Factory Race Shop -Dustall 24 Hr record .

The Swdish built gearbox mentioned and pictured in an earlier post was made by Torsten Arrgårdh. He had a machine shop in Stockholm. He made quite a number of them.
My Manx was fitted with one in -62 and I still have it.
 
johnm said:
I don't understand the title of this thread.

The 24 hour world record for a motorcycle was set 62 years ago by a 500 cc Velocette Venom at an average speed of 100.05 mph in 1961 at Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, a banked oval racetrack in France.

This record has never been beaten by any motorcycle of any capacity.

Unfortunately the record breaking machine was basically destroyed in the UK National Museum fire although a replica has been rebuilt.

Velos are pretty damn good bikes.
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Really, it might be for that circuit. Suggest you check your facts and maybe speak to the rider who has exceeded that on a Norton Commando, he is still with as is the team manager, sadly the 2nd rider has passed away.
 
Madnorton said:
Really, it might be for that circuit. Suggest you check your facts and maybe speak to the rider who has exceeded that on a Norton Commando, he is still with as is the team manager, sadly the 2nd rider has passed away.
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Happy to get new information. Can you give me the name place please. Thanks

But according to this Triumph just set a new record anyway

Spaniard Shatters 24-Hour Motorcycle Distance Record, Averaging 100 MPH+

Certified by Guinness World Records, the Spaniard rode the distance between Los Angeles and New York non-stop.
www.autoweek.com
 
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1973, Pete Davies and Pete Lovel, Francorchamps Spa during an actual race, 101mph I do believe a record that still exists today for a Norton twin. What is amazing is that the record has not crept up much over the many years looking at the Triumph result which was on a prepared bike and track and not under race conditions.
 
ML said:
Domiracer was coined by the factory in 1961 for the works special 500cc Dominator twin developed by Doug Hele as a demonstration of its potential performance against the Manx 30M 500cc single. The frame was a Renolds lightweigh steel reduced in height due to the lower top end of the Dommie motor and named the Low-Boy.

Mick
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I would like to correct a common error about the factory Domiracer frame. Doug Hele NEVER called it a Low-Boy, that name being given to an experimental Manx frame with no connection to the Domiracer other than that Doug was responsible for both of them. Doug would get annoyed whenever someone referred to his Domiracer frame as a Low-Boy. I know this because we shared an office at Norton when I was Chief Stress Analyst and had many informative conversations.
 
Matt Spencer said:
View attachment 31430 " the ill fated battle between ' the Mint ' and Dave Downer "

When the Norton Race Shop , which had been developing the ' DOMIRACER ' Twin
was disposed of in the Factory Move (1968 ? ) the frames , perhaps seven , were
disposed of , with other assets ,to Paul Dunstall.An aftermarket fittings and
fiberglass ( the 'new fangled' ) supplier . Some people strike it lucky .

The development work , unpublisised , on the TWINS & the Compact Twin loop
Norton designed ' feather bed replacement ' Twin Cylinder Raceing Frame were
amoungst his acquisitions .

The Frames were not put into production by dunstall . The ' drainpipe ' Commando
was his 'modern' attempt at progress . frame building not being an inexpensive
exercise.

However , the 'Dustall Twin Norton' that set the 24 Hr Record at Montherly ,
(see French N.O.C. site for 'Montherly' , a bid being attempted to prevent its
destruction, as per Brooklands at the hands of the R.A.F. (or British Government)
in W.W.II , its banking demolished for runway lengthening and not made good
post war . was a ' WORKS DOMIRACER ' Frame ,as THEY were the only factory
to produce or have produced them. Thus they were lost to Historians in the
change of propriitor and assumed to be " 500 c.c. Norton Twin " Racing Frames.

The probability that they were other than a Parrallel Development to the
Commado project , doesnt stack up.My presumption was that Dunstalls
' Gift Horse ' was misslayed by history .

Presumably still have pictures from this still , along with 'Paul and His
750 Fame' , the domiracer already overlooked. To find one of these
Original , or track all of there Fates would bear thought .

Dunstalls production for the ' cafe racer ' inspired market were his
" Dunstall Equiped " 650 and Atlas based , tuned and fitted machines,
and Later the Commando , "810 " kits , and ' disc Brakes ' ( Twin Front )

Seely and Rickman Marketed Commando Suitable Frames ,
The Seely some types , the Rickman Co-incidently , as it
was a ' pre-unit ' frame , in conception . For the Matchless
O.H.C. single , serving for the Twin as did the Factory
A.M.C. frame for this Engine in the P II and P II A .

However ive yet to see more than one picture of a period Circuit racing
Rickman Commando (engined) Machine. With its large Chrome moly
frame Tubes , aircraft standard production , Large dia. and heavy
duty Front End and Disc Brake , a fairly formidable piece of machinery
one wouldve thought. A ' fair sized ' rider being accomadated for
with its ungathered distribution of Cycle Parts . One aspect
seldom praised journolistically .

The DOMIRACER , on the other hand , IS gathered Together as it were.
Designed to the Racing Maxim of ' If its not there , it Doesnt weigh anything '
all supurflous material was done away with at the Drawing Board stage .

A rider much over 5' 8 " is unfortunately going to start appearing overly
lankey on this machine. ( next thing his knees will be Hanging out ) . !
However a sub 12 Stone rider would be able to " crawl under the paint "
therefore reduceing frontal area and Drag sufficently for a mildly worked
? commando based engine to Capture the WORLD 24Hr Speed record .

Dunstall was Known for his ' Hemisphered ' head reangled inlet HEADS,
which parralelled the works " P . R ." head. presumably the tooling was
part of his cache, as A.M.C. at that time , did not consider the
' Commando ' in their lights as a ' racing machine '. twins race
development tooling disposed of , as to Dunstall - removed ,
remains SCRAPPED . bother .

Matt.

Dunstall Motorcycles
1968 Dunstall Dominator 750

This Is The Fastest 750 In The World
On 5th September, 1967, at Monza, Italy, a new 750 c.c. class 1 hour record was set by Rex Butcher riding a standard fully equipped Dunstall Dominator. The record has been raised to 126.7 m.p.h. New records for the 10 and 100 kilometre distances were achieved at the same time
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well you a bit out with your year the engine in dave downers bike came from the experiment department in late 1962 bought by paul dunstall along with a ford thames van full of Norton goodies out of the experimental department and that 650 motor was a late 650 manxman motor fitted in to a lowboy manx frame a turned by paul dunstall its was faster the minters manx of that time the race to place at brans hatch apirl 1963 dave downers was a very good engineer a young man of only 23 at the time of his death but he had put up a brave battel against derck minter on the manx its was minters oil tank split that created this deadly accident at dingle dell corner
 
Back in the late 1920/s a 500 Rudge single covered 200 miles in 2 hours m Pretty good for the times. Dunstall did not get all the race shop , Reg Deardon got a fair amount including a twin race bike . A 650 twin motor with needle roller cam and race oiling ,no case numbers came from Reg's shop and resides near by.
 
When I built my Seeley 850, I had improved the handling of my 500cc short stroke Triton, and I knew how important the position of the motor is. My frame is the MK3 Seeley - that enabled me to get the motor a bit further forward. If the motor is back a bit, the bike can feel light in the front when you gas it at the transition point in corners when accelerating out. It will make you go slower. If the motor is half an inch too far back - makes a big difference with a featherbed frame. One of the most frustrating thing about many race bikes is you cannot really fang them when you are in the middle of a corner, because they go light in the front and understeer. A Domiracer can never be as good as a Seeley Commando. But they probably never race together. Get a Seeley G50 into the Goodwood Revival, and you will see the difference.
 
There is a video by Cycle World about the V8 Guzzi - it mentions how important the position of the motor is. They were hanging lead on the frame to get it to handle.
 
norton bob said:
Back in the late 1920/s a 500 Rudge single covered 200 miles in 2 hours m Pretty good for the times. Dunstall did not get all the race shop , Reg Deardon got a fair amount including a twin race bike . A 650 twin motor with needle roller cam and race oiling ,no case numbers came from Reg's shop and resides near by.
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Many years ago, I watched Jack Forrest beat all the Manx Nortons with a 650SS, in an Allpowers Race at Bathurst. He was a works rider for BMW in Europe. Tom Phillis would also have been at that level, when he rode the Domiracer. - https://ibb.co/GfZqfCym
 
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I have Paul Dunstall's tuning notes. There is nothing radical. I suspect the Commando motor was built with a lot of racing knowledge, To me, it looks like and alternative concept. I did not expect it to be so good without a lot of modification. But it actually works well, I just use it differently when compared with other motors. Heavy crank and long stroke and small inlet ports are not modern theory.
 


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