Rebuilt the Sunburst

grandpaul said:

I, for one, would be interested in at least a few photos and some info about the Matchless. There is a Matchless section here after all...

Click to expand...

Fabien comes Thursday with photos, I tell you already in advance that this bike is extraordinary, it is a project that the former owner could not finish for health reasons.
Expect the magnificent.
Yves

yves norton seeley said:

I tell you already in advance that this bike is extraordinary, it is a project that the former owner could not finish for health reasons.
Expect the magnificent.

Click to expand...

If the "quite nice" gives me a thrill, I can hardly wait for "magnificent"!!

I really do enjoy reading other people's build threads and seeing how they, and others who add tips, deal with so many various typical and even non-typical issues that crop up during a rebuild/restoration.

Then, when it comes to customs, I hang on every detail and try to see how I can apply some special things to one of my future builds.

Of course, there will be no more future builds for me; I really am TRYING to "retire" and enjoy ultralight flying, fishing and water skiing, and just cruising around the hill country. So, all the more I can enjoy other people's builds!

The Congolese water polo team is forfeited for the Olympic games.
They drowned all the horses.

yves norton seeley said:

Expect the magnificent.
Yves

Click to expand...

Coming from you Yves that is very tantalising !

yves norton seeley said:

The Congolese water polo team is forfeited for the Olympic games.
They drowned all the horses.

Click to expand...

I’m sat I a very quite waiting room reading this forum on my phone... and this just made me properly laugh out loud !!

Pics from the Matchless







As promised here are the pictures of the Matchless
I start with the front:
Ceriani GP fork, not a replica.
Fontana 260mm magnesium brake, not a replica
Borani rims
Brigestone racing tires
Original Matchless G50 aluminum tank
Rickman Métisse frame, not a replica
Commando P.R.
TTI magnesium 5 speed gearbox.
Newby belt kit with clutch.
BTH electronic magneto
Mikuni Carburetor
G80 CS engine manufactured by JHS racing UK with the following specifications:
96mm Stroke press up crank assembly with 66% balance factor.
160mm conrod.
35mm crank pin with needle roller big end.
Roller main bearings.
New cam followers.
New SH profile camshaft.
New oil pump 3 start.
89.9mm forget piston, 10.5 / 1 CR
Copper head gasket.
Gold Star inlet valve.
G 80 CS exhaust valve
Coil spring conversion
Short rocker arms.
Central inlet port modification and spark plug relocation.
The bike was assembled by Eric Mercenier but never turned, There is still a lot of work to do, I have to learn everything because it is my first Matchless.
Fabien is the new owner and he does me the honor to entrust it to me.
Here I hope I have not disappointed you?

No disappointment at all, only jealous envy !

yves norton seeley said:

Pics from the Matchless
View attachment 79661
View attachment 79662
View attachment 79663
View attachment 79664
View attachment 79665
View attachment 79666

As promised here are the pictures of the Matchless
I start with the front:
Ceriani GP fork, not a replica.
Fontana 260mm magnesium brake, not a replica
Borani rims
Brigestone racing tires
Original Matchless G50 aluminum tank
Rickman Métisse frame, not a replica
Commando P.R.
TTI magnesium 5 speed gearbox.
Newby belt kit with clutch.
BTH electronic magneto
Mikuni Carburetor
G80 CS engine manufactured by JHS racing UK with the following specifications:
96mm Stroke press up crank assembly with 66% balance factor.
160mm conrod.
35mm crank pin with needle roller big end.
Roller main bearings.
New cam followers.
New SH profile camshaft.
New oil pump 3 start.
89.9mm forget piston, 10.5 / 1 CR
Copper head gasket.
Gold Star inlet valve.
G 80 CS exhaust valve
Coil spring conversion
Short rocker arms.
Central inlet port modification and spark plug relocation.
The bike was assembled by Eric Mercenier but never turned, There is still a lot of work to do, I have to learn everything because it is my first Matchless.
Fabien is the new owner and he does me the honor to entrust it to me.
Here I hope I have not disappointed you?

Click to expand...

Yves, thank you so much, but can you please copy this over to the Matchless section with it's own new thread, so that it will not be "lost" to other potentially interested viewers that have no clue that there is very interesting Matchless custom bike content hidden in a thread with title that would give no clue?

grandpaul said:

Yves, thank you so much, but can you please copy this over to the Matchless section with it's own new thread, so that it will not be "lost" to other potentially interested viewers that have no clue that there is very interesting Matchless custom bike content hidden in a thread with title that would give no clue?

Click to expand...

Hi Grandpaul,
I don't know how to do that? Help please
Yves

yves norton seeley said:

Hi Grandpaul,
I don't know how to do that? Help please
Yves

Click to expand...

Yves, just copy all the text in the post you did above, then start the new thread in the Matchless section, name it appropriately, then paste in the text and attach photos. Done.

grandpaul said:

Yves, just copy all the text in the post you did above, then start the new thread in the Matchless section, name it appropriately, then paste in the text and attach photos. Done.

Click to expand...

The photos must be done by Fabien en it will not before next week.
Give me the engine from a Spitfire and I will repair it.
Give me a computer and I will destroy it.
Yves

yves norton seeley said:

Hi Grandpaul,
I don't know how to do that? Help please
Yves

Click to expand...

grandpaul said:

Yves, just copy all the text in the post you did above, then start the new thread in the Matchless section, name it appropriately, then paste in the text and attach photos. Done.

Click to expand...

I moved it over for you Yves.

gortnipper said:

I moved it over for you Yves.

Fabien's bike: A Matchless 500 in a Rickman frame

I moved the pics and stuff over from @yves norton seeley post in his thread in the commando forum. (none of this content is mine, it is all to Yves) https://www.accessnorton.com/NortonCommando/rebuilt-the-sunburst.32054/page-17 Hi there, last friday evening I went down to the center of...

www.accessnorton.com

Click to expand...

Thanks Gortnipper

A wonderful day today, I rode more than 100 km with four friends.
The Seeley is going well, but the carburetion is not yet perfect, the Keihin FCR can be a real junkie. This week I'm working on Fabien's Matchless.

Congolese President Mobutu sends his twenty-year-old son to Belgium to learn to read and write.
Every month Mobutu sends him a money order.
Mobutu Junior goes to the post office in Brussels. I went to counter one:
-I'm coming to get a money order.
The postman: signed here.
-My father, the president, said never sign anything in Belgium.
No signature, no money!
I went to counter two
-I'm coming to get a money order.
sign here.
-My father, the president said never sign anything in Belgium.
No signature, no money!
Mobutu Junior went to counter three and four.
Same answer each time: no signature, no money!
He arrives at the last counter, the postman is a former settler of the Belgian Congo.
So Bamboela you sign here!
-My father, the president said ....
What you don't sign, take this: knok, knock, crac boem on is face
Mobutu Junior signs and takes his money.
When leaving the post office he passes in front of counter one;
The postman asks him: so, have you signed?
Yes the postman five explains very well.

Yves,
So this Belgian dude walks into a Congolese bar. He sits down next to a native. Typical of the neighborhood, you know the deal, ring through the nose and all that.
The Belgian dude orders a Miller High Life, and a shot of Jim Beam Black.

While he was sitting there enjoying his drink, the Congolese dude gets up, and hits him with a right, left, then a kick to the balls.

The Belgian dude gets up and says" What the f*ck was that all about? The Congolese said, "That was some foot boxing from France".

The Belgian dude gets back on his stool and trys to enjoy his drink. After another 5 minutes the Congolese was at it again. Whack , whack, chop, chop. The Belgian gets up and says "What the F*ck was that? The Congolese says" That was some karate from Korea".

Having enough of that the Belgian dude finishes his drink and leaves the bar.

About a half hour later he comes back. Wham! He knocks out the Congolese cold right off his stool. He said to the bartender "Tell that Motherf*cker when he wakes up, that was a crowbar from Sears.

Hello Yves, Thanks for the set the scene for my Matchless and again thank you for doing me the honor of taking care of my moto.
I'm very lucky that a virtuoso like you takes care of her.

Hi there,
I haven't given any news for a long time; I have good ones and bad ones:
The good ones are that I found the right settings for the Keihin FCRs, lowered the main jets from 175 to 152, and lowered the needles a notch.
The bad news: today I went for a coronography of my arteries and my heart, results of the exam; i have to undergo bypass surgery and have an artificial valve fitted, which means they have to open my rib cage and its takes a long revalidation and I don't want to waste another season, so i'm going to have seen with my cardiology if we can postpone the operation until October
Keep you posted
Yves

Hope you get along well. Getting old isn't easy, but it beats NOT getting old!

yves norton seeley said:

Hi there,
I haven't given any news for a long time; I have good ones and bad ones:
The good ones are that I found the right settings for the Keihin FCRs, lowered the main jets from 175 to 152, and lowered the needles a notch.
The bad news: today I went for a coronography of my arteries and my heart, results of the exam; i have to undergo bypass surgery and have an artificial valve fitted, which means they have to open my rib cage and its takes a long revalidation and I don't want to waste another season, so i'm going to have seen with my cardiology if we can postpone the operation until October
Keep you posted
Yves

Click to expand...

Shouldn't be a problem Yves, after all if you were in the UK you wouldn't even be seen until October...2024!

Seriously, health first mate! Take care.

Good luck to you Yves.

Here is one for you

A cardiac surgeon is picking up his Bentley from an engine repair.​

As the owner's mechanic fetches the car, the owner gets to talking with the doctor and says, "You know, engine repair is a lot like open-heart surgery."

"How so?"

"Well, it's the 'heart' of the machine. It's got fuel injectors like veins, an oil pump like an aorta, and pistons that pump like heart muscle."

"I see."

"It wears and tears like a heart, but without it, the whole car fails, just like a body. If it's not repaired right, a whole lotta problems happen and the engine can seize up."

"That's true," concurs the doc as the Bentley's pulled up to him.

"So how come I only charge ya $10,000 to fix your engine, while a hospital charges around $100,000 for heart surgery?" asks the owner as the doc gets in.

The doc closes the door and rolls the window down. "Try fixing the engine while the car's still running," he answers coolly and speeds off.