Engine and transmission knocking

Hi all, wonder if I should be concerned as just bought dominator and it has not been run in( only 87 miles on clock. It has not been started for over 4 years as it was on a display stand.
Came with no battery so bought a new one. Changed engine oil and filter and also changed transmission oil. Checked Airbus and filled with fresh petrol. Started up after several attempts as to be expected and she came to life. I've never owned a norton before and I was surprised to hear the engine and transmision noise. There seems to be a thumping type knocking from the gearbox end right side. Is this normal?

Thanks
Steve

No it should be absolutely serenely silent.

Until you start it then all hell breaks loose and you will hear what has been accurately described as a jack-hammer underneath you. Or a sewing machine in a metal barrel being rolled downhill. This concern from a new user is not the first - you never quite get used to it the best fix is a well padded helmet and an open exhaust.

Don't forget "can of nails."

Thank Clive. Read your first line and needed a defibrillator as my heart stopped for a second.
On reading the rest you have put my mind at rest however I always had jap bikes and the norton is raw and it took me by surprise

On the plus side I have never had a pedestrian step out in front of me and it's such fun setting off car alarms. What is the year of the bike? I'm sure you have read the forum there are probably a few preventative maintenance issues to look at. Congrats on the purchase - I am wondering how much history it has - exhaust, remapping etc?

Yes mate, 2016 norton 961 engine. Had no modifications and has the peashooter exhast. As I said changed all the oils and checked down the chambers,all looks dreat. Looked at youtube and they all sound very similar. The sound is more prevalent from the left side at rear as your sitting on it. A thumping type of knocking if that makes sense. Going to get it on a paddock stand and test transmision when I figure out how to bleed the clutch.

Steve

Bought a 2016 sight unseen. First thing the shipper said "That engine is noisy" Talk about buyer's remorse and anxiety! But that's the way they are. The cylinders don't have cast liners, just plated . The liners cancel a lot more engine noise then you realize. Read this forum for problem fixes and change what you can. Congrats and enjoy!

BritTwit said:

Don't forget "can of nails."

Click to expand...

And..... two skeletons shagging in a dust bin .

It can be difficult to tell what engine and primary drive noises are functional noises resulting from the bikes design and materials , and which noises are dysfunctional when you have nothing to compare the noises to and no local knowledgable mechanic to consult. Since you do not know the history of your bike and whether or not is has been violated by someone, or assembled improperly at the factory , I would suggest proceeding with caution (as you are doing). The engine noise is mostly of reciprocating valve train origin and is just the nature of the beast. That does not mean pathological issues with the valve train do not occur. Within the primary case the gear drive results in a good deal of noise also, and again much can go wrong there. You can learn alot from the experiences of Access Norton members and their stories. Also have Richard Coote send you his service manual (very helpful) .
Since you have rear primary noises I'm curious what your clutch will reveal when your first use it. Read up on the clutch threads offered in this forum. Very important. At some point you may want to get to know your engine first hand by looking under the rocker cover, primary cover and , timing chest. Preventative maintenance and making sure all is properly tightened and no parts failures in progress is mandatory with these machines. Get to know the normal sounds because the abnormal ones can creep up on you insidiously.
My best advice
1 Get Richard's manuals
2 Proceed with caution
3 Do your own exploration under the cases. Get to know it well.
4 Read these Access Norton threads. Much crucial information here.
5 Enjoy with confidence once you know it well.

Thanks all for helpful comments. The bike has only done a handful of miles 27 in all, i know i said 87 but made a mistake.. Its unregistered so has not been on the road.
The vehicle has been sitting at the in a motor museum for a long time. Its immaculate and when I drained the oil from both transmision and engine it still looked new. Hopefully it's just the sound of how these bikes are and not something sinister. Hopefully it was built correctly at the factory and i cannot imagine someone buying one and then ragging the engine. I will take your advice and thank you once again for all your help.

Steve

bozman said:

Hi all, wonder if I should be concerned as just bought dominator and it has not been run in( only 87 miles on clock. It has not been started for over 4 years as it was on a display stand.
Came with no battery so bought a new one. Changed engine oil and filter and also changed transmission oil. Checked Airbus and filled with fresh petrol. Started up after several attempts as to be expected and she came to life. I've never owned a norton before and I was surprised to hear the engine and transmision noise. There seems to be a thumping type knocking from the gearbox end right side. Is this normal?

Thanks
Steve

Click to expand...

Steve, as already mentioned they can be alarmingly clattery compared to other bikes. Is the noise you hear at tickover, or when you ride it? If it's at tickover does it get quieter when you pull in the clutch? If you hear noise from the right side when on the move, take off the cover under the clutch slave cylinder and check the security of the final drive sprocket. The lockwasher has been known to fail several times and an improved one can be purchased from Ollie Thiel (info@thiel-motorsport.de), and now possibly Norton themselves.

All of the Richard Coote manuals and much more are now available on the Access Norton 961 resource page. All he asks is a small voluntary donation.


Hope that helps.

cliffa.

Thanks and I will remove the cover

Steve

P.s
The noise is at tickover. I cannot use the clutch at moment as I have to bleed the system. I pumped fresh dot 4 into the hydraulic clutch but it's not working. Is there a Pacific way of bleeding the hydraulic clutch or just like a normal bleed on a jap bike?

Steve

bozman said:

P.s
The noise is at tickover. I cannot use the clutch at moment as I have to bleed the system. I pumped fresh dot 4 into the hydraulic clutch but it's not working. Is there a Pacific way of bleeding the hydraulic clutch or just like a normal bleed on a jap bike?

Steve

Click to expand...

Same as any other. There is a bleed nipple on the slave cylinder.

bozman said:

P.s
The noise is at tickover. I cannot use the clutch at moment as I have to bleed the system. I pumped fresh dot 4 into the hydraulic clutch but it's not working. Is there a Pacific way of bleeding the hydraulic clutch or just like a normal bleed on a jap bike?

Steve

Click to expand...

Take a clear plastic bottle. Such as a Gatorade bottle. Drill a 3/8” hole in the center of the cap.

Drill a 1/8” hole also in the cap as a vent.

Use a 24-30” piece of clear hose that fits tight on the bleeder screw nipple.

Fill the bottle with about 1” of clean brake fluid.

Insert the clear hose into the cap and place a zip tie on both sides of the cap on the hose to prevent the hose from being pushed in or pulled out.

Make sure when you insert the hose into the bottle that the hose end is completely submerged in brake fluid. Also make sure the zip ties are tight and keep the hose from being pulled out or pushed in too deep. The hose must be kept submerged at all times to prevent air from getting into the brake / clutch system.

Place the hose end onto the bleeder nipple and open the bleeder slightly. Stroke / pump the clutch or brake lever / pedal slowly and keep an eye on the fluid reservoirs.
Watch for air bubbles in the bottle and hose and watch for fluid color change.

Monitor the fluid reservoirs to make sure you don’t pump them too low or empty. Keep them full at all times to prevent air from being sucked into the system.

Cheers, I used a vacuum pump at far end and pulled the liquid down, through the bleed nipple. The liquid was red in color and now its light yellow. Must still have air in system because the clutch does not operate when selecting. Hope that's not the cause of the noise!!!
Went on youtube and watched video of dominators running. One particular video titled Norton commando Dominator by Autoprestige Japan had one running and that is exactly how mine sounds so I'm at ease with the noise.

Thanks all for help

Steve

If you're struggling to get any feel on the clutch lever, you probably have air trapped at the master cylinder. There's another bleed nipple on the master cylinder, so its no problem.
Ive got another unregistered SS in at present with 30 miles.....and had one earlier this year with 25 miles. Seems more got parked up on display rather than ridden lol

bozman said:

Cheers, I used a vacuum pump at far end and pulled the liquid down, through the bleed nipple. The liquid was red in color and now its light yellow. Must still have air in system because the clutch does not operate when selecting. Hope that's not the cause of the noise!!!
Went on youtube and watched video of dominators running. One particular video titled Norton commando Dominator by Autoprestige Japan had one running and that is exactly how mine sounds so I'm at ease with the noise.

Thanks all for help

Steve

Click to expand...

The problem with vacuum bleeding sometimes is that, you pull in air past the bleeder screws threads. Make sure you’re not over loosening the bleeder screw.

Try the method I described above.

Tbf though you wont be pulling air into the brake system, just past the threads and straight back out again via the bleed hole.
Excuse crude image, its 1am.... I'm tired and really should be asleep, seeing as I'm up for work in 5hr