Have you seen the 12 Motors for sale on FB ?

A new Mk2A 850 motor would be more interesting, for the price.
The Seeley Condor never went into full production.
As a retro, a Seeley 850 would be well worth building.

This smooth-running motor stuff is bullshit. It was the reason the isolastics were developed. I can understand the attraction, but a 650SS might be a much more exciting bike than a Commando. The problem is that many who buy motorcycles don't have much experience. In Australia, we had muscle cars which could not be used anywhere. If you drove one in the way for which the design was intended, you would spend the rest of your life in jail.
I drove one of the Falcons - it was a GS, not a GT - it was ridiculous.

acotrel said:

A new Mk2A 850 motor would be more interesting, for the price.
The Seeley Condor never went into full production.
As a retro, a Seeley 850 would be well worth building.

http://www.minnovationracing.co.uk/

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You cannot build an ‘old’ Commando motor for anywhere near the price of these 961 lumps! Try pricing up only the big bits and you’ll start to realise what a bargain these 961 lumps are.

But if you were to build a Seeley Commando, why limit yourself to 850 ??

Might as well do it properly !

Nice wrench collection there mister!

I’m envious !

Always wanted an award ( cup ) for the best / cleanest / tidiest workshop space and it looks like you’ve had loads

TonyA said:

This is one of this things that is hard to verify without disassembly . But if loctite was used at least the bolts won't end up in the crankcase bottom , like happened to David C .

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That’s exactly why I was asking. I can’t find any firm information on the date range of bikes this affected. It would be good to be sure my bike may have the issue before stripping the engine.

Tony ( or anybody else) do you have any idea what an engine weighs? I made contact with the seller, and I was going to try and find out what shipping would cost.

Around 125 lbs , say 150 lbs to be safe . Stu should know better .

TonyA said:

Around 125 lbs , say 150 lbs to be safe . Stu should know better .

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Thanks Tony.

Pretty sure I weighed one at 87kg. I can weigh another, but won't be for a few days as I've put my back out.

Stu Bodycote said:

Pretty sure I weighed one at 87kg. I can weigh another, but won't be for a few days as I've put my back out.

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Thanks Stu, but don't do yourself an(other) injury.

Stu Bodycote said:

Pretty sure I weighed one at 87kg. I can weigh another, but won't be for a few days as I've put my back out.

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Wow 191.4 lbs , that much ? I know it's a two man lift for sure !

I used to be able to lift one on my own, up and onto a stand, but just over a year out of the car spannering game and I've lost a lot of strength, and now I need ratchet straps to help me lift them up that high...scary how much strength I lost in a short space tbh.

Fast Eddie said:

You cannot build an ‘old’ Commando motor for anywhere near the price of these 961 lumps! Try pricing up only the big bits and you’ll start to realise what a bargain these 961 lumps are.

But if you were to build a Seeley Commando, why limit yourself to 850 ??

Might as well do it properly !

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An 850 motor is big enough for a Seeley, when used properly. The handling means it can be accelerated all the way through corners. Very few motorcycles can do that. It is the main reason Manx Nortons were much faster than many bikes of larger engine capacity. A 650SS or Atlas 750 usually had difficulty beating a good Manx in the hands of the sorts of guys who bought them. I have not seen a book telling how the Manx was developed to be so right. Finding that combination would not have been easy, it defies logic. Half an inch difference in the position of the motor in a featherbed frame can make a world of difference in corners. If the front feels light when you accelerate mid corner, you will usually automatically take more care. A Seeley frame is much more inspiring.

When you race, you often do not understand what the other guys are riding. Engine power is not the be-all and end-all. In my case, I came to suspect what my bike could do by progressively advancing the transition point in corners, however actually doing it took a leap of faith. If it does not work, a big crash can happen. The only reason I tried it was I had actually ridden a genuine Manx Norton and knew the feel.

Building a Seeley with a 961 motor might be good, but rules are never created with those sorts of things in mind. I would like to race against retros. The historic thing is bullshit - Only Goodwood Revival and Landsborough Cup seem to be a bit genuine. In Australia historic racing is unofficially development classes. The organisers invent rules to help themselves win.