New Guy, and a hopeless question/quest

Hi All,

Names Jack. 25 from MA. Joined this forum mostly for future reference as I haven't got a commando at the moment. I have a 750 Atlas engine in pieces which I hope to build into a parts Commando Fastback of some sort at some point in the next few years.

Owned a wide range of bikes in the last 50 years, half of them from the 60s/70s. I inherited my Dad's '67 Atlas which needed full restoration in '07, and as I'd just rebuilt a '73 T140V I decided to build a Triton that still looks like a Norton, so now I have an almost finished Triumph powered Atlas with high pipes...

Also in the process of building a TriEnTon on no budget, which is a modified (I sawed off the oil tank) 500cc Enfield engine into a '73 Triumph frame, with a '67 Norton gearbox, going to link up the Atlas 4 gallon tank somehow, and it'll probably have front end and rear wheel off a '78 Suzuki. Yay for Bitsa bikes.

Errr, Always wanted a Panther, a 16H Norton, or a 750 Commando - the Commando is much more possible, thus I'm here...

Oh, and the hopeless question. Haha, this is terrible. There was a 750 Fastback on Ebay a few years ago, last 3-4 years, in Ohio, it was black with white pin striping on the tank and the mufflers were off a Norton Atlas, one would have had a dent in it. I do believe this is the absolute poster child for a Long Shot, but if anyone here saw it, or knows what happened to it - and yes I know how many Commandos are on Ebay each day... The bike was dad's best friends, they did the pin striping together, and the mufflers were off Dad's Atlas. Just wondering if anyone here might know what happened to it.

Oh, 3 pictures, Dad, my greatest inspiration with his Atlas and Chip's Commando at Nelson's Ledges racetrack in Ohio:

Nice pictures, that is a very early Fastback, looks like Dustall decibel silencers. Please post pictures of your creations too.

Jean

Thanks.

At the moment I have a smaller collection of pictures, some of which are quite big, I apologize in advance.

The Triton as I said is still in the works:



I beg you to remember my budget is often quite small, so things have to be done the best I can, and later on when I have actual money I will redo them to the quality they deserve.

The following 3 are of the TriEnTon which is in very early stages:

The cut down and trimmed engine does in fact fit in the frame, though as a slight sloper


The gearbox fits too, which is nice. The red boxes are mounting options.


The inner primary fits:






Now there are a few interesting things to achieve. One is the oil return was gravity fed, so I'll have to fit an external pump of some sort to push it up into the Triumph return.

Electrical. I have a competition ignition which replaces the alternator - the Enfield was last a dirt bike of sorts. So I have no charging system. I thought about getting another distributor, or perhaps fixing my spare Joe Hunt Mag to the bike somehow. But have decided to attempt a small Auto Alternator driven by pulley off the crank.

Another is the primary. The Enfield runs a double row primary chain, and the Norton single row. This was to be an issue until I came up with the Auto Alternator idea. I will turn down the double row sprocket and add a pulley wheel where the second row had been. The pulley will drive the alternator, the sprocket will drive the rear wheel, and it should be quite interesting.

This is one of those bikes that makes no sense to build, so I want to try out any idea that I've ever wanted to try on a bike that has to make sense.

Welcome to the forum Jack.

As you've been a regular poster on the RC message board for quite a while now, I guess I know a little bit about you already!

Jack, welcome

Where in MA are you? There are a couple (mayhap more) MA Nortonisti -including me - who frequent this board. - BrianK

Wizid said:

Thanks.

At the moment I have a smaller collection of pictures, some of which are quite big, I apologize in advance.

The Triton as I said is still in the works:


I beg you to remember my budget is often quite small, so things have to be done the best I can, and later on when I have actual money I will redo them to the quality they deserve.

The following 3 are of the TriEnTon which is in very early stages:

The cut down and trimmed engine does in fact fit in the frame, though as a slight sloper

The gearbox fits too, which is nice. The red boxes are mounting options.

The inner primary fits:





Now there are a few interesting things to achieve. One is the oil return was gravity fed, so I'll have to fit an external pump of some sort to push it up into the Triumph return.

Electrical. I have a competition ignition which replaces the alternator - the Enfield was last a dirt bike of sorts. So I have no charging system. I thought about getting another distributor, or perhaps fixing my spare Joe Hunt Mag to the bike somehow. But have decided to attempt a small Auto Alternator driven by pulley off the crank.

Another is the primary. The Enfield runs a double row primary chain, and the Norton single row. This was to be an issue until I came up with the Auto Alternator idea. I will turn down the double row sprocket and add a pulley wheel where the second row had been. The pulley will drive the alternator, the sprocket will drive the rear wheel, and it should be quite interesting.

This is one of those bikes that makes no sense to build, so I want to try out any idea that I've ever wanted to try on a bike that has to make sense.

Click to expand...

I am using a small alternator from a Kubota tractor or stationary engine on my project, turns out it is the same one used on the Suzuki Bandit 1200, they are good for 500 watts and can be either belt or chain (belt would be quieter). Gates makes very thin "V" belts that are barely ¼" wide (Gates Polyflex 5M, can be had from 11" to more than 72" in lenght)

As for your oil pump, I think the oil pumps in most motorcycles can suck up from a tank that is lower than pump level and they have no problems pushing pushing the oil up to a tank sitting higher.

Nice project, keep posting pictures of your progress.

Jean

For pictures, see:

http://www.pbase.com/jeandr/image/92221422
http://www.pbase.com/jeandr/image/110925692
http://www.pbase.com/jeandr/image/108250539