Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimline

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Seat shopping as the restorer left me with a hack job on my original pan. I found Leighton's and must confess, I don't know if my 66 atlas is a wideline or slimline. How DOES one tell the difference? Apologies for the newb question and Thanks. Hunter
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

All the heavyweight twins from 1960 are slimlines.

If you look at the seat rails about where your knees are,
the rails narrow in there. Thats a slimline.

The widelines have straight frame rails there.
Knees splayed out wide....
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

Where the back of the tank sit on the frame the slimline is bent in and the wideline is a lot wider if that makes sence, but being a 66 Atlas it will be a Slimline

Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimline


this is a pic of my Slimline, see the top rails are tucked in it was one of the first Slimlines 1960 Mamxman

Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimline


I don't know if you can tell from this pic but as you can see the top rail on my Wideline is wider and not tucked in as much, the Wideline were made before the 60s and the Slimlines were made from 1960 abouts.

Hope this helps.

Ashley
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

Heck yeah helps. THANKS Gents.
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

ashman said:
this is a pic of my Slimline, see the top rails are tucked in it was one of the first Slimlines 1960 Mamxman

Don't get too excited, the Manxman came out about at least a year after the first slimlines... !
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

I did say there abouts :?:
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

M1Lover

I have leanrt something from you question and im sure many others have also.. So its not a stupid question when you dont know.. Thanks for asking! :D :D
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

olChris
I think there are a lot of people who don't know the difference and build Tritons using slimline frames. The first Tritons were built using Manx (wideline) frames in the fifties, mainly because you couldn't buy a manx motor to replace the one that was blown up. These days you will see Tritons built using slimline frames and unit construction motors. They are not what they were, there is no authenticity about them.
However a slimline frame Triton with a pre-unit motor will perform as well as one with a wideline frame, with a unit construction motor you cannot get the weight distribution good enough not to adversely affect the handling. - Depends on how fast you want to ride it.
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

acotrel said:
olChris
I think there are a lot of people who don't know the difference and build Tritons using slimline frames. The first Tritons were built using Manx (wideline) frames in the fifties, mainly because you couldn't buy a manx motor to replace the one that was blown up. These days you will see Tritons built using slimline frames and unit construction motors. They are not what they were, there is no authenticity about them.
However a slimline frame Triton with a pre-unit motor will perform as well as one with a wideline frame, with a unit construction motor you cannot get the weight distribution good enough not to adversely affect the handling. - Depends on how fast you want to ride it.

How can a 'special' be not authentic !?!

Ad that old story about unit Tritons not handling is just not true. A gentleman by the name of Nigel Hall-Smith races a unit Triumph motor bored and stroked and fitted with a Nourish top end and he regularly blitz's the field here in the UK. Last i heard it was well over 1000cc and well over 100bhp... So when you say "depends how fast you want to go" I'd say, ask Nigel!

The unit motor IS less ideal for the big featherbed frame in principle, I do agree, but it can be made to work, the compromise being a less than ideal chain run. And that is easily 'managed' with a top quality chain and perhaps a skid plate fitted here n there.
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

All I can say is my unit/slimline handles as well as ANY of my other classic Bonnevilles & Commandos, and has a bit more top end due to big-bore kit, higher gearing and other goodies.

As far as looks, well that's subjective, now isn't it?

Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimline
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

Well, if we're showing off pictures...

Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimline
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

I don't see anything wrong with that bike.
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

grandpaul said:
I don't see anything wrong with that bike.

There is nothing in the 'spare' speedo/tacho hole. !
Although this is definitely mere nit-picking...

Aco's experience with Tritons seems a little limited ?,
there are more slimlines built these days ?
Also, it was taking the manx motors out for F500 that gave all those spare chassis to begin with ?
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

Rohan said:
grandpaul said:
I don't see anything wrong with that bike.

There is nothing in the 'spare' speedo/tacho hole. !
Although this is definitely mere nit-picking...

Aco's experience with Tritons seems a little limited ?,
there are more slimlines built these days ?
Also, it was taking the manx motors out for F500 that gave all those spare chassis to begin with ?

Well spotted sir, and please forgive my tardiness with the preparation. The fact is, that at 150mph on the North Circular, just past the Ace cafe, with my chin on the tank, it was a tad difficult to see where I was going cos the clocks were in my line of site.
Well what would you do? I couldn't possibly back off and throw the race, but I couldn't bloody well see either!
There seemed few other options (I admit that with a roundabout approaching I may have rushed my thinking here) but there seemed little else for it other than to reach up, pull the clock from the pod, and toss it over my shoulder. I could then peer through the opening, win the race, and get back to the Ace before be-bop-alulla finished on the juke box.

Or... I'd had to remove and return a faulty tacho...!
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

Re Slimline, Wideline, authenticity of sorts only belonging to wide line etc,

Norton considered the Slimline an improvement and development of the Wideline f bed, that is why it showed up AFTER the wideline. Some owners of Widelines complained about the riding position with the full width top tubes, Norton responded by pulling them in to create a motorcycle that had a nice narrow waist and a place to tuck in the knees.
Having ridden both a wideline 99 and a slimline 650SS, I prefer the Slim to the Wide.

Glen
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

This gem is currently on fleabay

Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimline


Makes you wonder why Tritons ever became popular anyway...
BTW, description says they are Commando forks.

If you can't see the whole bike, right click and either save image, or view image.
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

worntorn said:
Re Slimline, Wideline, authenticity of sorts only belonging to wide line etc,

Norton considered the Slimline an improvement and development of the Wideline f bed, that is why it showed up AFTER the wideline. Some owners of Widelines complained about the riding position with the full width top tubes, Norton responded by pulling them in to create a motorcycle that had a nice narrow waist and a place to tuck in the knees.
Having ridden both a wideline 99 and a slimline 650SS, I prefer the Slim to the Wide.

Glen

Agreed, I've ridden both, raced both actually and could not detect any difference in handling. On a race bike, ridden in a 'modern' style (ie hanging off) I found the corners of a wideline race tank left me with bruised inner thighs!
I've seen slimlines with the rear loops chopped off and Manx style rear end grafted on, that makes a neat looking frame (Degens used to do this).
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

I once owned a '59 Manx 500 (basket case) that Reg Pridmore had modified to take a Kawasaki 2-stroke triple. Among the mods, he had cut off the rear tubes and replaced them with a much narrower pair, like the slimline, only more so, and fitted a skinny seat from a Kawasaki road racer. At the time, I was really offended by the desecration, but now I understand why he did it. The wideline frame can get uncomfortable pretty fast for some folks. Wish I had taken pictures at the time, but that was before digital cameras, and I didn't think to record much for posterity. Using similar reasoning, I'm switching from the wideline frame I've been using, to a slimline for future Bonneville efforts, because I think it will let me tuck my legs in a little closer for better aerodynamics.

Lest the purist get all excited, please note that I did eventually manage to restore the Manx frame to original, with some help from Rob North on the difficult bits, recovered the original engine, and eventually sold the whole package to one of the listers here who actually finished putting it all back together.

Ken
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

lcrken said:
Lest the purist get all excited, please note that I did eventually manage to restore the Manx frame to original,

Jist out of sheer curiousity - and for the record - did it handle or steer any different with the slimmer rear seat/shock tubes ??

We thought not - all the sheer hysteria out there about a seating position.
But we may be jumping the gun here.
Some 650ss and Atlas cycles have done some fast lappery over the years it must be said though.
And they all be slimlines....
 
Re: Stupid Question: Difference between Wideline and Slimlin

Rohan said:
lcrken said:
Lest the purist get all excited, please note that I did eventually manage to restore the Manx frame to original,

Jist out of sheer curiousity - and for the record - did it handle or steer any different with the slimmer rear seat/shock tubes ??

We thought not - all the sheer hysteria out there about a seating position.
But we may be jumping the gun here.
Some 650ss and Atlas cycles have done some fast lappery over the years it must be said though.
And they all be slimlines....

Beats me. I bought it as a basket case and sold it as an unfinished project, so never got to ride it.

Ken
 
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