What a great thread, and a subject near and dear.
I started racing on a 1962 ES2 frame with a Commando motor, having watched what a lot of the Midwest guys were doing (Dances/Bob Goodpaster), and wanted to go that route. Dances was always very helpful in getting me going (still is!) with advice, things to do, things not to do, etc. My intentions always were (and still are) to one day own a genuine Manx, but the bitsa path allowed me to piecemeal my way into debt faster than if I would've just saved up and bought a factory 30M!
Little by little I worked at the Featherbed/Commando, developed it, broke it, fixed it, and started to figure the whole racing thing out. This bike was all I knew - I'd never ridden anything else on the track. Then after a few years on that bike, by chance a friend handed me his Seeley MK4 with a Commando motor within, and I took it out at Mid Ohio for a few laps. I couldn't believe how tiny, fast, and precise that bike felt. Almost like a little scooter with 70hp. I could lift the front wheel coming onto the back straight and chuck it into corners with great aggression! When I returned to the paddock I couldn't stop smiling. I was elated, and I knew deep down this was what I needed to do. Around that time Steve Maney was campaigning a couple of MK2 Seeleys so I reached out to him. Steve's chassis were made by Keith Stephenson, and if my memory serves, were built on Colin's actual jigs that Keith had acquired. Keith was out of the biz and these jigs were then sold on to John Woods (JWR). Maney recommended I speak to John, which I did, and soon thereafter we started working together to build my Seeley chassis. This was a great experience as John was very good at working with my needs and steering me right. I opted the MK2 simply because I was more familiar with the cradle frame and engine/gearbox mounting setup (and Maney would always advise if I needed), and certainly because it was presented right in front of me. This is the frame I use on my own Seeley Commando to this day. I took to it straight away, but distinctly remember it not feeling as "different" to my Featherbed as that MK4 did. Perhaps not quite as low and tight. In any case, I soldiered on and have done quite well with it over the years. It is my baby. As far as I know, John Woods only did frames for myself and Dave Watson/Gary Thwaites. After that his welder packed it in and said no more. Not sure where the jigs ended up. My partners at Minnovation got me good with Roger Titshmarsh, whose beautiful frames I still use today for every customer's Seeley we do at NYC Norton. I run Roger's frame on my Seeley MK2 G50 and they are very close in feel. However, the 750 with bigger tires and more weight is requires quite a bit more input compared to the lithe little G50, which I liken to a trout casually swimming upstream.
Around 2009 I raced a Molnar/Summerfield Manx for a season around the US. In my first outing with the Manx I distinctly remember thinking, "My God, this is the most comfortable race bike I've ever been on!". I did some good lap times on it right off the bat. I have very strong positive feelings about that bike, particularly the chassis. It was a wonderful experience, if only because it felt 100% neutral. Its riding position was much more relaxed than the Seeley and I was able to move around on it a bit more. In a way, I felt like I was cheating on my wife. But it's true - there's a reason the Featherbed frame is the most famous and duplicated frame in the world. Since then I've done several outings on one of Bob McKeever's 19"-wheeled original double knocker Manx. It is a hoot. It's a true vintage bike (with vintage brakes!) and it feels a little more twitchy and top heavy than the 18" wheeled Molnar. But I love it dearly. It's the bike I've always lusted after but never seem to be able to keep in my sights. I have nothing but good things to say about the Manxes and Featherbeds in general.
Having said this, I wouldn't trade either of my Seeleys. The Seeley and Featherbed are really two different animals. The Seeley is very (up)tight, precise, and nimble. You have to ride it fast and push it hard for it to really shine, otherwise it's quite unforgiving. The Manx/Featherbed is much more relaxed, easy on and off, and forgiving. I stand at just over 5' 10" tall, and the Seeley is tight for me. As mentioned, we put a foam pad on Dance's Seeley NRE at Barber one year, and he was very happy after that, so in the off season we raised his seat. He's a big dude, and this, combined with lowering his pegs, gave him a more relaxed position and his lap times showed the change. One of my biggest competitors and best friends, John Ellis, who races the hell out of a custom-framed Yamaha XS750, always jokes with me when we pull up to the line how he has to look down at me on my tiny little Seeley "like a missle" next to him. I always rib him that he's driving the big yellow school bus. He's quite the bus driver. But I digress...
-Kenny Cummings
