rough day...

ashman · Jul 6, 2015

In my younger days of owning my Norton it had a habit of breaking a clutch cable regularly, I got good at riding home without a clutch, lucky my gearbox was a dream to up and down shift and when I had to stop at lights it was easy to go into netrual, when I had to put it back in gear I just gave the bike a slite push before ingaging first, just had to keep the revs up so it didn't snuff out, it only cost $2.50 for a new cable in them days so use to buy a few but it always broke when the spare was at home.
The cable was breaking at the lever end where it ran through the adjuster so I started to put a dab of grease on the cable and adjuster and never had a problem after doing that, so every oil change I rub new grease on that part of the cable, I also put a dab of grease where the cable runs throught the gearbox, I ended up with the same cable for 30 years before I replaced it with the new cable about 5 years ago and I still put the dab of grease on the ends, I do this with all my bikes even my new Thruxton.

Ashley

JimNH · Jul 6, 2015

o0norton0o said:
without having ever experience shifting a norton gearbox without a clutch, I really didn't know what to expect, but once I got moving and got into 4th gear pretty easily I knew I could go up the gearbox pretty easily and began to relax. Then I realized that maybe I was going to have to stop at a stop sign going uphill so I went home a different way. Definately getting the bike out of gear when you want to stop is more of the safety issue then powershifting into the gear you want. I can't imagine how freaked I would be riding "2 up" without a clutch. No doubt you have to be anticipating the flow of traffic in front of you... and be prepared to make a quick "rolling right on red".... that's gotta make you focus....

Although I generally use the clutch on the Norton I almost never used it on my Jap bikes - either up or down shift. It's a matter of timing or feel when the gears are not loaded and a blip of throttle on a downshift. Jap transmissions seemed bullet proof and much closer ratios, more speeds, etc.

I carry a repair kit and appreciate the hint to grab the adjuster! Having the supplies but no adjuster would suck.

With my knees the thing I fear is E-Start failure. It sucks to get old but it beats a dirt nap.

DogT · Jul 6, 2015

Every time I've tried to bump start it in 1st gear the rear wheel locks up. Seems to me it likes to start in something like 2nd or 3rd. But then I'm talking about on a gravel road. I'm not saying you didn't do good, I've done stuff like that before, but with a BSA B33 single 500. Nothing wrong with working the throttle to shift in an emergency so you can get home. Good job.

Another good thing about the early bikes, the adjusters are threaded so they won't fall out. The only thing that may fall off is the cable end holders in the clutch and brake levers, they're not permanently attached to the cable and once they're gone, all is lost. Ah, the thrills of figuring out how to get home. I've resorted to hitchhiking sometimes in my youth and going back the next day. These days it most likely will be gone (stolen).

zefer · Jul 7, 2015

Plus one on jerrys idea,CNW hydraulic clutch conversion makes so much sense on so many levels, plus as you age the effort it takes to pull the lever is so negligible,I love my "juice" clutch and am glad I did it as
With everything CNW does this conversion is a well thought out upgrade that in real world
Application works
Like a charm

o0norton0o · Jul 7, 2015

Dog, I didn't bump start it, and If I did do that I would have done it in a higher gear. (as you said) I kick started it, then ran it up to speed before I powershifted 1st gear, so It wouldn't stall.... I'm sure the people stopped at the on ramp light thought to themselves, "WTF is that guy doing?".. Once I got 1st gear, I was gone!

I have an extra metal plate in my clutch basket and the newer style, nylon lined clutch cable, so my clutch lever pull is as close to 1 finger operation as it can be. Granted, I am a big person too so the clutch pull doesn't seem so heavy to me that I would entertain the thought of going to a hydraulic lever, but it sounds like a nice modification. At some point, if I am too weak to pull the clutch lever, I am sure as hell not going to be able to kick start the bike either.... I'll stick with the cable and the 6 steel plates for now.

* Jim, are you sure those kidney punches were related to the broken clutch.... ?? :wink:

comnoz · Jul 7, 2015

o0norton0o said:
Dog, I didn't bump start it, and If I did do that I would have done it in a higher gear. (as you said) I kick started it, then ran it up to speed before I powershifted 1st gear, so It wouldn't stall.... I'm sure the people stopped at the on ramp light thought to themselves, "WTF is that guy doing?".. Once I got 1st gear, I was gone!

I have an extra metal plate in my clutch basket and the newer style, nylon lined clutch cable, so my clutch lever pull is as close to 1 finger operation as it can be. Granted, I am a big person too so the clutch pull doesn't seem so heavy to me that I would entertain the thought of going to a hydraulic lever, but it sounds like a nice modification. At some point, if I am too weak to pull the clutch lever, I am sure as hell not going to be able to kick start the bike either.... I'll stick with the cable and the 6 steel plates for now.

* Jim, are you sure those kidney punches were related to the broken clutch.... ?? :wink:

Well it was either that or the fact that we had ridden 800 miles in one day so far and it was raining....

The real fun started then next day when I dumped the bike on a steep muddy downhill in the campground. My wife ended up with a faceshield full of mud....

ashman · Jul 7, 2015

DogT said:
Every time I've tried to bump start it in 1st gear the rear wheel locks up. Seems to me it likes to start in something like 2nd or 3rd. But then I'm talking about on a gravel road. I'm not saying you didn't do good, I've done stuff like that before, but with a BSA B33 single 500. Nothing wrong with working the throttle to shift in an emergency so you can get home. Good job.

In 1979 when my layshaft bearing blew up and my Norton was pulled apart to fix, some low life stole my seat and kick start lever, after the gearbox was fixed I replace the seat but at the time I couldn't find a new kickstart lever so when I had to go out (everyday) I had to bump start my Norton (took 4 months before I got a new kick start lever), I got so good at it (like the old days of racing when they had to bump start their bikes), I always put it in top gear (4th) to bump start it, found it was the easiest for the bump never had any problems with the rear wheel locking up, once it fired up just pull the clutch in and put it in 1st and away you go.

Ashley

o0norton0o · Jul 7, 2015

When I was a kid and had a volkswagon bus, I went a week with a bad starter, I would push my bus down the street to a slight hill. If I put it into 1st or 2nd when I popped the clutch, it would stop the van and not start.. If I put it in 3rd, it would crank the engine over a few turns a come to life... I have no idea how to bump start a bike without a clutch. I would be afraid it would take off before I could jump on it.... I would rather do what I did. Kick start it, then push the running bike up to speed and powershift it..

I got the new cable and installed it. I used some silicone to glue the cable's nipple to the cable adjuster on the lever end so I won't lose the adjuster if the cable breaks at the lever end in the future. I wound the original factory cable into the headlight (briliant idea, thanks to whoever suggested that) I ordered the cable end from flanders to repair my broken cable end so I will have a spare nylon lined cable for a few dollars more.

.... which leaves me with a new cable, and old stock cable in the headlignt, and a repaired new style cable... ok, I got it covered 3 ways... I also swapped out my headlight ammeter which stopped working recently and the new one was working great. You could see it move with the different loads applied by adding the headlight or see it move by throttle. With only the running lights and the daylight headlight bulb on I was getting a positive charge above 2,200 rpms, with the headlight on about 2500 rpms. It was charging like crazy above 4000.... which I'm sure is a giving my zeiner diode a run for it's money

Thanks for all the positive vibe and suggestions.... The cable in the headlight is a great suggestion...

gortnipper · Jul 7, 2015

o0norton0o said:
I would rather do what I did. Kick start it, then push the running bike up to speed and powershift it...

The cable in the headlight is a great suggestion...

I have only broken a cable once - the cluch cable on my Mk3 going up 11th Ave in the U District in Seattle. Only had to navigate a couple of lights doing what you did above, and then cruised down Ravenna to John's British Cycle when he was still there.

When I was riding across Mississippi between Buloxi and NOLA, my mate's 750 broke a throttle cable - the upper before the splitter. For that we hacked in his choke cable, and he used that as a throttle to get home. That was dead scarier than loosing the clutch cable.

Agree that spares in the shell are a good idea. I also like Ludwig's idea of putting them in the frame spine, but I worry more about the inside rusting the spine out with a gaping hole in the rear of the spine tube.

Hobot · Jul 7, 2015

One must judge conditions on which gear to roll start on but the slower and slicker the conditions the higher gear to pick with leap forward rates to be aware of. I had a group of 5-7 yr olds help push me out of town with them laughing and screaming me off. Worse case was my P!! with stuck up clutch over night, too light and powerful to put against a wall or tree as just spun tire w/o freeing clutch, so would run it down old city wide suburan street with cars parked both sides and less than 100 yrd before sharp bend, about 15 mph hopped on toed shifter up to 2nd it would fire then had to hit WOT for enough torque to break free in time to clutch in and drum brake back to sane speed in close quarters. The sudden open headers ROAR may be why police got calls for a loud target to hunt, but never able to catch.

speedrattle · Jul 7, 2015

yo dude

i have no advice, because if you're riding a norton these days you obviously don't listen to it.

but i commiserate, as i live the same life.

good running!

rough day...

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