P11 Tank questions

I am working on a 69 Commando custom project and have decided that it needs a P11 tank to achieve the sleek look I'm after. I would appreciate sage advice on; 1. Whether it would fit a Commando frame without too much fettling. 2. Where I might look to find a P11 tank, other than E-Bay of course?

Thanks,

Chips

Hi Chips,

The frames are obviously different from the Commando and P11, so the mounting points will not be the same. If you want the similar look why not go for a Commando Hi-Rider tank which is similar but should fit your frame?

Regards, Paul.

I'm not so sure about that P11 tank and the hirider tank being entirely different.
Weren't they based on the same tank, and the same mounting points even ?
And Matchless versions of the same compy tank ??

I have a high rider tank and a Matchless G15 tank which would alo fit a P 11 they look the same regarding the shape, the underneath and the mounting arrangements are different, I doubt that a P11 tank would fit a Commando with it's large backbone and side tubes quite far forward, but I think a high rider/SS tank would give the look you are trying to achieve.

Don't suppose your tanks are loose that you could take a pic of the underside of them both ??
Jist thought I'd ask...

Any 14 yr old doing metalwork at school should be able to knock up the tank underside ,
enabling you to get a munted P II tank , cut out the floor , knock out the ' scratches ' ,
and install a custom floor . The PII appears longer & more rounded under in the front .
H. R.






And the A Ranger ,





this one went for $255 . Advantage of ' doing it yourself ' ( its highly unlikely the tunnels wide enough ) is a dinged ones cheap , and easy to dress out with the floor out .
The L. R. Fastback also has a folded sheetmetal floor , for investigateing the intricacies .

A pic of ea machine to authenticate the ' its a bit longer & more rounded under in front ' perception . Then theres the filler cap .



Later Hi Rider tanks ( which are ' S ' Tanks Are in STEEL . )

Rohan, both tanks are loose but one is in Hong Kong and the other is in California, so unfortunately I can't compare or photograph at the moment. i think Matt's photos show the similarities and differences. You can find a few photos on the net to see what a non-highrider or SS model Commando looks like with the Highrider/SS tank . I think they look quite good and I was planning to build a flat- tracker based road bike using one of these tanks and a Harley XR750 style seat. The only drawback is that these tanks hold less fuel than any other stock Commando tank.

Thanks for all the insight on my questions. The long & short of it seems to be that, with some metalwork, a P11 tank could be made to fit. However, since that logic would apply to many motorcycle tanks, not just Nortons, perhaps I'd be better off looking for a more modern (and presumably less expensive) tank for configuring to the Commando mounting. It's a work in progress.

Chips

Chips, the high-rider/SS tanks are among the cheaper ones available for sale, G15/P11 tanks are expensive to buy and then there would be more expense for modification. Why not do a google images search for Norton Commando and see the various tanks both standard and non- standard and see whether any of them are close to what you are looking for for your own project.

Will do Dave. Thanks for the suggestion.