Mudguard tips for featherbed frames

In the July issue, mention was made that featherbed frames are known for jamming the front mudguard between the front frame downtubes. This is not a Norton fault; it is down to rebuilders not doing the job properly. I discovered this in a similar event as that which Geoff Gatrell had.

I had recently purchased a 1952 Dominator which appeared perfect. I was an MoT inspector at the time. Time to see how it went. Perfect until I braked hard to see how good the brakes were – extremely good but the steering locked. Instantly released the brakes and everything back to normal. A slow ride back to the workshop to sort the problem.

The front mudguard had two dents where it had hit the downtubes. The solution seemed to require moving the mudguard forward. I took the mudguard stays off and then noticed that they were of different lengths. So, I put the longer pair at the front vertically, and the shorter pair, horizontal, at the rear. This moved the back of the mudguard forward. I then fastened a lump of putty on the mudguard where the dents were.

Off the bench to find a quiet stretch of dual carriageway and give it a go. Perfect, almost locking the front wheel, and still in full control. The mudguard had contacted the putty, which showed that the ’guard was almost an inch from the tubes under hard braking.

Maybe Norton was at fault for not making it clear in its parts lists. I talked this over with Stan Dibben, but he’d never heard of it happening. So, if you’ve got a problem like this, get out there with your tape measure.