Misc: Everything Else Standard Comet Special

Cyborg

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
The frame has the necessary paperwork. It's not my first choice, but it's the path of least resistance from a registration and budget point of view. Although having said that.... I'm in the process of registering an orphan bike now and other than being annoying and time consuming it appears to be more or less straight forward (so far). An upside to living in the colonies and being 4,362.7 km from the nation's capital perhaps.
 

Oldhaven

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VOC Member
What's your plan for a frame, forks, brakes, etc? I have a set of Comet cases and have been mulling over whsat to do with them. One thought is a spine frame and some Japanese forks and brakes. Would that get me drummed out of the VOC?

With what you are working on now I don't think you will be drummed out anytime soon.

My plan is a 600cc Comet using Terry's latest stuff in and on the engine. Standard stroke flywheel. A Commando box, they are all here now. Newby Clutch and belt to arrive anytime now. David Dunfey has agreed to sell me one of the tubular spine monoshock frames he is doing. It can use the Works Performance coil over on the rear and it will be set up for a 750 GSX-R front end and brakes. I will start with a standard Suzuki front wheel and for sure the brakes and rotors, but I have a few ideas and I am not sure about rear wheel and brakes quite yet. The japanese stuff is really inexpensive on the Bay. I am selling my '75 Ducati 750 GT plus a bunch of stuff from a lifetime of Land Rovers to finance this all. So there you have it....2017 version of the Standard Comet Special and I will be busy this fall and winter. For now I need to get the oil changed and do a spring once over on the Rapide. I hope everyone had a great Easter. It got to 84F here today, but will be back in the 40's and 50's next week. Good riding weather
 

Cyborg

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
When you say standard stroke, are you going to use a crank from Terry or the factory one you have in the photo?
For my brakes, wheels and forks, I'm tempted to use the internal disc CBX550 stuff that has been sitting in my "someday I'll use that" pile since the early 80's. I have a lay down Norton box, but for the sake of oil retention, I think I will try and find a Commando box as well. I shouldn't even be thinking about it at this point. Must try and stay on track... spent some quality time with my favourite bastard file today. Fitting the rear fender flap.
 

A_HRD

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
"Standard" Comet "Special", isn't that an oxymoron?

No, of course it's not! I own one! :p

Check your Vincent history. From memory about 40 "Comet Specials" left the HRD-Vincent factory around 1935-1937. They were also designated TTC. They were basically road-going Series A Comets but fitted with slightly de-tuned TT Replica racing engines with bronze heads, TT Carbs, TT Forks, TT Brakes, etc. Customers could tweak the spec as they wished, but when each left the factory it was a factory standard "Comet Special". :cool:

http://thevincent.com/vinprod.html

Peter B
Bristol, UK.
TTC 20 - Comet Special.
 

Bill Thomas

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
No, of course it's not! I own one! :p

Check your Vincent history. From memory about 40 "Comet Specials" left the HRD-Vincent factory around 1935-1937. They were also designated TTC. They were basically road-going Series A Comets but fitted with slightly de-tuned TT Replica racing engines with bronze heads, TT Carbs, TT Forks, TT Brakes, etc. Customers could tweak the spec as they wished, but when each left the factory it was a factory standard "Comet Special". :cool:

http://thevincent.com/vinprod.html

Peter B
Bristol, UK.
TTC 20 - Comet Special.
They had Funny Pushrod Tubes Also !!. Cheers Bill.
 

Oldhaven

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
When you say standard stroke, are you going to use a crank from Terry or the factory one you have in the photo?
.

I have a new one that arrived from Australia this last Friday. The one that came with the cases looks OK and has zero side and end play, but I have not checked it for runout. It looks to be either all over polished or perhaps even chromed, hard to tell. I decided to go with new everywhere except for a few necessary frame attachment parts since there was nothing in or on the cases except the magneto studs and I could match the flywheel and the top end from the same maker. I will be keeping the VOC spares company and Coventry Spares busy. It is times like this that makes me realize how fortunate we are with our choice of machine, since if I had decided to rebuild my old 750 GT I would have had considerable difficulty and much more expense than doing this Comet special basically from scratch. I have to agree with Bill's advice to only keep Vincents so you can swap things around. I also feel I am not doing anything sacreligious with the Comet cases since they have had considerable repair work done and would never have become an original bike again.

Here is one of David's UFM's on a twin. There are no rear seat shock mount tubes as on a normal Egli type frame, and the seat can be cantilevered. The RFM is more Vincent like but it will be used with a coil over:

DSCN1051.JPG
 
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