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- Jul 8, 2011
- Messages
- 2,668
Compare the silhouettes of a modern twin spar to a Seeley Mk2. My opinion is the Seeley Mk2 is the prodigy of modern frame designs. At least it looks the part and is a superior platform.
Dances with Shrapnel said:My first Seeley (circa 2003) is a Keith Stephenson built Mk 2. It has a fair amount of track time on it with a 750 short stroke (72mm stroke) and has given no trouble whatsoever. The second Seeley Mk 2 was acquired used in 2005; it is a R. T. manufactured frame and had repair on a down tube near the engine mount. This was reportedly due to an experiment with a 500 Manx engine that did not go well. Herb Becker further enhanced the repair enabling the engine to be moved forward. This frame has the 59.6mm stroke Norton twin in it. The frame has given no trouble whatsoever. Both these bikes use solid mount head steadys.
Dances with Shrapnel said:Compare the silhouettes of a modern twin spar to a Seeley Mk2. My opinion is the Seeley Mk2 is the prodigy of modern frame designs. At least it looks the part and is a superior platform.
daveh said:Dances with Shrapnel said:My first Seeley (circa 2003) is a Keith Stephenson built Mk 2. It has a fair amount of track time on it with a 750 short stroke (72mm stroke) and has given no trouble whatsoever. The second Seeley Mk 2 was acquired used in 2005; it is a R. T. manufactured frame and had repair on a down tube near the engine mount. This was reportedly due to an experiment with a 500 Manx engine that did not go well. Herb Becker further enhanced the repair enabling the engine to be moved forward. This frame has the 59.6mm stroke Norton twin in it. The frame has given no trouble whatsoever. Both these bikes use solid mount head steadys.
Dances - that's good to know. Like you, I have a KSS Mark 2, probably made in the early 90s, but I acquired the bike in 2004, and it had a lot of race miles on it even then. By the way, Keith's son, Tim, races in Ireland and built himself a Seeley framed Suzuki SV650 road racer (looks the business, will try to find a pic, especially for Hobot!).
Dances with Shrapnel said:Compare the silhouettes of a modern twin spar to a Seeley Mk2. My opinion is the Seeley Mk2 is the prodigy of modern frame designs. At least it looks the part and is a superior platform.
+1.
SteveA said:Not all Seeleys are equal, meaning that a MkII will flex less than a MkIII, I think the reasons are obvious....
Builders favour MkIIs for racing today!
daveh said:While on the subject of frame weight, I am wary of lightweight replica tubular steel frames on classic bikes. My Seeley Mark 2 frame is a heavy old beast but I would prefer it to a lightweight item which appears to be more prone to cracking. Fine for well funded race teams which can strip and weld on a regular basis or replace frames without having to think twice, but less than ideal for an amateur racer on a budget.
I'd be interested to hear other peoples' views on this.
Dave
acotrel said:Bernhard
'Here in the UK the ACU has ruled that the Peter Williams wheelbarrow Arter Matchless is the only bike that is allowed in classic bike racing to use cast wheels in this period.'
The British are a bit smarter than us. In our historic r acing, all you have to do is prove that something w as used on a bike in the relevent period. Then the argument is 'it could have happened'. The result is that these days it is rare to see a really shmick original classic racing bike. It is some thing which really irritates me, especially when I see fifties manx nortons with Sctitsu tachos, and Japanese levers. One guy even races a 60s H1 Kawasaki with full gokart electronics on the handle bars and thermocouples in the chambers - it would make you want to scream. I don't really care what is in the motor, but a lot of our stuff is vastly oversize - the rules permit it. I hate historic racing, however it is all we have apart from a little bit of BEARS racing, or you can try to find a ride in a moderns class.
Chris said:As to Steves statement about the Rickman frames being to stiff!
In the late 80s & early 90s I remember being told not to use my Rickman frame. The reason given was that they were too stiff.
The explanation of this, as told to me by Luke Notton, was that they gave very little warning before the "sticky Avon tyres" let go. ie the frames being too stiff. There were lots of rider tests printed at the time saying that the latest tyres were over stressing the frames & I think this has built up into "folk law"
I never found this but then again I am not one of the front runners.
Chris
Matt Spencer said:1972 A65 740cc Devimead Spitfire Bandit
autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/bsa/message/6740
link wont work on this old steam powered device . refersto it as a ' Classic Racer ' so , who knows .
Seeley920 said:I remember that bike well....I'm sure DaveH will too. Peter Morrow's Devimead, originally owned by Johnny Greene.
Yes, it was very fast and handled well!
daveh said:Chris said:As to Steves statement about the Rickman frames being to stiff!
In the late 80s & early 90s I remember being told not to use my Rickman frame. The reason given was that they were too stiff.
The explanation of this, as told to me by Luke Notton, was that they gave very little warning before the "sticky Avon tyres" let go. ie the frames being too stiff. There were lots of rider tests printed at the time saying that the latest tyres were over stressing the frames & I think this has built up into "folk law"
I never found this but then again I am not one of the front runners.
Chris
I've never ridden a Rickman-framed bike but I remember Alan Cathcart writing about certain Bimota frames being too stiff. Afterwards, I got the opportunity to ride several of them and I understood what he was getting at at. Like Rickman frames, perhaps, in that they felt 'wooden' and didn't give enough feedback to the rider. Seeley Mark 2 frames are good enough that they don't intrude on your riding and they allow you to get the best out of the bike.
Chris said:One, Which is the best frame? Gary Thwaites riding Dave Watsons Mk3, has wopped everybodys arse with a MK3 frame, for many many years. with a strip of steel for a headsteady, & a clamp on ladder for a front down tube.