What engine to power a Featherbed frame?

[gavinnz]

Ok... lets brain storm some ideas for an engine for a Norton Featherbed special...

I have some ideas already but what new interesting ideas might you lot have???

Regards
Gavin

[Ixion]

Vincent.

I saw a very nice set up with a Jawa fourstroke the other day.

[gavinnz]

Vincent twin very cool... in my mind the coolest, but price is crazy.... I like the idea of a Comet engine.... :)
Gavin

[Ixion]

Could you shoehorn a Ducati engine in ?

A Yamaha TRX 850 or 900 should be worth a look.

[Motu]

Apart from the fact that they handled slightly better then anything else until the late '60's....and as far as the Japanese are concerned into the late '80's - there was enough room to fit anything you wanted into the frame.Dunno what I would put in - some sort of diesel....a Wisconsin V4...a couple of 2 stroke engines? Once I had a shaft drive XJ750 engine lying around,stuff all I could do with that...but....mount it longitudinal and run a sprocket off the driveflange.

Use your own brain,mines fucked....

[slofox]

The classic combo was the Vincent engine in the Featherbed frame. Maybe you could try an SV engine - 650 or 1000. Still got the V twin angle there and should fit OK.

Suspect the IL4's might be a little wide?

[AllanB]

Triumph triple - any year old or new.

[That Guy]

what about a two stroke - Yamaha v4 from the RZ500....then you could do some super trick expansion chambers, re cast the clutch/engine covers and call it a GAVINNZ engine. Keep people guessing for ages.

[Blackbird]

Triumph twin - the one and only Triton. Yummmm...

[That Guy]

Or if you've got loads of cash and it has to be a v-twin, one of these

[Paul in NZ]

Quite a few mods needed for a vincent to fit properly.

Unit engines are too short - its a long rangy old thing

Hey - heres an idea - stick a Norton engine in it

[Voltaire]

Harley Motor.

I rode a Buell the other day, and I quite liked the feel and delivery of the motor....OMG....I'm falling under the spell.....need chaps and tassels now....:innocent:

Found the Buell a bit odd looking...but if it looked like a Triton....hmmmmm

[Hinny]

Quite a few mods needed for a vincent to fit properly.

Unit engines are too short - its a long rangy old thing

Hey - heres an idea - stick a Norton engine in it

Now there's an idea.
Put some high pipes on it and make it look like a P11 Scrambler.
http://www.realclassic.co.uk/amcnortonhybrid03.html

Interesting bike here with Suzuki power.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320443175906

Hybrid style like a Norvin using a Suzuki SV1000 would be good.
Honda VTR motor would probably be cheaper...and better.

[KiwiGs]

A 1000cc Weslake V twin......

[Chooky]

I dont think anybody has done this to a Norton before...
750hp at the shaft at about 2200rpm...
You should be able to connect that to the back wheel somehow...?

[Ixion]

A featherbed would not cope with the power of a modern litre engine (I'm sure someone's done it, and I'm sure I don't want to ride it).

Look for an engine with a nice flat torque curve developing maybe 60 or 70 bhp.

Greyhound, not elephant.

A Harley would make a lot of sense.

The other thing is , it really needs to be an aircooled engine. Just cos it DOES, OK.

[Badcat]

Could you shoehorn a Ducati engine in ?

A Yamaha TRX 850 or 900 should be worth a look.


YEAH
a TRX!
that would be cool!
do that!

[Eurodave]

Hi Gavinnz, Have a good look at what Im currently doing...........however youll need to log in to see the pix
http://dotheton.com/index.php?topic=8418.0

[gavinnz]

Hi Gavinnz, Have a good look at what Im currently doing...........however youll need to log in to see the pix
http://dotheton.com/index.php?topic=8418.0
Cool! Whats the engine size??
Regards
Gavin

[Eurodave]

Its a 726cc industrial motor youd find in big lawn tractors etc ,with a bit of work it should put out reasonable hp & excellant torque....

[gavinnz]

Wow some good ideas their guys...

Vincent twin it top for me.
Second is that J.A.P. v twin, would be very cool.
But sadly both out of my range money wise.
I was considering XV920 or Harley Sportster.
Was not sure if I should go Iron head Sportster for the look and more correct period or Evo Sportster for more modern usablily.... but on either I would use two front heads. To get both exhausts facing forwards.... it's been done.

Daves engine made me think of a 950 round barrel Guzzi turned around and running a British gearbox!

Regards
Gavin

[Eurodave]

Daves engine made me think of a 950 round barrel Guzzi turned around and running a British gearbox!Gavin

Like this one? Doable but Guzzi parts could be expensive

[gavinnz]

Well a quick dash to the garage tells me a Guzzi 950 round barrel is 520mm across the barrels amd 490mm from sump to top of barrels... plus or minus 10mm... anyone got a featherbed handy to measure??
Gavin

[Hinny]

The other thing is , it really needs to be an air-cooled engine.

Good point.

[LBD]

Depend on what you want to end up with...?

There were a few 850 Norton Commandos in featherbeds that I beleive were always a good combo...


Yamaha TX850 or a modern Triumph engine....or of you want to replicate the racers of a bygon era....how about a modern Indian built Royal Enfield?

[hospitalfood]

BMW boxer twin would be my choice

[gavinnz]

BMW boxer twin would be my choice
Thanks one I thought about and have not seen done. I expect it's the final drive that buggers up an otherwise fine plan!
Regards
Gavin

[jonbuoy]

+ one on the Ducati - wrecked monster or a wrecked modern Triumph?

[Blackbird]

Of course, you could forget about twins and go for a nice big single thumper from one of the big trailies and make a Manx "replica"!

[Voltaire]

Hi Gavinnz, Have a good look at what Im currently doing...........however youll need to log in to see the pix
http://dotheton.com/index.php?topic=8418.0


I would think a BMW motor would slot in there very easily....:innocent:

[Hinny]

Of course, you could forget about twins and go for a nice big single thumper from one of the big trailies and make a Manx "replica"!

Good little project for you to idle away some of your spare time. :Oops:

[Eurodave]

I would think a BMW motor would slot in there very easily....:innocent:

Hell yeah, & then I could put all the standard Beemer bits back on &............ be just like the rest of you sheep on your mass market,cookie cutter ,seen one youve seen em all bikes

[BMWST?]

Could you shoehorn a Ducati engine in ?

A Yamaha TRX 850 or 900 should be worth a look.

thats what i was gonna say....

[James Deuce]

thats what i was gonna say....

Me too.

Just planting that idea has made one of my debit cards melt, and my cheque book is curling around the edges.

Imagine it. Big giant 6 shoe drum brake, hand stitched leather seat, Ceriani forks, Ikon shocks. Big round headlight, clip-ons, rear sets, twin megaphones.

Someone give me some cash.

[Hinny]

....twin megaphones.

...


Mmmmmmmmmmmm I like that idea.

[Pussy]

Yamaha XS 650 twin engine!

[The Pastor]

how about the godden? - should be able to get one in britian

[ntst8]

There were a few 850 Norton Commandos in featherbeds that I beleive were always a good combo...

Some rigid mounted, and some complete with isolastics like this one, not that i'm biased but you could do worse.
Just noticed the copyright symbol on the pic - copied off www.ntnoa.org where it was posted by the owner, with a full story on the build.

[Paul in NZ]

Go completely nuts.

Put an old JAP speedway engine in it...

[Motu]

A Commando engine needs the Atlas crank if rigidly mounted in a featherbed I am told.I had an Atlas cranked Commando/Combat engine getting ready to go into my 99,but the tweaked 600 was ample for me really.

As Paul mentioned some time ago,the featherbed is a long frame and looks silly with a small engine - it's needs an engine with no thought given to size....and an AMC gearbox to get the power to the wheel.

[gavinnz]

Thanks for all the ideas.

My thoughts,.... rambling as they might be were as follows...

Vincent twin... great. Ultimate, but can't justfy the expense of an engine...
Harley Sportster.... iron or evo.. with heads turned...
Then I briefly thought about a XV920 engine...
The moved onto a Vincent Comet engine which would be cheaper to get but still a heap of money...
Now I am thinking about a Guzzi Falcone engine from the 1950/60's.
This is one I have not seen done!
In Mick Walkers book "Moto Guzzi singles" their is a pic of a racing Guzzi 500 Albatros single engined featherbed taken in 1955. Thats the nearest I have got to one.

The Manx frame has 600mm of room from the swinging arm forward to the front down tube..... and a Falcone engine is 620mm long... so not a straight fit but not so far out as to not be doable with a few mods.

I need to find about more about the Lowboy version of the Featherbed frame as if it is indeeed lower it might suit the lay down engine more?

Other engines that I have seen or heard of going into a Featherbed are...
Ariel Square four.
Panther (engine replacing the front down tubes)
Some nutter with a Aprillia 1000 V twin!

Later
Gavin

[Motu]

I've seen a Hillman Imp in one (on Waiheke Island)...if you don't like a Hillman Imp engine,you could try a Coventry Climax instead.Maybe even a fire pump engine if you could find one.

[Paul in NZ]

I've seen a Hillman Imp in one (on Waiheke Island)...if you don't like a Hillman Imp engine,you could try a Coventry Climax instead.Maybe even a fire pump engine if you could find one.

Outboard motor engine... big merc v6 stroker

[nudemetalz]

What about a GB500? You could tune it with a 600cc kit and get at least as much hp as a Manx with the same sound (ish) but with reliability.

[James Deuce]

What about a GB500? You could tune it with a 600cc kit and get at least as much hp as a Manx with the same sound (ish) but with reliability.


It's too wee. It would be lost in a gaping hole designed for a pre-unit gearbox engine.

[EgliHonda]

I like the new Triumph idea, must be a Bonnie engine available somewhere.
Can still call it a Triton, and be associated with the history associated with this matchup, but have the advantages of an oil-tight powerplant that has ample spares available...?

Or, see if you can find a new Thunderbird engine...

[gavinnz]

What about a GB500? You could tune it with a 600cc kit and get at least as much hp as a Manx with the same sound (ish) but with reliability.
Yeah a 650 Honda single would work well power wise, but I am not sure you would get the charatcter from the engine that would make it fun... a full fairing with enough ventelation would hid the engine!

Getting back to my earlier idea... a Guzzi engine would not fit if turned like a Vincent, 950 length needed less than 600 in their....
But what about the right way around with the swing arm using the sfaft?
That might be cool.... but would the Featherbed frame take the twisting of a Guzzi engine???

Later
Gavin

[Richard Mc F]

Go feral..........H1 or H2, they had power and no frame.....CB750 or 550? get really odd GT550 suzuki, or RE5 that would screw with people?

ER6 ?

[KiwiGs]

How about a 700cc V twin Enfield?
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[Eurodave]

Yes yes yes o god yes!!!
Similar to the Cranberry V Twin Enfield [google it]
Ive been down this road before, cost was prohibitive which is mostly why I used a Kohler 726cc donk with Triumph 'box instead [see my sig. link]
I still reckon you need something a bit 'left field' motor wise.....

[Kickaha]

I still reckon you need something a bit 'left field' motor wise.....

A Daihatsu Charade 3 cylinder turbo then:laugh:

edit: or a couple of Aixro XR50 Wankel Kart Engines bolted together

[Eurodave]

Theres a Subaru Justy 3 cyl 1000 motor in my garage @ the moment, it may well end up in my R65, given the fullness of time......

[rastus]

Graeme Cole in Hamilton raced a featherbed frame in the 80's with a Matchless motor, he then built a Dunstal replica and raced the Matchless in that before changing to a Matchless sidecar and now the Team of red triumphs that you see at Pukekohe.

[avgas]

I always wanted to put something like this in a featherbed.......but thats my personal preference.
Would look cool in a mini too!

[Brian d marge]

.................................................. .............


Does it even need to be spoken



Royal ( as in the Queen approves ) ENFIELD


Stephen

[Hinny]

I always wanted to put something like this in a featherbed.......but thats my personal preference.
Would look cool in a mini too!

Hello Kim Newcombe.

[Brian d marge]

I've seen a Hillman Imp in one (on Waiheke Island)...if you don't like a Hillman Imp engine,you could try a Coventry Climax instead.Maybe even a fire pump engine if you could find one.

I did one back in the day ,,used a wide line .... nearly finished it but had to sell it due to moving

Stephen

[avgas]

Hello Kim Newcombe.
Yeah but you can always push the limit pass there and put the 300hp V6 ;)

Munch munch Rockets for lunch

[Supertwin Don]

Nobody seems to have suggested one of my favourite engines - Yamaha XS650 - 55hp, torquey, don't need oil tank, electric start, 5 speed - what more do you want ???? - can also use Amal carbs if wanted, and retro fit electronic ignition.

[Motu]

The XS650 is a very,very tight fit - I've seen someone try to fit an XS650 onto a featherbed....bare frame (mine) and engine on floor,it's just too tall.There is one on 650.com,the head is almost touching the top rails,and I suspect he has tweaked the lower rails to get it in.Nice though.

http://www.650motorcycles.com/MikesImages.html

[Beeza]

Drop in a Yamaha XS650 twin OHC engine. Fast, bullet-proof reliability...

[oldrider]

What about one of these? http://www.cyclonepower.com/ I think they are really interesting, modern concept steam engine!

If only they would design one especially for motorcycles!

I have made a request for them to do that but no reply yet though! Never mind, early days!

In a featherbead frame would be good.

One of my favourites, I used to ride a 500cc twin Norton featherbead, bloody magic. :whistle:

[kermitt]

i see mettise in the uk are making a real nice twin that would be awsome in a featherbed frame

[Motu]

I don't know that Rickman are making engines - but Wasp do,and they make a Metisse too,as well as a Wasp solo.

So yeah - a Wasp would be perfect.

[popelli]

iron head sportster engine, they fit straight in with out cutting the frame

best part is the name on the tank Hardon

[kermitt]

mettise under new ownership apparently, check out the article in latest motorcycletrader, 997cc 8 valve twin putting out 97bhp

[Paul in NZ]

And by god is it ugly - cycle parts nearly save it though!

[Pinstripe]

TRX 850 is a great idea.

How 'bout Honda CB550F lump?

[Kickaha]

Yamaha TR1

[Sensei]

Check this out from a Aprilia site , RSV powered Norton Featherbed frame

http://www.rsvzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10215

[jimbo]

Brilliant:drool::drool::drool:

[Paul in NZ]

Mind you - a good old fashioned Triton does not need to look old fashioned...

[Pixie]

Six cylinder steam engine!

[Paul in NZ]

Six cylinder steam engine!

Shit yes - Steam Punk is so in at the moment (Because Pete Jackson is gunna make a movie featuring it)

[LBD]

Drop in a Yamaha XS650 twin OHC engine. Fast, bullet-proof reliability...

I was looking at one of these the other day and thought of this post....XS650 gets my vote....