Best Modern Twin . ?

A little OT, but I couldn't resist. That would be the Martin Adams Commonwealth Racing team RS850 race bike. A pumped up Honda Racing RS750 engine from their flat track racing foray, in a custom Caffrey built frame. I rode back in the crash truck with Lewis after he crashed the bike at Daytona in 1987 (or 1988?), having crashed my Norton in the same practice session. He was really worried that Martin would be highly pissed that Paul had crashed his shiny, new race bike, and he was right. A street bike based on the RS750 engine would have been pretty cool, but I've never seen one built.

The bike in final form, freshly painted:

View attachment 81020

And in an earlier version, showing the engine in more detail:

View attachment 81021

Ken
Thanks for those two photos, they fill a gap in my thinking. It is easy to build a bike which is very fast, but also very nasty when you ride it. The Commonwealth Honda was a good effort.
 
After many years of ridiculing folk with big massive ADV bikes that would be terrible off road. I have had a big change of mind recently.
Those big, adventure bikes are a trend started by BMW and developed from their ISDT bikes. The flat twin may seem big for an off roader but they were developed and ridden by this guy, Herbert Schek. He was getting on for seven feet tall and powerfully built with it. Makes those big twins look like a 125.
Best Modern Twin . ?
Best Modern Twin . ?
 

Best Modern Twin . ?


" I think Kenny’s motor was a fantastic idea. It is clearly intended to be quite under tuned and over engineered, a bit like HDs. And it was SO close to hitting that mark. "

Is this the animal , or do you have info onit .
 
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One of Kenny's early prototypes. I think he made 6 or 7 952/961 prototypes. Notice the 360 degree crankshaft, instead of the 270 degree crankshaft that the final design had. The 360 degree version reportedly shook too much, even with the counterbalancer. Also note the spacer plate between the two case halves. It looks like Kenny used the cases he had cast for old Commandos, and added the spacer to acomodate the center bearing. His later prototypes, like the one below, did not have the spacer.

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Ken
 
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Best Modern Twin . ?
Steve passed in 1980 , easy for me as our wedding year , so Steve been gone 41 yrs …. I not counting years he gone but I do keep track of wedded bliss years !
 
I was SO close to buying one of those Conours. But I (wrongly) convinced myself I needed a lighter and more capable ‘genuine’ off roader.

I was wrong cos A) I ain’t gonna go off road that often and never to that level and B) such bikes don’t make great road bikes!

Hence I just chopped the CCM in for the Africa Twin. Still like them Yam‘s tho…
 
I was so tempted to go for an immaculate used Africa Twin before I got the Himmy, I think they are really great bikes but their complexity put me off just enough (so far anyhow :) ) let us know how you get on with it . Is yours the auto or manual or both ?
 
I was so tempted to go for an immaculate used Africa Twin before I got the Himmy, I think they are really great bikes but their complexity put me off just enough (so far anyhow :) ) let us know how you get on with it . Is yours the auto or manual or both ?
Indeed Sam, the technology on board ain’t really my thing either. But I’ll let you know how I get on with it.

I don’t intend to use much of the tech, the rider modes are easy to select and I won’t be creating any custom modes. ‘Touring’ mode will be fine for 99% of my riding I reckon. The Apple Play feature, which enables maps to be used on the big display, is a feature I do like.

I bought the base model, smaller tank and a few other things which makes it the lightest version. Also went for manual as the DCT adds a chunk of weight and I have a enough on already with different gear changes on different bikes!

I got lucky, the bike was SO well priced… and they threw extras at me… and they gave me a chunk more than I expected for the CCM as well... I just couldn’t say no !
 
If triumph cut a cylinder of this ugly dog , and lost a bit , it could get a 750 TWIN for Flat Track .

If the irdots coulds get it at 360 Lb in road sports mode , it might keep up with a decent original Bonneville. On a Twisty Road . As long as its not strewn with tacky debri .

Best Modern Twin . ?


Parently they had trouble with people buying these , for ROAD bikes .

Best Modern Twin . ?


OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Best Modern Twin . ?


Best Modern Twin . ?


If they cleaned the lines & fittings up , on these new things , they might not look like a ducks ass .
 
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When Allen Millyard searched his pile of cut up Kawasaki triples he had bits left over - why not do a 500cc twin? Perhaps K could have thought the same 40 years ago?

 
When Allen Millyard searched his pile of cut up Kawasaki triples he had bits left over - why not do a 500cc twin? Perhaps K could have thought the same 40 years ago?


ALL of his stuff looks indistinguishable from factory finish. So dang nice...
 
Yes, a hacksaw.

...and a lathe, and a mill, and a welder, and...
Now don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story :) His way with the hacksaw is mind blowing really, you have to be extremely talented to “see” the finished article when it’s still a normal factory machine. He deserves far more than simply a YouTube channel and the occasional appearances on TV with Henry Cole.
 
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