Things you learn while rebuilding yer' Norton....

Chugging along getting my '71 roadworthy and half ass presentable to the general public (5-50 standard) and I've come to a few conclusions.......
* No prior owner of a Norton has EVER serviced their wheel bearings and those that did used bacon grease and cold chisel to do it.
* Anti seize must have only been on the retail market since only the past 4 years.
* If you put that &%#$'n rear wheel spacer in backwards no amount of cussing or coffee will make that rear assm fit in the swing arm.
* The cloth covering on the wiring harness holds more oil that the Exxon Valdez but doesn't come out of it as easily as the Valdez.
* Mother's Mag Polish and polishing aluminum will stain your fingers till after you're big nite out with your better half. You will get the stink eye from her about it!
* Y' gott'a love how the Factory leaves out info or just blatantly lies to you in the manuals. I can't believe the Britts are still holding a grudge against us since that whole Tea Party thing.
* Apparently there are gold Krugerrands taped to the underside of front fenders.($$$)
* Epoxy overspray will travel further than a caravan of immigrants and land on your wife's new bike's paint.
* Ya' got to space out those big bike parts purchases over a few months or there will be questions.
* Cleaning the patio furniture will get you another month of buying parts and spending all your free time in the garage.

Funny stuff, made me chuckle.

All true .... the oil in engine must find it’s way into harness before hitting floor .... the manuals meant for proper English speakers , no such speakers left .....

that is some funny stuff. i am in shady now so if you need anything don't hesitate to give me a shout. i have one coming up this sunday to work on.

Somewhere there is a Norton Engineer who purposely put the full oil mark higher than need be, just so he could watch people fill it up and have the bike puke oil out to the half full mark, making a royal mess of everything.

Whiterabbit said:

* Y' gott'a love how the Factory leaves out info or just blatantly lies to you in the manuals. I can't believe the Britts are still holding a grudge against us since that whole Tea Party thing.

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You do realise the manuals are the same both sides of the Atlantic Ocean

Now try using a Haynes manual as they are even worse.

The oil level mark is to cover the rear of the bike in oil to preserve it, mine is rust free too.

Not sure if it the Haynes or Clymer book that comes with extra chapter at the end , covers speed mods which I suspect was a very popular section at the time , easy reading too ....

You should check out the manuals for Japanese bikes. I always highlight the nonsensical translations.

Americans and Brits are two tribes separated by a common language.

English is rather easy once you begin to grasp the Britt thought process, but Jap is not comprehensible even by them. If you have large hands and fingers don't even attempt it.

Worst manual is a Haynes translated into German ...

I was 18 and unsure of my mechanical skills when I got my first Norton complete with workshop manual. I remember working my way through various processes and always wondering if I was actually doing what the manual said I should. I'm pretty sure there were sections, like taking the rear hub assembly apart that I never attempted because just to read it scared the crap out of me. I also distinctly remember using Zig-zag rolling papers to get the points adjusted just right.

Good on you but another thing to put on is always make sure the wife is out when you use the stove or oven for bearing removal and replacement and if she say anything about the different flavour to the roast dinner just say its the herbs and never tell her about the dish washer if you ever used that for parts cleaning, some how I think the list will grow lol.

Ashley

rvich, you realize that's the improper use of Zig-Zags? I wish I had some now. About the best I can do is go smell that old pipe, it's still around here somewhere, if I could just remember.

When I was 18 Those papers sure wouldn't be used on setting points I can assure you of that...Burning those up to a bit of Jethro Tull early work. Amongst others I favored, and still do. BTW....Where did the $1500.00 750's go & 100.00 kilo's?....Why is my hair grey & my belly big?

I know now that electronic ignition is the best thing sense sliced bread. Also a single Mikuni makes life easier, and a gps speedo/tach is my friend.

You'll get no argument from me on the electronic ignition, but I'm fond of my Amals...

Zig-zag papers are great for making prepackaged loads for your Civil War Remington New Army .44 black powder. Glad I never throw any thing away!

Saber13 said:

Zig-zag papers are great for making prepackaged loads for your Civil War Remington New Army .44 black powder. Glad I never throw any thing away!

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In the day, I opted for premium brand papers. They were oversized and a bit thicker than zig zags. Got so I could roll a pretty awesome happy stick. Alas, I threw my papers away. Think of the awesome black powder loads I could be rolling had I not lost my skills.

lazyeye6 said:

In the day, I opted for premium brand papers. They were oversized and a bit thicker than zig zags. Got so I could roll a pretty awesome happy stick. Alas, I threw my papers away. Think of the awesome black powder loads I could be rolling had I not lost my skills.

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I remember OCB brand papers from my highschool days. They didn't "streak" like most others. Can't remember much after that...
~998cc

Well said WR...you nailed it.

Zig-Zags would tear too easily when you licked the adhesive stripe. Easy Widers were too harsh, Bambu or Bugler were the best for "setting your points".