And so it resumes

AndyB_11

Still waiting
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Feb 7, 2015
Messages
36,785
Reaction score
2,761
Location
Chorley Lancs
The great Notrun rebuild has finally started again. It’s been too long waiting and I can’t put it off any longer so the big day of refitting the cylinder head is here.

I’ve been putting it off because fitting push rods is a juggling act that I’m simply not very good at but do it once, do it right and that’s it forget it.

Here’s a couple of photos just to prove that the head looks nice now it’s been rebuilt...

ff22bdf1c8fd718a0a048e801bfb7e03.jpg


d9620204d84eb41fbe0d3928d27f5dbe.jpg


No, that’s not the living room carpet, it’s the workshop and yes, I’ve now removed the last bits of old gasket from the barrels
 
Isn't there some sort of special tool available, a thin comb affair, to align the pushrods?

Anyway you will soon be able to get that lovely vibro-massage machine going again - that's the beauty of classic bikes.
 
Isn't there some sort of special tool available, a thin comb affair, to align the pushrods?

Anyway you will soon be able to get that lovely vibro-massage machine going again - that's the beauty of classic bikes.

Did it with rubber bands on my 1971 T150 Trident. The fact that this was in 1977 says it all about Meridan - I'll get me coat! :)

Regs

Simon

PS nice to see you here Andy, how's the Ducati coming along? I'm asking because I'm fancying a Spanish version for my dotage ...

PPS nice rug!
 
Well the head’s torqued down nice and secure and I got pretty good at fitting the push rods by the 3rd time I did it.

It’s been a lot time since I took the head off and I forgot that you need to fit the two studs adjacent to the exhaust ports before fitting the head so off it came again. I was so pissed off by my act of stupidity that I didn’t bother paying too much attention and then missed the fact that there’s another similar stud at the back that also goes into the head before fitting it :blast

Apart from those brain farts I’ve managed to fit the head steady and the carbs plus started fitting the air box. Now that might not seem too much of an issue but up until now it’s had bigger carbs and a single K&N filter with two ports so it fits both carbs and I’d done quite a bit of ‘surgery’ to get that set up in place.

I’ve also got to re-site the electronic ignition box and the ignition switch because they were in the way of the standard air box but that shouldn’t be too much of a big deal in the greater scheme of things. Once all that’s done and I’ve squeezed the rest of the air box assembly into place I really need to find the exhaust down tubes and buy a couple of new seals then set the ignition up again and kick fuck out of it.

Truth be known I don’t really want the bike, I only bought it as a project and now it’s nearly done I’ve lost interest so once it’s fired up and running properly I’ll almost certainly flog it unless I have a major change of heart and decide I want it. Mrs B says I should keep it because my dad had a few Nortons and was really pleased when I bought it but that’s not really the point of owning a bike is it?
 
Truth be known I don’t really want the bike, I only bought it as a project and now it’s nearly done I’ve lost interest so once it’s fired up and running properly I’ll almost certainly flog it unless I have a major change of heart and decide I want it. Mrs B says I should keep it because my dad had a few Nortons and was really pleased when I bought it but that’s not really the point of owning a bike is it?[/QUOTE]

I’ll take it off your hands and look after it for you, coz I’ve never owned or ridden a Commando.
 
Truth be known I don’t really want the bike, I only bought it as a project and now it’s nearly done I’ve lost interest so once it’s fired up and running properly I’ll almost certainly flog it unless I have a major change of heart and decide I want it. Mrs B says I should keep it because my dad had a few Nortons and was really pleased when I bought it but that’s not really the point of owning a bike is it?

I’ll take it off your hands and look after it for you, coz I’ve never owned or ridden a Commando.[/QUOTE]

You do understand that I’ll be expecting to receive cash in exchange for it don’t you?

Anyway, it’s now got a fully assembled top end (apart from the oil lines which I’ll leave off until I fill it with oil and kick it over enough to know the pump is working) and I’m putting together a shopping list for parts I need to order.

The bigger carbs had separate choke levers so I need to order a bar mounted one plus the cables, I need exhaust seals so I can bung the down tubes on and I might as well buy new plugs to give it a better than even chance of starting.

My feeler gauges are bent to hell and back so I’ll pop into Halfords and buy a new set in the morning and double check that I’ve got the valve clearances right.

Another minor problem has reared its head in that it’s got a nasty looking mesh guard over the headlight so I bought a new headlight rim and it’s marginally tight on the shell. I’ll take the headlight unit out of the rim and give it a few light hits with a dead blow hammer to see if it’ll pop into place and if not it’s either buy a new shell, use the rim with the grill fitted or hit it harder :D

Once I’ve got everything I need I’ll take a step back and check everything else before trying to start it because it’s been standing for a couple of years and I’m stupid enough to take it for a spin around the block once it’s warmed up.

Looking on the bright side I found a box of bits for my Ducati so I’ll take them up to Mikeyboy this week and discuss cylinder head options for that bike.
 
I’ll take it off your hands and look after it for you, coz I’ve never owned or ridden a Commando.

You do understand that I’ll be expecting to receive cash in exchange for it don’t you?

Anyway, it’s now got a fully assembled top end (apart from the oil lines which I’ll leave off until I fill it with oil and kick it over enough to know the pump is working) and I’m putting together a shopping list for parts I need to order.

The bigger carbs had separate choke levers so I need to order a bar mounted one plus the cables, I need exhaust seals so I can bung the down tubes on and I might as well buy new plugs to give it a better than even chance of starting.

My feeler gauges are bent to hell and back so I’ll pop into Halfords and buy a new set in the morning and double check that I’ve got the valve clearances right.

Another minor problem has reared its head in that it’s got a nasty looking mesh guard over the headlight so I bought a new headlight rim and it’s marginally tight on the shell. I’ll take the headlight unit out of the rim and give it a few light hits with a dead blow hammer to see if it’ll pop into place and if not it’s either buy a new shell, use the rim with the grill fitted or hit it harder :D

Once I’ve got everything I need I’ll take a step back and check everything else before trying to start it because it’s been standing for a couple of years and I’m stupid enough to take it for a spin around the block once it’s warmed up.

Looking on the bright side I found a box of bits for my Ducati so I’ll take them up to Mikeyboy this week and discuss cylinder head options for that bike.[/QUOTE]

I’d also be interested- had Triumphs, BSA’s, Fanny B, Velo, but never a Norton!
 
Right then, I’ve had another tinker today and here’s where things stand right now.

I’m not going to start it with no exhaust headers fitted so that’s on hold until I’ve got some but there are plenty of other little things to mess with and some of them have been a definite two steps forward kind of thing but I’m now happy that I’ve got the following things about as near to working properly as my limited talents can take me;

I thought I’d have to wait for a new battery but the old one has got enough life in it for testing purposes so that was a bit of a bonus. Because I’ve been messing about with the lights I keep topping the charge up and I’ll leave it permanently on an Optimate until it’s running but it’ll serve a purpose for now.

The rear brake light switch had been a pain in the arse because it kept sticking on so I’ve taken it off, bunged a small washer under the plunger then bent the brackets so it sits centrally under the pressure plate on the brake pedal and it now works perfectly.

I’ve checked and tweaked the valve clearances so I’m now happy they’re right and I’ve put some sealant on the gaskets for the covers and screwed them down.

I’ve managed to get the headlight rim on but if I’m honest with myself it’s not right so I’m going to buy a new shell and rim rather than leave it looking crap.

I wasn’t convinced I’d fitted the Pazon ignition system because when I previously tried to start it I had a miserable failure which couldn’t only be blamed on the carbs so I removed all the self amalgamating tape I’d used to keep the damp out and sure enough one of the connections had pulled apart so after tracing the wires back so make sure I’d not made any mistakes I put a new connector where the dodgy one previously resided and that should now be ok.

While I’d got my head around messing with the ignition I checked the static setting and adjusted that a bit, kicked the bike over a load of times then checked again and it seems ok.

Annoying little issues left to resolve are the headlight doesn’t dip though that may be that it doesn’t go onto main beam, I don’t know but it doesn’t change when I try all the switches. Time to mess about with the multimeter again but it’s not the bulb because I’ve got two new ones and the problem is still there.

I’ve got a new horn to fit but there’s no way it’s going under the battery tray where the Haynes book says they were originally fitted so it’s going to go just in front of the right hand side cover where I’ve seen others fitted in photos. I’ll need to extend the wiring because there’s only a short piece sticking out of the new harness that wouldn’t reach anywhere unless I shoved the horn under the tank and jumped on it until I was down.

I need a a new speedo because when I bought the bike it had a brand new kph speedo so I found someone who said he could convert it to mph and put it in the post. Apparently it didn’t arrive so someone else signed for a kph speedo they didn’t want :blast
The problem I’m now facing is that I can’t find a new mph speedo without changing to an electronic one which may well be better but it’s not really what I want.

Over the last two years I’ve managed to convert the bike to having a wet sump. I need to drain that and top up the tank where the oil is supposed to live but that’s a common issue which can be resolved by fitting a valve if you’re sure you’ll remember to turn it back to allow oil to flow from the tank when you start it.
 
Andy this is all helpful information :thumb I have a commando that has been standing for a couple of years . I am planning to start to bring it back to life this winter(after I’ve built the workshop:blast). These sound like all the problems I will be facing plus a load more.
It was a shame about those carbs, I have purchased standard mk1’s for the commando but do need a new set for a t140D that I have,which are mk2 Concentrics but unfortunately not 34’s..........bugger.:(
Keep the information coming and good luck:thumb
 
Andy this is all helpful information :thumb I have a commando that has been standing for a couple of years . I am planning to start to bring it back to life this winter(after I’ve built the workshop:blast). These sound like all the problems I will be facing plus a load more.
It was a shame about those carbs, I have purchased standard mk1’s for the commando but do need a new set for a t140D that I have,which are mk2 Concentrics but unfortunately not 34’s..........bugger.:(
Keep the information coming and good luck:thumb

Depending on what you want to do I might have a few new parts you can have at a lower price than you’d get them from Andover Norton.

If you want the carbs on a use or return basis so you can try them then you’re more than welcome to see if they do the job?
 
It’s been a nice day so I thought that I might as well take advantage and kill two birds with one stone so I phoned and ordered a few parts from Andover Norton then bunged 250 miles onto the KTM going to fetch them. That’s a proper win - win situation :D

So what did I buy? More than I intended to is the answer but in the end I needed everything I bought so bollocks so the cost, it had to be done so there’s no point crying..

I’ve now got a new battery on a trickle charge so that’ll go in tomorrow. I couldn’t find the battery straps and they’re not expensive so I bought new ones of those as well.

Since I removed the MKII Concentrics I needed a complete choke bar lever assembly plus cables so they’re now fitted. Have I previously mentioned I hate fitting carb cables because it’s a pain in the arse getting the cables into the splitter boxes? Well it is and I’ve done the throttle and the choke cables this evening.

New lock nuts for the rocker adjustment screws because the old ones were getting a bit knackered on the flats so they had to go.

New spark plugs because it deserves a decent opportunity to start when I finally get round to kicking it to death.

New exhaust seals because there’s no point using the old flattened ones when I know they’ll blow within 10 minutes.

The biggest part of the budget was a sparkly new pair of clocks. The original ones are rarer than a very rare thing and cost a fortune for refurbished ones so I bought Smiths electronic ones even though I’m not keen on them. I’m dreading wiring them in because there are about 8 tiny little wires for each one and I’m shit at soldering small wires. I’ll see if I can’t buy something from RS components that’ll let me use hard parts rather than solder them but a faint heart never won a war so I’ll do it one way or another.

All I need to do now is sort out the oil that’s currently residing in the sump rather than the oil tank, check the other lubricants and top up if they’re low because I can’t remember doing it last time I messed with the bike, check that I’ve got a big fat spark from both plugs then drop the tank on, throw some unleaded into it and give it a go.

I can’t help thinking I should keep it and I seriously hope I enjoy riding it but if not then sod it, I’ll get rid and replace it with something different :D
 
Depending on what you want to do I might have a few new parts you can have at a lower price than you’d get them from Andover Norton.

If you want the carbs on a use or return basis so you can try them then you’re more than welcome to see if they do the job?

Thanks Andy, a very generous offer.:thumb
Unfortunately I have a few other bits that are ongoing with the Triumph at the moment, so couldn’t give them a try at the moment, but cheers .
The Bonny carbs are only 30mm so can’t imagine that 34’s would be ok.
Looking forward to seeing a few pics when that Norton of yours is up and running!:bounce1
 
Thanks Andy, a very generous offer.:thumb
Unfortunately I have a few other bits that are ongoing with the Triumph at the moment, so couldn’t give them a try at the moment, but cheers .
The Bonny carbs are only 30mm so can’t imagine that 34’s would be ok.
Looking forward to seeing a few pics when that Norton of yours is up and running!:bounce1

I used to have an oversized concentric on my Ducati MkIII, about 2mm over I think, maybe 36 on 34? I ran fine but have read my well thumbed copy of Phil Ivine's* 'Tuning for Speed' I thought a longer inlet manifold would be a good idea so bought a manifold of a Commado as the curve brought the cab back down to earth from the forward leaning engine. It worked a treat, until I realised, the hard way, that you should plug the equaliser lead hole with solder ...

Keep up the good work!

Simon
 
The plan for today is to find somewhere to put the ignition box because it was previously sited where the standard air box sits and obviously it needs moving now. I reckon the best thing to do will be to drop the tank back on the bike then try different places to see how things look.

After that I’ll bung the side panels on and find somewhere to put the horn because it’s bigger than the original size and even though it might fit under the battery box where it should go there’s no way I’m taking the back mudguard off because that would mean also removing the rear light assembly and I can’t be bothered.

I’ll have another look at why the headlight is only working on one of either main or dip now I’ve got a new battery and while the headlight is apart I’ll remove the idiot lights from the instrument binnacles because they’re no longer needed after buying electronic instruments.

Not a lot but it’s all time consuming and I want to tick things off as complete before bolting the tank down because that’s a pain in the arse as well.
 
Everything planned has been done and I’ve even had a nice little 80 mile ride on the KTM as well so not a bad day all things considered.

I’ve got the headlight working but I don’t know how and I suspect there’s a broken wire hiding somewhere. I checked out the resistance of the relevant wires and they came up ok and I’ve undone all the joints and refitted the wires after trimming the ends in case a sneaky bit of dry rot in there but I couldn’t find an obvious problem which is annoying.

The horn is fitted but it’s not the prettiest of solutions with the horn bracket being secured to a frame down tube at the front using a P type clamp which needs a bit of black Hammerite to tidy it up....

I’m not happy with the battery strap arrangement so that’ll be modified before the bike goes anywhere near a road where vibration could cause it to rub somewhere I don’t want it to.

Overall it’s been a relatively rewarding few days because the tank, seat and side panels are back on the bike at the moment and it actually looks complete even though it’s still a fair number of hours away from the reality of being finished.
 
I thought I’d better put a photo up showing where things have got to, I’ve done another hour or so since this was taken so a couple more things have been tidied up. I’ll see if it starts later in the week but there’s still more to do first.

87ee3aade9d8995a1c53e69588ab395f.jpg


One showing those sparkly new electronic instruments which don’t actually look too bad.

5fcda54b585d036f50d238564643b425.jpg


I’d get it out of the workshop to try and get a few better shots but it’s a big step up into it and I can’t be bothered finding the ramp.
 
That main beam problem was annoying me so I retreated to the workshop, took off the headlight unit and started looking for the problem. Well the easy part was that as soon as I removed it the bastard stopped working. Back to the multimeter and time to start looking.

I was getting power to the switch but it wasn’t reaching the wiring inside the headlamp shell, ok if it’s not getting that far why did the light stop working when I took the actual light unit out :nenau

If there’s one thing I hate trying to sort out on motorbikes it’s the electrics and because the bike has got a new harness fitted I didn’t want to start stripping back the outer cover so I started to look further back for a connection that could be dodgy or would give me a chance to check the resistance in individual lengths of cable. Tank off and wrapped in a blanket I went random on it and started pulling at various points in the harness and all of a sudden I’d got a main beam again. A closer look and there was what appeared to be a triangular shaped 3 way connector with no visible way of opening it up. Well that wasn’t going to stop me so I cut the bastard out, put in 3 short lenghts of cable, tested it all and when it worked I sprayed some silicon grease at it and wrapped it in self amalgamating tape. I’ve now got a working main beam, a main beam indicator light and a headlamp flasher :D

I thought I was on a bit of a roll so I decided to connect up the speedo and tacho which all seemed to be going well. They both come on when I turn on the ignition, the back lights come on when I switch the lights on and the tacho needle,swings round to the limit of its travel then returns so until I start the bike that’s all I can do. The speedo is another issue all together because the first time I put power into it the bastard appeared to go through a function test with the needle going to the limit and returning then a few seconds later it swung to the right again and fucking stayed there! It should come up codes and numbers on the odometer to enable me to do the calibration part of the job but it stays blank and even disconnecting the battery doesn’t let me start again. Fucker!

I’ll phone the distributors tomorrow because it’ll be something they’ve come across before but I still hate messing with the electrics on bikes :mad:

The KTM is in for its first service tomorrow so unless I ride the loan bike home and start on the Norton again not much will happen but I’m rapidly running out of jobs to do and reasons not to start it.
 
It looks great Andy well done , I am hopefully going to start my 71 fastback Restorations soon.
 
I’ve just put an ad in the for sale section for a few more Norton parts that you might be interested in. I’d stick them here first but a mod might shoot me :D
 


Back
Top Bottom