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Fitting a solo seat and rearsets to a Slimline frame

Submitted by jake_lomax on Thu, 03/01/2013
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Heavy Twins

Hi,

Has anyone got any experience they could share with me please? I am fitting a solo seat, it's a manx type with a fibreglass base and cut away for the oil filler, and rearsets of the type with the rubber grips, both from Unity Equipe.

The footpegs look like I have to drill the frame, which I'm not too keen on. And the seat looks like I have to remove the mounts from the top of the right and left frame rails. I'm not too keen on that either, just incase I want to go back to original one day.

Can anyone suggest the correct way to do this work?

Thanks in advance.

Submitted by david_cooper on Fri, 04/01/2013

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According to the F. Neil handbook ("Norton service and overhaul manual"):

"Many racing type racing footrests, either folding or fixed, can be fitted to Standard featherbed frames. To do so it is necesary to drill a 7/16" hole in the gusset plate of the frame on each side.

Its position is 1+1/4" below and 3/8" forward of the centre of the pivoted fork bolt (swinging arm) attachment bolt. It is not correct to drill a hole on the offside to match the standard brake pedal mounting hole on the nearside."

Submitted by jake_lomax on Fri, 04/01/2013

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Hi David,

Thanks for the info, is the F. Neil handbook some sort of Norton bible from around the 60's? I've not heard of it before.

That should do, if it was good enough and standard practice then, then it's good enough for me. The holes can always be welded up if I want to revert to standard.

I don;t suppose the book contains anexplanationof why the standard brake pedal hole shouldn't be used?

Thanks

Submitted by gordon_johnston on Fri, 04/01/2013

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I used these measurements when I fitted rearsets during my very brief racing career back in '72. They work. The holes are still in the gusset plates even though the bike is back to nearer standard these days. If you match the existing brake pedal hole, it makes the gearchange a bit trickier. Probably. Gordon.

Submitted by graham_reeves on Fri, 04/01/2013

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Hi

The measurements quoted by David Cooper are the same as are stated in the 'Maintenance Manual and Instruction Book for the Unapproachable Norton' published by Norton Motors Limited, Plumstead - can't get more definitive than that.

Submitted by david_cooper on Sat, 05/01/2013

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The 'Neil' book is a compendium of what appear to be at least two official Norton workshop manuals. Sadly seems to be out of print. Could Google the usual suspects. It's got more in it than the Haynes manual - for which the most recent version I have seen from Haynes is really a photo facsimile and some part are not as legible as the original.

Neil covers the '50', ES2, and all the precommando twins including the lightweights.

No explanation re: using the existing hole on one side. All the wording is as above. Maybe the wording 'not correct' simply means it won't look like the racer you want it to look like unles it's done like a proper racing bike? Somebody here with more experience than me might be able to help?

If yours is a Slimline, you also have to decide if you keep the tinware cover on the near side gusset - and drill a hole in it - or set it to one side and then lose it in the shed - or wherever tinware goes to.

 


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