Previously Ashley Kenyon wrote:

First a thanks in advance for some help probably a simple question.

I bought a 1961 Manxman here in the United States for my brother. It is missing some minor things and the head angle was heat adjusted to make it more of a trials bike at some point we gather. Otherwise Frame and Engine Match, there is a clear title, and about 80% of the parts seem to be original .........................

............................ Thanks again for any help and cheers,

Ashley Kenyon

Naively Innocent IngÃ?nue who doesn't fully know what she got herself into by first buying a 1966 Norton Atlas and then sharing the love with her brother by buying him a 1961 Norton Manxman. Luckily i know all good love hurts once in a while.

Hello Well the Manxman Had roadholder Shorts there 21inch Stantion and the Head stock angle is 23% rake . And Andover parts Do not Have any Parts for the Norton Manxman . But 650ss parts can be got at RGM motors. like Engine Gearbox And Clutch part Wire Harness you can get from TMS of Nottingham early 650ss 6v Lucas 41SA lighting switch .colour the very closes we have to polychromatic blue. is Lotus Pacific Blue But you need a Gold Base coat first and thin coats of lacquer after the blue. the best is the Anti-Ethanol Lacquer . The First Norton Manxman Machines were built on November 7th 1960 they start with 18-96301 workshop number 7 then 18-96302 workshop number 1 . then 96303 workshop number 2. the workshop number do not run as machine were pulled of line and completed at a later date. but the first shipment went on the 13th of January 1961. with some 300 plus machines. then from there the were 2 more small batches of around 200 each batch and no more than around 600 machines built in September 1961 the 650SS was Now selling in the UK. any more question just email me at annajeannette@btinternet.com the hardness parts you will not get its the exhaust system as the Manxman had its own . No other Norton Had this Exhaust system . they have never been reproduced only the originals exist And these were made By Norton At Bracebridge street. works. there will be not easy to find and very expensive to make. But Having said this a Norton Manxman Properly rebuilt is a Very nice motorcycle to ride and live with. They were built as a fast Cruiser Not a sports bike. but some have been made into race bike and they have had many wins too there name. in the past. the first Hogslayer was built out of a pair manxman motors. its was very fast 0 to 110 in 8.9 seconds in a first quarter of a mile. As for part your best going to RGM Motors . AS Andover parts do not have parts for the Norton Manxman So I have Been told by them. But I have Contacts yours Anna j Dixon

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Good to be able to read about the next chapter in this bike's life. I hope you will be able to provide some updates as work progresses. I'm interested in how the frame is repaired, not least as I referred to it as junk in the earlier thread. Hope it goes well.

Previously alan_dawes wrote:

Good to be able to read about the next chapter in this bike's life. I hope you will be able to provide some updates as work progresses. I'm interested in how the frame is repaired, not least as I referred to it as junk in the earlier thread. Hope it goes well.

Well if this Frame Needs a repair I will be to pleased to do it for them .as I have all the Equipment and expertize to do this job . I can even Built frames from scratch , I am a expert welder in gas .Arc welding and T.I.G and M.I.G welding I have even welded fresh air . or welding big holes up. with filler rod, I have all wheel building tooling too. Next thing is I making a rolling road to test engines Running . I have made my own Hydraulic Bike Bench it would lift 10 ton its that strong.

The headstock on a Featherbed frame is massively triangulated and strong. The only thing that would give might be the frame tubes in the general vicinity. Bending them back then would have likely fatigued the tubes unless they were heated to just the right temperature, and the same would apply to bending them back again.

If it were me in this scenario I would try and establish what the trail figure is now. I once calculated standard trail at around 4 inches. My Dommie runs sidecar yokes and trail around 2 inches. It handles great with no obvious issues, just as well if not better than my brothers which has normal yokes.

So what I'm suggesting is that you may find that so long as the trail is not more than a couple inches less than stock you should be good to go and leave it alone.

The front down tubes on a Dommie 99 1961 frame(Now a model 50 slimline) were both bent in when I bought the frame. This proved to be the only damage on the frame.

The two down tubes were pulled up straightin a jig. The head stock angle was 26 degrees from the perpendicular after straightening. Hope this helps, the frame is perfect now.

I can't remember if at some point before or after if the head stock angle was changed? I know it was changed on the Commando.

Previously neil_wyatt wrote:

The front down tubes on a Dommie 99 1961 frame(Now a model 50 slimline) were both bent in when I bought the frame. This proved to be the only damage on the frame.

The two down tubes were pulled up straightin a jig. The head stock angle was 26 degrees from the perpendicular after straightening. Hope this helps, the frame is perfect now.

I can't remember if at some point before or after if the head stock angle was changed? I know it was changed on the Commando.

Well this is only mudding the water The Manxman as a 23% angle Rake On the head stock

I do Have a Norton manxman .Yours Anna J

Previously Ashley Kenyon wrote:

First thank you Chris, Anne, Neil, and Rob. I apologize I havent checked up on this straight away been dealing with a Ducati 916 purchase also and getting a parts list from my brother for the Manxman.

It looks like they are just the long Stanchions. I will be checking it when I fly back from Honolulu to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving.

My brother and father, who used to race flat track for Harley in the 60's and also an Aircraft mechanic, both said the rake is really not as dramatic as it was in original pictures. The frame they say is in very good shape otherwise and the rake looks like it was done by a shop that had a clue about how to go about it. I will send pictures when I get back but thank you for the information. A new friend that I met at the Reno Air Races has two shops that build, race, repair vintage bikes and frames for the race circuit I just was paging through pictures from the races and remembered him in San Antonio Texas. But possibly I might send it on. Overall the bike is very much worth what I paid for it looking at my brothers detailed pictures and my fathers comments. Much of the original parts are there and the Lotus Blue Polychromatic blue is still on many of the parts.

Thank you all for the information and will keep it updated on the rebuild my brother is documenting everything and we are both excited to have found a Norton such as this. Even though its been Molested a bit all three of us have brought back many bikes when many others had written them off.

Adapt, Overcome, Improvise. Besides if your into vintage bikes the only ones that are all original and beautiful from the get go cost you $20000 dollars at an auction. Three Quarters of the fun is in the Journey.

Cheers and sincere thanks, Mahalo Lui Noa, and Aloha from Honolulu,

Ashley

Hello Well they were never Long Stantion .On The Norton Manxman As I Have A Norton Manxman Built in December 1960 . So someone as fitted these Long Stantion at a Later Date. To lift the Front end up but this will not do any good to the handing of the bike. Roadholder Shorts are the right Stantion there 21 inch long . I have The Original Part Manual For Norton Manxman 650 only . And You will Not Get the Silencers or the right Exhaust pipes the right hand exhaust pipe has a special Bend inward So the Cable For the Rev-count drive Dose Not Catch the Exhaust pipe. And No one makes them . I have asked the Club if some can be made but no-one as managed to answer me yet over this one. I do know Norton Manxman owners out there that would like to get the right Exhaust parts Numbers LH pipe 23432.RH pipe.No23433 .silencer RH No23174. silencer.LH No 23437 These are the right parts numbers. Fork Stantion Parts No 18482 pair of. this is the correct part number for the fork stantions they come in pairs. any more part number you need. yours Anna J Dixon East Yorkshire Branch

Not much good knowing the exhaust part numbers, if nobody makes them anymore!

Your post prompted me to waste some time scouring the internet for photos of Manxmen and 650sss. Seems to me that the Manxman had its RH exhaust tucked in closer to the frame downtube and the rev counter cable outside the exhaust. The SS bikes have the exhaust in the way of the cable and rider preference determining whethe it fouls on the inside or outside. Doubtless the correct answer will be forthcoming shortly.

Previously John Shorter wrote:

Not much good knowing the exhaust part numbers, if nobody makes them anymore!

Well John The Norton manxman spare Exhausts are out there somewere in a warehouse Or Motorcycle shop or big shed or back yard shed or garage. but someone as them in the USA And its a Big place and there were hundred's and Hundred's of motorcycle sent to the USA of the years . So the chances are someone is reading this, and Taking note for there next sale. Since 2006 I been on the Internet and putting out the word About these machine and getting feedback from owns all over the world And these owns tell me there experiences with there machines And they just love there bikes One young man in Malaya As done his own exhaust from photos that owners have sent him the Man that Helped him Help me too He was At one time the man who worked for Norton in Sweden in the imports he did lots of adverting for Norton He has 14 Nice shiny Norton 's in his collection models from 1958 to 1974. most of his engines have been rebuilt by Norman White. And all his Norton's are too a high Standard . He is well know in Norton owner club Sweden and the Classic Motorcycle world over in Sweden he been on many a front cove of Classic or Vintage Magazines infact I Have some he sent me. and there is other owners In Australia on one in the Falkland islands and other in the USA all of them are in contact with me. and all loving there machine and saying there a joy to ride . so let just enjoy our machines and be more enthusiastic about them , and talk more about them too get the word out there. try help one another and you find more friends and joy in you life just by helping even in a small way. so enjoy your riding and your life with a Norton motorcycles and see the positive side of life

And when it come to having some of these exhausts made there is one that can make them and there in Lincolnshire

. Yours Anna J

Previously Chris Grimmett wrote:

I read [very frequently as it happens] that the Manxman required a specific r.h.s exhaust pipe in order to clear the rev counter drive cable. Was this the only pre-Commando twin with a rev counter drive in the timing cover - surely not? Wasn't this a feature on the 650SS and Atlas?

What made the Manxman different such that it needed this pipe?

Well I think it maybe something to do with the styling of the day or a Cheap way round a thing. later they tilled the drive back so the cable was at 90 degrees this solved the problem. . But the problem we are faced with now is getting some of these exhaust parts Made or re-imported if some dealer out as some for sale. As there is

owners out wanting these parts. and this Club Need to help in some way. Yours Anna J

I have had some experience with this. a lathe is needed or someone who can operate one.I used the internal damping body from a commando and shortened it by 1.469 inches and rethreaded it. Also I used a set of commando fork tubes and shortened them by the same amount. If this is done on the lower end, no threading is required here. Be sure you get the oil flow holes in the bottom of the tubes correct. The advantage in using commando tubes is getting nicely chromed tubes.

Previously thane_gillies wrote:

I have had some experience with this. a lathe is needed or someone who can operate one.I used the internal damping body from a commando and shortened it by 1.469 inches and rethreaded it. Also I used a set of commando fork tubes and shortened them by the same amount. If this is done on the lower end, no threading is required here. Be sure you get the oil flow holes in the bottom of the tubes correct. The advantage in using commando tubes is getting nicely chromed tubes.

Hello Dominator Roadholder Shorts Are £ 46 a pair , from RGM Motors these will fit with no problems and no messing with lathes or hack saws

you need a seal kit to these are about £24 a set its will not break the piggy bank . yours anna j

Why buy when there are plenty of spares kicking about in the shed?