Life chasing Cafe bikes

Be patient something will turn up. If you want a norton, wait, never settle on a major purchase you'll regret it sooner than later.

Ok as I wait for the 29th to find out what the high bidder is on the the Hi Rider. Im still waiting to hear back on a few others and continue looking relentlessly. I have found several new sources like the INOA classifieds. I found this which looks like the recent post on the Things I found on Ebay/CL post.

INOA Classified Posted at: 6:34 11/5/2009
For Sale: 1968 Dunstall 750 Commando $7500 needs assembly
I have a real Dunstall with papers that needs assembly. Very rare stuff. make an offer, trades?

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CL Post Date: 2010-10-14, 2:03PM CDT
Norton 1968 Commando 750 Dunstall - $7000 (Clinton ) I have a real 750 Commando Dunstall with papers that needs assembly. Complete and completely apart.Very rare stuff. Early Lyster twin disc front, thousands invested in the brake system alone. Pick up only.

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If there is one hard lesson, that I have been learning very slowly is: If its to good to be true it probably is!

From the research I had done in looking for my previous race bike, (that turned out to be a total waist of time). Im thinking this doesn’t sound right and go back into research mode. What I found that leads me to think this is not what it appears to be, Came from the Dunstall History Page of woodgate .org http://www.woodgate.org/dunstall/history.html and also from a 1968 Dunstall brochure.

IAW Woodgate:

By the 1968 catalogue, the B.S.A machine had been dropped and it listed just the 750 Atlas model and a choice of Triumph T100 or T120 machines. The Norton model was based on the Monza record-winning machine. The engine mods included a Dunstall designed camshaft, a pair of monobolc 1" carbs, enlarged, reshaped and polished ports, lightened and polished rockers and cam followers, bronze valve guides, high compression pistons, double speed oil pump, and pressure feed to rockers. For the first time, the machine featured bolt-on twin hydraulic discs. The cost was £558 15s 2d including purchase tax.
In June 1968, Paul introduced a machine aimed specifically at the American market. This was the Dunstall American. It was a Dunstall Norton 750 fitted with high rise handlebars, high level exhaust pipes and a twin leading shoe brake instead of the a twin disc unit to distinguish it from his UK models. A lower (4.53:1) overall gear ratio was fitted. The buyer could choose forward or rear mounted footrests and a 4.00-18 or 3.50-19 rear tire. The machine could not be bought in the US, instead it had to be shipped in from the UK meaning that the buyer also had to pay airfreight charges and import duty on top of the cost of the machine.

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In April 1969, Paul added to his range of Norton Machines with a 750cc conversion to the 650cc Triumph. It used the existing cylinder head but with a different gasket, rings, gudgeon pins, circlips, 10:1 Hepolite pistons and light alloy barrel with lip-flanged steel liners. The Bore/Stroke was 82 by 75.5 mm yielding 740cc. A 0.020-in overbore gave 750cc and a 0.040-in overbore opened it up to 760cc. The 1969 catalogue featured an expanded range. It still included the 750 Triumph and the Dunstall Norton Sprint (Atlas), but also included a Dunstall Norton Export 750 based on the Atlas but designed as a racer with a top speed of 130 mph, and for the first time, the Dunstall Norton Commando. This had similar engine modifications to the Atlas versions and was fitted with twin hydraulic disks, a balanced exhaust system with 'Decibel' silencers, rear-mounted footrests, a 4 gallon glass-fibre tank and a new dual seat which replaced the Norton version. The machine also boasted a glass-fibre GT fairing and front mudguard, alloy top yoke and wheel rims.

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So is this a 1968 Featherbed frame Dunstall American or a 1969 Dunstall Norton Commando.... or Is it something else? :roll:

There has been a nice Norton listed in the Rhode Island Craigs list off & on. I think its still for sale in Newport.

I am coming to this thread a bit late but here is my advice. When you find the one you want (and you know it is The One) don't get cheap. If you are going to own it and love it for years to come a few hundred bucks really doesn't amount to much. As for sniping...here is my play...wait until near the end of the auction, last few minutes and then hit them with all your guns at once. Go as far as you are willing in one leap and it will screw the bidders who are trying to get it cheap. If somebody out bids you on this play, they just wanted it more than you did.
Good luck,
Russ

rvich said:

I am coming to this thread a bit late but here is my advice. When you find the one you want (and you know it is The One) don't get cheap. If you are going to own it and love it for years to come a few hundred bucks really doesn't amount to much. As for sniping...here is my play...wait until near the end of the auction, last few minutes and then hit them with all your guns at once. Go as far as you are willing in one leap and it will screw the bidders who are trying to get it cheap. If somebody out bids you on this play, they just wanted it more than you did.
Good luck,
Russ

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Russ,

Im not going cheap, Ill pay top dollar for the right bike, even a finders fee for said bike. I just want to know the truth about what ever it is that I am buying. As to the Sniping If someone wants something more than I they get to pay more than I. I bid what it is worth to me and if I don't get it, so be it, that just means it was worth more to them.

My dream is to have a vintage Cafe racer, not a clone, but something with some Provenance. If it doesn't happen Ill build one, I don't want to hack up a good bike to make it into something else, but I will salvage a basket case to build what I want. This Dunstall would be a perfect candidate for what I want, but I don't think it is what he claims it is. If it was a complete production Dunstall either a featherbed frame or a Commando frame it is worth the asking price to me. I also believe that if it was authentic it would not take a year to sell. The description of the bike he is trying to sell and the data that I have found on production Dunstall racers do not match. He has stated that it is authentic and he has papers to prove it. Well a pdf scan of a document showing the bikes provenance posted with pics of the bike should have gotten it sold a long time ago.

Maybe its just me, but a numbers matching correct bike and a frame, engine, trany with a Dunstall tank and fairing and a cool but not correct dual disk set up are not worth the same. That is unless he can prove that that bike was entered in the Daytona 200 in 1971, then it is a different story.

Caferider said:

Im still waiting to hear back on the Hi Rider, but haven’t stopped looking.

I found a original Production Racer gas tank on Ebay, I bid on it steady for 5 days, every time I was out bid I increased my max bid. ( Oh the Blackberry, Im sucked in someone please help me) I kept my high bidder status up till the very end. There had not been any action on the tank at all during the last day of the auction, there was only 5 minutes left I had a $20 buffer and knew it was mine. Im watching the clock click down to 10 seconds Im still the high bidder. Bam!!!! the screen changes over to auction closed with winning bid $2 more than my max. :evil: Im thinking WTF some body sat there waiting until the very last second to keep me from bidding. I cant believe that this happened, what is the secret to winning an auction on Ebay?

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I never use sniper programs and I win many times. The key is to never bid until the last 15 seconds with what you want to pay, not a penny more (well, never bid .00 go something like .51) if the price is already over what you are willing to pay, let it go.

Jean

Well I finally found a few bikes to get me through the winter. I found a 1966 650 SS basket case and a 1972 Commando. The commando is was pretty complete minus the forks exhaust and carbs, but it did come with a DunStall kit. Im still waiting for all the pieces to the 650 to come in.

While I was waiting on the Commando to be shipped, which seemed to take forever, I got a front end built.



Here is the commando as first off loaded from the truck. She was a dirty greasy pig that hadn't been washed since 1979, and I'm sure that most of the caked on crud around the swing arm was on there since new.



I spent 2 days getting her all cleaned up and mocked up with the Dunstall kit.


I am loking for a set of Dunstall Plates to mount the rear sets on. If not, Has anyone got the dimensions to the Dunstall Z plates, or a good photo so I can fab up a set?

I have a bunch op photo's on my Photobucket account. I fabbed up my own plates out of 1/4" AL. I have quite a collection of Dunstall pictures. Most of the pieces.

http://s1029.photobucket.com/albums/y355/brentwolff/

Let me know if you need more info or help, I've been researching for 15 years. I've got quite a pile of info.

bwolfie said:

I have a bunch op photo's on my Photobucket account. I fabbed up my own plates out of 1/4" AL. I have quite a collection of Dunstall pictures. Most of the pieces.

http://s1029.photobucket.com/albums/y355/brentwolff/

Let me know if you need more info or help, I've been researching for 15 years. I've got quite a pile of info.

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Thanks, the photos were a little help but I spent too much time trying to decide what size Tile they were sitting on in the last pic so I could get it to scale. I'm just going to have to have someone get out a tape.

I can get you a measured drawing of mine in a few days.

Bwolfie,

Thanks, look for my build thread and put them there. I don't want to hijack my own thread Im still looking for a real race bike to restore.