How old are you? Are you still riding?(Poll)

If you are still riding:

  • Less than 40 years old

    Votes: 16 4.8%
  • 40-49 years old

    Votes: 14 4.2%
  • 50-59 years old

    Votes: 41 12.3%
  • 60-69 years old

    Votes: 178 53.5%
  • 70-80 years old

    Votes: 80 24.0%
  • Over 80 years old

    Votes: 4 1.2%

  • Total voters
    333
No Commando wants other than riding and maintaining.
I do have a 1956 Dommie 99 in “large lumps “ but the rebuild mojo has faded somewhat.
Do it.... mine is to do 130mph on my 80th birthday... Following carstrike when cycling this has meant taking the avon fairing and rear sets off- so it will be tricky even when my Steve maney race motor is finished Its the getting from125to 130that willtake a seeming eternity
 
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Do it.... mine is to do 130mph on my 80th birthday... Following carstrike when cycling this has meant taking the avon fairing and rear sets off- so it will be tricky even when my Steve maney race motor is finished Its the getting from125to 130that willtake a seeming eternity
One of my ambitions is to touch 150mph on my commando
I know this is easy on a modern sports bike
But I would like to do it on a commando
I'm not clever enough to tune my engine to produce the amount of power needed but I do have a drouin supercharger on the shelf and a 920 kit that may enable this?
I only want to do it once so I'm not looking for reliability or longevity
But if the drouin doesn't hold out I also have an aisin 500 as back up
 
One of my ambitions is to touch 150mph on my commando
I know this is easy on a modern sports bike
But I would like to do it on a commando
I'm not clever enough to tune my engine to produce the amount of power needed but I do have a drouin supercharger on the shelf and a 920 kit that may enable this?
I only want to do it once so I'm not looking for reliability or longevity
But if the drouin doesn't hold out I also have an aisin 500 as back up

Ah yes the Druin.... it might with a 920 kit get nearer to 150 than my now unfaired 750 will get to 130.. What really would concern me is to get nicked by the old bill just after the motor has blown.. Who wants to be a legend down the local traffic cop shop....
 
Ah yes the Druin.... it might with a 920 kit get nearer to 150 than my now unfaired 750 will get to 130.. What really would concern me is to get nicked by the old bill just after the motor has blown.. Who wants to be a legend down the local traffic cop shop....
Yep I fully understand the risks
 
Do it.... mine is to do 130mph on my 80th birthday... Following carstrike when cycling this has meant taking the avon fairing and rear sets off- so it will be tricky even when my Steve maney race motor is finished Its the getting from125to 130that willtake a seeming eternity
A full Maney 750 should do 130.

A top half fairing will help a lot, you really don’t gain much with the lower half. The lack of rearsets will make no difference either way.

In other words… I can’t see what’s stoppin‘ yer !!

BTW, it’s aerodynamics and outright power that make the biggest difference to top speed, power to weight ratio, by contrast, has much less impact.

As a yoof I discovered that when riding prone and flat out on my GSXR 750J, folding the mirrors in flat gained an extra 5mph (indicated). When I got home the mirrors were removed!
 
A full Maney 750 should do 130.

A top half fairing will help a lot, you really don’t gain much with the lower half. The lack of rearsets will make no difference either way.

In other words… I can’t see what’s stoppin‘ yer !!

BTW, it’s aerodynamics and outright power that make the biggest difference to top speed, power to weight ratio, by contrast, has much less impact.

As a yoof I discovered that when riding prone and flat out on my GSXR 750J, folding the mirrors in flat gained an extra 5mph (indicated). When I got home the mirrors were removed!

I am hoping a full Maney will.. its a long standing ambition to do 130 on my mk3 fatback ... the fairing lowers actually put around 10mph on top end.. Had to take them off because they foul conventional footrests and who needs trapped feet in todays traffic.
 
So what Norton commando ambitions do any of us have left?
I had an ambition to transplant my 920 motor into a Manx chassis.

That has kinda been de-railed though as I’m now of the opinion that perhaps the best frame for a Commando engine is… a Commando frame!

And perhaps the best engine for a Manx frame is… a Manx engine!

So, obviously, now I want a Manx…:rolleyes:
 
Hobot would be proud of us...
Yep he would be !
My drouin is the early twin belt version so even more unreliable
Although I am not planning to use the lake (widowmaker) injector so relatively safe
I'm more worried about the pliobond holding out on the narrow copper gasket between the cylinders
 
I had an ambition to transplant my 920 motor into a Manx chassis.

That has kinda been de-railed though as I’m now of the opinion that perhaps the best frame for a Commando engine is… a Commando frame!

And perhaps the best engine for a Manx frame is… a Manx engine!

So, obviously, now I want a Manx…:rolleyes:

The Commando chassis is really good for conventional roads and x winds.... possibly long wheel base helps
 
I am hoping a full Maney will.. its a long standing ambition to do 130 on my mk3 fatback ... the fairing lowers actually put around 10mph on top end.. Had to take them off because they foul conventional footrests and who needs trapped feet in todays traffic.
Hmmm, that’s interesting, tests I’ve done have always shown the lowers add little to nothing. Even on my yoofull Gixer mentioned above. Main reason I fitted full farings to my race bikes was crash protection!

Of course, it’s an exponential thing, the faster you go, the more effect even small things have.
 
One of my ambitions is to touch 150mph on my commando
I know this is easy on a modern sports bike
But I would like to do it on a commando
I'm not clever enough to tune my engine to produce the amount of power needed but I do have a drouin supercharger on the shelf and a 920 kit that may enable this?
I only want to do it once so I'm not looking for reliability or longevity
But if the drouin doesn't hold out I also have an aisin 500 as back up
Blimey. Go Baz !
 
Hmmm, that’s interesting, tests I’ve done have always shown the lowers add little to nothing. Even on my yoofull Gixer mentioned above. Main reason I fitted full farings to my race bikes was crash protection!

Of course, it’s an exponential thing, the faster you go, the more effect even small things have.

yes your exponential point is taken but i find with the lowers fitted on a good day the bike will pull slightly over 120... without its about 115 . The interesting one tome is that with the lowers it will cruise at 90on just a breath of throttle... with just the upper it takes rather more to sustain that kind ofcruising speed...

This was the fairing fitted tothe velo 24hr 100 mph record and it was set up sothat wate drops just scate across the screen . it is very stable in high cross winds unlike myZZR which is terrifying .

I did read somewhere that the key aero dynamic is the turbulance created by the air stream leaving notby the drag of penetration...
 
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yes your exponential point is taken but i find with the lowers fitted on a good day the bike will pull slightly over 120... without its about 115 . The interesting one tome is that with the lowers it will cruise at 90on just a breath of throttle... with just the upper it takes rather more to sustain that kind ofcruising speed...

This was the fairing fitted tothe velo 24hr 100 mph record and it was set up sothat wate drops just scate across the screen . it is very stable in high cross winds unlike myZZR which is terrifying .

I did read somewhere that the key aero dynamic is the turbulance created by the air stream leaving notby the drag of penetration...
I have never understood aero dynamics and never will
It just doesn't do what you expect it to do
I have an Indian Enfield 500 that when fitted with a bolt upright flat screen actually goes faster !
To me it looks like it's trying to push a big hole in the air
But it definitely shows another 5mph or so on the speedo
It's very noticeable on such a lowly powered machine
 
I have never understood aero dynamics and never will
It just doesn't do what you expect it to do
I have an Indian Enfield 500 that when fitted with a bolt upright flat screen actually goes faster !
To me it looks like it's trying to push a big hole in the air
But it definitely shows another 5mph or so on the speedo
It's very noticeable on such a lowly powered machine
Your findings with the Enfield corroborate what I read.What will it do flat out..I have a classic 500efi but its done less than 1000 miles ... so no full injector running yet..
 
I have never understood aero dynamics and never will
It just doesn't do what you expect it to do
I have an Indian Enfield 500 that when fitted with a bolt upright flat screen actually goes faster !
To me it looks like it's trying to push a big hole in the air
But it definitely shows another 5mph or so on the speedo
It's very noticeable on such a lowly powered machine
Me to!

My totally uneducated assumption is that the screen, although looking like a barn door, still represents a cleaner, smoother interruption to air flow than the untidy human body, helmet, flapping clothing, etc.
 
Your findings with the Enfield corroborate what I read.What will it do flat out..I have a classic 500efi but its done less than 1000 miles ... so no full injector running yet..
Mines the old iron barrel/carb model it does an indicated 85mph flat out
And around 80 without the screen
It was slower than this
I found the rubber inlet manifold had closed down to 23mm
I fitted an amal pancake air filter and I have drilled the silencer out all the way into the downpipe
I raised gearbox sprocket one tooth and went up on the jetting
 
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