I would like a new frame for my 1974 MkII project. Does anyone make a really good (straight) and light (either 4130 or Reynolds 531) isolastic frame with good looking welds? Failing this, does anyone know who is the best at straightening out the original frame?
New Frame for 1974 Norton MkII
- Thread starter gmmurphy
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Don't know your location but we've had race bikes and wheels straightened, plus vintage Brit-bike frames repaired at Dr. John's Motorcycle Frame Straightening: http://www.drjohnsmfs.com/ and like their work.
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I have a restored 850 frame for sale. Has been basted to bare metal, primered and epoxy paint. Contact via PM if interested.
SteveBorland
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gmmurphy said:
You might get a better response if you indicated where in the world you are.... :wink:
SteveBorland
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grandpaul said:
Mea culpa m'lud.....
Hopefully a location will appear shortly on a screen near you.
I'm sure the original frames are fine. However, I read somewhere that the later Italian-made frames were heavier or made of less desirable metal. I don't know the truth of this, but I am just wondering if anyone currently makes a frame of superior tubing and with really good alignment.
My current frame seems to have bent front tank mounting ears (the right one is bent up and the left one down) and a slightly bent head-tube-mounted triple-tree stop, so I suspect there may be other alignment issues. After reading "The Worlds Straightest Commando" article at http://vintagenet.us/phantom/wsc.html I realized how important proper alignment is for the isolastic frame.
My current frame seems to have bent front tank mounting ears (the right one is bent up and the left one down) and a slightly bent head-tube-mounted triple-tree stop, so I suspect there may be other alignment issues. After reading "The Worlds Straightest Commando" article at http://vintagenet.us/phantom/wsc.html I realized how important proper alignment is for the isolastic frame.
gmmurphy said:
The Italian frame maker was (later) named as Verlicchi, and if there was any 'fault' with the metal we are yet to hear of it here ?
It was said to be sized in metric, as compared to the Reynolds made frames which were inch sized = very fractionally different in places.
Just looking at them, there is no obvious way to distinguish between the makers, so this suggests they are about equivalent.
It was claimed that the frames varied in dimensions in places, which required 'corrective' action,
but this may be nothing else than sour grapes.
For mere road use, there is nothing superior about better grades of steel tubing, other than bragging rights ?
Commandos also have very little history of breaking frame tubes, surely a serious benefit of just using mild steel tubing...
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