Sabotage

namibchris · Jun 15, 2014

I want thank everyone who has replied, even the gentlemen who thinks I should be riding a Honda or something.

I have printed out all the suggestions and will review each one while sitting in front of MY Commando and work through the lot. Once I have done so I will either report back with a huge smile on my face, or seeking further suggestions. Namibia is not the first world or for that matter the second, if I owned an old German bike this would be cake.

There are many old Germans here who have the collective memory to work on their vintage bikes. I have the only Commando in the country and one of only three Norton's. FYI Namibia is about the size of Texas. As far as I know there are only a handful in South Africa, so I am faced with the difficult task of working out the problems in the middle of nowhere with one hand tied behind my back, blindfolded. The others being a Manx and and Atlas.

I rescued this bike from a dusty garage where it sat for 15 years. The first part of the restoration was everything but the internals of the engine and the gear box, figuring that the next time I had a slug of cash lying around I would take them out, crate them up and send them of to CNW.

As for Honda boy surely you were not born with a Norton shoved up somewhere, so presumably you too like the rest of us had to buy your first one. I didn't get to buy my first when I was a teenager, but for the next 40 years it was the only bike I really wanted to own so hopefully that is a good enough reason.

trident sam · Jun 15, 2014

Another possible is the header pipes/mufflers being blocked up with rags, corks etc, unlikely yes but a mate of mine came across this once.
good luck
sam

batrider · Jun 15, 2014

He had few pissed off days worth of finding ways to screw up your bike which is not good. This story is scary as hell.

(This is why I don't send food back at restaurants.)

I'd drain and inspect the oil tank really well too even if you get it running. Too easy to dump a handful of metal filings in there.

john robert bould · Jun 15, 2014

namibchris said:
pommie john said:

acotrel said:

It is not really good to be claiming that a dead guy sabotaged your bike. If I get anything plated, machined or welded, I always use someone reliable whom I've used previously and know their capability and billing habits. I don't ever let anyone other than myself put a spanner on my bike. What do you personally take responsibility for ?

Click to expand...

Get a V4 yamaha...RZ500R you can do ring a ding a ding again..but faster!

If I'd just had a bike completely restored ( some people don't have the time or skills to do it themselves) and found the ignition wire insulation shaved off ( they don't come like that from Boyer ) and touching the cases, I'd accuse him of sabotage too.

As for using someone you've used before, suppose you've never had a bike restored before? I'd hazard a guess that British bike restorers in Namibia are hard to find. He's not living in Birmingham.

Click to expand...

Amen to that. I had this fantasy of my youth, when I was riding a Yamaha RD350 cafe while the cool guys were riding Brit, ringdingdingdingdingding just didn't have the appeal as thump thump thump, now 40 years later when I have a little extra cash I wanted a bike for sunny Sunday afternoons and the occasional rally. But I must say the temptation to turn it into a 70's Beamer is pretty strong at the moment.

As for responsibility I am of course responsible for it all.

Hobot · Jun 15, 2014

(This is why I don't send food back at restaurants.)

batrider I Almost choked laughing at that spec of wisdom.

Btw d/t a very mysterious maddening ignition hang up on my factory Trixie Combat in 2006 after running very well, the turmoil of following advice from INOA list with no results created such heat against me with most famous of world wide Nortoneers, one a CNW rider Ed The Tomato Man both he and I left that bunch forever and became fast friends on wide scope of interests. IIRC a box of 4 Champion spark plugs was bad so dug out old carbonized heat age stained ones from the bottom of trash and lived happy ever since on contact breakers. Life in Nambia must be good training to endure and endure by shear will power and street smarts thinking outside the box.

phil yates · Jun 15, 2014

namibchris said:
I want thank everyone who has replied, even the gentlemen who thinks I should be riding a Honda or something.

I have printed out all the suggestions and will review each one while sitting in front of MY Commando and work through the lot. Once I have done so I will either report back with a huge smile on my face, or seeking further suggestions. Namibia is not the first world or for that matter the second, if I owned an old German bike this would be cake.

There are many old Germans here who have the collective memory to work on their vintage bikes. I have the only Commando in the country and one of only three Norton's. FYI Namibia is about the size of Texas. As far as I know there are only a handful in South Africa, so I am faced with the difficult task of working out the problems in the middle of nowhere with one hand tied behind my back, blindfolded. The others being a Manx and and Atlas.

I rescued this bike from a dusty garage where it sat for 15 years. The first part of the restoration was everything but the internals of the engine and the gear box, figuring that the next time I had a slug of cash lying around I would take them out, crate them up and send them of to CNW.

As for Honda boy surely you were not born with a Norton shoved up somewhere, so presumably you too like the rest of us had to buy your first one. I didn't get to buy my first when I was a teenager, but for the next 40 years it was the only bike I really wanted to own so hopefully that is a good enough reason.

namib
It is the very BEST reason to own a Commando. You will get it sorted then realise why you wanted one for so long, it just doesn't get any better. Any true Commando enthusiast knows that and will tell you that. I think there might have been some crossed wires regarding the response you refer to. Happens quite frequently due misinterpretation from reading text with no face to face. Or maybe the wife has locked the offender in the shed for the night and someone's gunna cop it. Looky, looky, there's my computer, I'll stick it up someone!! Certainly not the norm from the chap.

CNW and Jim Comstock are tops for engine work. You don't have to pull apart and rebuild your engine if you don't wish to, or prove anything to anybody. You can do exactly what you like and what you can afford to. Then sleep well at nights not wondering if that missing A/F socket is maybe sitting under the piston, after you've bolted the head on.

Good luck with it all. You are entering an exciting world of riding exhilaration. You can practise being a mechanic on a Saki Sucker.

Phil

phil yates · Jun 15, 2014

namibchris said:
pommie john said:

acotrel said:

It is not really good to be claiming that a dead guy sabotaged your bike. If I get anything plated, machined or welded, I always use someone reliable whom I've used previously and know their capability and billing habits. I don't ever let anyone other than myself put a spanner on my bike. What do you personally take responsibility for ?

Click to expand...

If I'd just had a bike completely restored ( some people don't have the time or skills to do it themselves) and found the ignition wire insulation shaved off ( they don't come like that from Boyer ) and touching the cases, I'd accuse him of sabotage too.

As for using someone you've used before, suppose you've never had a bike restored before? I'd hazard a guess that British bike restorers in Namibia are hard to find. He's not living in Birmingham.

Click to expand...

Amen to that. I had this fantasy of my youth, when I was riding a Yamaha RD350 cafe while the cool guys were riding Brit, ringdingdingdingdingding just didn't have the appeal as thump thump thump, now 40 years later when I have a little extra cash I wanted a bike for sunny Sunday afternoons and the occasional rally. But I must say the temptation to turn it into a 70's Beamer is pretty strong at the moment.

As for responsibility I am of course responsible for it all.

If anyone is game enough to turn up at the Mitto on a ringdingding, they usually get a thump thump thump. And after burnt to the ground, there is no ringdingding. But I don't think you can even buy a ringdingding anymore, very much on the nose.

Don't go the Beemer, great bikes but not an Unapproachable Norton. Even looking at a broken one is better than owning any other bike.

Phil

dennisgb · Jun 15, 2014

L.A.B. said:
namibchris said:

The timing has been checked repeatedly

Click to expand...

Can you describe the procedure of how that was done, as a common error with electronic ignitions is to set them up using the wrong alternator rotor timing mark as there are normally two timing marks 180 degrees apart, if timed to the wrong mark, that will set the ignition timing out by 180 crankshaft degrees.

Connecting the pickup wires to the Boyer box the wrong way around will also throw the ignition timing off.

http://www.boyerbransden.com/pdf/KIT000 ... 00017_.pdf

This is what it sounds like to me. Backfire only usually indicates timing is way off.

Sabotage

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