Advice for new Commando owner (2021)

Starvingphotog said:
Guys,
Thanks for your responses and advice. I'm thinking in winds and open roads that speeds are reduced to match comfort and confidence on the bike. I may also look at the front forks. They felt a little springy at around 50mph in the wind. This might be "just the wind" or maybe my oil is low. I've never serviced the front forks before with oil so looking forward to that experience. I'll also change up my body position a little on the bike to see how I respond to it.

Hey Nortorius, you're lucky you got that big binder of history. I wish I had that. I did hear back from my pervious owner and he didn't touch his engine or trans while he had it (about 3 years), but added quite a few cosmetic items as updates and maintenance. He said that he thinks that the bike was restored and was ridden at the mileage that is on the odometer, which was zeroed at restore. I'm thinking this is more likely than it being completely original with 2500ish original miles since '74. Since there wasn't any paperwork for the restoration, I figure it was done by a similarly insane bike collector in his barn somewhere in nut sack anyway USA...

Cheers,
Rob
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Mine was set to zero when restored. Shouldn't be allowed in my view. I'm on a 20thou rebore, so I would guess 30 to 50 thousand miles!
 
Hey there again guys. A basic question I imagine but world shattering to me! When do you know when your front forks need servicing? I mean the suspension and oil service. I'm wondering if there's something I should look out for when I'm riding in terms of behavior of the front forks when I hit bumps or whatever. I'm familiar with unsprung weight and imagine that when the oil is low that I should experience some of this. Otherwise if all is correct the compression of the forks should be sure and responsive without any bouncing. Am I right?

Cheers,
Rob
 
Starvingphotog said:
When do you know when your front forks need servicing?
I'm wondering if there's something I should look out for when I'm riding in terms of behavior of the front forks when I hit bumps or whatever.
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I think you'd be unlikely to notice any sudden deterioration in fork action but as with any routine service job, if you don't know when it was done last then it must be assumed it is either due or overdue so, in my opinion, the fork oil should at least be changed if only to check the quantity and condition of what's in there now.
 
I would have to agree with you LAB. I'm going to search the thread to learn the process for replacing the oil. I think I will do that on the Combat before taking it out.
 
Starvingphotog said:
I'm going to search the thread to learn the process for replacing the oil.
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Manual section K11:

Previous thread:

Different way to change fork oil

Was helping a mate change fork oil on this MK3 850 and decided to do it a bit differently, The advantage with this method is you will have the ability to assess the condition of the "wearing bits" (alloy caps, etc) of the damper, something that is difficult to do with springs installed. He...
www.accessnorton.com www.accessnorton.com
 
Thanks LAB. I'll check these out.
Wondering. Are there obvious signs when your forks need servicing?

Cheers,
Rob
 
Starvingphotog said:
Are there obvious signs when your forks need servicing?
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The same as most forks really. Typical things to check would be leaking seals, lack of damping, sticking or harsh operation, pitted or scored stanchions, loose sliders, etc.
You may notice (or have already noticed) that the forks clunk when they reach full extension, for instance, when putting the bike on the centre stand but the clunk is normal (due to a design flaw).
 
From one of the pictures you posted about rear brake cable routing it looks like the upper inboard nut for the silencer mount could be hitting the swingarm. If the swingarm has no scrapes (either side) then disregard my comment. If there are signs of contact there are several ways to fix the issue.

Best.
 
Nortorious said:
Hey @L.A.B. and @gortnipper , did I get this right? I rerouted the brake cable and wanted to make sure I didn't get it wrong. As always, thanks for all the help. The bike is coming together amazingly well with all the help from you guys and this forum.

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Nortorious said:
First time Norton owner and first post. Glad to be here and glad the forum is here. I've restored a few 70s Hondas and a Kawasaki, and more recently a light restore of a BMW. My other bikes are a 2017 Triumph Thruxton 1200R and a BMW dual sport for camping out here in Colorado. The Norton has always been my dream bike and as an average mechanic I'm hoping that I can have better odds at not royally screwing up my new Norton.

I'm looking for a bit of advice as I get started..in short, the bike has been drained of gas and on display in a collection for the past 6 years with oil in it (actually not dripping due to some modifications). I'm trying to make sure I cover everything that should be done before firing it up. So far I'm thinking oil change, oil filter, air filter, gas, and some sea foam. Is there anything else you would check or do before starting it up?

Second, I'd love some expert eyes on the photos. Does anything look amiss? Any suggestions or insight that I should know about the current equipment and changes? I know very little about the upgrades and that will be one of the parts I need to learn as I go over the bike.

Here are the details.. I just picked up this beautiful 1973 Commando 850 from the LA area and I understand it previously lived in Austin and New Mexico USA (and now Colorado). The previous owner was reliable and had numerous Nortons (one of each year). He did a lot of good work with it so I'm mostly looking to make sure it's in tip top performance and then making some cosmetic changes..

Here's what I know.. it has shorter pushrods for performance. "The engine was over hauled. It has new super blend bearings, new hepolite pistons and rings, new cams, crankcase breather, oil pump, oil pressure relief valve, crankshaft balancing, cam push rods. It is like new but all the things that were potential issues have been replaced or upgraded. "

Here's the rest of the list:
Stock oil Tank redone by Colorado Norton Works
Colorado Norton Works Crankcase Breather modification
CNW crankcase tumble finish
New SRM oil pump
New SRM oil pressure relief valve
Professionally balanced crankshaft
Superblend main bearing upgrade
New big end bearings with STD rods
JS Motorsports Stage 1 Camshaft w/ bronze lifter inserts, radiuses BSA lifters and shorter pushrods for performance
New Hepolite pistons +.020", stock compression 8.5:1 and Hastings rings
New valve job with Rowe guides
New exhaust thread inserts by Phil Radford Fair Spares
CNW head steady
New MKIII isolastics front and rear
New Reynolds cam chain
New Old Brits oil gauge with SS braided oil lines
New Amal Premeire 932 anodized slide, adj float
Stock Airbox
New Primary chain
Stock engine sprocket and clutch
Out cover machined to accept MKIII gearshift and kickstart shaft seals
Stock 4 speed
Superblend bearing conversion
New Tri-Spark electronic ignition system
New Sparx 3 phase charging system alternator, rotor and regulator/rectifier

Thanks for any advice and information you can offer and I look forward to checking in as I update the bike.

Mike
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I would look at pic #14 "which has the two rubber mounts for the exhaust system", It looks like they are DE-laminating from the metal plates. (as I see it) Not good if you are wishing these to hold onto your great looking pee shooter muffler while cruising down a road. Just an observation!
I watched a rider during a rally ahead of me loose his muffler this way. Scrapes and bumps.... I may be late but not too late.
Cheers,
Tom
 
L.A.B. said:
You may notice (or have already noticed) that the forks clunk when they reach full extension, for instance, when putting the bike on the centre stand but the clunk is normal (due to a design flaw).
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Apologies for dragging up this vintage thread, but my bike 'clunks' when I put it on the main stand. Initially I thought the head bearings were shot or something, but couldn't find any play.

Glad it isn't just my bike ;)
 
I'll add to this vintage thread by saying that when I used 10wt Redline fork oil in my 850 the forks would clunk quite a bit, and some oil would ride up the forks past the seal and show black soot. I changed to 20wt of the same brand and no more clunking and oil riding up the fork. I bought a bottle of Silkolene 20wt to try another time to see which one feels better.
 
I generally like a compliant fork and when I serviced the Matchless and Atlas' Roadholders I used Belray 20. When I drained the Matchless there sas a significant amount of water mixed with the oil. I shudder to think how long that had been in there corroding things. Today, I rode the Matchless on a new route that's good graded gravel and it's much to "lively" as the manual put it. It was acceptable when ambient temp was in the low 60s. Today it's 103. I'm ordering some 30wt.
 
Yes, I'm learning how sensitive the forks can be with oil weight and temps. I'm a new Norton rider and I'm along the same lines as I like a softer front end fork, I think, but not too soft as I think the front end tends to lift and become light with speed and wind hitting me sitting the way we do on these bikes and then I get all squirrelly.
 
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