I have an original pair of Rodark panniers which I had intended to fit to 2016 Triumph Bonneville T120. They were fitted to some Triumphs as an after market item and I have seen them and they look well although being a quadrant shape are not perhaps as practical as the usual square shaped panniers. However that bike has long gone and I am considering making up some suitable brackets and fit them to my 1956 Dominator 99.
To those of you familiar with the unique quadrant design of the Rodark pannier, has anybody seen them fitted to a Norton ? Are there any photos around showing them fitted to a Norton ? I have a pair of Craven panniers which would be more suitable but they are fitted to my Guzzi.
Hi George, Yes, I had a…
- Log in to post comments
Morning George, Apologies…
Morning George,
Apologies for the delay, they took some finding after 59 years.
The one of me standing between the Norton and my friend's BSA A7 is the best rear view and the other is my friend on my Norton. Both taken at Melrose in Scotland.
I cannot remember exactly how I mounted them, when I bought them second hand there were no brackets. I made brackets for the top end to the seat frame and must have tied the bottom front to the footrest lugs. I do remember them being a bit springy at the rear so made a bracket that went across the back, below number plate height, to tie the two together.
For the photographers who are interested they were taken on a 2-1/4" square Voitlander Brillant camera of prewar vintage, at 12 shots/film you didn't take a lot of pictures, unlike modern telephones.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Dick
- Log in to post comments
Worth contacting?
Hi George,
Craven are still in production. Dragonfly own the brand and still make Rodark panniers.
Their luggage rack list show racks for Norton Dominators.
Could be worth contacting them to see what brackets are available/ they have drawings for what they can do for Rodarks on a Norton.
As an example, see: https://www.craven-equipment.co.uk/index.php/panniers/rodark-20
Their gallery shows them on almost exclusively on Triumphs. If they don't have anything for a Norton/Rodark combination but do have for a Triumph, one of those could well be a good starting point as in reality our old bikes aren't that different from each other?
Regards,
George F.
- Log in to post comments
Hi George,
Yes, I had a pair in the early 60s, they were certainly more aesthetic than rectangular ones. I fitted them to tour Scotland with a mate. His were the normal type and held more so he did the majority of the luggage hauling, including the tent which sat better on the flat tops. I took them off for normal biking as they made puncture repairing quite a bit more problematic.
I should have a couple of old black and white photos somewhere, I will dig them out and post them but I think that they are more from the front of the bike.
Cheers
Dick