Optimistic sellers

[HenryDorsetCase]

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/m...ing/5344640575


I love this. I dont think it is optimistic per se but he might be an optimist trying to find the other person in the country who thinks "dang, cool, I need to own that please take my $20k. I followed along on The Kneeslider (remember that site?) when the indian dude was building RE twins and I really liked the concept and the engineering was very interesting. (along with Allen Millyard, and the various home-brewed V-8's etc).

Since this is one of the only actual motorbike related threads on the site any more the thread title is a bit of a misnomer - it was started to mock people like Mr H2A with his $40k pile of shit (back in the day it was $16k and it was too too dear then). Anyway, should I start a "this is cool/interesting/fun/would like to ride" thread?

[F5 Dave]

I think there was one, but start one, should be fun.

That seat would have to go though.
52bhp would fair rip your arms outta their sockets.

[dangerous]

sorry no MC content... but WTF, gota be a piss take.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/c...ing/5346657701

[Blackbird]

sorry no MC content... but WTF, gota be a piss take.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/c...ing/5346657701

Most likely, but you never know! Some people in our classic car club pay ridiculous sums for something original, especially if they're into the concours side of classics. There's a restored XK120 at Waimak Cars going for $190,000 at present. Paying $20k if there are salvageable original parts might be small beer for a well-heeled collector. You want to see the state of some of the classics and classic car parts coming across the wharf at Mt Maunganui from the US. Some of them are appalling, albeit not as bad as this one.

[jellywrestler]

Most likely, but you never know! Some people in our classic car club pay ridiculous sums for something original, especially if they're into the concours side of classics. There's a restored XK120 at Waimak Cars going for $190,000 at present. Paying $20k if there are salvageable original parts might be small beer for a well-heeled collector. You want to see the state of some of the classics and classic car parts coming across the wharf at Mt Maunganui from the US. Some of them are appalling, albeit not as bad as this one.

or valid numbers

[F5 Dave]

Someone already got in with 'It'll Buff out.' Geez some people are so unoriginal. I'd already thought of that before, or very very shortly after reading that, so he was clearly copying me.

[pritch]

The questions were amusing. A good start to the day. Now to depress myself by reading what happened in the world overnight.

[neels]

or valid numbers

Probably that, worth 20k for a traceable identity, you can build the rest around it.

[pritch]

If you can be bothered wading past the many ads here's a brief Antiques Roadshow clip of an original Norton Manx frame jig and associated bits valued at thirty to fifty thousand quid. The jig was found in a pile of pig shit which is somewhat of a comment on the demise of he British bike industry.


https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv...box=1748203375

[husaberg]

If you can be bothered wading past the many ads here's a brief Antiques Roadshow clip of an original Norton Manx frame jig and associated bits valued at thirty to fifty thousand quid. The jig was found in a pile of pig shit which is somewhat of a comment on the demise of he British bike industry.


https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv...box=1748203375

Even more damming is according to the renyolds guy Ken Sprayson .All Norton featherbeds were made at renyolds as Norton never had the facilities to weld frames.

No idea of where the manx ones were made but I guess they would have brazing facilities...

okay edit

All Featherbed frames from Jan. 1951 to 1970 were made at Reynolds Tube Co. in two basic versions, Manx & road, the only alteration to the Manx being the shortening & welding on of the rear subframe in '53/'54. They were made in 531 tubing of 1 /1/4" & 3/4" both 16 gauge & bronze welded. Frames for Inters were as Manx but made from A grade mild steel, & had a flat on the top tube to clear the taller engine.The road frames were made from B grade mild steel tube but in 14 gauge, all arc welded, & had a reduction in bend radius under the seat tube to give more room for road equipment. The only differences being alterations to mounting points for various engines.
All frames had a headstock angle of 64 deg./26 deg. as this was never changed.

Note there was bolt on subframes and slimline wideline version each frame had over 40Ft of tubing. 10Ft of bronze welding wire.
The original works frames were made by the Norton works were not well equipped so the sif-bronze welding was undertaken by the McCandless brothers who produced the eight frames for the racing team by hand.

On the wiki page I found this you have to love Easter eggs.

[pritch]

No idea of where the manx ones were made but I guess they would have brazing facilities...

That AR clip was filmed in Belfast and the McCandless brothers were from there. According to Wikipedia the first eight Norton Manx frames were built by the brothers so it's possible/likely the jig and associated items are their original tooling.

[husaberg]

That AR clip was filmed in Belfast and the McCandless brothers were from there. According to Wikipedia the first eight Norton Manx frames were built by the brothers so it's possible/likely the jig and associated items are their original tooling.

I have a Sprayson article somewhere as well as one of the mccadless bross they made a few prototype frames for Norton one for a four which I think had a car engine and one with a monocoque subframe.
As it would have been a fabrication jig, Renyolds would have made there own production jigs.
But you can see why the pom's failed when the cream of the crop don't the brazing facilities.
I have a feeling they were sidecar racers or owned a garage?

much like BSA not racing the MC1 and they needed to guarantee to management that it would win its first race
Or Enfield? not being able to buy a Dyno unless it was made by a company under the same ownership

look at this type second page I looked at

Interestingly, Norton didn't have the facility to produce the Featherbed frame themselves, nor could Reynolds (the tubing mf'r), so Rex brought his own jigs over from Ireland, and personally built the Works Norton frames from 1950-53 (that original jig, as it exists today, can be seen in the pic below - what a historic piece of scrap iron!).

https://thevintagent2011.blogspot.co...bed-frame.html

[F5 Dave]

They were all old shit pampered by 40hp engines and bakelite tyres.
No mystery, just slightly better than worse shite.
I sound like I've been drinking, but honest.

We had a crew at the dyno, mate of a mate, but one of the bikes they had on, something special. But the frame had a squashed tube at the front and looked agricultural. British stuff of that era was bent gaspipe.

Saw them later in a mag going to Classic IOM.
Pity year or a few before one of the riders got killed there. Him and his Dad were nice guys.