Combat differences

The Seeley Condor G50 would have been a fun bike, but there would probably be no reason to own one. I don't know what it could be used for, except being chased by police.

quawk said:

Thanks for stating the realities of so called performance enhancing modifications. Although new to Norton ownership, I spent a lifetime owning, working on, and tweaking just about anything that burnt gasoline. Except for that maybe 5 per cent of the top tuners, the vast majority of the rest of guys making mods, me included, are working off of here say of those top 5 per cent as to what "may" improve performance, and to me, anyway, it's about name dropping of the mods that have been done at what old guys, like me, used to call "bench racing" get togethers. No offense to anybody who does have the knowledge and have actually made improvements, but like many other pursuits, the majority of us/me are playing follow the leader. On a road bike, as acotrel eluded to, is it really going to make any difference, other than self satisfaction?

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When I was a kid,I loved hotting-up road bikes. That is OK when you have no brains and cannot afford to road-race. I had a 650 Triumph which had everything done to it. One of my mates bought a new 1959 Bonneville and immediately blew it to the weeds. In those days the police had to follow you for a mile before they could book you. And Aerial Square 4s and BSA Gold Flashs are not fast.

I have a very jaded view of my own racing career. I can out-ride most guys around the back of Winton Raceway, and with a bike which can keep up with the pack, that is all that is needed. For me developing the bike and enjoying the dog-fight is what it is about. It is very difficult to get that on public roads., If I had a Commando road bike, I would trick the gearbox and the brake, but not much else. That will beat most engine mods. What I really love about racing is when some kid really has a go at me, and I hate it if they give-up. I don't have many trophies, but there is one in my lounge room. A kid on a Honda Four had a decent go at me, but when I started to put pressure on him he quit - stopped trying. One of my mates does that - when he is being beaten, he quits instead of trying harder. He once sat up as I was passing him into a corner and ran me off into the escape road.

Maybe my comment about the Z1 was misunderstood.
Back then, and to a large degree now, BHP numbers and motorcycle magazine quarter mile tests sold motorcycles.
Back when Commandos were still being made, the road tests generally involved a trip to the local dragstrip. Even the UK tests often included 1/4 mile sprinting.

This was all good for the Commando in 1970 as it prevailed in the quarter mile acceleration test over all of the other Superbikes of the day. This was an amazing feat for such an old design!
By 72 it was all over for this type of dragstrip dominance by the Commando.

The Kawasaki Z1 and H2 put an end to it and then the power level of Superbikes just continued to skyrocket after that.

quawk said:

Thanks for stating the realities of so called performance enhancing modifications. Although new to Norton ownership, I spent a lifetime owning, working on, and tweaking just about anything that burnt gasoline. Except for that maybe 5 per cent of the top tuners, the vast majority of the rest of guys making mods, me included, are working off of here say of those top 5 per cent as to what "may" improve performance, and to me, anyway, for most owners it's about name dropping of the mods that have been done at what old guys, like me, used to call "bench racing" sessions. No offense to anybody who does have the knowledge and have actually made improvements, but like many other pursuits, the majority of us/me are playing follow the leader. On a road bike, as acotrel eluded to, is it really going to make any difference, other than self satisfaction?

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We have been down this road many many times
Some modifications are good some are bad
Some are pointless
I'm guilty of all of the above
But each to their own
My bike has just about everything modified except the engine which is bone stock
The brakes and the handling suit my style of riding and that is fine for me
For people that like restored bikes that are as they left the factory that's also fine by me

When I build my 850 Featherbed I built the motor for the frame, I didn't go over board with the engine mods, just made it breath a bit better for quicker response on the throttle, the crank balanced at 72% for the hard mounts, my stock cam built up too 2S cam grind profile, 40tho oversize Hepilite flat top pistons, ports cleaned and opened up for better flow and still running my stock valves, shaved head but only about 15tho to get rid of the warp, carbs jetted and full open exhaust, made my motor come alive without over doing it and running with stock gearing.
The biggest part was the lightness and handling of the Featherbed with a big 850 slightly hot motor and is still very reliable, oil tight, its not built for drag racing as I have nothing to prove to no one, its built for handling and quick throttle response up in the tight twisty mountain ranges where I mostly do my riding and over the 44 years I built the Commando/Featherbed it has some great upgrades when I had the spare cash, brakes, ignition and more weight cut off it.
Some say putting a 2S cam is a waste of time, but on my Norton it wasn't, it improved the midrange by far and I have built a very fun bike to ride, I could have gone over board with my motor build but money has always been my problem I built my motor when things were cheap to do back in the 80s, love to do some of Jims light weight pistons and all the other good bits in my motor but is way out of my price range, what I done all them years ago without over doing it has worked for me and still have a very reliable Norton hotrod.
Its has been an everyday rider most of its life only being semi retired in 2013 when I brough my first Triumph Thruxton, but I still love taking the Norton out for a play and has well and truly has proved itself in the 44 years I built it and the 2S cam woke it up and still be a good fun street bike.
No its not a full Combat motor but it's pretty close with better bearings etc and not over done.

Ashley

My 850 motor has had almost nothing done to it, and I am surprised it has become quick enough. With all of these things, a lot depends on the way in which they are used. I know that if I am in a situation which becomes a drag race, I will probably lose. It took me a while to figure-out how to use the Seeley 850. Most Japanese bikes are neutral-handling and cannot power through corners. My Seeley 850 has very smooth and strong power delivery and can power through corners from beginning to end. If you pass a guy on a ZI as you leave a corner, you are usually doing a much higher speed, and to catch and pass you before you reach the next corner - they need a lot more power. The close ratio gearbox is a big help. With the Seeley, I can upchange mid corner while accelerating hard and cranked over. But to do this, the bike must over-steer as you accelerate.
When I was racing years ago, I did not know a motorcycle could do this until I rode a 500cc Manx Norton, and you do not discover it unless you accelerate fairly hard in the middle of a corner - and that can be dangerous on most motorcycles.
The way a motorcycle steers is affected by it's trail, and fork yokes are expensive.

The last time I raced, I rode under and past the three leaders who were all on 1100cc superbikes, up on the high line in a corner at full lean going like the wind and all being very careful. I always used to believe that some riders are better than others. I don't know if I am even competent. But my motorcycle knows it's own way around corners. I am usually completely aimless.