Norton 961 Commando a keeper?

Al's#5 · May 1, 2020

Fast Eddie said:
Character...?

Soul???

BritTwit · May 1, 2020

It's just testing your limits.
You passed!

Al's#5 · May 1, 2020

MxMartin said:
Character? Yeah, too much of it!

I just checked in the garage and Optimate says battery was charged (yes Optimate, I put the Yuasa back on thinking I might as well get some use out of it rather than age on the shelf, the Lithium will keep forever so they say). I unlocked the petrol cap just in case I had an air lock from refitting the plastic tank, no hiss. Ignition on, stabbed the starter but nothing, waited a couple of secs, stabbed again and the motor felt like it was cranking faster this time, she fired up so I just let her warm up to normal idle. I will check everything over the weekend but at moment chalking this up as just 'one of those things'.

Character.... not really, just an expensive p.o.s I'm still seriously thinking of moving on.

Optimate? Not optimal or mately in my experience. Trust my German unit from Aldi, works when others don't, li.ion or Pb acid!

DODGY DEN · May 1, 2020

MxMartin said:
If you have the decat exaust/tune then the bike is a different beast altogether in the 5k - 6.5k rpm range, she loves it up there, smooth as silk and the sound is like a flock of banshees

Gutted for you Mx just cool off and give it another go, check the normal things ie spark at plugs,you will have to get it running to sell. I have spare sensors if you want to borrow them if required.
Dodgy Den.

MxMartin · May 1, 2020

Al's#5 said:
Optimate? Not optimal or mately in my experience. Trust my German unit from Aldi, works when others don't, li.ion or Pb acid!

Think mines an optimate4, it has been my trusty for a good 15 years or more, I've even used it to charge up car batteries (takes a while lol) when my backup Halfords Rubbish has refused

PS: Yep, Aldi is brilliant for cheap motoring kit but far far too much of it is 'oriental' unfortunately

MxMartin · May 1, 2020

DODGY DEN said:
Gutted for you Mx just cool off and give it another go, check the normal things ie spark at plugs,you will have to get it running to sell. I have spare sensors if you want to borrow them if required.
Dodgy Den.

All appears ok, or at least ok for today lol

Thanks for the offer though

Al's#5 · May 1, 2020

MxMartin said:
Think mines an optimate4, it has been my trusty for a good 15 years or more, I've even used it to charge up car batteries (takes a while lol) when my backup Halfords Rubbish has refused

PS: Yep, Aldi is brilliant for cheap motoring kit but far far too much of it is 'oriental' unfortunately

For German read GERMAN

MxMartin said:
All appears ok, or at least ok for today lol

Thanks for the offer though

Enjoy.... Ideally I'll eventually remove unnecessary appendages; breather box, over muffled exhaust, unnecessary sensors, restricted throttles, then maybe gas flow the head. Reprofiled cams, bigger valves....... Old school magic!

Fast Eddie · May 2, 2020

How’s the White Knight Mark? You back in love or still using this as fodder for an excuse to PX it on a new Rocket 3 ?!?

MxMartin · May 2, 2020

Fast Eddie said:
How’s the White Knight Mark? You back in love or still using this as fodder for an excuse to PX it on a new Rocket 3 ?!?

I'm still waiting for Boris to ease the restrictions, otherwise I have another two week wait to get my prescription hehehe. If she lets me down AGAIN then I will do a 'Basil Fawlty' and give her a darn good thrashing with a birch branch! Wouldn't it be great if when the dealers open up for trade that they offer substantial discounts to get shot of MY2020 bikes... the Rocket3 would be awesome but alas too big, too heavy, too expensive. I could be tempted to join the Ducati owners though

Fast Eddie · May 2, 2020

Which Duc yer eyeing up ?

MxMartin · May 2, 2020

Fast Eddie said:
Which Duc yer eyeing up ?

The MH900e is pretty stunning, don't ya think! Air cooled, bubble fairing, high rise exhaust, low production numbers and completely impractical... just my kind of bike lol

Fast Eddie · May 2, 2020

Really? Strewth!

I had a Paul Smart rep, that was impractical enough but it was a Superdream compared to the MH !

Welshrugby · May 2, 2020

FE is like the devil Mark, trying to tempt you away from the white/aly beast, resist at all costs

Clive · May 3, 2020

MxMartin said:
just my kind of bike lol

That is a new one to me but can't make my mind up whether it is showing off the engineering or looks like a bike where each part was designed by a different team who didn't talk to each other. Definitely a sit down in your garage with a coffee and stare at it bike.

Ref the Norton cover it up for 2 weeks and see if you can resist the temptation to uncover it and look at it. I know I couldn't. I had a similar issue with mine which hasn't recurred after I swapped relays for new.

jan nelder · May 3, 2020

MxMartin said:
The MH900e is pretty stunning, don't ya think! Air cooled, bubble fairing, high rise exhaust, low production numbers and completely impractical... just my kind of bike lol

apparently they are horribly uncomfortable!! pity!

MxMartin · May 3, 2020

Clive said:
That is a new one to me but can't make my mind up whether it is showing off the engineering or looks like a bike where each part was designed by a different team who didn't talk to each other. Definitely a sit down in your garage with a coffee and stare at it bike.

Ref the Norton cover it up for 2 weeks and see if you can resist the temptation to uncover it and look at it. I know I couldn't. I had a similar issue with mine which hasn't recurred after I swapped relays for new.

The MH900e was a concept drawn up by the top designer at the time, they only wanted a poster to fill a gap at an upcoming motor show so he was given freedom to do as he pleased. Apparently the concept was so well received that the factory decided to produce a limited no. of them which were snapped up within hours of launch, so they produced another limited batch and again all got snapped up. Seems very few were actually ridden and ended up as sales floor displays or man cave objects of desire.

I think the problem with my 961 is the old Yuasa battery, I thought I would get some use out of it but alas I think 2 years on the shelf didn't do it any good so the Lithium will go back on.

RickY · May 3, 2020

had an MH900e for 5 years, used to live in my loungeroom. Real eye candy, probably one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever built IMO, also the most uncomfortable! After 20km's on this my wrists were crying for relief.

Bluey72e · May 3, 2020

MxMartin said:
She started fine at the weekend, same petrol. All I did was park her up and put on trickle charge. Battery is back on charge, I will try again later but I have a feeling it will be tank and seat cowl off then hours of unplugging and checking, hours scrolling through this forum to locate common/frequent issues, lots of hair pulling, ordering unnecessary spare relays and other sensors 'just in case', only to find that my ecu has given up the ghost. I'm even more miffed 'cos today I put road tax on her for 6mth!

OBDII unit and an App can diagnose some issues at the ECU is telling you what is and is not happy ?

BritTwit · May 3, 2020

RickY said:
had an MH900e for 5 years, used to live in my loungeroom. Real eye candy, probably one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever built IMO, also the most uncomfortable! After 20km's on this my wrists were crying for relief.

Like an artist, you have to suffer for your art.
The only way to make the MH900e more beautiful would be to give it a bevel head motor.

Bluey72e · May 3, 2020

BritTwit said:
Like an artist, you have to suffer for your art.
The only way to make the MH900e more beautiful would be to give it a bevel head motor.

I'm suffering, forgot to turn the valve off on the oil bottle after today's run, getting seriously F*%$ing annoying now after every ride.

100ml in the jug 100ml all over the floor, its a pity as everything else is running so well.

Norton 961 Commando a keeper?

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