Airbox drain pipe!

961Story said:

The problem is if you don't plug the airbox drain,it will end up on the rear tyre.

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That is the reason I am considering leaving the plug in and remove for draining while it is sitting in the garage

begs the question... why would Norton bung up a drain pipe and make no mention of the need to remove it or else it'll flood the air box?

Strange thing is that it appears some bikes came with the plug in place, some did not.
My bike had no plug when delivered in Dec 2013. My drain dripped a bit of oil when I overfilled the bike several times.
Now that I know how to avoid overfilling, there is no dripping any longer.
I'll have to speak to the mechanic at my shop about this to see if he removed the plug before I picked up the bike.

Hello , I think everybody is right ! Some bikes had their drain plugs removed others like mine did not . I put two 150 mile rides on my bike this weekend. First ride netted 110ml of oil from the box., oil was filled to the high mark from dealer on the oil stick. Next ride 150 miles netted 150 ml of oil from the box . My oil level is now half way between the high and low oil lines. I will let the bike find its correct level when it stops spewing the motor oil and report back . It may be it will end up at the last 5 mm of oil on the stick.. I will continue to use the drain plug until the oil stops spewing out. Also , I suggest that everyone checks to make sure the drain pipe is free and not clogged up. Blow through it and use a wire or paperclip to check through the brass fitting if necessary. There may be some something clogging the fitting which is very small.. The fitting and the drain pipe are too small land the hose too soft . Tony

Hello G81 Can Cycle , How many miles to accumulate that much oil ? It doesn't take long if there is too much oil I suppose. Tony .

TonyA said:

Hello G81 Can Cycle , How many miles to accumulate that much oil ? It doesn't take long if there is too much oil I suppose. Tony .

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I only have 700 miles on the bike. I think it was a combination of an overfill and blowby.

John

Hello All , If you look closely at the airbox you can see the very bottom has a low catch area . This is right where the airbox drain fitting is. This airbox it seems was designed to catch this oil (or any other liquid/water) and allow us to drain it off when necessary. Good or bad it looks as though we are stuck with this maintenance. I think a better 90 deg baffle with a screen in the valve cover or a pre-catch just before the airbox entry would help a lot. In fact , I would be OK for now with slightly larger ID hose and slightly stiffer in construction. Also the brass fitting needs to have a larger opening ID so that crap can DRAIN ! I will be keeping the plug in the drain hose while driving the bike and after a long ride drain it .... .

The oil filter as fitted by Norton is a Bosch filter, Ref P9147 1 457 429 147.

Cheers,
Andy.

AndyL , Thanks for the part number of this filter.. Somebody on this forum was saying that this is the same as a triumph filter ? This is NOT true , there is no such filter on any Triumph be it Meriden or Hinckley. Also , they are difficult to source here in the U.S. without going to a dealer and pay about $14 . Can others tell us what they paid for a oil filter ? I have found them on line in the U.K. through google and Green spark Plug Co. in UK. Even with the shipping there is a savings. Also , the O-rings that come with the filter for Mercedes does not fit Norton . You need the factory o-ring , that can be sourced at a bearing shop but they are cheap enough at the dealer. Don't forget the crush washers for the oil lines also at the dealers. Tony

Here is mine! 440 miles.


First off, thanks for sharing this issue! I finally looked last night and mine too had a plug. So I removed it to find this.

A friend of mine told me for emissions the air box must be AIR TIGHT!!! So this hose would be a feature for draining periodically. He also told me, there is no need to have it on all the time unless you live somewhere that requires emission testing, in which case you will want it in for that.

This is not from the factory so it may not actually be the reason, but it sounds like a pretty good answer.






.

Hello Richard-7 , I had that much after 150 miles driven . To what line are you filling the oil ? Between the high and low , to the low line ? My oil was to the full high line and Ive taken 260 ml out after two 150 mile rides . The oil now resides between high and low marks after this discharge. Tony.

I've only had the bike since last August and only taken it out 440 miles from End of August till middle of Sept as my INS company was generous enough to give me three free days of riding to break it in. Then put away. I have only started it and taken around the block once this year. That being said, I have never changed the oil on this bike yet. In Canada, we have a graduated licensing system that takes a few years to complete. Once complete insurance prices are a lot better. So for me, only being a licensed Motorcycle driver for 3 years now, the insurance on the Norton is $1,800 per year. After May 20th this year, the earliest I can take my final exam and road test, the insurance on the bike becomes $1,050 per year. So at that point the Norton will be full time on the road. My Suzuki being so old and only a 500cc is $500 per year and after my final test will become $350 per year. So although I've been around bikes and ridden them since I was 7-8 yrs old, I'm new to the road and will not have much to report on my bike. Because my dad and I both have the same bike and I basically am posting about both it's probably very confusing. I'm a mechanical engineer, my dad is a mechanic and restores Rolls-Royces. So, basically this knowledge is mostly his knowledge that I'm posting.

Fellas. Thanks for the heads up on the air filter. My mechanical skills are pretty lame, so I'll have the dealer check for me next visit. My oil level has been holding a little less than one third up btw the two lines. I've just ordered the shop manual from Norton, so that will help a bit. As for the insurance, I feel so lucky. I'm paying 230 per year for the Norton and an additional 40 for the old Triumph Bonnie. If I had a racer, it would be a different story. Allstate.

Britfan60 said:

Fellas. Thanks for the heads up on the air filter. My mechanical skills are pretty lame, so I'll have the dealer check for me next visit. My oil level has been holding a little less than one third up btw the two lines. I've just ordered the shop manual from Norton, so that will help a bit. As for the insurance, I feel so lucky. I'm paying 230 per year for the Norton and an additional 40 for the old Triumph Bonnie. If I had a racer, it would be a different story. Allstate.

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What area do you live. PM me if you don't want it public. I'm with ALLSTATE too.

I live on Long Island, roughly 23 miles from Manhattan and 15 miles from Queens, one of the boroughs of NYC. The Norton is categorized as a standard bike and the Triumph just a retro classic. Low risk. Had I had an Aprilia RSV4 like my buddy, I'd have paid over a grand. Classified as a superbike. At 180 hp, guess we can figure out why. I've also been with Allstate for over 30 years, multiple cars, home owners etc. etc., so maybe a get a break. Also, I've been a licensed MC rider since 1977 and have no violations or accidents. That probably helps. You're in Canada? Probably a lot more stringent I'm guessing.

Yesterday evening was the first time I've had a chance to give the bike a run out since starting this thread, it ran a little rough at first (I guess some of the gunge was still in the injectors) coughed a little then ran as sweet as it ever did. Had a fine old run around the hills with a guy on a Bonneville, big grin time
Stopped for a coffee at Betws y Coed and saw a 961SE, turns out to be the 22nd bike out of the factory, the guy had done around 16k miles without trouble. He was the first guy to get the short pipes, Norton said he could have them for free if he gave them feedback from trialing them. Interesting little chat it was.... and yes his airbox drain pipe has always had a slight drip from new.

I'd love to ride in England. Just looks so...so authentic. Just did a beach run again and froze my gonads off. Its 69 degrees F out, but once I hit the bays and the ocean....brrr. No jacket lining or gloves. When I started the bike today, she sounded like she ran on one cylinder for a bit until I gave it a could little revs to about 2500. Wondering if its the air filter. It ran good though for the ride and I had another blast. The fuel light is blinking more and more with a full tank. Its annoying, but here is NO WAY I'm going to the shop until the Summers over. After a 4 month stint without the bike at peak season, I'll live with the small stuff. Cant wait to do a couple hundred miles in a day. I'm retiring in August, so my time will come.

Its interesting riding on the wrong side of the road all the time!

Rented a Honda 350 in Jamaica years ago and rode 70 miles each way from Montego Bay to Negril. I know how to ditch a bike in an emergency. No way would I drive a RH drive car in England, unless it was the quiet countryside. I'd probably be turning on my wipers every time I tried to signal. :roll:

der said:

Yesterday evening was the first time I've had a chance to give the bike a run out since starting this thread, it ran a little rough at first (I guess some of the gunge was still in the injectors) coughed a little then ran as sweet as it ever did. Had a fine old run around the hills with a guy on a Bonneville, big grin time
Stopped for a coffee at Betws y Coed and saw a 961SE, turns out to be the 22nd bike out of the factory, the guy had done around 16k miles without trouble. He was the first guy to get the short pipes, Norton said he could have them for free if he gave them feedback from trialing them. Interesting little chat it was.... and yes his airbox drain pipe has always had a slight drip from new.

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Hello Der , So far 430 ml of oil have been removed from the air box in 585 miles driven total . The oil level started at the full top mark on the oil stick. Now it is right at or just below the low mark. Is this where it will stop discharging ? If the oil goes below the end of the stick , I guess I will need a longer stick !