Traveling with less vibration

I remember my 750 being smooth as anything above an idle, but when I put in the new rubbers, I get a bit of a buzz on the pegs and bar ends, no matter the iso spacing or the headsteady setup. I think they used to use softer rubbers in the past and now people want better handling so we get the stiffer rubbers. Drilling and/or tapering may help. But I don't have any problems seeing anything in my shorty under bar mirror. The engine spring also helped a lot with the idle shake, but how much does one sit around at idle? I sort of wish now I'd done the JS thing but not enough to re-do it.

DogT said:

......... but how much does one sit around at idle?

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So true DogT, so true... :lol:

I have never had any problems with vibrations in the 40 years of owning my Norton and even after converting it to the Featherbed frame back in 1980, but I did get my crank balanced for the Featherbed frame, I can ride all day without any problems, as for reliability in my 40 years of riding my bike has only let me down once and that was a broken chain, the chain had well over 30,000 miles on it and it was the joining link that it lost, if you ride all the time and do the maintenance when needed these motors will keep going, I also ride my bikes hard, I think when they sit for long periods of time thats when you have problems, yes things do wear out but thats part of the maintenance to look for things that have wear in them and replace or fix before they give up, my motor/gearbox have well over 140,000 miles on them with just 1 rebore on the motor.
So I don't understand why some think these are unreliable, but I have modenized my Norton in the last 5 years with better brakes, frontend internals, ingition etc where the 40 year old parts just wasn't up to it no more.
There are a lot more I could do to my bike with JS engine parts but its well out of my budget, but there are a lot of things you can do to these Nortons without a big budget, I have always worked on my bike with a shoe string budget and it works for me.

Ashley

I too enjoy riding my Commando, unlike my other bikes, each ride is an adventure and every moment totally enjoyable. It would be nice if there were less vibes, but that doesn't worry me too much in itself, other than people here seem to be reporting much less vibration. All subjective I guess, and having never ridden another Norton, I cannot say whether mine is absolutely good, bad or average. A better view out the mirrors wouldn't hurt I s'pose, but then again perhaps I should just ride faster!

(BTW, slightly off-topic, but is there a dedicated ride thread here? Plenty of fix-em-up threads, but I don't seem to see much about riding them, other than occasional stuff from Ludwig and SwooshDave and the like.)

My 850 has a balance factor of 72% and rocks backwards and forwards when idling. Above 4000RPM it is super smooth. When I ride it I can feel the hair growing on my chest. I've ridden four cylinder Japanese bikes and two strokes - HO HUM ! - If you want to have fun, why would you bother ?

I know you guys love riding on public roads, however where I live the closest winding roads are $60 Km away, and I can't see the point in droning down long straight roads watching out for the police. It seems to be a waste of a good motorcycle. However I suppose a lot depends on the scenery ?

To get to the good roads you have to take the bad roads, only highway roads are boring around here, I don't have to travel too far to get to the winding roads and when you are riding with a group of riders that i have been for over 40 years now, you can't have it any better, I have done a few track days in my younger days and find it so boring riding around the same circit and same secenry just does nothing for me.

Ashley

Re: Traveling without vibration

Hmm, looks like mine is quite a way from optimal. My mirrors only show a blur at any speed and there's quite a buzz in the bars.

I did have that problem with my mirror, but last year I brought a set of Renthal alloy bars and no longer have that problem, they have 6mm wall and they assorb any vibration in the handle bars, or you could insert a solid bar up your handle bar, but I got the Euro bars in the Renthal range for under $70 with shipping.

Ashley

I cut my teeth with Capt. Norton and many the posters in this diagnostic mirror vibration thread you can scan to find the particulars. The main feature of Commando worth to me is its wonderfull smoothness, rest is just icing.
http://www.captain.norton.clara.net/cnn2sec33.html

If you leave the isolastics as they were designed, you will more likely than not have a smooth runner. If you want to stiffen everthing up with do dads and tight clearances, you get what you asked for. Vibration and or buzz. They say also not to leave your bike on the center stand as it unloads the iso's. I have resisted putting new iso rubbers in mine because it runs very smooth once the revs come up a bit. All factory bikes (4) I have owned ran smoothly and with little vibration. Remember the fellows that developed this iso system were not stupid. They were also way ahead of other bike makers. Anyone know the history of other iso bikes and when they were developed? Kind of like the old Weller AC engine developed after WW1 having a single overhead cam driven by a long chain from the rear of the motor and operating canted valves in a hemispherical head chamber. Certain designs are timeless and need no one else to come along and modify them.

cyclepsycho
Its a vertical twin... whats the problem? If it's the isos....fix it... get on with it... when you are rolling her at 3000 rpm there abouts then the mirrors should smooth out like glass. if not keep workin.
CNN
T

Re: Traveling without vibration

ashman said:

Hmm, looks like mine is quite a way from optimal. My mirrors only show a blur at any speed and there's quite a buzz in the bars.

Ashley

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When I was running stock pistons in my Atlas, my mirror not only buzzed, but one time when I revved it through the gears the mirror actually jumped off the handle bars (along with lost footpeg rubbers and blown out lamps). Now with the shorter pistons lightened down to 170 grams and the longer rods the mirror stays put and there is no blurr (believe it or not). But its still a solid frame and even though the vibes are OK now, it will never be "smooth" as glass as some ISO frame riders claim. But its smooth enough now that I just enjoy the ride and the vibes don't bother me.

If you want a smooth Norton then buy a rotary. On my Interpol 2 I could balance a 50 pence piece on its edge on the tank and redline the engine without it falling over. (It was the older 50p piece that was a bit thicker than the current ones )

Jb weld? :mrgreen:

Glen

Re: Traveling without vibration

jseng1 said:

ashman said:

Hmm, looks like mine is quite a way from optimal. My mirrors only show a blur at any speed and there's quite a buzz in the bars.

Ashley

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When I was running stock pistons in my Atlas, my mirror not only buzzed, but one time when I revved it through the gears the mirror actually jumped off the handle bars (along with lost footpeg rubbers and blown out lamps). Now with the shorter pistons lightened down to 170 grams and the longer rods the mirror stays put and there is no blurr (believe it or not). But its still a solid frame and even though the vibes are OK now, it will never be "smooth" as glass as some ISO frame riders claim. But its smooth enough now that I just enjoy the ride and the vibes don't bother me.

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Jim that top quote was by davamp and not by me, my Featherbed 850 runs pretty smooth, I did get a little bit of a vibration in the ends of my handle bars but only enough to have the mirror see double vision, but since changing to the Renthal bars that has stopped it, I don't get any vibrations in my foot pegs and over all the bike is pretty smooth for a solid mount frame and motor, I had the crank balanced at 72% when I convered it to the Featherbed and 40thu Hepalite pistons as well as a bit more work to the motor, I have rode a few Atlas in my younger days and I can tell you my 850 Wideline is a lot smoother than the Atlas, my Norton isn't as smooth as my Triumph Thruxton but its pretty close and I do a lot of all day riding on my Norton when I take it out.

Ashley

I got twice-daily comparisons between the 650SS I rode to work and the Command prototypes I was riding at work. Those test bikes were the first two Commandos ever built and we were developing the Isos as we went along. The rubbers started out really soft and we gradually installed harder ones every few days until the vibes became noticeable above 1000 rpm, then backed off to the immediately-previous version for production.