Al I was only 17 years old when I brought my new 74 850 Commando 2 weeks after riding my mate's 750 Commando/Featherbed back in 1976, I think his brother built the bike but the motor was upright like a domie set up the crank was lighten, polished and balanced, it spun up real quick but it had a few problems as I think the crank was over lighten, but after spending all day riding it I got bitten with the Norton bug as well the Featherbed handling, Don's Norton was built from bits and pieces with mix of different nuts and bolts whatever was laying around at the time, his older brother was a lot older than Don and was growing up in the days of older British motorcycles.
Don's Commando/Featherbed was very unreliable and lot of things not working the way it should have and he decided to build Tritons instead, he had 2 Wideline Featherbed frames and I ended up buying one off him in 1979, the frame was just around the corner from my place stripped back to bare metal ready for another mate to paint it but it was sitting in an open garage just stitting there, it was the better of the 2 frames he had and Don tried to do a shifty by selling the bad frame to me but I knew where the good frame was paid him the money he was asking for and I walked around the corner and grabbed the good frame, he kept asking me when I going to pick up the frame from his place unknown to him I already had his good frame lol, I knew he was going to do a shifty with me I was just one step ahead of him lol, we are still good mates lol.
So in 1980 the build started, I was out of work at the time so had a very tight budget but I planned on doing things right from the beginning and not go the same way Don's bike was built, but things were a lot cheaper to do back in them days and the motor was the first thing planned with the crank balancing, what cam profile I wanted and head work, this was my first ever bike build so taking a lot of advice from Don and other experience builders at the time, this was the days before the internet, Ivan Tighte of Brisbane built up my stock cam and reground to the 2S cam profile, he also put my onto a old racing engineer down the road from his shop who balanced my crank as soon as I told him what I was building he threw numbers at me in what balance factor was needed was all out of my brain thinking lol, I just handed everything he asked for and a week later all back as well my cam grind.
After the motor was rebuilt in late 81 was the setting up the motor in the frame, wanted it tilted as Commando and as far forward as could be and down as low as it could in the frame, before the motor was rebuilt I got the frame already painted installed the Commando frontend and had the stock hubs laced up to new Akront alloy 19" rims, I cut up the original rear engine plates and welded new lugs to fit the Featherbed frame with the motor sitting where I wanted it, made up front engine plates and a solid head stay.
Everything I did I did right and worked great as planned, using as much of my Commando parts and the Featherbed parts as the Featherbed frame came with oil tank, battery box and fuel tank it was a 1957 frame, the motor was smooth as, the bike was so much lighter than the Commando as well shorter wheel base, had Koni shocks on the rear from my Commando and a EI installed, took me about 2 months of getting to know the bike and how it felt on the road before I started to push it hard but once I got used to it man did everything work together great and was so reliable, ever too this day Don can't believe how well my set up has worked, I stir him up and said I built it the right way, not Dons way lol.
Well after 45 years built and a few better improvements in the last 15 years, the motor is still the same has never let me down, the motor performs the way it should with the 2S cam and port work done to the head, open exhaust system with very little baffles and now with that big spark from the Joe Hunt magneto and Lansdown frontend internals and better tyres and a full front brake upgrade, its my hot rod Norton and build by my own hands for the way I ride, hard fast and push it to it limits up in the tight twisties, its such a fun bike to ride, its now showing its age with the paint work but that's the way I like it, show its get ridden, the motor still goes as good as the day I built it, the only thing I have done to the motor about 20 years ago was a complete pull down to replace the crank cases, new rings and a very light hone, new valve springs and bearings as well the sludge trap clean on the crank, was very little sludge in the crank and running STP mixed with my motor oil has looked after my motor (been using STP in my motor oil since 1982) as my Norton was an everyday rider till 2013 and now its semi retire just like me, it gets taken out regularly as I enjoy riding it better than my 1200 Thruxton but I also like riding it, but I get more looks and people asking me about it where ever I park on the Norton, it turns heads where ever I ride it.
Al I know you brag about racing all the time, mine was built for the road and there are so many great upgrades that can be done, I would love to build a 850 motor with all of Jim's bits and pieces, but I am happy the way my motor performs with the money I had at the time and way back in 1982 I started a new job at a Tec College (TAFE) and not long after I got new engine mounts plates made and where a lot of better improvement were made without spend money had some good old school motorcycle teachers as well working in the maintenance fitters workshop one very skilled tradesman where I was the T/A to them, I learned a lot and now my workshop at home is well set up for working on old British MCs.
I retired at 55 and in 5 months time I get my age pension and now doing community work at my local Men's Shed they have a full machine shop and can see me putting that big milling machine to good use lol.
Al if your still breathing it's never too late, your Seeley could be made better in the right hands if you can't, better than letting it sit going to waste, my wife would never tell me I am too old, I wouldn't listen to her anyway, playing with my bikes and riding then when I can keeps me young and free and I am not scared when out and about on any of my bikes, ride to the conditions and push them to their limits when up in the twisties, don't let old age stop you and touch wood I hope to be still riding till the day I go (not till I hit 105).
Enjoy the pics Al, get off YouTube and get stuck into it, even if you never ride again working on a bike keeps you active in mind and hands.
Ashley
