Norton Thruxton Club Racer

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Hi there,
Michael Braid from UK is the proud owner fron one of this bike, the bike was showed at the Wieze Motorshow last february
Yves
 
Hi Philippe,

It was me that posted the pics of your bike on here back in January.

I did PM you on Facebook at the time, but we are not friends so it may have got lost. I asked if you had ever considered joining the Access Norton forum but never got a reply.

As I added to my post, let me know if it's an issue, and I will remove your pics.

It's great to have you (and your collection) join the group!
 
Welcome, Phillipe.

I, too, have seen your bikes on fb, and you have one of the most amazing Norton collections I've seen!

I hope you contribute to this forum, it would be a welcome addition.
 
SteveA said:
acotrel said:
I wonder if anybody has used a Rickman or Rob North frame fitted with a Commando motor ?
Click to expand...

Well...of course the anwer is yes...you saw Kens post about the Miles/North Commando done by Mick Hemmings, as far as Rickmans go, a lot of the Rickmans still around have the motor leant Commando style, but mine is vertical... and some of the frames used were originally destined for Triumph motors, which limits your engine placemnet options.

Which is what Rickman did, because the 95 frames they built specifically for Norton twins were intended fo Atlas motors, their factory plates held the motor vertical and as far forward and low in the frame as possible, with different lugs to the Triumph version and a 'dent' in the right down tube to clear the timing case.

Any specific questions?
Click to expand...

If a Rickman frame is used and the motor leans forward, can you get the motor far enough forward in the frame to get the weight distribution right ? Or is that not a problem ?
 
Thank you all for the welcome and concerning the pictures everything its clear now .
Since I am part of the family now I have no objection that they remain posted.
I own this Tx 750 since 1980 and bought it from a Belgian guy who used it for short hill climbing races.
The glass fibre parts were in poor condition so I made moulds from the original and made new tank and seat.
The parts are not painted but in white gel coat as it was originally ( I spend weeks to polish the moulds).
All the rest including engine are std .
The engine is a 23xxxx short stroke with RH7 head and 33 MM Amals.
Gearbox is 5 speed Quaife without kickstarter.
Tyres are changed now to Avons super Venom.
Hope on of these months to do a track day with it.
Khun 3
 
Welcome here, and thanks for the info and history.
A most interesting bike.

Khun 3 said:
The engine is a 23xxxx short stroke with RH7 head and 33 MM Amals.
Click to expand...

That wouldn't be 235xxx would it. ?
Been quite a bit of discussion here about those 235 numbers,
and whether they were for the short strokes,
some seemingly stock std road bikes also had them.

Since Amal didn't make 33mm carbs, they would be 32 mm bored out to 33 mm ?
(this is mentioned elsewhere for other performance modifications,
including the instructions on how-to-build-your-own-Combat-850-model).

Would the fibreglass for your TX fit onto a std Commando road bike do you think ?
Or is it too different in the frame/details.
 
Yes number is 235xxxx
Carbs are 33 mm std for short stroke ( indeed bored out 32 mm)
Glass fibre will not fit a std Commando to many frame modifications on the TX other oil tank as well.
Tail loop is shorten and adapted for the seat.
The engine is raised by 1 inch to improve ground clearance.
Rear shocks brackets are modified for vertical shocks.
Different head steady in front of the cylinder head because of raised engine.

No side stand bracket and many more.
To my knowledge no other Norton was sold with short stroke engines.
Although it is possible that some late 750s had also 235xxxx numbers.
Engines were for sale in 74 at Gus Kuhn,I remember the engine on the counter with inlet extra polished by almost every customer fingers...
 
Khun 3 said:
To my knowledge no other Norton was sold with short stroke engines.
Although it is possible that some late 750s had also 235xxxx numbers.
Click to expand...

Yes, they were standard stroke models. There are also a few standard stroke '74 850s with 235xxx serial numbers.
 
acotrel said:
If a Rickman frame is used and the motor leans forward, can you get the motor far enough forward in the frame to get the weight distribution right ? Or is that not a problem ?
Click to expand...

This is bound to get subjective very quickly. In my opinion no,a tilted motor places the weight of the crank too far back and up, and the slight movement of the engine top end weight does not compensate for the movement of the bottom end weight.

Using longer shocks, and a slightly longer swinging arm, both of which I also have, will bias some more weight to the front.

But the Rickman is long and the rider weight is a long way from the front end, I know some who move the seat forward to put more weight forward! or you keep the crank low and forward, which is how the Rickman (Atlas) was designed in '68, oh! and I have long arms, so your physique will affect is as well!

I have ridden a Rickman Norton with a tilted motor, and a friend races one that way. I prefer mine, but I would wouldn't I?

Plus I like the way it runs with a free revving short stroke and light crank, pistons and rods compared to other Norton engines. Others like heavier cranks etc. Subjective.
 
Might be subjective, but I hate that loose airy feeling on high speed bends, it destroys confidence so we go slower. I like the heavy crank in the Commando because nothing stops it once it is spinning, so a race-change with a close box always gives good acceleration. I wind it up and ride the top of the torque curve. I dislike turning into a head-wind and feeling the bike almost stop. When we road race the air in front of us is often bumpy.
My old Triton 500 had a 63mm stroke billet crank - reliability was the only reason I persevered with it. However it was a very dangerous ride - all top end and vicious. Originally it was fitted with megaphones and was impossible to ride fast around a circuit. But if you only wanted an adrenaline rush, it was the best. It would scare you anywhere. I don't believe a short stroke 750cc Commando would be that nasty.
 
I am hoping that Phillippe will give us some riding impressions for the Thruxton Club Racer.

No doubt that the 4 Stroke twins they could have raced against included Rickman and Seeley's with Norton or Weslake engines and it would be interesting to see if they compared favourably.

Personally I find the Rickman at it's best on long and fast sweepers, and harder to hustle in tight turns and traffic than a Seeley. I only raced a production Commando and no doubt you had to let the bars move in your hands and ignore it somewhat in fast bends cranked well over. It didn't feel so good, but if you didn't fight you would go quicker.

That can probably be improved with a good 'modern' Commando set up, sound Isos, head steady, shocks, and Lansdowne damping. But whatever you do you are trying to get toward what the Rickman and Seeley have to start with.
 
If the Rickman is best on long fast sweepers, it probably has more stable steering geometry - like an early Ducati ? There are three choices - neutral, stable and self steering. I only ever use my bike on tight circuits, so it self-steers a lot. If I was going to race it at Phillip Island, I would like more stable steering. A lot of road bikes have neutral steering. What I was mentioning about weight distribution is the feel the bike has on high speed sweeping bends. A friend recently told me that a racing Norvin he was working on has the same weight on both front and rear wheels. I don't think I would like to ride it. There is nothing worse than that vague airy feeling in the middle of a high speed bend. With a Triton, you only have to have the motor an inch too far back in the featherbed frame and you can get it. I know many modern bikes have equal weight distribution, but does that make it right for an old bike ?
 
acotrel said:
If the Rickman is best on long fast sweepers, it probably has more stable steering geometry - like an early Ducati ? There are three choices - neutral, stable and self steering. I only ever use my bike on tight circuits, so it self-steers a lot. If I was going to race it at Phillip Island, I would like more stable steering. A lot of road bikes have neutral steering. What I was mentioning about weight distribution is the feel the bike has on high speed sweeping bends. A friend recently told me that a racing Norvin he was working on has the same weight on both front and rear wheels. I don't think I would like to ride it. There is nothing worse than that vague airy feeling in the middle of a high speed bend. With a Triton, you only have to have the motor an inch too far back in the featherbed frame and you can get it. I know many modern bikes have equal weight distribution, but does that make it right for an old bike ?
Click to expand...

OK, what I said in effect waas, no, the Rickman does not have a vague airy feeling in the middle of a high speed bend, but the virtually standard Commando I raced did!

Let's wait and see what Phillippe has to say about the subject of the thread, the Thruxton Club Racer.
 
That is very interesting. Apparently the first Commandos had Peter William's race steering until a few kids crashed. The next model would have been more neutral or stable. Makes we wonder about the weight distribution of the normal Commando. I always like as much as possible towards the front of the bike. The setup used on modern superbikes makes me wonder a bit what the theory is.
 
dear phillipe !
my name is johann from austria and i also ride nortons since appr 40 years. only recenty I was able to track down the only thruxton club which was raced in austria. i chased the bike for ages and by luck I found it now and was able to buy it. it is in very nice original condition since it was stored in a barn in 1978,untouched since then. during its race time it has gained a two into one exhaust simiar to the one offered as a performance stage 3 kit with the early commandos. and someone mounted the ignition coils lower down. could you please email me a foto showing
the original mounting points of the coils. does your frame bear a chassis number ?
i can provide fotos of my club 750 if interested.
best regards
johann from austria
 
I recently aquired a norton club TX 750 which I chased since ages.
Can anybody provide pictures of the correct location of the ignition coils ?
Do those club racers have a chassis number ?
How can I post fotos on this page ?
Johann
 
docpez said:
How can I post fotos on this page ?.
Click to expand...

Below the message reply box, do you see Upload a File?
If so, click it, then upload the image, click where you want the photo to display in your message, then select Full Image.
Repeat to add more photos.
 
docpez said:
I recently aquired a norton club TX 750 which I chased since ages.
Can anybody provide pictures of the correct location of the ignition coils ?
Do those club racers have a chassis number ?
How can I post fotos on this page ?
Johann
Click to expand...
[Qwhy UOTE="L.A.B., post: 352134, member: 162"]Below the message reply box, do you see Upload a File?
If so, click it, then upload the image, click where you want the photo to display in your message, then select Full Image.
Repeat to add more photos.
[/QUOTE]
there is no button with file upload.
 
although this site is very interesting it provides all stages of obstructions to contribute, communicate and publish fotos. i wonder if all norton enthusiasts are pc nerds.
 
Sorry you are having trouble, docpez. I am certainly not a pc nerd.
Just FYI, the entire forum was just recently re -created due to security issues and other problems. Our genuine nerd Jerry Doe is still sorting out the details, in addition to working his other real job.
I'm sure we are all very interested in seeing and hearing about your Thruxton.
 
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