Tuning For Speed

For me, my Seeley 850 is just another development project, but I need to prove it works well. So an onboard video would be evidence. I need to do that, and my wife might understand, when I explain that to her.
It does not matter if I do not race again. - Wolfendens' riders know what happened to them and what it meant.

Actually when I talk about my Seeley 850, I try to be factual. It is much better than I ever thought it would be. It is very different from a road bike. It would take a lot of horsepower to beat it around Winton Raceway - or a 125cc Honda two stroke.

Your problem Al is you listen to them, if my wife said it's her or the bikes she wouldn't know what hit her, her bags be packed and at the front door before she knew it, but then my wife knows better the bikes were around before we dated and I grew up with her family so she knew what she was getting into.
But Al what you use too do on your bike is different to actually riding it and telling us over and over all the time just gets a bit much, maybe it's time to give the bike to someone to carry on with it instead of rattling on about how good it is and its been a long time since you been on it.

You are probably correct - but on this forum, most of the guys do not seem to realise the potential in the 850 Commando engine. The heavy crank is an advantage when you run high overall gearing with close ratios - not a problem. Getting jetting right with Amal carbs when you use petrol is extremely difficult - using methanol is actually a cheat - it hides up the tuning errors.
When I used to race regularly, it was in the 1970s with a 1950s 500cc short stroke Triton in Allpowers C Grade. Many of the other bikes were Z1 and H2 Kawasakis - I know how fast a 1970s superbike can be. My Seeley 850 is faster. My problem back then was I believed the bullshit. Rex Wolfenden's 1100cc CB750s are fast in a straight line - as were the Z1 Kawasakis. Years ago I lowered the gearing on the 500cc Triton, I was leading and two guys with Z1s got past me on the longest straight and I speared-off to miss them at the next corner. I did not lower the gearing again - too dangerous.
When I see guys talking about a power band from 4000 RPM, they have not got their bikes really going. My motor is never below 5,500 RPM or above 7,300 RPM in a race, even at the start. If the revs are kept at that level, you ride the torque curve.
You don't use your road bike in that way.
The gearbox is more important than the motor. My motor is not trick.

I think my wife believes if I race again and crash, she would be my carer. I can still drive my car, and the bike is easier. It is burned into my brain. Winton Raceway has gone stupid, but to do an onboard video, it would have to the there. I am not in a hurry to do it. The car guys have made it almost impossible to get onto the circuit. I could go to Broadford, but it would be dangerous.

Is your motorcycle faster than the one in the following link ? - mine IS !

It's all good Al in yourself you know it's time to throw in the towel with riding and it's hard when retired to have the money to do the things we like, as I say I built my hotrod 850 for the road and giving it the power where it's used the best, I run stock gearing, stock 19 tooth front sprocket and the stock Commando rear drum, the 2S cam works best from 4000 RPMs through mid range where I use it the most but I do know it will run freely past 8000 RPMs if you let it, but I look after my motor and no need to push it that far, I already damaged the original crank cases from over revving and caning my Norton in my youth (young and silly) but get me up in the tight twisties up in the ranges and that is were my motor works the best as well the Featherbed frame comes to it's own, torque, power, light weight and handling all works together, it's my play area.
I hope to be riding till the day I die and no longer able to kick start the Norton but then the 1200 Thruxton is very similar to my Norton in handling with a bit more grunt but with push button starting, but my Norton will always be my number one bike and is my pride and joy, my youngest daughter will end up with my bikes.
My Norton Amals are set near the same as from the factory when new except I run 270 main jets instead of the stock 260 mains but I do replace needles and jets when needed as they do wear out from vibrations, I ran Jim's PWK carbs for 12 years but have just gone back to my old Amals and the Norton just runs better with them the PWK carbs kept having troubles with sticking floats, not all the time but it did it when out and about and no matter how many times I tried fixing it with Jim's advice I had enough, never had that problem with Amals, the Amals and Joe Hunt magneto works so well together, I don't know why so many have so much troubles tuning twin Amals.
Al forgive me for giving you a hard time about riding your Seerley 850, but I could never stop riding my Norton or any other bike for that matter and only been off the road 6 times from minor injuries (bike related and 2 left knees damage in my younger days and a fractured left arm about 8 years ago) and 3 license suspension (one DUI when young and just on the limit and 2 times for lost of points) in 50 years of riding, so not bad really for pushing my bikes hard, but I also got away with so much in those 50 years of riding, just never got caught lol.

Ashley

Some of us just ride on the public roads. We like a bike that can stay with traffic and not blow up.
The speed limits are low even for an old bike but we don't make the laws just pay the fines. If I was
a daily rider it would be on a modern bike both for safety and longevity.

Onder said:

Some of us just ride on the public roads. We like a bike that can stay with traffic and not blow up.
The speed limits are low even for an old bike but we don't make the laws just pay the fines. If I was
a daily rider it would be on a modern bike both for safety and longevity.

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The reason I went road racing is motorcycles cannot be used to their full potential on public roads. I have always been into race-tuning old motorcycles and fitting different motors into different frames. In life I have three passions - music, classic racing motorcycles, and chemistry. All of my tertiary studies were completed while I was working full time. Because I did that, I always got the best jobs.
Many people do not know how to have fun. If I race and somebody on a fast bike has a go at me, I love it
I have never used a motorcycle for daily transport, but I did not race until I completed my first diploma at age 29. Until then I rode old bikes at weekends on public roads. My mate used to race, and everywhere we went was a race. You could not do that these days.
I feel sorry for the kids who are growing-up now - they will miss-out on so much fun.

Onder said:

Some of us just ride on the public roads. We like a bike that can stay with traffic and not blow up.
The speed limits are low even for an old bike but we don't make the laws just pay the fines. If I was
a daily rider it would be on a modern bike both for safety and longevity.

Click to expand...

My Norton was an everyday rider from new (1976) until 2013 when I brought a new Thruxton, I rode it to work, did my running around town and out on my adventures up in the ranges or riding with the mates as well long distant travels, it never let me down except for a blown EI 100 miles from home, when work at the Tec College for 31 years the staff knew what time it was in the afternoon when they heard the Norton fire up to go home at 2:45pm, but I never had to ride in peak hour traffic or any major roads to get to and from work, where I live and worked the peak hour traffic was always going in the opposite direction to my travels, so not much stop and go.
So whether I been lucky or I have a freak of a Norton as it's always been reliable for me and when it's running great I leave it alone except for general maintenance when needed.
I do all my own work since new, how else do you get to know your own bike, I converted it to the Featherbed frame in 1980 and was the first bike build I ever done, with only min help as there was no internet them days and when I started at the TEC College in 1982 they were still using type writers in the office studies lol.

Ashley

I do not know if I am a good rider, however I never seemed to encounter another rider whom I could not beat in a race, unless they are riding a rocket-ship.

ashman said:

My Norton was an everyday rider from new (1976) until 2013 when I brought a new Thruxton, I rode it to work, did my running around town and out on my adventures up in the ranges or riding with the mates as well long distant travels, it never let me down except for a blown EI 100 miles from home, when work at the Tec College for 31 years the staff knew what time it was in the afternoon when they heard the Norton fire up to go home at 2:45pm, but I never had to ride in peak hour traffic or any major roads to get to and from work, where I live and worked the peak hour traffic was always going in the opposite direction to my travels, so not much stop and go.
So whether I been lucky or I have a freak of a Norton as it's always been reliable for me and when it's running great I leave it alone except for general maintenance when needed.
I do all my own work since new, how else do you get to know your own bike, I converted it to the Featherbed frame in 1980 and was the first bike build I ever done, with only min help as there was no internet them days and when I started at the TEC College in 1982 they were still using type writers in the office studies lol.

Ashley

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When I left high school, I had passed only chemistry and English in my matriculation exam. I got a job in the Customs Department and began to study chemistry part time. I was moved into the Commonwealth Analysts Branch where I was trained by Jews and Nazis. After 10 years, I moved into the defence factories - first airplanes, then guns and missiles, then explosives. I have worked in about 5 different establishments and have had about 10 career changes. The best products which came out of those factories were 'foreigners'. I also worked in a private engineering company as Quality Manager. I think because I played a musical instrument, is the reason I am a dab-hand at computer programming - same part of the brain ? Motorcycles have been part of me for as long as I can remember.
I worked with the first computers in Victoria in about 1972.

what instrument & type music?