NICE featherbed commando... FOR SALE???

You should ask him. He's a regular on here. BTW, "Featherbed Commando" is a bit of a misnomer. A Featherbed is the twin-loop cradle McCandless-designed frame whilst a Commando is the Bauer-designed frame with the Trigg-designed Isolastics. A better name is "Featherlastic". Featherbed and Commando versions of the Norton twin were powered by different versions of the Bert Hopwood-designed Dominator motor.
 
I've chatted with him a little bit. He does amazing work, with a modest shop. The bike has many great ideas incorporated in it. I would imagine it would be worth between 10 and 15K. At least that's my opinion with all that went into it. I could eaven be low on the prices.
 
Danno said:
"Featherbed Commando" is a bit of a misnomer. A Featherbed is the twin-loop cradle McCandless-designed frame whilst a Commando is the Bauer-designed frame with the Trigg-designed Isolastics.
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I beg to differ. That is definitely a Featherbed frame, and definitely a Commando engine.

Top 10 of all the bikes I've seen on this forum (top half of the top 10, actually)...
 
grandpaul said:
Danno said:
"Featherbed Commando" is a bit of a misnomer. A Featherbed is the twin-loop cradle McCandless-designed frame whilst a Commando is the Bauer-designed frame with the Trigg-designed Isolastics.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ. That is definitely a Featherbed frame, and definitely a Commando engine.

Top 10 of all the bikes I've seen on this forum (top half of the top 10, actually)...
Click to expand...


I put your blue bike in the top half of that list.
 
Thanks guys, yes, I'd like to sell it, my enjoyment was in the building, just to make everything work together and look good to me, if it pleases others, so much the better. While I don't pretend to be an artist, I see what I did like an artist sees his work, once the sculpture or painting is done, it is time to make another one so selling my café racer will give me a few dollars to go on.

Jean

I'm trying to work out what the costs were (didn't take notes) so I can sell at a realistic price.
 
Jean, many moons ago, I got my bachelor's in fine art, with a minor in art history.
Your cafe racer, being an entirely unique build, conceived and created by one person, is a work of art. In my book anyways.
I wish you the best of luck with selling it, can't wait to see your next concept.
cheers,
Don
 
Jean, many moons ago, I got my bachelor's in fine art, with a minor in art history.
Your cafe racer, being an entirely unique build, conceived and created by one person, is a work of art. In my book anyways.
I wish you the best of luck with selling it, can't wait to see your next concept.
cheers,
Don
 
grandpaul said:
Danno said:
"Featherbed Commando" is a bit of a misnomer. A Featherbed is the twin-loop cradle McCandless-designed frame whilst a Commando is the Bauer-designed frame with the Trigg-designed Isolastics.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ. That is definitely a Featherbed frame, and definitely a Commando engine.

Top 10 of all the bikes I've seen on this forum (top half of the top 10, actually)...
Click to expand...

How is it a Commando engine? Because it's cylinder block is tilted and not vertical? You can do that with an Atlas engine if you want. It's only a Commando engine because it came out of a Commando chassis. If it had an Atlas engine with Commando isolastics in a featherbed frame would you call it an Atlas? Of course not, because an Atlas was a 750cc Dominator engine solidly mounted in a Featherbed frame. And it wouldn't be very much different than what we're discussing, but it certainly wouldn't be a Featherbed Commando. It would be a "Featherlastic" and that's what it is. The original Commando was an Atlas-engined machine. It wasn't an Atlas Commando. The 88, 99 and Atlas differed mainly in their displacements. All had Featherbed chassis and were solidly mounted. Calling something a Featherbed Commando is like calling someone a short tall person.
 
Danno said:
How is it a Commando engine?
Click to expand...

You answered it yourself:

Danno said:
It's only a Commando engine because it came out of a Commando...
Click to expand...

Is there any other bike a Commando engine could possibly come out of?

Not sorry, it's a Commando engine, and that's that.

Furthermore, it's HIS bike, and he can call it whatever he wants to! The priviliges of constructor and owner.
 
Perhaps I should've made the subject "NICE Norton Hybrid.... FOR SALE???"

Once again, I apologize for my lack of technical/semantical depth! I think we can all agree its a beauty, no matter wtf it is...
 
grandpaul said:
Danno said:
How is it a Commando engine?
Click to expand...

You answered it yourself:

Danno said:
It's only a Commando engine because it came out of a Commando...
Click to expand...

Is there any other bike a Commando engine could possibly come out of?

Not sorry, it's a Commando engine, and that's that.

Furthermore, it's HIS bike, and he can call it whatever he wants to! The priviliges of constructor and owner.
Click to expand...

I guess if a 351C came out of a Mustang, it's a Mustang engine, but if it came out of an F150 it's not. Please pray tell what differentiates a Commando engine from an Atlas or other Dominator engine and what clues you used to arrive at your foregone conclusion? Actually, I know you know what the true differences are, I just wondered how you determined them from one side view photo?
 
Danno said:
grandpaul said:
Danno said:
How is it a Commando engine?
Click to expand...

You answered it yourself:

Danno said:
It's only a Commando engine because it came out of a Commando...
Click to expand...

Is there any other bike a Commando engine could possibly come out of?

Not sorry, it's a Commando engine, and that's that.

Furthermore, it's HIS bike, and he can call it whatever he wants to! The priviliges of constructor and owner.
Click to expand...

I guess if a 351C came out of a Mustang, it's a Mustang engine, but if it came out of an F150 it's not. Please pray tell what differentiates a Commando engine from an Atlas or other Dominator engine and what clues you used to arrive at your foregone conclusion? Actually, I know you know what the true differences are, I just wondered how you determined them from one side view photo?
Click to expand...

Is the answer a lack of cylinder base flange (i.e. later P.W. through bolts) and left case breather?
 
That pegs it as an 850 (828cc unless it's been bored or kitted or is set up as a short-stroke 750) 850s were never put in anything but Commandos from the factory, because by that time, the Commando was the ONLY Norton. But the "Featherbed Commando" moniker is a misnomer because Commando AND Featherbed names both refer to chassis types, not engines. Would you call a twin-carbed Speed Twin motor in a Featherbed chassis a Bonneville Atlas referring the the donors of the frame and motor? Triton is much more familiar. Not to mention the correct name for a "Feathebed Black Shadow" :lol:
 
My photo galleries are titled Norton Featherbed café racer but I'm easy :mrgreen:

Jean
 
Makes sense to me. As GP said, you built it, you can call it whatever you like. I got the term "Featherlastic" from an article I read about a project that featured isolastic motor mounts in a Featherbed chassis. The motor just happened to be tilted like a Commando, but it just as easily could have been vertical like an Atlas. The sloped cylinders look a bit more modern.
 
grandpaul said:
Okay, let's call it "a green bike".

...a NICE green bike!
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Paul, is it really green, or is it more turquoise? :lol: Sorry, couldn't resist. Lovely bike Jean, it's a credit to you.
 
Unless I'm mistaken, it is "British Racing Green", also known as "Forest Green" when applied to non-British bikes.
 
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