Yellow Peril on Motorcycle Classics

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swooshdave

swooshdave

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Motorcycle Classics Article

The devil is in the details, they say. That certainly applies to racing motorcycles. It’s not just bolting together go-faster bits that wins races: It’s also the painstaking task of squeezing out more performance by incremental improvements; reducing friction and saving weight; blueprinting and matching components; machining, shaping, honing and polishing.

Read more: http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/class ... z2kgWqxQX1
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Yellow Peril on Motorcycle Classics
 
Swooshdave,
Sorry to say it, but the bike pictured is a replica, not the real deal. Rear mudguard ("fender" to the Colonials), inlet manifolds, bellmouths etcetc.
Joe
 
ZFD said:
Swooshdave,
Sorry to say it, but the bike pictured is a replica, not the real deal. Rear mudguard ("fender" to the Colonials), inlet manifolds, bellmouths etcetc.
Joe
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I made no claim to the authenticity of the bike in the article. Lord knows Motorcycle Classics is by no mean experts at much. I cringe when I read the Tech Corner section. :|
 
Also wrong clip-ons and switchgear, wrong brake hose. Still a pretty bike, though. And I thought the write-up was pretty good. Only real mistake I caught was the alloy gas tank statement.

Ken
 
It was not a bad write-up however the article made me wonder which models had the short stroke engine. The only thing I found useful was the info about the wheelbase measurement. I will compare it with my Seeley, however I still don't know the head angle and yoke offset of the Commando Production Racer. I presume the wheel size was always 19 inch ? When I built my Seeley 850, I simply built it as I felt it should be, I had no reference point other than the bikes I had ridden over many years. I did no research on Commandos, so I could build on the work of PW - just laziness, and I did not know about this forum in 1978 when I originally assembled the bike.
 
lcrken said:
Also wrong clip-ons and switchgear, wrong brake hose. Still a pretty bike, though. And I thought the write-up was pretty good. Only real mistake I caught was the alloy gas tank statement.

Ken
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The builder did not say that he rebuilt the bike to the exact proddy specs, but did what he could. It's closer than some of the proddys on this forum. :mrgreen:
 
ZFD said:
Swooshdave,
Sorry to say it, but the bike pictured is a replica, not the real deal. Rear mudguard ("fender" to the Colonials), inlet manifolds, bellmouths etcetc.
Joe
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How can you tell for sure, without checking the numbers ?

I've seen/noted all sorts of genuine bikes 'restored' with whatever was to hand, and the geniune but scrappy bits end up on the shelf, or worse...
 
acotrel said:
It was not a bad write-up however the article made me wonder which models had the short stroke engine.
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I think the only Commando that came with the factory short stroke was the TX 750.
 
Matt Spencer said:
Wrong Headers too :
Yellow Peril on Motorcycle Classics

they fit in up under more than those there . :(

:wink:
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Should have the cigar type silencers too, and the rear wheel looks like an 18" dia.

"So apart from ...............what have the Romans ever done for us!"
 
Al-otment said:
Should have the cigar type silencers too,
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That depends on what year it is, doesn't it. ?

Later ones are correct with peashooters...
 
acotrel said:
It was not a bad write-up however the article made me wonder which models had the short stroke engine.
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You really seem to have a hard time believing it, but none of the "Commando 750 Production Racers" AKA "Commando FIM 750 Production Racers" came from the factory with the short stroke 750 engine. As Nortiboy pointed out, the TX750 "Thruxton Club Racer", of which only a very few were sold, came with it, but that was in 1975, several years after the last Production Racer was made. Norton advertised the short stroke as available in the Commando in 1973, but there is still a lot of argument about whether they ever delivered any, besides the one they built for show (Earl's Court, maybe?). Maybe we need to distinguish between the use of the term production racer to mean any old production bike that's been turned into a racer, vs a real factory built bike homologated for the specific purpose of racing.

Ken
 
The Yellow Peril "look" is what I wanted to duplicate with my 71 at the time. I never did it because I couldn't afford the parts. I would still sort of like to do it with my 850. My Norton can be a BRG fastback or a black roadster with an hour or so of work so why not add a YP to that? :)
 
lcrken said:
You really seem to have a hard time believing it,
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Some of us rather suspect that someone here doesn 't even read the posted replies.
Let alone learn from them.....
 
I know a guy with one of the short stroke 750 motors and he claims it to be genuine, however I don't know how he got it. If I can remember which suburb he lives in I will ring and ask him. I seem to vaguely remember that someone in NSW got hold of two motors. I tried to buy the one I've mentioned - was refused. I notice that this article shows the CPR with normal 750 barrels. The motor that I tried to buy looks like an 850 motor with the enclosed through bolts.

http://www.andover-norton.co.uk/NCProddyRacer.htm
 
If you'd payed any attention during various threads, Nortons did make some of those short stroke engines.
But mostly (entirely ?) not fitted to any bikes = just supplied loose.

Weren't stunning successful either, with less power unless some serious work was done on them ?
 
acotrel said:
The motor that I tried to buy looks like an 850 motor with the enclosed through bolts.
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I have a short stroke. Serial # should be 235xxx. Looks like 850 externally. Head stamped RH7. There are some comprehensive threads here, inc pics.
 
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