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We make several barrels now, so a Dominator barrel is not out of the question. Is there one barrel for all Dominators, or variants? Then we would need a fairly good barrel to laser scan to produce our 3D model for tool path. So, next question is, do you have a barrel I can scan?

There would be two models that you could use to get all the Dominator variants, if you kept the bosses for the dynamo at the front of the barrel. The alternator versions can be run with the boss, or removed as an owner sees fit. The 500cc (model 7/88/88ss) are shorter than the 600 (model 99/99ss) and 650cc (650ss and Mercury) barrels. The 650cc barrels have cutouts in the skirt for rod clearance, but the 600 could run them with the cutouts with no issue (that I'm aware of), as it's a difference in stroke between the two. There are several fin shape differences that should be figured out as apparently one or the other does match with the head and can cause interference with the exhaust nut/wrench. There are spigotted and non-spigotted barrels, but there are already fixes for mixing and matching heads and barrels. I'd think 2 versions, both made with the dynamo boss, no spigots (to avoid having to machine the nicasil), with the non-interfering fin shape in a 500 and 600/650cc version would catch all the variants. I think...

Yes. I have barrels. @dynodave may have a better and more complete collection than I though.
 
What about Rody Machining? Greg Bladus has made quite a few one piece Norton crankshafts in the past few years. They are very high quality.

View attachment 15585

Rody Machining, 860 N Holbrook St, Plymouth, MI 48170
(734) 459-9335.

Ken

This is kind of frustrating. Six months ago I was searching the world for a crank.

Including a post on here and hours of online searching and contacting all the name Norton suppliers I could.

I'm pleased this guy can supply them but if he wants to sell some then people have to know he exists.

Perhaps he doesn't supply outside the US. I would have paid this price in a heart beat.
 
That came from some reading of a Honda CBR forum discussing bore wear.
The consensus was that the bores were Alusil 03-07 then Nikasil later.
As with any forum, I'm not sure the consensus was correct!
I am certain that the Triumph Daytonas I mentioned do use Nikasil, it's highlighted in the factory sales literature.


Glen
There is no doubt the Daytonas are nikasil and long lasting! I owned one for several years 100 lbs less and a full head of hair ago.
 
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Hey Storm42. You clearly understand. Not to discredit the issues with sulfur but many concerns are attributed to Nikasil that are in fact poor design or improper assembly and/or tuning. To be fair, the sulfur issue isn't truly a nikasil problem. Nikasil was the wrong coating for those particular engines. We plate Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche cylinders every day and many of them will exceed 100,000 miles. I'm not aware of any Alusil bores from Honda. Back in the early 70"s with bikes like the Elsinores they did use chrome plated bores. They did that with many of the CR's of the early 80's too. I'd find it hard to believe if they didn't do some Alusil bores. I believe the cylinders we get from customers for repairs are indeed Nikasil.

Thanks for the explanation Rodney, I once jokingly said that the ZRX Kawasaki was a crap bike on a forum, I pointed out that I had to change the forks, shocks, wheels, cams, carbs, tires, exhaust, brakes rotors, callipers, pistons and some of the electrics to make the bike good. Part of the backlash from that was a comment that there is always someone on a forum that thinks they know better than the designers at Kawasaki.

I then had to explain that whilst the ZRX is a perfectly good UJM, its design is dictated in part by the accountants, and with a bit more cash, can quite easily be improved.

I guess that in some way the accountants probably should take some blame for the Nikasil problem.

I still own the ZRX. And when G81 makes a 750cc version of his barrels for the Norton, then I will be in the market for them, the Nikasil won't put me off.
 
And I just don't follow BMW as they are making so many mistakes these days.
Glen

A friend of mine had a BMW dealership (now retired) A very strange company, they would change an engine under warranty for flakey paint, but refused to recognise a problem with the forks on the early 650 parallel twins (I think) they were snapping off at the bottom under braking, as far as BMW were concerned, it wasn't happening until people started to die.

I must say though, I have a R1200R water cooled and it is a cracking bike.
 
I'm not intending to use this as a plug and if it violates any policies please feel free to remove. I'd like to offer this example of a product we make that is similar to what John is doing. We make many all aluminum, nikasil plated cylinders for big-twin (Trying to dance the line here) engines. We have been manufacturing and plating these for over 14 years. There are numerous debates both pro and con on the viability of these cylinders. Many of the con arguments are held by the same type people that fought Galileo about the shape of the Earth. Two important things to know. 1. We have tons of customers with more than 100,000 miles of trouble free engine service still going strong. 2. If, IF this particularly well known American company is still making the same product twenty years from now . . . the cylinders they use WILL be all aluminum and nikasil plated. Take it to the bank.
 
Well this certainly has become a typical "Access Norton" post. LOL

Let me say something about this post. I asked for permission from Jerry to show what we are making. It is obviously a blatant sales pitch. But I do want to get feedback, because the end users (customers) are on this site, so I want to know what you think. I am certainly not going to be able to please everyone, but I do want to make a reliable product, at a reasonable price.

Thanks for everyone's input.

And here is another pic of the cylinder More tool path completed

View attachment 15587 View attachment 15588
Is it possible to post a video of a cylinder being machined from the solid block you start with? I'd imagine it might need to be speeded up or whatever, but I think watching it would be a wonderful way to pass some time while we're all locked indoors. I think there's a similar video on youtube of the billet Norton crankcases being made.
 
Is it possible to post a video of a cylinder being machined from the solid block you start with? I'd imagine it might need to be speeded up or whatever, but I think watching it would be a wonderful way to pass some time while we're all locked indoors. I think there's a similar video on youtube of the billet Norton crankcases being made.

I will try, but the flood and thru the spindle coolant normally fouls the windows and you cannot real see anything
 
John, there’s a lot of question marks raised in this thread. Seems to me you need to do more product testing before going to market. You need testers. Send me a 920 barrel and I’ll get to it...;)
 
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So, something that may be a dumb question, but Brooking 850 raises an interesting point as my motor is +0.020 - if these are Nikasil stock, I would guess you couldn't bore them oversize later?
 
So, something that may be a dumb question, but Brooking 850 raises an interesting point as my motor is +0.020 - if these are Nikasil stock, I would guess you couldn't bore them oversize later?

You can get them recoated, in the UK this would be by

http://www.langcourt.com/index.html

Who also have a US branch.

They would look at the bore and evaluate before either replating to std or going for an oversize after boring out the alloy barrel and replating to suit.
 
I don’t get that article. Nikasil is used in countless engines all over the world. I suspect something else was amiss with this (Ford) engine.

And I don’t buy the ‘cooler running’ argument either...

Altough Jaguar were at the time owned by Ford, the V8 was designed in house by Jaguar engineers. The V6 was a Ford/Peugeot design with Jags VVT & heads.
 
Let me say something about this post. I asked for permission from Jerry to show what we are making. It is obviously a blatant sales pitch. But I do want to get feedback, because the end users (customers) are on this site, so I want to know what you think. I am certainly not going to be able to please everyone, but I do want to make a reliable product, at a reasonable price.

All I can do here is to give you a big fat hairy THANK YOU. I'm sure I speak for this community in my admiration for what you and the other Norton innovators are doing for us. I wish I could buy you a beer.
 
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