the original small one led to the fluid boiling.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the wonderful photos. Lots of detail to savour!
 
Fast Eddie said:
Wow !

I believe there is a bearing in that primary cover inboard of the clutch too.

Whoever heard of boiling the REAR brake fluid ?! Those Boyz were pushing those things to 10/10ths for sure !!
Click to expand...
Yes, there is an outboard bearing. Albert, who I believe sold a kidney along with the family silver to get it, told me one of the racers, not Peter I believe, used to steer it with the help of the back brake.
 
Thanks for posting this. I have always loved the look of the space frame Nortons ever since I saw one in Motorcycle Mechanics magazine in 1974. Along with the Matchless G45, the best looking race bike ever. I had a sit on Mike Braids whilst it was at P&M, but both Richard & Dave weren't all that keen on the frame, saying it was a pain to work on. Probably easier than the monocoque though.
 
Matchless said:
Thanks for posting this. I have always loved the look of the space frame Nortons ever since I saw one in Motorcycle Mechanics magazine in 1974. Along with the Matchless G45, the best looking race bike ever. I had a sit on Mike Braids whilst it was at P&M, but both Richard & Dave weren't all that keen on the frame, saying it was a pain to work on. Probably easier than the monocoque though.
Click to expand...
I know PW wasn’t keen on the Spaceframe Norton and saw it as a step back from his Monocoque. The fuel for the Spaceframe version was carried in the seat and tank unit which wouldn’t have helped with the CofG.
 
Mark Savage said:
Yes, there is an outboard bearing. Albert, who I believe sold a kidney along with the family silver to get it, told me one of the racers, not Peter I believe, used to steer it with the help of the back brake.
Click to expand...
I would have used my now extraneous organs and one (for starters) of my children to outbid him. As much as I loved the monocoque bike, to me the trellis framed bikes looked better. However I don’t think the race results showed any improvement, did they?
Does the bike ever get a run out?
 
IIRC we are being polite in saying that Peter ‘wasn’t keen’… I think he was quite damming of the (what he considered) backwards step. However, the counter argument is that some of his objections may have been influenced by the fact it wasn’t his design.

Peter strongly believed in the monocoque design, later evolving into the ‘clamshell’ design using composite materials. But he was swimming against the tide of conservatism it seems.
 
I remember reading that spaceframe lap times were not improved over the monocock. I also got to spend some time with both types and found them very difficult to manhandle and move around due to the tiny steering lock and tight fairings . These bikes were not only designed to fit the rider ,the handling was tailor made to suit PW's 2 wheel drifting style and would not have suited all.
 
Note the real ' oil pump ' too .
Back in the day , they were saying - the crank centrifuged the oil out as fast as it went in , hot . in the I.o.M. .


Thus no oil got ' up the top ' as there wasnt any pressure ! . SO , THAT was what they did , so it did . THANKS >

ALSO , despite P.W.s anxt , THIS frame was the laterday ' Most Copied ' as was the F Bed in its era .
Fact , look at alf the dew Katis , and theyre copies , and the copies of the copies ( sounds like H . D. ) .

To think only about two ordered the reproduction monocoques ? shoulda run on of them in a movie too ,

Perhaps .
 
"
IIRC we are being polite in saying that Peter ‘wasn’t keen’… I think he was quite damming of the (what he considered) backwards step. However, the counter argument is that some of his objections may have been influenced by the fact it wasn’t his design.

Peter strongly believed in the monocoque design, later evolving into the ‘clamshell’ design using composite materials. But he was swimming against the tide of conservatism it seems. "

PEEVED I think sums it up . The He cliams thats the prognitor of the modern Two Spar frame . Like a Nimbus . Tho it looks like Rob North copied that . then theres Zundapp . :confused:
 

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