Bashed battery platform

And here's the air-cleaner backplate, mounted using new bolt-holes drilled 7/16 in. higher in the plate (thus lowering it with respect to the battery platform).

[ memo to self: must remember to make old holes air-tight ... ]

As mentioned, this is to accommodate the difference between my old, bashed, battery platform, and my s/h replacement.

As far as I can tell there is nothing out of the ordinary about the backplate (apart from new holes), so I'm totally puzzled by all this -- any suggestions?

Attachments
backplate-small-jpg

Karl,

Thanks for this suggestion; I had been wondering about precisely this. As far as I know the only alternative arrangement (pre-Mk III) was the SS models with a transverse oil tank. Can anyone confirm or otherwise this

My Fastback's clearly had an adventurous (but poorly-documented) life, so I wouldn't bet against it's having been a different model at some stage -- for one thing, the rear mudguard and number-plate arrangement is a fairly neat but definite bodge with non-Fastback parts.

For the time being I've duct-taped the holes on the outside: (a) I'm not proud (b) you'd have to be sitting on the cross-tube of the swinging arm to see the back of the backplate ...

Previously karl_nixon wrote:

I believe (i could be wrong) there are two different types of the back plate with holes at different levels and i would think you may have the wrong combination of back plate and battery tray thus creating the issue. However as long as you cover the now spare holes in order to stop unfiltered air entering the engine it should not be a problem if there was no problem with the assembly before.

A simple way to cover the redundant holes would be over size repair washers or maybe a small plate held on inside of filter assembly by the fixing bolts so it would not be visible on the outside.

It's occurred to me to look this item up on the Norvil website (http://www.norvilmotorcycle.co.uk/battery.htm), which turns out to list what looks like five different types (with stainless options for two):

061220 TRAY - BATTERY - 1968 TO 1970 COMMANDO - S-TYPE & R-TYPE £65.00060615 TRAY - BATTERY - 1968 TO 1970 FASTBACK £67.00060615SS TRAY - BATTERY - 1968 TO 1970 FASTBACK - STAINLESS STEEL £75.00062557 TRAY - BATTERY - 1971 TO 1973 - FITS BATTERY ALONG BIKE - W5 £45.00062557SS TRAY - BATTERY - 1971 TO 1973 - FITS BATTERY ALONG BIKE - STAINLESS STEEL £75.00061656 TRAY - BATTERY - COMMANDO 1970 - UNDER BATTERY £5.90 (according to the Andover Norton site this is actually the rubber pad to go under the battery)064128 TRAY - BATTERY - MK2A - FITS BATTERY CROSSWAYS £43.00066268 TRAY - BATTERY - MK3 - FITS BATTERY CROSSWAYS £63.00