Rob North Framed Commando

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Roger Middlebrook said:
Ps tks for starting this post lets hope it brings out the remaining bikes.

Any chance you can post a few pxts of yours
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Not easily. It's packed away in my storage container behind a lot of other stuff. It's just a totally original Mick Hemmings kit. I've never done anything with it except "save it for later." I also had Mick's twin Norvil disk package, but over the years I've stolen some of the bits from it for other Nortons. I'm a bit too crowded for space right now to find a place for another rolling chassis, but I will probably eventually pull it all out, dust it off and polish the shiny bits, and take some pictures. If so I will certainly post them. I also have Mick's copy of the JPN fairing and lower for it. A few decades ago I did used them to pull a couple of molds, and had some lighter weight glass ones made for racing use. The originals are still in great condition, but they are quite sturdy (i.e. heavy). If I still had the molds, I'd think about doing some in CF, but I gave them away a while back. If I ever build it as a street bike, I wouldn't use a full fairing anyhow.

Ken
 
acotrel said:
Eligibility is ridiculous if the standard is 'it could have existed'. Back in the early 70s CB750 Hondas were bored and CB450 pistons were fitted. The capacity became about 830cc, NOT 1100cc. In those days there were no other large capacity Japanese bikes, so where would you get the pistons to make a CB750 become 1100cc ? - Anything 'could have existed'. We have even had BSA Bantams which have been RS125s.
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Actually, there were a number of people running big bore CB750s back then. My racing partner at the time built his 1970 CB750 up to 1024 cc with Yoshimura pistons and big sleeves in the 'early 70s, after first running it as a 750, then 830, then 1024. There were quite a lot of aftermarket speed parts available for it at the time. The head was ported by Yoshimura, and it had a cam custom made for it by Iskenderian (not Ed, but his brother, who handled the motorcycle end the business). It made great power, but handled terribly. He and I raced it in a 6 hour endurance race at Ontario, and managed almost two hours before it broke the end of the crankshaft and covered my boot and the rear tire with oil.

Ken
 
Dave Degens also built Honda’s that were over 900cc in the early 70s and built them into specially designed Dresda frames so they’d actually handle.

According to Dave they’d wipe the floor with the Tridents of the day. Which I think is an indicator that today’s 930 / 990 lightened crank, belt drive, 5/6 speed triples have been developed to a level that’s basically much better than in the period.
 
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Rob Wittey raced a beautiful replica Daytona cr750 & won the Crmc championship on it. He also ran it at Goodwood last year. He builds a lovely bike. The story of it was in classic racer & the effort they put into it would have stopped most people. Lots of the North triples stuff is new. As a 750 I think it was at the edge, it might have had an easier life with a bigger bore. I will have to read that article again.
 
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Hi Ken, as promised attached copy of the original sales docket for my bike, I am second owner but like you received as a full kit un assembled, Lucky for me every cycle component was included down to the chromoly foot pegs, Twin coil bracket (not used), battery box (not used), tank rubbers and tank strap, pin to the swing arm, bearings for swing arm, rear wheel axle, engine plate bolts and spacers, and head stay.
The engine plates front and back are stamped with 151 same as frame, however did not use the engine plates as the alloy was low grade alloy and engine case holes poorly matched so had made T6 Alloy plates front and back that snuggly fitted the engine. the head stay is interesting piece of engineering take a look at it in pxt below with tank off. Made from chromoly plate and renolds tubing with a horizontal fitted bolt snuggly fitted between two renolds tubes welded under side of the gusset top side of the head stock. interesting concept..

That's about enough dribble from me a few more photos of the bike are below, unless there is any thing specific anyone wants to know I will go quiet on the RNN and just keep an eye in any future posts

I do hope this thread un-vales a few more RNN's they are a lovely engineered piece of British special history and hope the thread is kept alive with more info for readers and owners as well as seeing yours out from the covers and onto a road or track :-) tks again Ken for starting this thread
 

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Hi Fast Eddi, will do and send end of the weekend, is up on the slab with forks out atm working on the damper tubes. It does need the trailing edge of the faring trimmed as my knees hang outside faring, will do this once I can get real some track time and set the seat in best suited spot.
 
Roger Middlebrook said:
Hi Ken, as promised attached copy of the original sales docket for my bike, I am second owner but like you received as a full kit un assembled, Lucky for me every cycle component was included down to the chromoly foot pegs, Twin coil bracket (not used), battery box (not used), tank rubbers and tank strap, pin to the swing arm, bearings for swing arm, rear wheel axle, engine plate bolts and spacers, and head stay.
The engine plates front and back are stamped with 151 same as frame, however did not use the engine plates as the alloy was low grade alloy and engine case holes poorly matched so had made T6 Alloy plates front and back that snuggly fitted the engine. the head stay is interesting piece of engineering take a look at it in pxt below with tank off. Made from chromoly plate and renolds tubing with a horizontal fitted bolt snuggly fitted between two renolds tubes welded under side of the gusset top side of the head stock. interesting concept..

That's about enough dribble from me a few more photos of the bike are below, unless there is any thing specific anyone wants to know I will go quiet on the RNN and just keep an eye in any future posts

I do hope this thread un-vales a few more RNN's they are a lovely engineered piece of British special history and hope the thread is kept alive with more info for readers and owners as well as seeing yours out from the covers and onto a road or track :) tks again Ken for starting this thread
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Absolutely stunning !
 
In the early 1970s in Australia, Bill Patterson Motors had a CR750 Honda which was the full bit. Tony Cacciotti rode it and it was quite quick. I spoke to Tony a couple of years ago. He now rides one of Rex Wolfendon's 1100cc Hondas in Period 4. He said that when he was offered the ride, he was apprehensive, but when he tried the bike he thought ' I can do this'. He has still had the bike altered to make it handle better. One thing I have noticed about those bikes - in races they are all out on the ripple strips in corners. In a straight line, they are absolute blurs. With what I did in my last race against them, I know I can beat them. The Seeley 850 can almost hold them down the straights and it goes under them easily in corners. There are more corners than straights on Winton Raceway.

https://ibb.co/4WBVdMz
 
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What a fantastic bike! I know the RNN does not comply with the letter of the CRMC rules but not allowing these beauty's to get on the grid is the CRMC's loss. Post corona virus grids may require a rethink, however the way it seems to be going any British Bike shortfall will be made up with post classic Japenese Fours.
 
In Australia, there has been a move towards bringing more modern bikes into historic racing. But anything pre-1982 is probably easier to develop and race. I am probably more technology-minded than most people, but computers on motorcycles don't thrill me much. I still believe there is a long way left to go with development of two-valve four-stroke twins, without going silly. When you race an old bike, your mindset is different. When I was working, I was brought-up with computers and a lot of what I did was cutting-edge. I am quite capable of developing a modern motorcycle to go faster, but how fast do you need to go ? I already race fast enough in corners to scare most people. The most dangerous part of road racing is when you brake from very high speed into a corner after a long straight
 
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Roger Middlebrook said:
Hi Martin, fantastic detail and history lesson. I may have missed something here is there photos of the bike being referred to in your build diary. is this your bike or one you know of extremely well ?
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Hi Roger, no it‘s an article from a German mag, i posted a link earlier in the thread, here it is again. Compliments on your bike!


Martin
 
o0norton0o said:
Roger, Fantastic work there... That is beautiful.
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Tks not all my handy work had access to a master craftsman who has his own beautiful Rob North BSA and has hand built his own ground up replicas of the triple, fabricating every part in his work shop. Including Alloy tanks and fairings complete. I was very fortunate to have him in my home town.
 
trident sam said:
Sorry Ken, I hadn't read your post when I replied to Chris ref Rob North Commando frame, I've asked my mate who is in contact with Rob to ask him if he ever did one either "back in the day" or recently.
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Hi Sam any further from you mate talking to Rob about the RNN. Any facts about the frame kits from the Orical him self we would be good to know.
 
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