The British bike thread

[grantoury]

This used to be such a nice thread...

 

[LondonClassic]

Slimline 650ss Dominator? That is just fine where it is. A lot of us rode or still ride.

Manx Norton I think?

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Manx Norton I think?

Manx is bevel driven ohc. Manx type petrol and oil tanks.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Careful - you'll open the door!

Hinges creak,......

 

[grantoury]

This is the only British bike I have. My old man was a dealer/racer of them in the 50s/60s so I ended up getting sucked into that world. Don't worry about deleting this post if it is considered off-topic or spam.

View attachment 956212

I guess there is a dent in the fueltank for the handlebars, but why does it look like it has been done with a hammer? And why does it have tassles at the exhaust ends?

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

I guess there is a dent in the fueltank for the handlebars, but why does it look like it has been done with a hammer? And why does it have tassles at the exhaust ends?

Plugs to stop water ingress, possibly a hand beaten tank.
Edit, or crashed and smashed lock stop off and bars smash tank.

 

[Freeman]

I guess there is a dent in the fueltank for the handlebars, but why does it look like it has been done with a hammer? And why does it have tassles at the exhaust ends?

THe original owner was a Norton factory technician. When he put a fairing on the bike in 1965 he had to pull the clip-ons back towards the tank, so he took a two-by-four board, put it against the tank and hit it with a hammer to make clearance dents for the clip-on bars. Yes, there are plugs in the exhaust to keep mice etc. out when the bike is not in use.

 

[Freeman]

Manx is bevel driven ohc. Manx type petrol and oil tanks.

Right, this is a 500cc twin. It is one of three made by the Norton works and sent over to race at the Daytona 200 in 1962. The USA racing body had a history of banning purpose-built racing bikes, which is why the Domiracer project got started, they also banned the lowboy Domiracer frame, so to get around it they built three bikes around the roadster frame, and made some tanks to work with the frame. I have a 500cc Manx in the basement, but it is all in pieces, don't know if I will get it back together before I am six-feet under. Not as interested in motorbikes as I was when I was younger, but grew up with them. My old man mostly sold and rode Matchless bikes, but I always rode the Nortons.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

THe original owner was a Norton factory technician. When he put a fairing on the bike in 1965 he had to pull the clip-ons back towards the tank, so he took a two-by-four board, put it against the tank and hit it with a hammer to make clearance dents for the clip-on bars. Yes, there are plugs in the exhaust to keep mice etc. out when the bike is not in use.

Explains the creases