Featherbed frame design went against all engineering princip

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

midnightlamp said:
May need to link the rest of that :wink: The commando was a wonderful machine on paper and a wonderful machine in person, if you were a bike enthusiast. When the honda's came along, it was a dying effort for most part as far as production bikes go, because there is simple chart that sums up "company management" and "average rider desires".
Click to expand...

I have read all of them.
This was the shoot out where a 1970 model had a quicker ET than a 'Combat and was considerably faster than the 1969 version tested by the same magazine.
All I am suggesting is there was no blitzing by any one motorcycle in that 1970 test, 1969 through to the mid 1970's was an exciting time for the motorcycling public in general.
Some doors opened while others closed or were left ajar.

Thank you for the excellent reply 'Midnightlamp.
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

Time Warp said:
midnightlamp said:
May need to link the rest of that :wink: The commando was a wonderful machine on paper and a wonderful machine in person, if you were a bike enthusiast. When the honda's came along, it was a dying effort for most part as far as production bikes go, because there is simple chart that sums up "company management" and "average rider desires".
Click to expand...

I have read all of them.
This was the shoot out where a 1970 model had a quicker ET than a 'Combat and was considerably faster than the 1969 version tested by the same magazine.
All I am suggesting is there was no blitzing by any one motorcycle in that 1970 test, 1969 through to the mid 1970's was an exciting time for the motorcycling public in general.
Some doors opened while others closed or were left ajar.

Thank you for the excellent reply 'Midnightlamp.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

And now that chart seems to have upended.
There is a reasonable looking CB750 for sale in my area, someone cleaning out their garage, first $500 gets it, no takers for some time now.
If that were any model of Commando at ten times the price, it would have been scooped long ago.
But some would argue that the CB750 was the better bike, and the proof is that it sold better in the day. Why not now?
I'm not sure sales figures mean much anyway, K cars also sold well!

Having owned both machines, I now keep a Commando 850 and am looking for a project Commando, but have no interest in repeating the CB 750 experience, though it was a decent commuter type bike for me back then. Couldn't stand the high speed tingling vibration now.

Glen
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

seemed like a huge bummer at the time and lasted for some time,

but looks like brit bikes are back in the game, tho wouldn't say norton has re established itself much,

fab support (if not unrivaled?) for the vintage commando in itself is wunderbar,

you could almost say the same thing about the commando, in that it very much went against then more current or updated engineering principles,
that ended up working out big time, for others
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

Here in Australia a good running Norton will fech between $12,000 and close to $20,000, maybe poeple have to much money these days but any old British bikes are pulling good money these day, but for Honda 4s to get just $5,000 they have to be in perfect condition and you see more Nortons on the road than any Honda 4s, I have seen complete Honda 4 motors selling for $500 to $600 not going and complete Norton motors going for $4,700 not going and in unknown condition inside, so this proves to me what is the most popular of the two.

Ashley
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

Methinks you are somewhat underpriced with these ?
e.g.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1969-HONDA-C ... 1330913338
And plenty of similar prices, if you look.
Anything good with the 4 pipes is asking $$$, those exhaust systems are worth a fortune.
And you should see the price of good Z1 's !!!

But you are right, you do see more Commandos on the road.
And are probably considered more collectible, and more character to boot...
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

Rohan you are right I just gave up looking since I retired from work last year, the Z1 were made properlar from the movie Stone from the 70s I was under aged when i seen it on the big srceen, its just getting beyond a nomal person to pay the high price of classic British bikes when you can buy moden bikes cheaper, my mate is selling his 69 Triumph and he is asking $16000 for it I laughted and nearly fell off my chair when he told me and its just a average bike on the road, he won't get that price, but you never know these days, the big problem these days is old bike riders getting back into riding again after selling there bike when they get married and bring up a family and now they are all cashed up and want to get back riding there dream bikes of old as well have a new Harley or a old classic big block car.

Ashley
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

Thats a later one.
Four buyers must be fussy, not much interest in those here either...
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

worntorn said:
Here is a "running when parked" 750/4 at $350. Not much interest in these things in Canada. Commando baskets are 3500-5k here tho.

http://ca.yakaz.com/motorbikes/honda-cb ... l6jnfe6gse
Click to expand...

I like the seat on that 750. Your right tho. Same down here.

The old sand cast Honda 750 4's are worth a lot of money tho.

http://raresportbikesforsale.com/1969-h ... t-on-ebay/

Commandos at $3500 USD are getting fewer and far between.
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

Many 750/4's are barely worth the ground they sit on these days for a few reasons. Number one is that unlike anything british, one doesn't really get in there and replace...much of anything if one expects to actually come out on top financially. I have helped with more than a few 70's/80's jap bikes with plain bearing bottom ends and you're easily looking in the 1k-2k range for a simple rebuild, rebearing, re-ring, and some brake/wheel bearing stuff.

The early early early ones are worth $$$ (sandcast, '69 K0, etc...), and the late ones (with the awful comstar pressed metal wheels) are worth $$ as riders bikes because they're rather quick (relatively). Anything in between is worth progressively less, starting at the early ones and working towards the later ones which are literally worth $200-300 in non running shape.

If you were to pick one up these days, they're a heap of fun, because power parts are unbelievably cheap. For example, you can nowadays spend around $2500 and have the motors punched out to 915cc with sleeves, hot cam, titanium retainers, beehive springs, rods, new valves, etc... and be making fairly serious power in a fairly old frame. Popular because they're the last bikes honda built where major engine castings aren't throw away (running rotating parts direct on alloy, etc...) and relatively cheap entry price.
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

About only Honda 750's I see are in chopper frames against all principles but have above hopped up engines that snarl & scat like crazy but can lean must or end of open header foul. I saved a 350/4 CB from scrap a few yr ago wondering who'd want it till president of Japanese motorcycle club showed up in our square on Goldwing reunited with brother on pristine CB 350/4 cute as a bugs ear, so they picked it up to restore together. He made me take $20 so cut any karma. They saw my Combat and approved of course. Some day maybe can video Commando frame deflexions but meanwhile any chance you have to lever on tabs and Z-plate is educational to see some directions allow flex.
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

midnightlamp said:
The early early early ones are worth $$$ (sandcast, '69 K0, etc...), and the late ones (with the awful comstar pressed metal wheels) are worth $$ as riders bikes because they're rather quick (relatively). .
Click to expand...

There is a racing story associated with those comstars ?

In the early 1980s they were fitted to road bikes, so the race bikes in proddy events used them too.
Riders complained that the bikes felt vague and unsettled, and this was never really resolved.
A few years later, when cast wheel had replaced comstars, someone tried these wheels on the earlier bikes.
Problem solved, the bikes felt planted and secure.

Apparently it was determined that the comstars could flex under more extreme cornering - like in racing.
And also that the rivetts securing the wheel centres to the rims had to be REALLY solidly done,
with no trace of looseness to them.

But we diverge from featherbeds and Commandos, muchly....
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

I think that was mainly a case of cost cutting gone wrong :| The early ones were pressed steel riveted to alloy and can't really be serviced via disassembly and can easily get some rust etc... from chips to the coating over the years. I tend to try and avoid them, because refinishing is a real pain, and they're very year specific (like dealing with mags) in terms of spacers, offset, etc... but don't look as good in my eyes as mag (or perform as well).

The trade off, however was that those later bikes came with 3 discs and were compatible with a lot of 80's Honda stuff to actually make the discs functional. Weight went up a bit, but power and redline did as well with the last edition 750's. They also have quite the following in the chopper community, as they tend to be worth a lot less than a triumph or norton and you don't have as many people cry when you turn it into this:

Featherbed frame design went against all engineering princip


If there's one thing I've learnt with bikes well, it's that the wheels are one place where it pays to get stuff in good condition when you purchase the bike. It's money that goes in to make a roller that usually doesn't come out again :cry:
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

If you race a commando in our period 4 historic racing, this is what you have to beat and there is no capacity limit. There is only one good thing - they are not where they should be when they are coming out of corners (not out on the ripple strips) :

Featherbed frame design went against all engineering princip
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

Yeah but...

If he put that lump in a featherbed frame...
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

Fast Eddie said:
Yeah but...

If he put that lump in a featherbed frame...
Click to expand...

Nice move to get back on topic :D
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

dennisgb said:
Fast Eddie said:
Yeah but...

If he put that lump in a featherbed frame...
Click to expand...

Nice move to get back on topic :D
Click to expand...

Good! Now that we have a Featherbed, let's get rid of that non-brit lump and fit some nice Brit Iron in it!

:mrgreen:
 
Re: Featherbed frame design went against all engineering pri

If ya search Honda + Featherbed frame may find some hits.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top