in over my head again

I'd suggest leaving sleeping dogs rest and not distrube the useless plug, if you can even get it off. Trannys need opening often enough oil gets changed then. Do not fill to the over flow plug, just enough you can see oil deep down covering the cogs ya can see looking into inspection cover when mounted on bike. Otherwise excess drools out through clutch plates. If plug don't come out first few tries, then heat the snot of out cases, best after guts out, then see how serious it wants to stay put and to weep until too serious torqued. Only risk is plug flats get rounded off or spanner jaws spread, so another test of mechanic manhood on Cdo's.

I twice walked on coals, leaders telling us if we could do that we could do anything. Well that just takes gritting teeth and not stopping - BFD, but a fully fettered Commando all your own, whoowee, can face everything else a good bit easier, ugh, eventually.

New bushes need reamed to fit shafts. I'd done by hand, never again, simple job for machinist for better truer wearing finish too.

you'll love this one, hobot: one sharp whack on the ratchet with my ubermench hand and the drain plug nearly unscrewed itself. easy as pie, and then the last little bit of oil was drained 8)

I hope you're taking a shitload of pictures.

One little twist and it came out, oh ego smack - what's that say about my mechanicing. ugh. I just rationalize it off as luck of the draw variation in Commandos. My Norton fate has left me pensive at each new fastener or sprocket and can give experienced advice on super stuck stuff by welding, freezing, pressing, beating bashing hacking and torching off, ugh. Use of 21 tons to save cradle was not the toughest task I've faced, my first swing arm was.

Encouraged by your antics and no frost or rain so off to wire Trixie to try to ride by Friday or Saturday. Extinguisher refilled and handy.

alright! been a little while.

first: all my old images probably don't work any more. here's the album: http://s1189.photobucket.com/albums/z434/s0turi/Norton/

sent my engine off to grandpaul: matt-combat-commando-overhaul-grandpaul-t9868.html

the motorcycles in my garage have been breeding:


that's a yzf600r parts bike in the background. forgot what year.

grease in the swing arm spindle, thanks last guy:


and this... might work:


here's what i'm working with:



not 100% sure how i want to work that joint. the bottom shock mount will require an additional mounting point added to the engine cradle. top shock mount will probably be something similar to metalalchamist's archway between the two old top shock mounts. that angle might not work though - i mocked it up by hand, and i think that actually points the top of the shock straight up and down, if not actually backwards. generally won't be a huge hurdle, though. i think. big question is how to combine spindles... initial thought is to figure out a way to bolt/weld the engine cradle around the spindle housing of the new swing arm (i.e. where the original spindle goes through the cradle). though i've also considered hacking up the new swing arm to work with the existing cradle joint design. is hacking on swing arms unsafe?

also: whichever brilliant engineer decided to attach things to the rear fender deserves a kick in the neck. that whole situation was atrocious.

new wheel, old swingarm... possibly better than my contraption: http://www.customfighters.com/forums/sh ... ostcount=5

Check out my post on how I am doing the monoshock/aluminum swingarm. Might be some ideas for you. Mind you I did a lot of cutting and welding.

1973-850-mono-shock-showa-forks-t7974.html

I have a ready-to-bolt-up monoshock setup, and the last of Kenny Dreer's box-section swingarms with beefed up tranny cradle that has e-start cutout.

That "internal" monoshock is going to be a bugger to figure out how to coexist with the isolastic setup.

bwolfie: i looked through your thread again; i'd seen it before, and it definitely inspired me to try it myself. how'd your swing arm oil tank work out? i didn't see any final results in the thread (could have missed it, was going kinda fast). if i chop the middle out of the 600r swingarm so it fits around the cradle, it seems i may as well take the opportunity to maximize my space efficiency...

paul: bugger indeed. i may just try to squeeze the 600r wheel assembly into the old swinger, and graft on the 600r caliper...

The project has stalled for now. I aquired a running Combat, so that is taking my time right now. I am also in the process of aquiring a 75 commando, and a 74. Hopefully when the weather turns, I'll have time to start in on the swingarm again.

bwolfie said:

The project has stalled for now. I aquired a running Combat, so that is taking my time right now. I am also in the process of aquiring a 75 commando, and a 74...

Click to expand...

Yep, you've got it GOOD.

Yes, I seem to be falling into the deals and projects lately. If I can sell enough spares, I should have 4 commandos going into the long winter season. At least 1 will be on the road in the spring.

Don't suppose anyone knows of a basket case Mk 3/Mk3 in boxes going for sale anywhere?

Cheers, Luke Albanese

bwolfie said:

I should have 4 commandos going into the long winter season.

Click to expand...

:shock:

It's raining Nortons in Wisconsin, I just need to keep scraping cash together. 1 is a friends spare that I can get anytime, the combat was a phone call I recieved and the MK3 was another phone call from a craigslist ad. I'm working the MK3 deal right now. and in the fall i'll grab my friends bike, if funds allow.

well damn. have fun with all that!

so there was one question about the swing arm oil tank i don't think i saw the answer to - are there any feed issues with the engine now having to suck up oil, instead of having it gravity fed?

From all I have read the pump has adequite suction, plus there will be positive head pressure from the oil in the tank. The top of the oil level will be above the pump inlet. I'm also toying around with using the main frame tube with it.

lukeya said:

Don't suppose anyone knows of a basket case Mk 3/Mk3 in boxes going for sale anywhere?

Cheers, Luke Albanese

Click to expand...

Check craigshelper on a regular basis... one will pop up every few weeks or so.

Cheers,

- HJ

OK. so it's been a while.

the bike is here: http://www.nashvillemc.com/ and i'm finally getting parts in and putting things together. huzzah!

so here's a couple questions:

1. has anyone had this issue with RGM front isolastics:

the rubber literally has a larger diameter than the OD of the tube. is that right?? i got the rear one in, but this front one was NOT going in that tube. lubed it with lithium, even tried compressing it with a hose clamp. WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO HOME?! THAT'S YOUR HOME! ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME?!

2. this is one of my damper rods:

i think that might be from extended wear on the damper tube nut? the nut doesn't look damaged or burred at all, though... my plan is to flake that bit off and then file it down. should still work fine, yea?

I think there is a tool to fix that, fits over the mount and has a tapered bore to start the rubber into the motor mount.

I had the same problem on my front iso and Used the clamp and a (gasp) screw driver to force it into the mount. The book said to compress the rubber with your fingers, could not get ahold of Arnold to help lube the rubber and the mount.


if not there should be

Dennis