Matchless "Cheetah 750" Ad

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Greetings,

I think I recall seeing an ad for the Matchless version of the P11 called a "Cheetah." It was a one page ad, similar to the "Dynamite on Wheels" Norton P11 ad. I'd like to find a copy of one to display next to my bike.

Thanks for your help, Norm (Ann Arbor)
 
Greetings,

I think I recall seeing an ad for the Matchless version of the P11 called a "Cheetah." It was a one page ad, similar to the "Dynamite on Wheels" Norton P11 ad. I'd like to find a copy of one to display next to my bike.

Thanks for your help, Norm (Ann Arbor)

The Cheetah or Cheetah 45 was the original name used for the 1967 P11. This was used for both Matchless and Norton P11s. When the 1968 P11A came out, roughly 1/3 were badged as Matchless. With the 1969 Ranger 750, all were Norton. The Cheetah 45 ad shows up regularly on ebay - though not currently
 
Matchless "Cheetah 750" Ad


I've just about completed a two year project bringing what was originally a Ranger 750 back to life. It''s not an authentic restoration, but rather my personal interpretation of the most attractive/interesting features of the P11 family of hybrids. In addition to the obvious departures from authenticity are the following: alloy rims, stainless steel spokes and brakes by Vintage Brake, motor balanced by Ernie Lewis, titanium seat pan, podtronics electrics, and a tapered roller bearing steering head conversion.

The picture was taken at the AJS and Matchless Owners Club booth at the All Club's Day in Stockbridge, MI on Sept 15th.
 
tapered roller bearing steering head conversion
Interesting! How did you get the outer races in the steering head? The casting has a seat for the loose ball bearing race. It appears the steering head would need to be milled out to fit the outer race. How did you do that? Were you able to do it with the steering head still in the frame or did you remove the steering head, mill it, and re-braze it to the frame.

Sorry for all the questions, but I have a frame that some one butchered the steering head trying to fit a Triumph fork yoke with tapered bearings. I can no longer use the loose ball races, so I'm interested if I can use tapered rollers. Do you know the bearing numbers you used.
 
You can get a tapered roller bearing steering head conversion for most bikes now, nothing to machine off the steering head!
 
Hi Ron,

I would probably not do this again, unless I had to. It turned out to be a much bigger project than was envisioned. Yes, you need to mill out the upper and lower race bearing seats. I have a friend who can mount the frame in a jig that can be attached to his lathe for the purpose and thus keep everything aligned, so we did not have to remove the steering head from the frame. The bearings we used were standard steering head bearings from a H-D dealer. A critical step that should be done after the milling is to build up the outside of the steering head with weld around where the bearings will seat because that area will be rather thin after the milling. The bottom of the shaft on the lower triple tree that goes inside the steering head also needs to have a lip machined off it so the inner race of the lower bearing will seat where it should. One thing we found odd was that this shaft was not welded to the lower triple tree. It seemed to be just pressed in place. This didn't seem too secure, so we jigged it up to get everything aligned and then welded it in place, making sure we could engage the threads on the upper part of the shaft with the large nut used to adjust the play in the bearings. There were a lot of places where we could have gone wrong were it not for the skill and experience of my friend. It's also essential to make sure that both triple trees are true. We found that one of ours was slightly bent and needed to be straightened. The Matchless triple trees do not seem to be as beefy as some other marques. I hope I have described the process correctly and understandably. It's been almost two years since we performed this operation.


Inner bearing sits flush on lower triple tree.
Matchless "Cheetah 750" Ad


Upper end of steering head built up with weld.
Matchless "Cheetah 750" Ad


Cheers, Norm
 
Wow, impressive workmanship there. I'm just going to keep my old ball bearings lubed and adjusted properly for now. I'm pretty sure they'll last longer than I will?


Hi Ron,

I would probably not do this again, unless I had to. It turned out to be a much bigger project than was envisioned. Yes, you need to mill out the upper and lower race bearing seats. I have a friend who can mount the frame in a jig that can be attached to his lathe for the purpose and thus keep everything aligned, so we did not have to remove the steering head from the frame. The bearings we used were standard steering head bearings from a H-D dealer. A critical step that should be done after the milling is to build up the outside of the steering head with weld around where the bearings will seat because that area will be rather thin after the milling. The bottom of the shaft on the lower triple tree that goes inside the steering head also needs to have a lip machined off it so the inner race of the lower bearing will seat where it should. One thing we found odd was that this shaft was not welded to the lower triple tree. It seemed to be just pressed in place. This didn't seem too secure, so we jigged it up to get everything aligned and then welded it in place, making sure we could engage the threads on the upper part of the shaft with the large nut used to adjust the play in the bearings. There were a lot of places where we could have gone wrong were it not for the skill and experience of my friend. It's also essential to make sure that both triple trees are true. We found that one of ours was slightly bent and needed to be straightened. The Matchless triple trees do not seem to be as beefy as some other marques. I hope I have described the process correctly and understandably. It's been almost two years since we performed this operation.


Inner bearing sits flush on lower triple tree.
View attachment 12441

Upper end of steering head built up with weld.
View attachment 12442

Cheers, Norm
 
Hi Chris,


Yes, Vintage Brake is a bit pricey, but the results are worth it in my book. Their combination of modern brake linings and arcing the shoes and drums produces a stopper that significantly increases the safety margin of riding these old bikes.


The gas tank, oil tank and battery cover were painted by The Fender Mender in Saline, Michigan (734) 429-1820. The red color is a very, very fine metallic flake that really pops in the sun.


The seat was another episode that turned out to be way more difficult/time consuming than expected. First of all, I made the mistake of ordering a setoff of ebay that was advertised as fitting a P11. When it arrived the seat cover and foam looked good, but the seat pan did not conform to the P11 frame hardly at all. Maybe it fit a Commando, I don’t know, but definitely not a P11. By good fortune I was a member the Norton Owners’ Club when Tony Curzon published a three part article on the unique aspects of the Ranger. (Roadholder No.347 Novermber 2016 covers the dual seat). The information in the Roadholder article states that a plate is attached to the underside of the rear of the seat with two arms that extend downward, and whose bottom ends are secured to the top shock absorber bolts. It’s hard to imagine a more rinky-dink and potentially unsafe arrangement.


I showed the drawing of the stock seat pan to a friend and he offered to come up with something better, which he did. The result was a titanium seat pan that closely confirms to the frame and is securely fastened to it. The shape of the seat pad and how it conforms to the frame are shown in the first picture below. Rubber bumpers are secured to the underside of the pan so it will not scratch the frame. The rear of the seat is attached to the frame by bolts welded to the seat that stick down into special brackets that take advantage of the bolt that goes through the adapter for the rear frame rail.


After we had the seat pan design and mounting worked out, we had it painted and then took it to an upholstery shop that is familiar with bike seats (D and J Upholstery, Blissfield, MI (517) 426-5555). They attached the foam and seat cover so professionally, it looked like it came form the factory. The only difference in appearance is that, due to the shape the rear of the seat pad, we could not attach the chrome strip that runs around the lower edge fo the in pictures of the bikes.


Cheers, Norm


Seat pan
Matchless "Cheetah 750" Ad


Bracket
Matchless "Cheetah 750" Ad
 
I was in the navy back in 1966 to 1969. I then owned a new 1965 400electra which I restored back to original condition and still have it today. I saw an add in a magazine for a 750 norton cheetah in 1967. I fell in love with the looks of the bike and was going to buy one when along came a good looking woman,who I was married to for 47 years until her death in 2015, and the cheetah went out the door. I cut the article out of the magazine hung it on my locker and still have it today in very very good condition hanging on the wall in my man-cave. I still love the looks of that bike today. I now have the 400 electra, a 1975 mk3 roadster, a 1976 mk3 interstate, a 2005 victory kingpin tour and a 2014 victory crosscountry tour. All my bikes look like new and even better in some ways. LOVE MY NORTONS !!!
 
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Hi Ron,

I would probably not do this again, unless I had to. It turned out to be a much bigger project than was envisioned. Yes, you need to mill out the upper and lower race bearing seats. I have a friend who can mount the frame in a jig that can be attached to his lathe for the purpose and thus keep everything aligned, so we did not have to remove the steering head from the frame. The bearings we used were standard steering head bearings from a H-D dealer. A critical step that should be done after the milling is to build up the outside of the steering head with weld around where the bearings will seat because that area will be rather thin after the milling. The bottom of the shaft on the lower triple tree that goes inside the steering head also needs to have a lip machined off it so the inner race of the lower bearing will seat where it should. One thing we found odd was that this shaft was not welded to the lower triple tree. It seemed to be just pressed in place. This didn't seem too secure, so we jigged it up to get everything aligned and then welded it in place, making sure we could engage the threads on the upper part of the shaft with the large nut used to adjust the play in the bearings. There were a lot of places where we could have gone wrong were it not for the skill and experience of my friend. It's also essential to make sure that both triple trees are true. We found that one of ours was slightly bent and needed to be straightened. The Matchless triple trees do not seem to be as beefy as some other marques. I hope I have described the process correctly and understandably. It's been almost two years since we performed this operation.
Cheers, Norm

I am impressed. There was an article in "Jampot" some years ago how to mill the bearing seats in situ using a custom made mill. Centering the seats is what it's all about.
Now, the lower triple tree bearing is the easy part. How did you solve the upper bearing? Originally, the ball bearing sits halfway in the headstock and halfway in the handlebar lug (upper triple tree).
This arrangement complicates the tapered bearing conversion. Could you draw a x-section sketch showing how you accomplished your conversion?

BTW, I have a P11 frame in need of this conversion as well. Do you have a reference to the bearings used?

Cheers, Knut
 
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Looks good Norm.

One great advantage of this conversion is there are no cups to move about. (unless they are epoxied in place). Why the factory didn't make the bearing races a tighter fit in the frame is a mystery.
 
Why the factory didn't make the bearing races a tighter fit in the frame is a mystery.

I think they did, however the combination of a poorly designed headstock of inadequate wall thickness at the bearing seats, use of a soft "malleable steel", and bearing races having a parabolic outer shape with a tendency to misalign, means bearing races may fit loosely after all these years.

In comparison, the G15 (and G12, G3, G80) frames from 1964 onwards provide a very rugged bearing support in which tapered bearings may be fitted directly. Of course, the P11 should have had something similar.

-Knut
 
Since there seems to be some interest in the tapered roller bearing steering head conversion described above, I will get with my friend who actually did the machining and welding and get an accurate description of the process he used. Standby.
 
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