Alan Cotterell 850 racer set up

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Magazine article on the MV evoluzione 500 -3 in the Sept. 2012 issue of Motorcycle Classics so interesting weas that Ago made comments in another magazine about braking into corners then accelerating around them. To be able to do that the bike must oversteer under power when laid over, or it ends up running wide. In your article it mentions that Ago had a prescribed offset for his fork yokes on the MV3 to suit his riding style. My own bike is a Seeley Norton Commando and runs on methanol with a close ratio gearbox behind a motor turning out about 70 bhp. When I first raced it, it was fitted with Ducati 450 Cerianis which had a lot of yoke offset. Under braking it stood up and turned and almost decked me. I survived by turning it on again while trying to crash it on the grass outside the bitumen. It turned out that the Seeley frames all have 27 degree head angles, So I purloined the fork yokes from a TZ350 frame I had lying around ( have 26 degree head angle with 18 inch wheels). The bike now steers under power in the direction in which it is laid over. It means that I can get the power on extremely early in corners, and the bike is so much faster down the straights.

Using TZ350 fork yokes with the Seeley frame gives :

137mm forward offset

65mm yoke offset

72mm trail

27 degree head angle

wheelbase 1496 mm (58.5 inch)

I hope this might help somebody go faster,

Best Regards,

Alan Cotterell


(just in case you have forgotten what it looks like) :

Alan Cotterell 850 racer set up



I've been eye balling it to notice the more upright less progressive shocks mount angle than Commando. The slightly lower front stance than Commando.
Also note the dry primary chain solution plus an interesting clutch I want to everything about. Don't want no clutch slip nailing it so early into turns.
 
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