AMC's US distributor suggested that it might be possible to construct a machine especially for the popular West Coast desert races. Essentially a racing cc engine in a lightweight frame. That same power could get out of hand on the road, where with off-road tyres and a short wheelbase its handling was not always as sure as expected. The Atlas engine together with the lightweight Matchless frame produced a brutal power to weight ratio.
The tank was as small as practicable and made of alloy. Mudguards, silencer, side panels and other fittings followed suit. Everything was built for one purpose only - winning. Win it did. In its intended home of the Mojave desert the P11 reigned supreme in the closing years of the s. Any criticism of its road performance missed the point, for no scrambler was equipped to deal with a performance of well over mph on the tarmac.
Lightweight, lean and purposeful, these machines were costly to build, because the Norton engine was a tight fit in the Matchless frame and needed special spacers to match up. Their schizophrenic existence was obvious from the fact that a near-identical model was sold as the Matchless N15CS.
But whatever their identity, the package worked superbly well. When these models were discontinued in they had already become a legend. The Matchless G85 CS frame was made using Reynolds tubing, a manganese—molybdenum, medium-carbon steel alloy, which was the class leader for use in racing cars, motorcycles, and competition bicycles as well as having uses in aircraft construction. Bob suggested his idea to Joseph Berliner, whose Berliner Motor Company had become the sole distributor for Norton in Steve Zabaro was enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that he donated his own slightly crashed Matchless G85 CS as the base bike.
Steve Blair extracted the engine from a new still in the crate Norton N15 and the two put in the workshop time to make the project happen. Joe Berliner had been right in his assertion that the project would require a lot of effort, Bob and Steve understood that when they took the task on. They had to fabricate an alloy adapter plate to join the cc engine with the AMC four speed gearbox. The magnesium rear hub of the G85 CS was retained as were the front Teledraulic forks, wheels, handlebars and seat.
A custom fabricated oil tank was made, as was a custom high mounted exhaust system. The completed custom bike had taken three weeks to create and it showed great promise in test riding: but the next step was to get the bike into the hands of a seasoned desert racer and see if he thought the bike was a viable competition, and perhaps commercial concern. Mike was nursing a sore shoulder from a crash and although he tried to race it for a while the pain barrier turned out not to be one he would push through.
But Mike was very impressed with the bike and when he returned it to Bob Blair he told him to make sure the guys in England did not change anything, it was good to go just as it was.
SS bars would be great if the crossbar was a little higher. I think US Commando bars are the same but without the crossbar. I think the p11 bars are too short or have too much pullback if you need to stand on pegs. Doesn't feel right. CanukNortonNut said:. I thought the pullback was to set the rider further back in the saddle? I started out with a parts bike and the handlebars never came with the boxes of parts with what I got.
These came with the crossbar horizontal at the same height as the hand grips aka Ranger as per BillT's description but the end to end width across was I am not sure if this is to the original width but that is what I have to work with. Does anyone have a used set of low crossbar '67 model bars they'd want to get rid of?
Used bars would better match the rough appearance of my bike. Contact me via PM. You must log in or register to reply here. Similar threads. P11 Special CRS front end and brake. Schwany Nov 19, Norton P11 Motorcycles 2. Replies 28 Views Dec 7, Schwany. Replies 14 Views Dec 4, Roddy. Here's the full Monte on my recent P11 build.
Replies 7 Views Nov 7, TexasGMG. CRS shocks for '67 P Schwany Nov 1, Norton P11 Motorcycles. The final iteration of the P11A Ranger was the Norton Ranger which featured strengthened side stand mounting brackets, and a brake light operated by the front brake. The P11A Ranger was no slouch in the performance department as evidenced by the performance of Leo Goff who set a number of drag racing records including an Engine: cc Atlas OHV vertical twin cylinder air cooled.
Compression ratio 7. Ignition, Lucas K2F magneto. Power 54hp 6,rpm. Suspension: Front forks, dual Teledraulic. Rear, dual Girling shocks with adjustable pre-load. The Norton P11 was a star that shone all too briefly. It established itself as a desert sled that was enormously enjoyable to ride, and as a bike with a truckload of British Norton personality.
Not only that but given that the original P11 was built as a competition machine it is to be expected that they will have been modified, or that people have constructed their own version based on whatever happened to be available in their own personal parts bin.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine, and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China, and Hong Kong. Read More. Jon Branch. Published by Jon Branch - June 26th Japanese Motorcycles.
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