New To Me. Could Use An Education

So I bought a thing that I don't know much about.
Slightly jumping the gun a bit as I am picking it up this evening. Paid for already though.

Figured it is best to start with a picture.


Was told it is a Manxman, but also that it is a '62.
Engine turns over.
NOS exhaust and fenders came in the deal.

Unsure if the bike is just dirty and such, or if it is that bad.
VERY low miles.
Story is that the bike was stored in the late 60s and not used since.
Started once a few years ago.

I have searched HIGH and LOW and can not find a single picture of a green Norton like this.
Does that mean it was a repaint? Some sheets I have seen list green as an option in terms of color though.

I have searched enough to know NOT to ask the difference between a Manxman and a 650ss...
What model do you think the bike is? Has a 99 stamped into the engine.
Will get frame and engine numbers latter.

How are these on the road compared to a commando?
Trying to decide what I should do with the bike.
Are they more or less valuable then a commando?
Are they harder to work on, get parts and restore then a commando?

Nice find !
Give it a cleanup, and see whats underneath.
The 99 on it says its (likely) a 600cc dommie Model 99.
Green was a stock color for a while, for some models and years, does it have an engine number on the lhs crankcase, to put a year to it.
Looks early 60s, with that left side tank cap.

Being a featherbed frame, these are quite highly regarded.
Not quite as speedy as the 650 and Atlas and Commando.
If you don't want to continue with it, there are folks looking for featherbed models to restore.
Show us how the resto goes - more pics !
hopethishelps.

If it was a 650 Manxman it would have come out all blue, like Rohan said proberly it be a 600 Dommie, but what ever you have is a very good fine and a great project bike, I am doing up a 650 Manxman but progress has stopped for awhile but will get back into it soon, mine came in boxes and didn't have much orginal Manxman parts on it as it was set up for racing, still had the blue frame and inner primary case, anyway you will be happy with it when you get into it, they are great to work on.

Ashley

Talk about a "survivor".

They are only original once, so take your time before changing anything.

Will post engine numbers latter.
After looking at the bike closer it defiantly was repainted.
The "road holder" fork label is painted over.

No frame tag??

It's a Model 99 Dominator - 600cc, slimline featherbed frame.
Frame number would be on the frame gusset above the swing arm spindle, on the brake side.
Nice find I'd say, depending on what you paid for it.
Paint may likely be original green.
Gas tank is a Manxman tank, which may be why it was referred to as a Manxman. That tank came on other Dominators in the early 60's, but only rarely. Could have been added later as well. Either way, the bike is not a Manxman. Which is neither here nor there, as both bikes are very nice.

Looks like plenty of non original parts, including levers, mufflers etc etc.

I'd say to take you time and clean it best you can before altering or "restoring' anything. Would be nice to keep it as original as possible.
That all being said, it'll take a decent chunk of money to get it running and riding properly, even if you don't do any cosmetic work.
Keep us posted as you dig into it.

http://www.classicbike.biz/Norton/Maint ... umbers.htm

Used this link.

The motor number 78587 means it is a 1958?
And the 15 means it is a Dominator 77 or Nomad?
When looking at a picture of a Nomad the bikes do have the same "bar" or "bracket" going from the tail light to the seat.
But that would mean a 500cc twin?

Wilkey,
What clues did you use to tell that it is a 99 Dominator?
Not challenging, honestly trying to learn.

I know CB750 Hondas very well, this project was cheaper then a Honda would have been in similar shape.....

The bike did come with a front fender and what I am told are the original bars.
The paint job does look nicely done, but the paint goes straight over the badge on the front forks (Roadholders) so this leads me to think it was not done in the factory. But maybe QC really was that bad....lol

Levers and some other parts do not look to be original Norton, but seem to be "period"

No plans to cut it up, polish it, change it or actually do anything with it at this point.
Have a Seeley and a Comando in the que in front of it right now.

Goal for now is to look the bike over. Access it's condition and learn as much as I can about it before doing any real work.

Thanks again for all the help.

But the frame buy the oil tank does not look like a Nomad.

I actually scrolled right past the photo of the "15" on the side of the crank cases. Saw the 99 stamped on the rear, which would make it a Model 99 Dominator. The 15 is causing confusion for sure.
The Nomad wasn't built in a featherbed frame. The frame is a slimline, which wasn't built in the 1950's. It's an early 1960's slimline featherbed frame. I'd check the frame number to confirm the year of the frame.
Also interesting, is that it has the downdraught cylinder head, which would be from a 650 Norton, or an SS model.
Basically, it looks mis stamped with the motor number. Confusing for sure.
And likely a motor built from misc. bits.
Either way, it's a cool and interesting machine.
It's always hard to say exactly what would have happened to these bikes after all these years.

Yeah over time lots of things could have happened.

Story was that the bike was bought from the original owner in "the late 60s" and put into storage after little use.
I would have assumed this would have cut down on the cobbing of parts, but who knows what the truth is.

The 78587 and 15 do both point to it being a 1958, at least engine wise.
I didnt see any frame numbers, but now that I know where to look I will get them next time I am in the garage.

Not super versed in the featherbed frames. I keep seeing difference "hoops" behind the oil tank. Using that to help pin point things.

Clearly not a Normad or 77 frame from what I can tell.
Maybe it is a later frame with an earlier motor??

Seller really thought that it was a Manxman and a 650. But this was the adult grandchild of the person that bought it in "the late 60s" so the game of telephone might be messing things up.

I didnt buy it thinking I won the lotto.
At the end of the day ANY Norton Featherbed has got to be worth what I paid for it.
No disappointment here.
Just trying to figure out exactly what I have.

It could easily be a different motor, from the 1950's, and bolted into a featherbed. It would certainly bolt right in. Could be a 650 capacity motor, if the cylinder was a 650 cylinder. Would need a 650 crank, rods and pistons as well. The head is definitely a 650 style downdraught head. So, maybe a early Dominator set of cases, with 650 top end? Maybe the top end matches the frame, as a 650, and the cases were replaced with early Dominator set? Possibly a blown bottom end with a rod failure? Plenty of 650 Nortons were ridden hard, and I've got a set of blown cases as well. So, it could easily just be replacement cases, and the rest of the bike is a matching 650 Manxman. Frame numbers will help for sure.

Good find though. Stoked to see it back in the day of light and in the hands of someone that will bring it back to life.

ALMOST like Triumph big twins, MANY Norton engine parts can be swapped across years and models.

You've got youself a "bitsa" there. Nothing wrong with that, they're just different and unique.

Im no purest so a "bitsa" is A OKAY with me.
Would like to figure out what the bits are though.
Some bitsas are built that way for a reason. It represents an era and a time. Others are just junk to get a bike whole to sell.
I am leaning towards it was done in period for a reason.

At the end of the day I am having way more fun then the $1500 could have bought me in other areas of the hobby.
Have wanted a featherbed for a while. I hesitate to use the term "café racer" because of the junk from PipeBurn that falls under that heading.
But I period correct "vintage performance" bike based on this would be extremely fun!

I was looking to see if the clock would give a clue as 600 Dommies have a 120mph clock and 650s, I thought, 150mph. I've not seen a 140 mph chronometric before. I thought the SC 3303/46 was meant to be 150mph.

jaguar said:

Im no purest so a "bitsa" is A OKAY with me.
Would like to figure out what the bits are though.
Some bitsas are built that way for a reason. It represents an era and a time. Others are just junk to get a bike whole to sell.
I am leaning towards it was done in period for a reason.

Click to expand...

If its a Nomad engine, some of them were built hotter than stock dommie engines (some had twin carbs, even in the late 1950s),
so if the original engine went 'bang' as they were a little prone to do, then a Nomad would have been a tougher replacement ?
Or it may just have been to hand.

Interested to hear what you find inside, and how it progresses.

Yeah these bikes seem to have gotten some hard use back in the day.
So replacement parts were the norm.

What ever you got its a nice machine and be a joy to rebuild, which everway you go you will sure to have a nice bike when finished, but then to me it looks great now, just somethink about a unrestored look of a bike.

Ashley

Had some time in the shop, so I messed with the Featherbed a bit.

There is a 18 stamped into the left side rear mount on the frame. That should mean that the frame was for a 650 twin.
But the "Vin" is very faint. Unsure if it is that way because it is painted over, or it has been mildly removed.
Will have to figure something out so I can register this thing!

Now that I know this isn't some crazy silly rare bike that I should auction at mecum with the help of Wayne @F40 I started to dig deeper into it.
Took the tank and seat off.

Tried to lightly clean a few spots. Look at the front drum. The paint on the frame is fairly good. I think with VERY little, if any touch up the bike will clean up well and have a very cool patina on it.

Those bars need to go!
Anyone got anything to say about that head steady?



Really faint.


Well that's about the worst of it really.
Need to figure out some of the wires.....looks like someone hacked it up a bit.


Carbs look good on the outside.

They need stacks or filters though.

So what is the deal with this head again?


This is one of those signs that tells me the bike was painted.


Bike came with a single carb in a box. Don't know why or what it is.




Carbs that are on the bike are numbered for some reason.


I got super excited when I saw the word "competition" on the magneto, but then found out it is a fairly common thing....
Also seems to make sense if the bottom end is really from a Nomad or something.


Like I said, the bike isn't going to get "restored" but will be cleaned up a bit. I don't see the point to leave it 100% as found in the barn. The bike needs to be a functional motorcycle.


Just some simple green and steel wool.

More signs of a "bitsa"

Re: Numbers on carbs ....

The numbers were associated with the Amal set up for the carb. The first 3 digits specified the carb model and those after the "/" would tell the jetting, needle type, and throttle slide cutaway installed in the carb. The following link will decode the info:

http://porklips.org/~mason/moto/amal_specs.html

Slick