Fork Oil Change...What Malfeasance Is this??

Tornado

Tornado

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Drained fork oil, dropped front wheel so I could R&R the bolt into the damper tube and fit a dowty washer to solve oil weep issue.

Taking the top cap off to re-fill, found there was no damper rod threaded into cap, spring with thick spacer washer just sitting there. Lifted spring out to see rod way down deep with the nut sort of half balanced on end of rod. Managed to fetch out the nut using a strong magnet pickup tool, then got the rod up with same.
No wonder the front end was clunking a bit on hard bumps!

Taking other side top cap off, found once again nothing attached to it, this time the rod still had thr nut in place holding spring etc.

I cannot believe I didn't put this together correctly when rebuilding them two odd years ago. Then I recalled the shop that had taken bike down to bare frame also fit new headstock bearings etc, so that should have meant at least removing the top caps. They must not have secured the rods into caps on re-assembly.

Caps now don't want to thread on rod ends and rescued nut will not thread on the rod. Will try running a tap into caps and die on the rods.
 
You must be younger than me, your story sounds like Mistake # 273; I'm up to # 987,. One of the aspects of learning about Nortons is that you never stop paying tuition, you just change the payee..

The threads that got peened over are 5/16-26;.Taps and dies are not hard to find, but I suggest that you consider checking the damper rods for bends. look at the bright side; you won't make # 273 ever again, and just think of all the time and money you'll be saving...

Seriously, good thing you caught this before it jammed one of the legs when going hard into a turn hitting the brakes which nowc cocked one of the legs sending you, rather quickly, someplace you had no intention of being...

Best,
 
Never a dull moment Torry , maybe a good time for a pair of JRB’s fork innards , good excuse as any !
 
Checking the cap threads, seem to fit a 3/8-24 stud quite nicely. Are you sure about 5/16-26?
 
Tornado said:
Checking the cap threads, seem to fit a 3/8-24 stud quite nicely. Are you sure about 5/16-26?
Click to expand...

It is 3/8" - 24 (UNF).
andover-norton.co.uk

Andover Norton Parts Drawings - Genuine Andover Norton Factory Parts - Commando Parts

Andover Norton Parts are the only Norton spare parts in the market manufactured to original drawings, within the factory-approved tolerances, from the correct materials, and with the correct finish.
andover-norton.co.uk
Item 15:
andover-norton.co.uk

Motorcycle parts and spares for Norton motorbikes - Genuine Andover Norton Spare Parts - Andover Norton Motorcycles Parts - Original Andover Norton Parts

Motorcycle parts and spares for Andover Norton motorbikes: Andover Norton manufactures and supplies all Genuine Factory Spare Parts for Norton motorcycles built before 2002.
andover-norton.co.uk

(It's the lower end of the damper rod that's 5/16" - 24 UNF)
andover-norton.co.uk

Motorcycle parts and spares for Norton motorbikes - Genuine Andover Norton Spare Parts - Andover Norton Motorcycles Parts - Original Andover Norton Parts

Motorcycle parts and spares for Andover Norton motorbikes: Andover Norton manufactures and supplies all Genuine Factory Spare Parts for Norton motorcycles built before 2002.
andover-norton.co.uk

(26 TPI is Dominator, Atlas, etc.)
 
RoadScholar said:
You must be younger than me, your story sounds like Mistake # 273; I'm up to # 987,. One of the aspects of learning about Nortons is that you never stop paying tuition, you just change the payee..

The threads that got peened over are 5/16-26;.Taps and dies are not hard to find, but I suggest that you consider checking the damper rods for bends. look at the bright side; you won't make # 273 ever again, and just think of all the time and money you'll be saving...

Seriously, good thing you caught this before it jammed one of the legs when going hard into a turn hitting the brakes which nowc cocked one of the legs sending you, rather quickly, someplace you had no intention of being...

Best,
Click to expand...
I put some new 20wt in mine two weeks ago , one of my rods was down the hole as well , and rod is a bit wobbly , bike feels better , it used to dive , not as bad now , I will rebuild them soon . Cheers .
 
Tornado said:
Drained fork oil, dropped front wheel so I could R&R the bolt into the damper tube and fit a dowty washer to solve oil weep issue.

Taking the top cap off to re-fill, found there was no damper rod threaded into cap, spring with thick spacer washer just sitting there. Lifted spring out to see rod way down deep with the nut sort of half balanced on end of rod. Managed to fetch out the nut using a strong magnet pickup tool, then got the rod up with same.
No wonder the front end was clunking a bit on hard bumps!

Taking other side top cap off, found once again nothing attached to it, this time the rod still had thr nut in place holding spring etc.

I cannot believe I didn't put this together correctly when rebuilding them two odd years ago. Then I recalled the shop that had taken bike down to bare frame also fit new headstock bearings etc, so that should have meant at least removing the top caps. They must not have secured the rods into caps on re-assembly.

Caps now don't want to thread on rod ends and rescued nut will not thread on the rod. Will try running a tap into caps and die on the rods.
Click to expand...
Glad you found it
This is the problem with having a shop do your work
Who can you trust ?
 
OK, forks back together. Tap & die worked their magic, taking the sting out of the $59 kit price from local Canadian Tire.

Thankfully had no problems fitting dowty to lower damper fixing bolt and re-torquing. It didn't spin the damper tube. Was preparing to used Ludwig's trick of threading in a longer bolt into drain hole to hold tube while torquing fixing bolt.

150ml Fresh 15WT synth fork oil in using large syringe (heroine habit has its advantages :-) ) with small diameter hose to guide it into fork.
 
Shelby-Right said:
I put some new 20wt in mine two weeks ago , one of my rods was down the hole as well , and rod is a bit wobbly , bike feels better , it used to dive , not as bad now , I will rebuild them soon . Cheers .
Click to expand...
Funny how we can ride on when these rods drop. I've put close to 3k miles on bike this season, since the shop work over winter. I'm very curious to see what it feels like now.
 
"
This is the problem with having a shop do your work
Who can you trust ?"

NOBODY!!! :(

A mechanic I know once left a shop towel inside a (car) engine. On startup the towel was shredded and then clogged the oil pickup. :eek: Yeah, you can say, "Well, clearly he wasn't a very good mechanic!" But he was the lead mech on a well-known Pro-Stock drag-racing team that won several national championships...even after the shop towel incident!

Anybody can screw up but I'd rather make my OWN mistakes... ;)
 
MexicoMike said:
"
This is the problem with having a shop do your work
Who can you trust ?"

NOBODY!!! :(

A mechanic I know once left a shop towel inside a (car) engine. On startup the towel was shredded and then clogged the oil pickup. :eek: Yeah, you can say, "Well, clearly he wasn't a very good mechanic!" But he was the lead mech on a well-known Pro-Stock drag-racing team that won several national championships...even after the shop towel incident!

Anybody can screw up but I'd rather make my OWN mistakes... ;)
Click to expand...
Heard the odd story about surgeons doing the same ! . :-(
 
"Then I recalled the shop that had taken bike down to bare frame also fit new headstock bearings etc, so that should have meant at least removing the top caps. They must not have secured the rods into caps on re-assembly."

Consistent pattern here.
 
concours said:
"Then I recalled the shop that had taken bike down to bare frame also fit new headstock bearings etc, so that should have meant at least removing the top caps. They must not have secured the rods into caps on re-assembly."

Consistent pattern here.
Click to expand...
Is my assumption the caps are removed to disassemble enough to change head stock bearings or can the yolks be removed with forks fully assembled?

Just thinking that perhaps these rods can unwind if the lock nut is not torqued sufficiently. No torque figure is listed as far as I know, so just a good firm nip up is what I would have done and did again last night. Perhaps a lock washer or even blue locktite might be wise?
 
Tornado said:
Is my assumption the caps are removed to disassemble enough to change head stock bearings or can the yolks be removed with forks fully assembled?
Click to expand...

The upper yoke (either pre-'71 or '71-on type) must be removed before the forks can be dropped because the stem passes through the head bearings.
 
L.A.B. said:
The upper yoke must be removed before the forks can be dropped because the stem passes through the head bearings.
Click to expand...
Ok so I know they had to remove the caps to perform that work. So I was not last person to touch them.
 
Maybe point was , you should have been … best to do all your own work on these old prizes , think most here do , obviously exceptions for serious machine work, etc . …. and if someone else does touch get in habit of checking everything that was part of job … no expert on this , other than always do my own work , occasionally will ask a more experienced wrench to observe if I worried bout botching whatever …,
 
RoadScholar said:
You must be younger than me, your story sounds like Mistake # 273; I'm up to # 987,. One of the aspects of learning about Nortons is that you never stop paying tuition, you just change the payee..
Click to expand...
I call then "self inflicted wounds".
 
Should this have been a Blue Loctite moment? I wonder because as I assemble my '74 I keep coming back to putting a light thread locker on even the most innocent bolts.
 
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