850 Shakedown Run

Rocker shafts are case hardened so you have to break thru the case to drill the 1/8 hole. You can take a Dremel tool or Dye grinder to the undrilled end and bust into the surface or you can brake thru with a carbide center drill. The center is very soft steel so just a good sharp 1/8 drill. Be very carful when braking into the old hole at the other end there can be case hard there and it will grab the drill and brake it. Lathe is the easy way but a V block and a drill press will work.

Shakedown--round II--

Hi Folks-
Ran the Commando to town again yesterday after new rings, seals in the tranny, timing cover, oil pump recon, timing chain adjustment (Darn thing had a bit under 3/8 of an inch play!), carb rebuilds with new needles, needle jets, viton float needles, etc., swing arm bushes, shiny new paint and a little tidying up of the cable and wiring routing. It's a whole new world! Oil consumption is gone, idle is even, pulls strong, no leaks and it takes a big leg to kick 'er over!
From home to work in town, then back home with no drama, no parts fell off---VICTORY! Took it easy on this trip to allow rings to seat well. Can't wait to give it a fist full of twist and see how the top end is!
Now for those ugly pipes........

Mike
Kansas, America
73 850 Roadster with a new lease on life

Good for you....happyness is........(fill in the blank)

When the rings get seated and you have some time...give it a compression check and let me know what it has...I'm interested because I think mine has a lot less than it used to. Mine has about 130. Just want to get an idea just what it should have for compression before I decide something is not in order...mine used to be a "Bi**h" to kick over..not any more.

Then again...I weigh 50 lbs more than I did back then,..... :wink:

HeWho-
I'll run a comp. test on it soon. Going to try out those "hot ticket" Autolite plugs. Started with 135-137 on both holes. My 80 pound niece could kick it over! :lol: Judging by the huge end gap on the comp. rings (47 thousandths!!!) I think it was just the oil in the cylinders that gave me that much. After putting it all back together I gave it several kicks without ignition 'till I saw oil return then powered it up and gave it a half-hearted go and was rewarded with a knee just missing my chin! I'd have been annoyed if I wasn't smiling so big! Comp details to follow-watch this space.

Best,
Mike,
Kansas, America
Land of the free and home of high compression(?)

ps--One thing I did was to install a cylinder gasket between the cases and cylinder base. Normally I wouldn't have, but a few thousandths to ease the comp. was done to allow for the stinking 91 octane alcohol-enhanced fuel that's available locally. Where's Ethyl when you need her??!!??

We are lucky in that sense...we have 100 octane...at the pump...but it goes for $1.50 a quart.... :wink:

Hi Folks-
Done with the brief hiatus from the Norton to sort out and paint the 79 Bonnie. Sticky clutches and uuuugly paint are a drag!
Back to the 73...
Installed new 750 pipes, turn signals, brake booster one-way for the crankcase vent, tweaked the timing and did a 2000 grit tune-up on the clear coat. The Norton sounds great! Losing the cross-over pipes made a huge difference! Sounds like it wants to reach out and chew your leg clean off. This is with the rough old stock mufflers. Eyeing those Dunstalls that I have hanging in the corner... Snarlllll!
HeWho- I ran a comp. test with a different gauge, and it's showing 139-140. Don't know how accurate the gauge is, but my kicker leg tells me that it's up farther than that, but the base gasket I added would probably have an effect. I'll re-run with the gauge from the initial test (pre-rering) and keep you posted.
Turn signals worked on one side only initially, had to disassemble the handlebar switch and clean the contacts for the left side. Simple thing with a points file and a re-greasing just for G.P. and they work as they should.
Walked into the parts store this morning for a proper rectangular flasher (didn't have one) but walked out with an LED bulb for the tail light American products was the brand name and that rascal was only $7.50. If only more mods offered the "bang for the buck"! Hopefully tthis will help keep the pesky amp light from showing quite so often. Every little bit..
Made it to the races Saturday night and talked to the fuel guys there. 104 octane, leaded, under $7.00 per gallon. Might make a nice treat mixed with the crappy 91 octane stuff but not for a regular diet. Couldn't find it on the road. Bummer. I miss ethyl!

Mike
Kansas, America
73 850 Roadster that's coming around nicely

kanlimey said:

104 octane, leaded, under $7.00 per gallon.

Click to expand...

Leaded? Is there some kind of allowance for special purpose use of leaded?
Is there not some kind of real octane booster available? Does this monster run poorly on the available gasoline...or is this just you thinking it might run better on the high octane. Does it ping? Have a car that will ping/knock on hills without super...but never really had this experience with the commando. Might have been lucky. Or I'm not dealing with a Combat, but rather a standard motor. Had Dunstalls...a long time ago. Lost them. Let me know what the other guage reads....thanks!

Hi Folks-
This is far from a monster! :lol: Runs well, but I'm certain that a large percentage of the machines owned by the folks on this forum would dust it. As far as the fuel, the brand is VP racing fuel. It's sold to the racers but anyone can buy it. Goes up from 104 octane! Alcohol and nitromethane are also available. :twisted: The 73 runs fine on pump gas (91 octane) but one has to wonder, dosen't one?!? At one time you could get 95 octane from a small supplier here and the 95 Triumph Sprint just loved the stuff. (So did the 86 V-12 Arden Jag I had, but that's another subject.) They replaced the 95 octane with E85 ethanol fuel. The farm community loves the stuff. :evil: This Commando is stock. Stock cam, standard bore, RH4 head. Looks to have had some mild port blending on the intake tract at one time. No hot-rod mods. It'll snap your neck back as a Commando should but nothing stellar.
Planning some shop time tonight. I'll hit the mechanic next door up to use his comp. gauge. It's the one I ran the before test on. then I'll plug the hot-ticket LED tail light in and see if I can't light my part of the county in red!

Best,
Mike,
Kansas, America
73 850 Roadster, etc. (I miss green Castrol)

Hi Folks-
HeWho- Here's the comp #'s- 130-both holes. Odd, ain't it? Wailed on the k/s to get these numbers-cold engine, throttle wide open, both plugs out. I imagine the base gasket has something to do with this. It's been about 70 miles since the rings were installed-you'd think they were bedding in by now. Head is fine-set it upside down and filled the combustion chambers with gasoline and let it sit for 30 minutes-no seepage. New rings are Hepolites-oil consumption has vanished, comp. ring end gap is .010 in the center of the cylinder travel. Got 137-138 on old rings, I bet the oil in the cylinders had something to do with that. Bike runs much better and smoother, no smoking no drama-just goes.
Update on the American products LED bulb-Didn't work Seems that the bulb has an aversion to positive ground. Ran a test off of the battery to neg. ground it with a jumper wire and it lit right up. Oh, well. Try and fail--and keep on trying.

Mike,
Kansas, America
Back to the old 1157

Kanny

That's what I had in both, but it has been a while since I checked, and mine is now also bedded in will re check it soon.
Nice the smoking is gone though...nothing worse than giving it a bit of goose and having the one behind you, that you were trying to wake up in the first place, get a faceful of smoke instead...does nothing for the ego to say the least.
I just thought it would have more compression...and one of the reasons I had asked you what you had for compression was that I wanted somethng as a reference to go by. I still think mine has less than it did years ago...runs like stink and no smoke...but it was much more difficult to start years ago...aside from the fact that I now weigh more..... :wink:

if you want to go the LED route....breathe deep and look at the LEDs at

http://www.bulbsthatlast4ever.com/

before doing this...do a search in this forum for leds and read what was discussed. I'm a firm believer, but others have also valid points to make.