Fullauto Technologies heads

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Nigel, funny you should ask. I was just looking at the CAD models for an alloy 850 cylinder. We should have some machined in the next 2 months. I am still working on how to hard anodize in black without effecting the gasket or bore coating and still have a stock looking black cylinder

No coating. People will want to show off the aluminum.
 
You haven't seen the price tags yet.
Cost is a problem. We do not charge our resellers a very high price, but it sometimes gets marked up by the resellers by a factor of 3 to 5 times the price I charged them. We make one item for a reseller that we charge $280, they sell the final product for over $1,000. I am going to try and do something about this. I do not want to sell directly, because I do not have the time or patience to deal with "some" of the buying public (look at any thread on this forum, and you will be able to pick out the people I am talking about) I have a good relationship with Matt at CNW and I limit the suggested retail price on products we produce for him. Take for example the E Start we make for CNW. It is basically the same price as an Alton (which is a good system) but comes with a belt drive. My plans are to have multiple resellers and a advertised retail price, if a reseller tries to bump the price too much, the consumer will have other choices to make their purchase. To give you a hint, I believe the new Full Auto heads will be less than $2,000 US. We are a high quality manufacturer, but a lot of the prices we all complain about, don't come from the manufacturer, but from the reseller.
 
If you made the e-start that I bought from cNw then I want to compliment you on the superb quality and workmanship.

You mean the e-start that zips over an 11:1cr 920cc Commando so easily you’d think the head wasn’t fitted?

Very impressive kit indeed.
 
G81 Can Cycle, please, please, in future drip feed all this good news as my RSI is coming back from repeatedly clicking "Like"

But seriously, folks like yourself are to be applauded. Us Commando owners are blessed to have such support. I mean which other classic brit bike owner can choose from TWO electric starters (for example)?

Cheers,

cliffa.
 
something else to consider - gb = gearbox
So far no cost effective way to restore wallowed out AMC bearing bores so eventually will run out. About 15 yr ago called world wide looking for Commando gb to learn the major shops each had a big pile of cases that by now likely scraped out. The only place I know that still has piles of good Commando and Atlas shells, plus other Commando items, is Baxters Cycles.

the original cases are also known to be weak
https://www.accessnorton.com/NortonCommando/maney-gearbox-outrigger-bearing-help-please.16689/

https://www.accessnorton.com/Norton...rigger-bearing-help-please.16689/#post-243668

https://www.accessnorton.com/Norton...-bearing-help-please.16689/page-4#post-243731
 
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Picture of first AMC Commando gear set. We made 3 sets. Two sets have been in testing for one year with over 4,000 miles (6400+ km). We disassembled the boxes last week and the gears look fantastic. So, production will start soon. Lots of small changes in these gears to make them last longer and run smoother

Any plans for 5 speed cluster?
 
If you made the e-start that I bought from cNw then I want to compliment you on the superb quality and workmanship.

Agreed. I've had mine for a couple of months and haven't fitted it because then I won't be able to see the good bits.
 
Look for a foundry far far away from solar power subsidies and wind turbines. To hell with grEtta and her How dare you ...she should have sailed to china to parade her movement.


Damn right! Who in the hell wants clean air and cheap power?
 
intresting feedback from the new manufacturer regarding retail price point , but as a manufacturer it must be more cost effective to produce larger batches ?
so why not speak with the wholesalers JRC / COVENTRY SPARES / WASSELL i often see dealers / retailers like CNW & AN refered to as distributors when they are ( Norton only ) specialists
bear in mind the wholesalers already have a foot in most doors small resto shops to the larger retailers so have a ready made path to market and all have good track records moving volume

buying a new Norton head will often be a distress purchase as good used heads are now becoming few and far between sensibly priced new heads will sell if made more accessible to the general trade

if new heads were held in stock by a distributor ( wholesaler ) they can be supplied to specialist Norton retailers for re sale and the small resto shops will also be able to get supply without paying the full retail price

retail price will then find its own level where everyone can make a little and no single retailer will dictate the price and availability of the product line

the manufacturer may also be able to dangle the carrot of additional product lines for Norton Triumph BSA etc to the wholesalers and actually increase sales
 
To a point, spindle time is spindle time, so any batch needs to maximise the highest quantity that can be purchased / handled by any one process step in the overall processing as this will limit the pricing.

Shipping items out of the market area they are made in will attract duty and tax along with shipping fees and handling charges, this all affects the various retail prices found.

As John says, it makes sense for him manufacture and ship them out in bulk, than retail himself. This avoids storage, stock value issues, also many wholesalers and distributors use many different shipping companies depending on destination, size and required delivery timescale.
 
intresting feedback from the new manufacturer regarding retail price point , but as a manufacturer it must be more cost effective to produce larger batches ?
so why not speak with the wholesalers JRC / COVENTRY SPARES / WASSELL i often see dealers / retailers like CNW & AN refered to as distributors when they are ( Norton only ) specialists
bear in mind the wholesalers already have a foot in most doors small resto shops to the larger retailers so have a ready made path to market and all have good track records moving volume

buying a new Norton head will often be a distress purchase as good used heads are now becoming few and far between sensibly priced new heads will sell if made more accessible to the general trade

if new heads were held in stock by a distributor ( wholesaler ) they can be supplied to specialist Norton retailers for re sale and the small resto shops will also be able to get supply without paying the full retail price

retail price will then find its own level where everyone can make a little and no single retailer will dictate the price and availability of the product line

the manufacturer may also be able to dangle the carrot of additional product lines for Norton Triumph BSA etc to the wholesalers and actually increase sales

While I am not exactly sure what John is planning to do as far as heads and barrels and who will sell them, getting wholesalers into the mix will typically force a higher retail price. In other words, put a middleman in there and the margins will have to be longer and that will mean that the consumer pays. For a wholesaler to go in and invest in a good size inventory, they will demand a price that will allow then to in turn sell it to the smaller shops that just need one or two but still wants to have a cushion to work with.

Fact is, the Commando market is only so big and it's not a growing market either. While I definitely think more heads will sell if the price ends up where John wants it to be, it is still somewhat limited. By having a few retailers in every market, this will allow plenty of supply and ensure that the price can be kept reasonable and customers can choose who to buy them from. Add wholesalers and there will be no additional value but the price will definitely go up

If a shop that will only by one or two per year, wants one, they can get one at retail and since the head still needs to be built, that's where they can get some income to make sense out of offering it. Typically in our industry, it's the end customer that wants a certain product. In other words, if Bob drops his bike off to get worked on at a shop, he will let them know he wants a Fullauto head.....it's not necessarily the shop 'selling' him on the idea to get one. These days with the internet as powerful as it is, consumers are typically well informed about what is available. In a specialized market like ours, even more so.

I have to agree with what has been said before, that this is really a great time to own these Commandos since there are more and more great parts becoming available. When larger high quality manufacturers like Johns STS enter the market, it is something that will benefit all of us. Also worth mentioning is that while not everyone will be ready to put down 2K for a new head, the fact they they are available will also put more used product back on the market so those that want to spend less will have more to choose from as well.

Matt
 
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