My New Norasaki/ KawaTon

I recently inherited this bike from my brother. He has had it for over 3 decades and was very private about keeping his toys to himself and I could never even get him to send me a pic of it. It is a 1959 Norton Manx with a 1975 Kawasaki H2 750 triple nestled into the frame with custom exhaust. The original owner/builder was making a U turn on Mulholland on his Ducati and was hit and killed by a car shortly after completing this build. My brother bought it at the estate sale for $500. My friend bought the Ducati he was killed on and restored and flipped it. I'm new to Nortons, but not Triumphs, Kawasaki's, or Harley Sportsters. I'd like you Norton experts to view the pics and tell me what you can about the Norton parts. I'm curious as to the pods under the front of the fuel tank, are they a factory piece? Anyways, heres the pics for you to delight over, I'll add comments as you reply.

Well you, or at least your bike, have already had a lot of stick on here, bad taste, butchering a Norton, etc so at least we know you're brave!

Personally, I love it, or what it has the potential to become at least. I guess you need to decide what kind of direction you want to go in with it and how deep a money pit you want it to become!

There is not a lot of Norton on it I don't think. The frame and swinging arm are, but the frame has been modified. The forks look like Norton too. I can't quite make out the yokes. The tank is most likely after market. And the rest is anyone's guess!

I cannot tell from the pictures quite how the front caliper bracket is mounted, so I'd check that out.

Here's how I'd approach the job at hand:

The engine is physically quite small, so I would take the direction of minimalism with the rest of the bike. First step in that direction would be a 3 gallon 'sprint tank' to replace the 5 gallon job you currently have on there.

I'd go with modern shocks like Maxton or Falcon. I'd put Landsdowne dampers in the forks and generally rebuilt them properly.

You need a new Manx style seat and simple, normal, British cafe racer style mudguards. I'd go with Tomesselli rubber mounted headlamp brackets, normal Lucas style chrome headlamp, and one of those neat alloy castings that take a traditional Lucas style rear light.

I have no idea at all regarding the engine.

His could be so cool when finished, and you know that wherever you go on it... You will NEVER see another! I hope you see it through.

What do you see that is "butchered"? I don't see anything keeping me from putting the Manx engine back in if I don't like this set up.
What do you mean "this bike has had a lot of stick on here"?

It is rolling on Kimtab Magnesium wheels. They will require some care for reuse. They will need to be stripped down and inspected for corrosion. There is also a heat treating process to make the magnesium less brittle from age. I have a set of them on one of my projects.

o1racing03 said:

What do you see that is "butchered"? I don't see anything keeping me from putting the Manx engine back in if I don't like this set up.
What do you mean "this bike has had a lot of stick on here"?

Click to expand...

The 'butchered' word was kinda referred to when pics of the bike were posted on here previously, but that was when some thought an original Manx Norton had been 'butchered' to create this.

I am however, fairly sure that is not a Manx frame.

The frame has been modified, though I can't quite see how or why, but in front of the seat / at the base of the rear of the tank, there is some none standard looking work.

bwolfie said:

It is rolling on Kimtab Magnesium wheels. They will require some care for reuse. They will need to be stripped down and inspected for corrosion. There is also a heat treating process to make the magnesium less brittle from age. I have a set of them on one of my projects.

Click to expand...

Don't get me started on Kimtabs. I own the last set sold out of the factory when they went bankrupt in 1976. I also have another set, along with these on the Norton. I am a custom powder coater so addressing the wheels is not an issue. Here is the last set of Kimtabs sold from the factory:

I also inherited this 1970 Triumph Tiger that will be my DD:

Fast Eddie said:

o1racing03 said:

What do you see that is "butchered"? I don't see anything keeping me from putting the Manx engine back in if I don't like this set up.
What do you mean "this bike has had a lot of stick on here"?

Click to expand...

The 'butchered' word was kinda referred to when pics of the bike were posted on here previously, but that was when some thought an original Manx Norton had been 'butchered' to create this.

I am however, fairly sure that is not a Manx frame.

The frame has been modified, though I can't quite see how or why, but in front of the seat / at the base of the rear of the tank, there is some none standard looking work.

Click to expand...

I just became registered here and logged in for the first time today. This bike has not been seen by anyone that I know of in 35 years. Can you post a link to anything related to this bike? I think you may have seen a different one.
Here is a 59 Featherbed frame, I see no obvious modifications on mine in the area you speak of.

o1racing03 said:

Fast Eddie said:

o1racing03 said:

What do you see that is "butchered"? I don't see anything keeping me from putting the Manx engine back in if I don't like this set up.
What do you mean "this bike has had a lot of stick on here"?

Click to expand...

The 'butchered' word was kinda referred to when pics of the bike were posted on here previously, but that was when some thought an original Manx Norton had been 'butchered' to create this.

I am however, fairly sure that is not a Manx frame.

The frame has been modified, though I can't quite see how or why, but in front of the seat / at the base of the rear of the tank, there is some none standard looking work.

Click to expand...

I just became registered here and logged in for the first time today. This bike has not been seen by anyone that I know of in 35 years. Can you post a link to anything related to this bike? I think you may have seen a different one.
Here is a 59 Featherbed frame, I see no obvious modifications on mine in the area you speak of.

Click to expand...

Look through this thread, I think you'll agree it is the same bike that is refered to sir: different-engine-commando-frame-t22961.html

The frame you show in the picture is different to yours I think. I am fairly sure yours is earlier. Yours has a larger radius on the top rear main frame loop. Yours is a more desirable frame as the radius used is as per a Manx, hence some may assume it is a Manx frame.

If you look at the frame loop under the rear of the tank in your first picture, I'm sure I can see evidence of some fabrication work there.

Apparently someone took the pic from one of the other forums I'm on and posted it here. I still don't see any modifications to the frame that makes this an irreversible swap.

My brother passed away from massive heart attack at 62 in April. We had a standing agreement that whomever went first would get the others bikes. He also has a 75 MotoGuzzi Calif.II that I have no interest in and a 69 CB750 sand cast that is complete and a basket case (as well as 14 car and truck projects). I'm not interested in how much time and money it would need to restore, so I have some to little interest in tackling that one either. The bikes are in Ca. and I live in Ga. and won't get them in my possession until early Nov. I'll know much more about them when I get them here. I didn't have time to do anything with them when I was there and shot the pics. The Honda and triumph hold sentimental value as we rode together a lot back in the 70's in Ca. He spent lots of time tuning that Honda to try and out run me on my Road Race Sportster, but to no avail. In fact we almost ended up in jail racing one time, but we knew how to play the legal game and made the cops look silly in the court room. I'll post progress on the bike once I have here in the shop and can clean them up and see what's what.

Can you get a photo of the steering head area in front of the tank on your kawasaki thingy ?
I'd agree, that frame doesn't look to be a manx, unless someone has cut some of the manx brackets off it,
and added pillion footpeg brackets !
A pic of the steering head would confirm it, manxs don't have the big bracing around/under the steering head.
(which are needed for road bike use though).

Rohan said:

Can you get a photo of the steering head area in front of the tank on your kawasaki thingy ?
I'd agree, that frame doesn't look to be a manx, unless someone has cut some of the manx brackets off it,
and added pillion footpeg brackets !
A pic of the steering head would confirm it, manxs don't have the big bracing around/under the steering head.
(which are needed for road bike use though).

Click to expand...

Nothing better than the first pic of the head. I won't have possession for another month or so. If it's not a Manx frame, what would it be. I believe the registration says it's a 59, Brother told me it was a Manx. I don't know enough to tell the difference.

The value of a road frame and a manx frame are rather different.
Better to sort that out before $$ changes hands ?

Junk the motor and chase up another motor, a Norton or Triumph engine, keep it all British, those triple Kawaka engines were very fast and a lot of poeple killed and mamed riding them in there stock frames, here in Aussie land they were called suiciadly machines, you had to be a very brave man to push them to there limits and survive to tell the tail, don't know how it would go in the Featherbed frame.

Ashley

Fast Eddie said:

I cannot tell from the pictures quite how the front caliper bracket is mounted, so I'd check that out.

Click to expand...

I'll go ahead and say what everyone is thinking - that bike is an atrocity. And I mean that in a very nice, non offensive sort of way. It's a Norton frame, and therefore I love it. But the motor and the rest of the bits, just don't belong anywhere near it. I'd sell off everything and focus on the frame, siwnagrm and maybe the seat.

The frame is likely not a Manx frame. Where the sib frame meets the main frame, there's been some work done to it. Some sort of gusset plate welded on. Either that, or is a foam tank pad that's placed there, and just very hard to tell from the photo.
The brackets where the rear sets are mounted, are also modified, and look almost like the brackets that came on the slimline. Almost, but not quite.

Botton line, it's been heavily modified, and built up with lots of very strange parts that simply don't work together at all.
Just my 2 cents, but I honestly say sell off everything but the frame, swing arm and seat. Have it looked at and reverted back to stock, and build it back up with real Norton bits.
A frame # would help to identify it as well.
Oh, last thing: yokes and forks look to be Norton. Might as well keep those and ensure that they are.
Best of luck with the project

That last pic in particular shows the frame mod I have been trying to explain, under the rear of the tank and on top of the frame loop. Difficult to visualise what and why it is, it may make sense when you look under the tank.

At o1racing03: this is what I meant by you being brave, this is a Norton site, so by definition your bike is bound to attract more negativity than an immaculately restored, bog standard, shiny Norton that looks exactly the same as all the others! You simply need to filter these comments out and ignore them!

Here's my 2 cents: selling off all the parts suggested by others will net you about $0 ! The engine will get you a few $ though. Reverting the frame back to stock will likely cost more than you could buy another one for. Then buying all the stuff to revert to standard, well, you'll probably have to sell everything else you inherited from your brother, and more, to finance it! Then you'll have a bike with zero sentimental value that looks like all the others. But where's the fun in that!?!

I think your bike has the potential to be a real fun, outrageous, different, cool, characterful bike. I think its gonna be great in its own right, and a great tribute to your brother too.

Ref your cafe racer comments though, this bike IS a cafe racer. If you want a street bike just to go fast, with zero interest in style, being different, being old skool, etc... You should just buy a few yers old R1 for next to nothing!

But where's the fun in that !?!

I for one, hope you see this project through, and keep us posted along the way!

What a project, as Fast Eddie says too far gone to turn it back into a Norton :cry: but if you are up to it you could make something interesting and very rare out of it.
Wow what big brakes you have :shock:.
You want to hope the frame is not a Manx, as the weight of the engine will create problems.
Front brake mounts could be cause for concern as to how they are mounted.
Engine mounting needs to be improved.
Good project to do in memory of your brother though.
Regards
Burgs

The greatest excitement (and scares) I have ever had in motorcycling came when daring to open the throttle of a tuned two stroke. At present I scare myself silly with a 490 Maico mxer now and then.
People who have never ridden one just don't know what it feels like when a high output 2 stroke hits the powerband.
The Kawi triples went well but handled badly, so some enterprising soul decided to do something about it, hence your triple in a Featherbed.
Get it going and ride it, it will never be a long distance Tourer but it will be huge fun.


Glen