Photo Contest - Commando Engines in Other Chassis - Race Bikes

Photo contest

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Hi Ken
Everytime I look at this bike it asks questions.
What must it be like to have that much braking!
The oil cooler by the gearbox?
As Eddie said those manifolds, I cant run mine with that much hight, cables are tight under the tank & there is no more room for the rubber supporting strap.
Just been asking on other sites about where the Astralite cush drive rubbers come from? I have a new project & was a bit stunned by the amount of tyre they take. Mine are unused new old stock & all imperial measurements. Been told Andy Alexander's new Astralite company went under? Cant confirm that.
This bike just pushes the Commando envelope much the same as jseng did in the day & the NZ guys are now.
Different rules but just as much passion.
 
Wideline with 750 Commando imported in the 90’s from Australia. VBNR raced this bike at Phillip Islands, not sure who the owner was maybe someone from Australia can help me. The bike was purchased by Frank at Giannini, brought to Daytona, with the single front disk his rider said it didn’t have enough brakes for turn one so they never ran it other than practice. Club raced up in New Hampshire then sold where it sat in a collection. I purchased last August and went through it and got it running. Hope you can view the tweet of running up the street once I got it running.
Photo Contest - Commando Engines in Other Chassis - Race Bikes
Photo Contest - Commando Engines in Other Chassis - Race Bikes


 
Chris said:
Hi Ken
Everytime I look at this bike it asks questions.
What must it be like to have that much braking!
The oil cooler by the gearbox?
As Eddie said those manifolds, I cant run mine with that much hight, cables are tight under the tank & there is no more room for the rubber supporting strap.
Just been asking on other sites about where the Astralite cush drive rubbers come from? I have a new project & was a bit stunned by the amount of tyre they take. Mine are unused new old stock & all imperial measurements. Been told Andy Alexander's new Astralite company went under? Cant confirm that.
This bike just pushes the Commando envelope much the same as jseng did in the day & the NZ guys are now.
Different rules but just as much passion.
Click to expand...
A mate of mine had astralites back in the day
He told me the cush drive rubbers that his bike used to chew up came from a TZ750 that astralites used as standard
But I'm not sure if they used the same throughout the range
Cheers
 
Appears to be a Mk3 Seeley, but looks strange under the tank. My bike has much shorter manifolds, but the throttle cables are still bent very closely under the bottom of the tank. My motor is as far forward as I can sensibly get it. Also I don't use that ladder in front of the motor, I use a gusseted bent chrome moly tube. One of the things Bill Horsman mentioned about the Mk3 G50 he used to race successfully, is he could feel the front of the bike walking when he pushed it hard at speed. My Mk3 stays very rigid.
 
Son of Siredward said:
Wideline with 750 Commando imported in the 90’s from Australia. VBNR raced this bike at Phillip Islands, not sure who the owner was maybe someone from Australia can help me. The bike was purchased by Frank at Giannini, brought to Daytona, with the single front disk his rider said it didn’t have enough brakes for turn one so they never ran it other than practice. Club raced up in New Hampshire then sold where it sat in a collection. I purchased last August and went through it and got it running. Hope you can view the tweet of running up the street once I got it running.
View attachment 16684View attachment 16685

Click to expand...


It is probably more than 15 years since that bike was raced in Australia. These days it would be wearing a muffler. I was going to Phillip Island fairly regularly back then and did not see it.
 
If that bike did not have enough brakes for turn one at Daytona, what are the guys talking about when they say their bikes which have double discs up front, have too much brakes ? If you cannot crash the bike with the front brake, you probably have not got enough brakes.
 
baz said:
A mate of mine had astralites back in the day
He told me the cush drive rubbers that his bike used to chew up came from a TZ750 that astralites used as standard
But I'm not sure if they used the same throughout the range
Cheers
Click to expand...
Baz thankful that is brilliant. American site says yzf 600 & 1000 Yamahas run that size so that all tied in nice.
 
acotrel said:
Appears to be a Mk3 Seeley, but looks strange under the tank. My bike has much shorter manifolds, but the throttle cables are still bent very closely under the bottom of the tank. My motor is as far forward as I can sensibly get it. Also I don't use that ladder in front of the motor, I use a gusseted bent chrome moly tube. One of the things Bill Horsman mentioned about the Mk3 G50 he used to race successfully, is he could feel the front of the bike walking when he pushed it hard at speed. My Mk3 stays very rigid.
Click to expand...

Its a Featherbed Al.
 
acotrel said:
If that bike did not have enough brakes for turn one at Daytona, what are the guys talking about when they say their bikes which have double discs up front, have too much brakes ? If you cannot crash the bike with the front brake, you probably have not got enough brakes.
Click to expand...

I suppose I should make my statement about too much front brake clear.

I have bikes with stronger brakes than I fitted to the Seeley (320mm discs with radial Brembo 4 pots) but the Seeley brake was vicious, It was a one finger max brake, but even that was on the edge. I had those GP Fax pads in and they are just so powerful with zero feel on those discs. Just blipping the throttle with a finger on the brake would lock the wheel, I guess I could have got used to it but it was just about uncontrollable, the brakes on my Turbo by contrast, are still a one finger brake, but with so much feel and control.

Bottom line is that brake on the Seeley was badly setup and I guess I could have sorted it with different pads or master cylinder or whatever, but, going down to one disc on that bike saved a load of unsprung weight and i can still lift the back wheel off the floor.

It might make sense when I say the master cylinder for the single disk is the same one I used for the twin setup, it was just all wrong. So I still say you can have too much brake, if it is badly setup.
 
acotrel said:
It is probably more than 15 years since that bike was raced in Australia. These days it would be wearing a muffler. I was going to Phillip Island fairly regularly back then and did not see it.
Click to expand...
It was imported in 1999 so that was over 20 years ago. Was anyone racing in the 90's in Australia and recognize this bike?
 
acotrel said:
Appears to be a Mk3 Seeley, but looks strange under the tank. My bike has much shorter manifolds, but the throttle cables are still bent very closely under the bottom of the tank. My motor is as far forward as I can sensibly get it. Also I don't use that ladder in front of the motor, I use a gusseted bent chrome moly tube. One of the things Bill Horsman mentioned about the Mk3 G50 he used to race successfully, is he could feel the front of the bike walking when he pushed it hard at speed. My Mk3 stays very rigid.
Click to expand...

It is a Vendetta chassis, a very nice Seeley style copy made by Welsh racer and frame builder John Caffrey (Caffrey Race Frames).

Ken
 
Even if you don't race, a classic sport bike is not impossible. I wouldn't do it, I'd get booked.
 
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