P11 General questions and answers

Couple more questions.
1. are you using the repro license plate holder? Same guy who makes the air cleaner?
2. why didn't you get an aluminum air cleaner?
3. where did you get the Husky handlebars from? I'm 6'0 with long arms , are they really that much easier to stand, or cruise long distances with?
I am thinking of converting my p11a into an modified seat and short rear fender/tall license plate holder. The P11A seat is pretty uncomfortable and the only reason I don't ride it more.

1) I got license plate, and strap bracket from Walridge, someones repro.
2) I have an aluminum air box for show, looks fantastic, too delicate for serious street use. I got this steel airbox with element from Baxter, but Walridge has them too. I powder coated some kinda silver looks like galvanized.
3) http://www.vintagehusky.com, personally I like wide tall husky handlebars. you might consider the early husky bars that can be trimmed.
I will be buying an early Husqvarna motocross set from John next to try as well. The early crossbar is low and will be an issue, but I think it will be a work around.
4) I will be buying husky seat foam to trim/cut/use for my next seat as well.
please get your P11 in service.

My Rev counter started to go all over the place, mainly too high.
Checked the gage with a cordless drill and all was smooth.
looks like the cable started to fail by the drive end....and maybe even the drive spring cable shortened as a result and partially pulled out.
Ordered new complete cable from Ebay vendor specializing in cables
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141196138428?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

When I first got my bike, it came with a broken primary cover, result of a crash or who knows what. Rather than waiting to find a new cover, we opted for a repair by a local welder. Stronger than stock now. In keeping consistent with the bike's battle scar appearance, we left the weld repair visible. Watch out for your covers.

New kid on the block, have an early P11 12108X that has pillion footpegs. Is this right? Phots seem inconclusive, were they an optional extra? Need LH side cover, front and rear mudguards, the elusive rearplate/light unit plus loads of other bits. Keep reading about fork internals, is this a problem? Am UK based, I want to make it tidy useable, not for shows. Finally, have seen there were blue and green versions, mine has an overpainted in black but appears original blue oil tank, how can I found out the original colour?

Matt

Sloppy Link said:

New kid on the block, have an early P11 12108X that has pillion footpegs. Is this right? Phots seem inconclusive, were they an optional extra? Need LH side cover, front and rear mudguards, the elusive rearplate/light unit plus loads of other bits. Keep reading about fork internals, is this a problem? Am UK based, I want to make it tidy useable, not for shows. Finally, have seen there were blue and green versions, mine has an overpainted in black but appears original blue oil tank, how can I found out the original colour?

Matt

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It would seem odd to put pillion pegs on a bike with a solo seat.

The P11s (those '67 models produced in the serial range P11/121007--P11/123012) came with solo seats and the crossover loop brazed to the frame behind the seat, the loop had mounting tabs for the rear mudguard at the back and pins at the front. The rear of the fiberglass pan seat fit on to those pins and had a tongue at the front that slipped under the fuel tank.

P11As (those '68 models produced between P11/124372--P11/126123) came with dual seats and pillion pegs. The rear of the longer, wider fiberglass pan seat had two studs that fit though holes in the crossover piece, now made out of flat stock and welded to the frame extension loop, and a similar tongue at the front that fit under the fuel tank. The pillion footrests were similar to those used on the Atlas or Matchless G80CS

Rangers (P11/128646--P11/129145) used the same metal seat pan used on late G15/N15 bikes, with a different mounting system again. Rear mounts were a pair of brackets bolted to the seat pan and held to the bike with the upper shock mounts. The front of the seat had a receiver on the bottom of the pan that slipped on to a pin brazed to the frame just behind the fuel tank. The pillion footrests were the same as the Commando with about a 1-1/4" extension welded on the end.

Hmnn...does this mean I have a ringer? The pins are there, are there any other signs I should be looking for? Do I have the ultra rare, worth a fortune, ONLY dual seat version of P11? Or is there a straight forward explanation, I don't have it front of me but I suppose it could have been converted at a later date to suit an individual needs.

Sloppy Link said:

Hmnn...does this mean I have a ringer? The pins are there, are there any other signs I should be looking for? Do I have the ultra rare, worth a fortune, ONLY dual seat version of P11? Or is there a straight forward explanation, I don't have it front of me but I suppose it could have been converted at a later date to suit an individual needs.

Click to expand...

Do you have the loop brazed to the frame?

This is a P11 frame, despite the filmmaker's comments - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3_9OY2saqI

This is a P11A frame-


Ranger frame -


Each frame has minor detail changes around the rear to fit the seat and rear mudguard, which changed among the three models.

Since a '67 P11 is approaching 50 years old, there's an excellent chance its been fiddled with between the factory doors and your garage.

My Ranger was in relatively unaltered condition because the original (or second) owner bent the front spindle and a fork tube in the mid-70s. It stayed off the road until I resurrected it in 2010-11.

Ref Sloppy Link:

My bike also has rear foot pegs. Doesn't make sense with a solo seat. Mine (Serial #121190) was last registered in 1977 with 10K on the spedo.
You will notice the brazed on brackets for foot rests, so why? There are a lot of discrepancies just because of the way they were built in batches.
So be careful on the advice you get. For example my P-11 Ranger has skimmed front and rear hubs which people will say is wrong however the
Serial number 128691 was very early in the production run so I have to believe they used what was on the shelf left over from the P-11A run.
This bike has only 3K on the sped so I seriously doubt some one would change out the hubs. Bottom line unless you have lived with a bike from the day
it left the factory you don't know what has been done to it. Another example: The P-11 came with alloy front fenders however they cracked and dealers replaced them with steel (which explains why mine has those). Walridge's has the alloy replacement fenders, don't ask me how you keep them from cracking.

Oddly all P11 frames had passenger peg mounts brazed on the rear frame loop. The G85, of course, did not. As mentioned previously, the high pipe model had a solo seat, so should not have had passenger pegs. They were added to the P11A, along with the longer seat and the rear fender mount which now contained the holes for the seat studs, moved from the frame to the rear fender loop.

It's like they originally planned for a dual seat, but changed plans before manufacture of the first batch, then revised the design for a dual seat on the next iteration.

JimNorton said:

Ref Sloppy Link:
My bike also has rear foot pegs. Doesn't make sense with a solo seat. Mine (Serial #121190) was last registered in 1977 with 10K on the spedo.
You will notice the brazed on brackets for foot rests, so why? There are a lot of discrepancies just because of the way they were built in batches.
So be careful on the advice you get. For example my P-11 Ranger has skimmed front and rear hubs which people will say is wrong however the
Serial number 128691 was very early in the production run so I have to believe they used what was on the shelf left over from the P-11A run.
This bike has only 3K on the sped so I seriously doubt some one would change out the hubs. Bottom line unless you have lived with a bike from the day
it left the factory you don't know what has been done to it. Another example: The P-11 came with alloy front fenders however they cracked and dealers replaced them with steel (which explains why mine has those). Walridge's has the alloy replacement fenders, don't ask me how you keep them from cracking.

Click to expand...

Re; “My bike also has rear foot pegs. Doesn't make sense with a solo seat”
Just fit pillion foot pegs and carry a passenger who doesn’t mind getting their inside leg burned :!: :shock:

Re; “Walridge's has the alloy replacement fenders, don't ask me how you keep them from cracking”
Simple fit reinforcement alloy on the inside if the bolt holes –you may possibly need to tack alloy weld as well.

So, cracking on with the build, I am receiving conflicting advise on front mudguard size....should it 19" or 21"? Both seem to fit which only serves to confuse!

Sloppy Link said:

So, cracking on with the build, I am receiving conflicting advise on front mudguard size....should it 19" or 21"? Both seem to fit which only serves to confuse!

Click to expand...

Sloppy,
Both of my front hubs, skimmed and ribbed had WM2 19s chrome steel on as original. I have replaced my one skimmed front wheel to an shouldered type aluminum rim 19. Others my have modified their rides differently.
Cheers,
Thomas
CNN

Front mudguard should be sized for a 21" wheel, though fitted with a 19" WM2 rim.

This is so the wheel won't be bound up by mud getting between the tire and mudguard, especially if running knobby tires.

My G80CS has the same mudguard, running a 19" rim, and a 21" rim was optional on the G80 for trials work, which will fit under this mudguard.

The G15/N15 also used the longer stays to stand off the mudguard, even though they ran Roadholders and Norton wheels

Thank you Tom & Bill, 21" it is.

Matt

Sooo...next question, there appears to be a loop on most pics where the solo seat meets the rear mudguard, is this part of the seat or part of the frame? It is not on my frame and I don't have a seat to check.

Matt

Sloppy Link said:

Sooo...next question, there appears to be a loop on most pics where the solo seat meets the rear mudguard, is this part of the seat or part of the frame? It is not on my frame and I don't have a seat to check.

Matt

Click to expand...

Matt,
This loop was on the earlier frames, (I believe) with the solo seat. When the ranger came about near the end of the production, it had a dual seat which was longer. That loop was in the way for the longer seat. The rear fender stay then had a flat strap 3/4" wide that went just past the transition on the fender stay just behind the frame tube aluminum reducers.
subtle differences between the P11/P11a then P11 ranger.
BillT knows much more about these bikes than I do. So corrections may be in order.
Cheers,
Thomas
CNN

on the '67, it's part of the frame...one way to tell a P11 from a P11A or Ranger.

It's about a 1/2" tube brazed to the frame near the top shock mounts. It would have two tabs brazed to it to hold the front of the rear mudguard on the back, and two pins on the front side to hold the seat in place (similar to the pins for the tire pump on other models). The front of the seat (fiberglass pan) has a tongue that slips under the fuel tank. 4 bolts hold the fender to the bike (2 at the frame loop through the tabs, two at the rear fender loop through the tabs)

On the P11A, the seat was about 5" longer, and the rear fender loop has a flat bracket welded to it, about 1" wide and 1/8" thick. This bracket has four 1/4" holes in it - two on the flat parts to take the studs on the rear of the seat, and two on the radiused center to mount the front of the mudguard. Again, the P11A pan is fiberglass and serves as mudguard, too, for about 10". 4 bolts hold the fender to the bike - 2 through the bracket on the front of the loop and 2 through the tabs at the rear of the loop)

On the Ranger, the seat is different again. The rear fender loop is similar to the P11A, but only needs the two holes on the radius part to mount the fender. The fender on the Ranger extends under the seat and terminates at a tab brazed to the rear cross tube on top of the oil tank (five 1/4" bolts in total mount the Ranger fender to the bike). The rear of a Ranger seat has a bracket bolted to it that is secured by the shock top bolts. (The seat pan is actually the same steel pan as late G15CS/N15CS bikes, with different mounting method for the different frame)

Thanks Both, mine is definitely a P11 by the frame/engine number 101832 but the loop is no longer there. I want a solo, I'll try and post a pic of what I have, standby.....

From recollection, My bike has been in storage for 2 years while i am in Japan, mine is also missing the bracket but all of the factory records - including registry and expert confirmations - indicate that it is a 67 P11. Didnt see any butchery either.

Huw

Mine appears to have two threaded whatsits beaded to the frame. Machine not here at the moment so can't phot.