First evaluation on my new 35mm Ceriani GP fork

Hy There,
I gat tree dreams when 2016 started:
- The 260mm front drum: done!
- The Ceriani GP fork: just done!
- The 230mm Yam TD back drum: I try to find a Kalachnikof to go to the bank.

About the Ceriani GP fork:
Like the front drum, the fork is made in Hungary by Laszlo, there are different types: for drums or disc brakes, two sizes: 68 or 72mm long and most important, one is the exact replica from the Ceriani GP and the other is a outside replica with modern internals and adjustable spring preload, rebound damping and compression damping.
My choice:
- The 72mm long one (68 must be also OK for the Seeley, but with less possibility to adlust the trail and ground clearance)
- The one with the modern internals and a 40Lbs spring ( original Cdo is 36 Lbs)

How to fit it on the Seeley frame:
Don't believe that you can do the job in a few hours, it take about 30 hours including 8 hours to remove the varnish and polish the fork legs.
I planed to use the original Ceriani triple clams but the offset is 65mm and this is to mutch for the trail on the Seeley, so I keep the triple clams from Minnovation with a offset of 57mm
But if you keep the Minnovation clamps with straight stanchions bore, keep in mind that you must rebore the stanchions holes to 35mm (original Cdo is 34.5mm) you can not do this job with a file
you must do it with a CNC machine if you wish to have the stanchions paralel in the clamps.
Second job: adapt the original Cdo weel axel for the Ceriani fork, the Ceriani gat a hole from 20mm on one side and 17 and the other side, you will think: no problems with a lathe, but the problem is that the drum is 15mm! so you must make a split sleeve to reduce the 17mm to 15mm.
Then you must adjust the weel in the center of the fork and adjust the anchor plates (made for the Cdo fork) to the Cerani forks
and the last job is to put the sensor for the E speedo and fit the magneets on the rim.

First ride:
Another world compared to the Roadholder, of course it will not be perfect at the first try, you must play with the adjusters to find the good settings and this take time, but now I am close to perfection aswell on highway as on twisty B roads.
I buy the Ceriani for the look and I receive the roadholding with it.
Maybe I will try the optionals 30Lbs springs becouse now the spring preloads are on the minimum of the adjustement.
And I still don't lock my weel with the drum!
yves from belgium

It certainly is gorgeous, much like the rest of the machine.

I use Ceriani forks on my Seeley which I think were originally fitted to a Ducati 450. Because they were intended for a drum brake they don't have the mounts for the disc callipers, so I use a combination of plates taken off the mudguard mounts and the axle. As far as performance goes, they seem excellent - I've never had them lose damping control. I use TZ350 fork yokes which give about 35mm of offset, but have all the correct diameters and separations. I think the trail is about 95mm. If you do this with a commando, you would probably end up with a major handling problem. The Seeley is extremely precise and self-steers to a large degree as I power through corners. So you have to keep your head concentrating on where you will come out of bends. With the Commando isolastics, the situation might be very hazardous. With any modification such as this, you always adjust to the bike - however if you get it wrong, it can bite you without warning.

The Ceriani GP forks look great. Did you have a particular reason to point the brake plates slightly upwards instead of the usual straight ahead?

yves norton seeley said:

............- The 230mm Yam TD back drum: I try to find a Kalachnikof to go to the bank......

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Very funny! You make me laugh, Yves from Belgium :lol: You had better use anything except your Bike for the "get away" vehicle--it is just too beautiful and would be remembered

Beautiful!

Ken

When I had about that much offset on my fork yokes, the Seeley stood up under brakes and turned the wrong way throwing me off-balance. When I turned it on again to crash it on the grass at the side of the bitumen, it came back under control. Perhaps you should take note of how your bike feels if you brake slightly when banked over a bit ? I'm using 18 inch wheels, if yours are 19 inch, that might be better.

Don't worry for Yves. He has done more than 60000km on his Seeley, he more or less knows how to take a turn with it.

(That and the fact that he was Belgian side-car champion in his time...) :mrgreen:

I wish to sale my Cdo Seeley fork legs, everithing new inside, some changes on the hydrolics
Note: you can only use this forks on a Seeley becouse it is shorter as the Cdo
PM me if intrested
Yves

Jagbruno said:

Don't worry for Yves. He has done more than 60000km on his Seeley, he more or less knows how to take a turn with it.

(That and the fact that he was Belgian side-car champion in his time...) :mrgreen:

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Don't sidecars have a wheel on the side to stop them from falling over ?

acotrel said:

Jagbruno said:

Don't worry for Yves. He has done more than 60000km on his Seeley, he more or less knows how to take a turn with it.

(That and the fact that he was Belgian side-car champion in his time...) :mrgreen:

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Don't sidecars have a wheel on the side to stop them from falling over ?

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Hi Acotrel,
If you go with me in the sidecar, when you will step out after a few laps, you will need a third leg to walk to the restrooms
Yves

I once rode as passenger with one of our top sidecar guys, who used a methanol fuelled H2 Kawasaki two stroke engine in his outfit. It was a bit disconcerting. My brother uses the same in one of his historic outfits. I wouldn't get into the sidecar with him.
I was simply pointing out the difference in the yoke offset in my bike compared to yours, and the fact that it can present a problem. When it happened to me, it caught me unawares - came from nowhere. I was using the Arces fork yokes normally used on 450 Ducatis - had about the same offset as your's. I got out of trouble by sheer arse - it wasn't rider skill. When I turned it back on, it was with the intention of crashing the bike on the grass. It all happened in about half of a second.

Please understand I was not criticising your riding ability. I'd road-raced regularly for more than 12 years when I got caught out by my Seeley. It can happen to anyone. It looked OK and seemed to handle quite well however the problem came from nowhere and bit me. After it had happened, I was more aware of the bike's tendency to stand up and turn the wrong way when braking. The TZ350 yokes are magic. However the bike might still tie itself in a knot one day. The steering is extremely quick and the bike tightens it's line a lot in corners.

You've done some amazing and beautiful work there Yves. Makes me proud to have a small part in it.

acotrel said:

Please understand I was not criticising your riding ability. I'd road-raced regularly for more than 12 years when I got caught out by my Seeley. It can happen to anyone. It looked OK and seemed to handle quite well however the problem came from nowhere and bit me. After it had happened, I was more aware of the bike's tendency to stand up and turn the wrong way when braking. The TZ350 yokes are magic. However the bike might still tie itself in a knot one day. The steering is extremely quick and the bike tightens it's line a lot in corners.

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Hi acotrel,
You are a very smart man, but like a lot of smart people, you think that the others are idiots.
About the TZ yokes:
Road holding is not only depending from the yoke offset, but also from the weight from the rider, the lenght of the forks legs, trail, size of the tires, brand of the tyres, lenght of the shock absorbers on the back, air pressure in the tyres, you style of riding and of course if you use it on a race track or on public road
My yokes are coming from Minnovation and are recommanded for Seeley's and I think the peopels from this company knows there job.
I did over the 50.000 kms with the Seeley and never fall down or be in a critical situation and hope it will never happens
I see on your pic that you are using a steering damper, well I don't need it on my Seeley; years ago a big name in the World Champioship says the following: if the frame and settings of your suspensions are good, you don't need a steering damper, if the frame and settings are no good, a steering damper will not solve the problem.
Before I do any changes on my bike I always ask different peopels with knowledge about what to do, the problem is that if you ask 100 persons, you will receive 100 different antswords.
At the end you always have to make your own experience.
You hurt me when you say about the weel on the side of the bike, you can be a good sidecar rider AND a good solo rider to!
Please Acrotel, change your style in your post, I gat the feeling and other members to that you are the teacher and the other schoolboys
I don't have ths feeling with personalitys like Comnos, Jim from JS Motorsport or Matt from CNW, just a question of style...
Still your friend
Yves

jseng1 said:

You've done some amazing and beautiful work there Yves. Makes me proud to have a small part in it.

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Thanks Jim,
You have a big part in my bike, you don't see it on the outside, but you longer rods, pistons and full distribution are top, I rebuilt my engine more as 10.000 kms ago with the special crank you sale me and never have any problem any more. But I follow your instructions step by step, including the Silicion Carbide in the barrels
And the good think is that you are always there to help your customers.
Great work Jim
Yves

Yves,

As you have done plenty of miles on your beautiful (& very shiny) Seeley, how well does the frame stand up to the vibes. Have you experienced any cracking? Also, what balance factor have you used & are the vibes tolerable on a long ride. Sorry if this has been covered in a previous post.

Martyn.

Yves, with those fork yokes, your bike will feel more stable, and that is the problem. If the bike feels as if it is starting to rise if you brake when banked over, that is the symptom. I never race without a steering damper because if you ride the bike hard enough to lose traction in the front, it can end up in a massive tank slapper and you can get launched. The damper is simply a precaution - it has happened to me too many times and I still carry an injury from it. If you only use your bike for drag racing, you might never have a problem with it's handling.
I adjust the amount my bike self-steers by resetting the rear shocks. When the bike tends to tighten it's line in corners, it feels more positive and confidence-inspiring - you can get the power on much earlier coming out.
About Minnovation knowing about Seeley frames. If they know about Seeley frames, they will sell their customers frames which tend to handle with more stability than self-steering. However too much offset can make the bike too hard to turn when you get up to race speeds. The problem which bit me by making the bike stand up and turn the wrong way, was a potential killer. I was just lucky to survive it.
You have got two things - the drum brake and those fork yokes - take care.

Yves, you suggested that I am acting like a school teacher. Over the years, I have crashed a lot when racing. These days, I don't crash.