THE ATLAS SHAKES
I have been asked:
"Hi slick
You've had an atlas over fifty years, do they really shake the filling out your teeth, so to speak?
When mschmit told me john Hudson repaired nortons with 1960,s dental tools it made me wonder."
My first Atlas was a '62... a pretty bike with only about 1800 miles if I remember correctly. My Beezer and Trumpet buddies tried to dissuade me from buying it, saying Nortons shook bits off and left them lying in the road. The first thing I noticed was it did not shake any worse than the 650 BSA's and Bonnie's. The next thing I noticed was it could barely beat them out in a zero to ton contest.
I then traded for a new '63. First thing I noticed was it beat the crap out of those same BSA's and Bonnie's.
Next thing I noticed was it was more intractable than the '62, but I cannot say it was any worse in the vibration area.
It definitely does not leave any parts on the road. My Bonnie buddy used to weekly go around his bike tightening up all the fasteners, something I never did. Once I burned out the Brit bulbs, I replaced them with Made in USA equivalents, and never replaced bulbs on any more frequent basis than I do in my cars.
To be sure, it is no Commando, but OTH Commandos are not Featherbeds either.
At 70 MPH, the handle bar vibes are such that the mirrors are worthless, but 60 MPH is a more efficient cruise speed both in terms of saving fuel, and saving my energy to hold on against the wind, and at that speed, the vibes are no worse than other big verticals.
Sure, I would like to have a Featherbed Roadholder, smooth as a Commando. But I think the Atlas has been given a bum rap. What sayeth other Atlas guys???
Slick
PS: I never lost any fillings from the Atlas.
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