Tools You Have Made to Maintain your Norton

Ok these aren't tools I've made or are specific to any motorcycle
But if you are making a wiring loom from scratch and you aren't very good at wiring then wago connectors are great
They are cheap enough
You can make a whole loom, checking everything works along the way
Then when you are happy just put on your crimps and hard wire it
It's better than twisting wires together to check what works
Or using crocodile leads etc
They are fully insulated
You can use a three fitting type to clip a multimeter probe into etc
They are great for testing switchgear that you don't have a diagram for

I make simple tools from time-to-time, but our @seattle##gs makes lots of useful tools. Many are things you "can" do without, but if you work on many bikes, do certainly don't want to once you have them!

One I cannot live without is his tool for holding petcocks while tightening - see posts #131 and #146 this thread - quite a few here have bought them.

Two that are hard to live without are tools for installing the bearings in gearbox housings - no more putting my hand in a hot case to drop the bearing in straight!

Another has two uses - a tool with two adapters for installing the crankcase and gearbox seals - no more trying to find a right-sized socket and it keeps the seal centered as well.

The camshaft seal in the timing cover can be a nightmare to install, but his tool for that makes it easy. You can live without his tool for installing the crankshaft oil seal in the timing cover, but it makes it easier to do without damage. Yes, I know AN has a tool for these and there's nothing wrong with their tool, I just prefer his.

These days I'll say something like "I wish I had" and pretty soon it arrives. Most of his tools are made from stainless steel and/or aluminum depending on the application.

@seattle##gs doesn't know I'm posting this. If you're interested in any of the tools I mentioned, I would contact him. He mostly works on customer Norton and Triumph bikes, so he knows the tools needed for them.

Not for normal maintenance but for dent removal during restoration. Template of aluminum made by scribing tank radius on undamaged side then transferred to wood block and sawn . Carriage bolts of three diameters chucked in lathe and heads ground with flapper wheel in 4” grinder to match tank radius.


Tank saddle cut open and dent banged out with hammer and carriage bolts into wooden buck .