Wow. where do I start..?? First of all, everything below is in regards to the IOM racing.,
That Paton was loaned for Ollie to race. It is supposed to be living room furniture and never raced again.. but people do change their minds, don't they..?
Ollie will be on the R.E. this year.
The IOM rules do NOT allow any over bore. A 500 class bike must be 500 CC's or less.
The Paton is fast, no doubt, but several top racers have reported it got in the way in the turns in practice. So that means only an outstanding rider can do fast laps. In fact 3.? years ago, an average rider had one on the IOM, he never went fast.
It used to be on the Paton WEB site, and IIRC they were 85,000 pounds. Pretty pricey.!
But having lots of money does not guarantee a win, as evidenced by the Patons that had issues last year. I am amazed that those high buck guys could not figure out an engine miss in a week's time..! Money does not mean skill in the Paddock I guess..
Featherbed frames were NOT proprietary to Norton.. do your homework.. they were used on other bikes back in the day. Yes there were BSA's in Feather bed frames, just not well known.
The rules do say original castings or exact reproduction. But that rule is liberally interpreted. FYI, my engine and transmission cases are genuine original BSA castings.
As the Paton did originally come with a 6 speed, the rules allow 6 speeds on the IOM.
Speed trap speeds are NOT lap speeds.
Up until last year, the OHC multi cylinder bikes ran in the same class as the singles. Starting last year, singles and push rod twins run in a separate class. TT Riders and Amateurs ride in separate classes. This makes 4 total classes run simultaneously.
Twin disk brakes are allowed.
Now as far as modifications and rules... unless they have indidual races by year, then no way could a 1954 bike compete with a 1962 bike in pure stock form. So to recreate what it was back in the day.. well that is obviously not possible. If you want to see mostly original bikes, just watch the parade laps, that is where those are.
Racing ALWAYS was about money... and it still is.. the most money usually wins, not always but usually. Even being able to afford new tires for race day is a huge advantage, heck they are only about $400 a pair.
I know I forgot something but it is 5:30 AM, and I am typing on no sleep... again
Oh yes, my Goldie did a 99.05 MPH Lap
Oh yes, anyone with spare pocket change, feel free to send it my way... the bike has to ship early June... I won't tell you what it costs just to get there...
But as most of you have never been there... you do not know what you are missing.. pictures and videos do not do the IOM justice...
Ron