Best upgrade

Lineslinger · Jan 4, 2020

This

ashman · Jan 4, 2020

maylar said:
Which is why I bit the bullet and installed an e-start last Summer. My Norton is very pretty to look at but what good is that if I can't start it? Funny though, after the e-start I learned that cracking the throttle a little makes hot starting far easier. Maybe if I had known that before hand I wouldn't have opted for the electric leg.

I haven't used the kicker since, so maybe next season I'll try it with the throttle open to see for sure.

Nah, push the button.

The only problem with folks getting into Norton's is they don't learn how to kick them right, most try to kick them like their old Jap bikes and don't learn the knack for kicking a Norton, once mastered they are easy to kick to life, the kicker in the right position as well pistons, the swing on the kicker and of course the throttle all play a big part and the best part is the onlookers face when they kick to life on the first kick, kick start bikes are getting rare these days so a friend and myself are planning a only kick start ride this year for all kick start bikes, wonder how many will turn up for that.

Ashley

maylar · Jan 5, 2020

ashman said:
The only problem with folks getting into Norton's is they don't learn how to kick them right, most try to kick them like their old Jap bikes and don't learn the knack for kicking a Norton

I've had 44 years of practice, I think I have it down pat. Just lost the power in my leg.

batrider · Jan 5, 2020

Just got a new right knee on Dec. 10 to solve that problem and others (like standing and walking at engine flea markets and hamfests).

Time Warp · Jan 5, 2020

Chuck_Wagon said:
I pay attention to what you say on this forum
Never heard of Keagle clamps and nothing relative to Nortons comes up on forum or google search.
Please explain a bit more or provide a link to investigate this bit.

Kegler as in Heinz Kegler. (R.I.P)

All they are is a off the shelf 1-1/8" bore spilt collar clamp that you drill and tap to take a fastener.
The cradle pivot tube gets two holes at the same centres/centers as the flats on the pivot shaft.
The collars clamp around the tube, the threaded fasteners go though the holes and apply pressure (via the flats) to the shaft giving it more support.

Being cheap I machined my own and are not torqued in the picture.
A repeat picture but shows the layout, I also shimmed the L/H bronze bush to have under 0.001" side play.
The bushes were line reamed with a .8750 reamer for around 0.0005" clearance.
The action is super smooth.

With this bike I have no interest in bolting catalogue bits to it until it becomes a Norton UnCommando, just attention to detail for what is there in the spirit of the original concept.

ashman · Jan 5, 2020

maylar said:
I've had 44 years of practice, I think I have it down pat. Just lost the power in my leg.

I had to learn fast in how to kick start my Norton when I brought it new I was 17 a skinny weakling of all 9 stone with chicken legs, now 61 I still have my chicken legs but with the great spark from the JH Maggie and the T160 kicker it fires up on 1/2 a swing on the kicker after its been started for the day, first kick for the day take a full swing.

Ashley

o0norton0o · Jan 5, 2020

MichaelB said:
Kegler Clamps.
They pin the swing arm, taking out the slop, if there is any.
Don’t need them on a Mk III.

I have to agree because my bike suffered greatly from a wallowed out swingarm tube. I rode my bike with that for decades. In spite of all the other great upgrades I've done, the kegler clamps completely changed my bike's handling.

Torontonian · Jan 5, 2020

olympus said:
Replacing the headlamp loom as part of the rebuild.... only to find once fitted no power into the headlamp shell and up the white wire... it has somewhere a poor bullet connector or fractured wire
Will; be speaking with AN on Monday

Me too.

MexicoMike · Jan 5, 2020

ashman said:
The only problem with folks getting into Norton's is they don't learn how to kick them right, most try to kick them like their old Jap bikes

Hmmm...I never had an old Jap bike that didn't have E-start! Admittedly, my first one was a '69 Honda 350, maybe earlier ones required kicking. All my Jap bikes of that era (70's) had kick start levers but I don't think I ever even turned the kick-peg into the "kick" position on any of them!

ashman · Jan 5, 2020

Yes the early jappers had both as most ES shit them self's had a Yammy TX750 for 2 weeks before I sold it to buy my new Norton back in 76 and the ES didn't work just made a lot of crunching noises so kick it was the only way to start it and if any rain it was a bitch to start.

Ashley

bmwbob · Jan 5, 2020

ashman said:
The only problem with folks getting into Norton's is they don't learn how to kick them right, most try to kick them like their old Jap bikes and don't learn the knack for kicking a Norton, once mastered they are easy to kick to life, the kicker in the right position as well pistons, the swing on the kicker and of course the throttle all play a big part and the best part is the onlookers face when they kick to life on the first kick, kick start bikes are getting rare these days so a friend and myself are planning a only kick start ride this year for all kick start bikes, wonder how many will turn up for that.

Ashley

That only works if your not at a stop light

ashman · Jan 6, 2020

bmwbob said:
That only works if your not at a stop light

That only happened to me once in 43 years, forgot to turn my fuel tap on lol, it had enough fuel to make it to the stop light.

jbruney · Jan 6, 2020

Even before the EI mine has been a quick starter on the kick.... How long before it decides what is warm enough for the road is elusive and varies from day to day.

Mark Savage · Jan 6, 2020

I remember some Jap bikes kickstarts had "Kickstart" cast on to them...just in case the owner didn't realise what it was for I guess?

Mark Savage · Jan 6, 2020

My best upgrade by far has been the custom wiring harness from MWS.
Plenty of fuses, relays and NO bullets or joints anywhere.

Others have been the Landsdowne forks, Madass carb gantry, JS supplied rods and pistons.

Bernhard · Jan 6, 2020

Dommie Nator said:
I remember some Jap bikes kickstarts had "Kickstart" cast on to them...just in case the owner didn't realise what it was for I guess?

Good job the m/c imported into the land of Nippon didn't stamp gudgeon pin on that thing holding the piston to the con rod - that would really confuse them as there is no Japanese translation of this word!

jbruney · Jan 6, 2020

Longtime hardcore motorcycle riders when they have to stamp it into the lever 'thingie' so's the rider knows what it's for.... Could be mistaken for a manual turbo engagement over-ride.

gortnipper · Jan 7, 2020

jbruney said:
Longtime hardcore motorcycle riders when they have to stamp it into the lever 'thingie' so's the rider knows what it's for.... Could be mistaken for a manual turbo engagement over-ride.

Oh, where is @hobot now?...

Best upgrade

Lineslinger

ashman

maylar

batrider

Time Warp

.......back to the 70's.

ashman

o0norton0o

Torontonian

MexicoMike

ashman

bmwbob

ashman

jbruney

Mark Savage

Mark Savage

Bernhard

jbruney

gortnipper

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