MOTOR CHAT
- Thread starter velomaniac
- Start date
epicyclo
Senior Retro Guru
Re: Re:
It takes ages and heaps of experience to get a cafe racer right - that's if you're talking about a proper one. I used to be the go to guru for that when I was younger, but I put more time into engines, transmissions and handling than cosmetics.
These days I would buy the Royal Enfield cafe racer. It's the best looking and most accurate interpretation I've seen from the successor to the company that was the first to produce a production cafe racer (as opposed to real race bikes). I actually want one but think I would look a bit ridonculous these days.
And don't worry about the performance, there's plenty left in there. I was getting 110 mph over a measured 1/2mile on the Dores road in the late 60s with a mid 50s Bullet, but that required a certain amount of enthusiasm to ride because the fuel injection* I fitted meant it was a pig at less than full throttle. But these days all that is sorted, so it must be possible to double its somewhat anaemic output.
*Not like modern fuel injection - a Wal Phillips device popular on Speedway bikes, hence optimised for full throttle.
They are available in black. The proper colour for a man's bike.
kaiser":12gzmeip said:
It takes ages and heaps of experience to get a cafe racer right - that's if you're talking about a proper one. I used to be the go to guru for that when I was younger, but I put more time into engines, transmissions and handling than cosmetics.
These days I would buy the Royal Enfield cafe racer. It's the best looking and most accurate interpretation I've seen from the successor to the company that was the first to produce a production cafe racer (as opposed to real race bikes). I actually want one but think I would look a bit ridonculous these days.
And don't worry about the performance, there's plenty left in there. I was getting 110 mph over a measured 1/2mile on the Dores road in the late 60s with a mid 50s Bullet, but that required a certain amount of enthusiasm to ride because the fuel injection* I fitted meant it was a pig at less than full throttle. But these days all that is sorted, so it must be possible to double its somewhat anaemic output.
*Not like modern fuel injection - a Wal Phillips device popular on Speedway bikes, hence optimised for full throttle.
They are available in black. The proper colour for a man's bike.
Re:
Sorry mate, unit construction is when the engine and gear box are contained with in the same casing, and pre unit is when the gear box is in its own casing separate from the engine and joined by a primary chain. The unit engine doesn't fill the Norton Featherbed frame as well as the pre unit on does IMHO.
Sorry mate, unit construction is when the engine and gear box are contained with in the same casing, and pre unit is when the gear box is in its own casing separate from the engine and joined by a primary chain. The unit engine doesn't fill the Norton Featherbed frame as well as the pre unit on does IMHO.
epicyclo
Senior Retro Guru
Re: Re:
With Triumphs it meant that when the engine hand grenaded all the bits stayed in the crankcase instead of decorating the countryside. (May not be strictly accurate. Slight Norton and Velocette owner bias)
On other bikes it meant the gearbox casing was cast integrally with the crankcase.
As far as Tritons are concerned, I reckon the pre-unit was better because the reason the Featherbed handled well was because it had a great lump of motor mounted close to the front wheel, and low. You can do that with the pre-unit and still have the drive sprocket in a reasonably optimal position. With the unit construction ones you have to compromise the engine position one way or the other.
But even better was to keep the original Norton engine and gearbox, although it is much easier to tune a Triumph for more power.
kaiser":1gui528q said:
With Triumphs it meant that when the engine hand grenaded all the bits stayed in the crankcase instead of decorating the countryside. (May not be strictly accurate. Slight Norton and Velocette owner bias)
On other bikes it meant the gearbox casing was cast integrally with the crankcase.
As far as Tritons are concerned, I reckon the pre-unit was better because the reason the Featherbed handled well was because it had a great lump of motor mounted close to the front wheel, and low. You can do that with the pre-unit and still have the drive sprocket in a reasonably optimal position. With the unit construction ones you have to compromise the engine position one way or the other.
But even better was to keep the original Norton engine and gearbox, although it is much easier to tune a Triumph for more power.
Re:
@Kaiser - customising is as easy or difficult as you wanna make it.........here's my interesting (easy) GPZ1100 exhaust modded on Skye a last weekend....
:facepalm:
Hey but it worked!!
This guy is good if yer inta single cam Hondas....some good info and videos on the site
http://carpyscaferacers.com/
:xmas-cool:
@Kaiser - customising is as easy or difficult as you wanna make it.........here's my interesting (easy) GPZ1100 exhaust modded on Skye a last weekend....
:facepalm:
Hey but it worked!!
This guy is good if yer inta single cam Hondas....some good info and videos on the site
http://carpyscaferacers.com/
:xmas-cool:
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