I really need a new project!!!!!!!!! P-11?

O.K. I'm in the garage taking Norton parts and making crazy things with them, Is this a sign of illness? I really need another bike to bring back to life. What does a P-11 that needs restoring go for? Or a G-15.

Hortons Norton said:

O.K. I'm in the garage taking Norton parts and making crazy things with them, Is this a sign of illness? I really need another bike to bring back to life. What does a P-11 that needs restoring go for? Or a G-15.

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Maybe a Triton?

Nice lamp, is it positive earth?

Sir, you are the poster child for "too much time on your hands".

From what I see on E-bay, etc and the mid-west may be the best place right now to find reasonable baskets.

Have you considered Macramé ? Not a wallet, or a plant holder, I mean weaving a bike.

Having owned both i sugest p11, there were only 2500 p11's made covering 3 models p11, p11a and Ranger, there were only 499 Rangers built and yes i sold one [Idiot] p11's were the real thing Matchless g85 scrambles chassis made of 531 tube [ealy chromemolly] compitition forks and wheels, the g15/n15/33 were in a Amc road chassis with Norton forks and wheels, don't get me wrong they are both rare beasts.
Al

I'm working on a Ranger now. I paid $2K for a 95% complete bike, and it is a bit more challenging than the Commando was.

Lucky for me, an acquaintance of mine is restoring a P11A, and he's a few months ahead of me. There are probably a dozen differences between his 'A' and my Ranger, but most of the stuff is the same.

The biggest challenges are the lack of pictures in the manuals, and the rarity of the unique parts. I'm repairing a lower fork leg because it is apparently made out of unobtainium. I'm also welding up and re-chroming the rear fender (mudguard) for the same reason.


Some of the stuff is pretty neat, the way it was done, and some of the stuff is downright stupid - like the rear axle and bearing assembly.

Anybody working on hybrids should check out jampot.dk Those AJS/Matchless guys have a wealth of information

Also, Walridge is a good source for P11 parts.

I paid 1000$ for a frame, front-end parts, crankcsae, transmission, cylinder, oiltank, rear hub, and some other bits. 500$ too much, but sold everything other than the frame and cases on fleabay for over 1500$ to get my project started. I've had the build in my head for 10 years and was just looking for a frame to get going. I wouldn't want to restore one without tons of patience and huge pockets.

Will

The "cool factor" is WAY up there on the P11 with those pipes. I've modded a set for use with the N15 I'm building for a client (see other thread). i've seen some really nice "specials" using the various hybrids with P11 pipes, all nice.

Ahh them rascal P11's. I keep a photo of one over my work desk, not Commando.
I'm so glad you'all are recovering them while its still even possible. Alas P11 as Commando's daddy, are real reason Isolastics evolved. Seriously. P11 use can damage nerves if ridden long and fast as they easy will do, nay crave too.
Might review here for items to think about modifying to get some parts mileage if actually using P11's. Dyed in wool riders like Tom Davenport of Phantom Oiler site,
put on rubber isolated forks/bars to survive life on it. Might be leads too?
http://www.motorbyte.com/norton/Report.html
http://www.vintagenet.us/phantom/P11_page.html
http://www.vintagenet.us/phantom/GH_1.html
http://www.vintagenet.us/phantom/mad_max-2.html
http://www.vintagenet.us/phantom/woods_1.html


Real P11 users took Everything off, by a few rides or on purpose first which is likely why spares still floating around.

Haha, I love the lamp. I need one!

Thanks for the links Hobot, I have seen of Ron Woods stuff before and he really had some nice machines.



Here are three variations of his Ascot bikes, Can you see the differences?

Hortons asks if I can resolve differences, hm, air filters, tanks and number plates?
Help me out here I hate unsolved mysteries.
I just lucked out for full race P!! level intro to motorcycling in '72.
As cute as these photo's are I liked my more minimalist one better and notice none of these above wonders have the full aircraft art work web-weave of safety wire connecting each head and cylinder nut with one wire. If fate had not removed it from me I could well have succumbed to a Burt Monroe fate.

Cheatah 45's were for red blooded American market but retain BSA/Triumph genes to start accessory mounts fatigue fractures the moment they are started.
Building a factory version is sweet to look at but sad to enjoy. Building a desert racer - hill climber - cafe for trafffic light contests and walk arounds at gatherings is about all I can see the real life of one, now I've discovered under powered over weight Commando's can be improved on and still be so refreshing comfortable over rough stuff.

I'd straddle mine and pick it up and spin it around to leave garage, d/t clutch sticking so couldn't roll or shift w/o some rocking room. Most dangerous thing I did on my P!! was to unstick clutch. It would just smoke a street tire like on grease just putting against a wall, only way to get the hard hit to break free was
push, was start in N and get running then hop on then snick 1st then grab WOT
and hope it freed before end of suburban street.

It was one bad motorcycle. How bad? Well nerd me with greaser hair do, penny loafers polyesther pants and slide rule in holster, got invited inside color'd gangs with nasty and illegal activities for members and victims only. I quit that scene real quick.
But in those days only the big HD's could pull hard at the rates my P!! would over the ton. After spanking anything else that dared me in public I was a bit flustered that the HDs could equal my pull over the ton to who knows how fast as no speedo just tach. Riders with Club Colors almost always ride 2 a breast though thick and thin so weirdly I feel more akin to 1%'rs bikes than proper BI.
I lunched on them too below 100 though which is how I got so noticed by them.

Juicy topic to me, sorry, carry on.

I went so far as to source the YZ400 aluminum tank to try to replicate the lightweight Woods bike with my P11 but the Woods bike is several inches shorter on the backbone making the same tank look funny on the P11. These frames are completely different, not just in design but in size as well. They are very tight. The lightweight Woods bike,(twin down tube, big backbone), is The coolest Norton ever built as I see it.

Yea that bike has some serious history, It gave the V-Twins all they could handle for a few years. It showed up on e-bay awhile back and the starting bid was $99,000.00 or so I remember, Then was taken off? It was also the only Norton twin to ever win an AMA points championship, Also if I remember correctly? But it sure was the buzz at Ascot back in the day that's for sure. I think the bike is hiding somewhere in someones collection, There are at least two of the big backbone ones around that show up at shows every now and then. Nice bike that's for sure, One I'd kinda like to copy in it's looks and stance. Time to take the old lady for a ride guys, Have a great day, Chuck. :wink:

Hey, I have a YZ tank like that, painted with Triumph stickers on it, and custom welded mounting brackets to fit a Bonnie frame.

That gives me a Norton-related idea!

Last I heard the lightweight was residing in New Zealand or Aus.

That's so far from home! LOL.

i actually went to my first flat track event this weekend. I saw one norton, and a couple other vintage triumphs. After leaving I really wanted to build a bike!

Well a basket case P-11 just showed up on e-bay, Also a G-15 in very nice shape. I just wish the P-11 was the close one and not the G-15, Just gotta keep looking. :cry:

site http://www.flattrack.com/index.php?opti ... d&catid=11