What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

nortonmargie said:
Yesterday: Checked the front brake pucks (within spec) bled front brake, filled up tank. with idea to get up in early AM and ride to breakfast meet in scenic area. Weatherman promised hot, sunny day.
Today: Got up and looked outside. Fog and a little drizzle. Weatherman lied again! Left Norton home and rode to gathering on Hinkley Triumph. Got back home as promised sun was starting to peek through clouds. Now safe to ride Norton, so I swapped bikes and did a 32 mile run. Bike running well. Brakes have stopped squeaking, so either the brake bleeding did the trick or my most excellent Brownkitty caught the mouse.
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I bit of fog and a little drizzle stops you riding the Norton, my Norton loves it, sound like Pommy weather so it should feel at home lol.
 
milfordite said:
Put together two bottom ends today, one for my bike and one for an engine that will be sold. Both had to go into the grill to shim the mains. My engine is for a MKIIA, the other a std. 850.
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Milford,
I don’t understand what you mean by “both had to go into the grill to shim the mains”
Thanks,Mike
 
Fitted a centrestand.
I've had little success fitting centrestand springs using the "coins in spring" method in previous bikes, so went for a different system here (No "during" photos - sorry!)
Stand fitted with both bolts, and a bungee to hold it horizontal.
Spring hooked into cradle, and a hook tool at the other end, connected to a ratchet strap around the end of the swinging arm.
That pulled the spring, on the exact line of the hole in the stand, and it just dropped in without any problems.
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
YING said:
Milford,
I don’t understand what you mean by “both had to go into the grill to shim the mains”
Thanks,Mike
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I have shims of different sizes that go behind the main bearings. One case half goes into the propane grill where it is heated to about 300 degrees. The case expands and the bearing drops out. Having measured the free play beforehand, I cool the bearing with water, drop in the correct shim, then drop the bearing back in place. The Norton crankshaft needs to have it's freeplay side to side measured, then shimmed to within spec unless it is OK as is.
 
Hey guys, while we're on this centre stand, any of you guys ever know of anyone shortening the legs to accommodate a lowered bike? At a bike rally, one of the fellas suggested it by cutting the legs to remove an inch or so and welding them back on. Just wanted to get some thoughts from this group about this, or whether shortened stands are available.
 
Be careful about too short. Then the rear tyre touches the ground and you cannot spin the back wheel. That may not bother as you can slide
in thin piece of sheet goods one side at a time if you need free wheeling to do maintenance etc.
 
ashman said:
I bit of fog and a little drizzle stops you riding the Norton, my Norton loves it, sound like Pommy weather so it should feel at home lol.
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The problem is not Norton, it's clueless drivers on the road. California drivers can't drive in wet weather. Bright lights on modern bike announce my presence. Better brakes allow me to stop before hitting idiots.
 
nortonmargie said:
The problem is not Norton, it's clueless drivers on the road. California drivers can't drive in wet weather. Bright lights on modern bike announce my presence. Better brakes allow me to stop before hitting idiots.
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Yup . Almost got killed on our recent P.E.C. trip . Driver moved into my lane without any looking , could reach out to touch him but chose to back off throttle and fall back just in time .
Then 10 minutes later , another . Driver crossed 3 lanes but fast , as he realized he'd forgotten his exit place .
The 401 East at Ajax / Whitby area is now officially the most dangerous route in Canada . Most accidents .
 
Took a ride to local airport to check on dad's plane. Two examples of reliable old engines.

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
Starvingphotog said:
I remember those roads Torontonian! You are quite brave (or the other thing) for riding the 400 series highways in Ontario. Ride safely man and your head on a swivel.
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The 400 series highways are not good touring roads,they are more suitable for commuting
 
Got "most" of the way back together with the monoshock Norton, doofusi that sold me the braided stainless top end oil pipe set didn't send me the one long banjo bolt, so no start-up till THAT arrives.

Did away with MOST of the mess that was mounting the handlebars and the meter cups, it's all quite solid now. New clutch lever to replace the one with the broken ball end. Bought a 6" x 100" roll of steel shim material just to cut two 3/4" x 4" strips to shim the front wheel bearings. Perfectly stout result, zero wiggle anywhere.

Amal Premiers now have a new throttle cable set & dual neck K&N clone air filter. Mufflers have new rubber mounts and are polished out at least decently, they'll get final polishing with the entire bike, next week. Headlight mounts painted and all that is back together up front.

Anyway, it's looking decent again... (a new set of grips was waiting for me when I got home from the ranch)

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
Not content with the 400 mile trip last week, today I attended the NOC big bash at The National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. 200 miles round trip.

This trip also gave me the opportunity to test my new isolastic adjustments (2.5 holes front and back) and made for a much nicer ride of longer distance and probably due to the Comstock headsteady, no discernible impact on handling; now super smooth about 3k most noticeable on rolling off. I also found the issue I noticed whereby the bike wound stutter at 6k has gone; could the vibes be interfering with the FCRs?. More tests to follow on that one.



My route again avoided motorways favouring A roads via Oxford, Chipping Norton (had to but an Esso station there was my top up point for both legs), Warwick. Some fantastic stretches to be found north of Woodstock, really had the chance to open him up and throw him around some lovely fast bends!



An excellent attendance from all over the U.K. and some very fine bikes from all periods of production with a large contingent of 961s including the magnificent bike built my Stuart Bodycote.

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?


What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
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Part 2
There were a number of lectures from Ashley Cutler of AN, Brian Gillan of Norton Motorcycles and lastly a keynote from Alan Cathcart. It was during that one that the person sitting next to me who I talked to earlier about my bike informed there was a rosette on it. Damn, Arnie is not a show bike but heck it’s a nice honour. Probably, I thought, best modified or non-original or even shiniest!
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
Part 3

The event ended with the presentation of prizes ranging from, best single cylinder to best 961, won by Stuart:
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

and best Commando which was in fact the penultimate. “Last, but not least, best in show”

Blow me, Arnie only took the gong!
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
Fantastic, and well deserved !

Wish I cudda made it, you practically rode past my house too !

I would have particularly liked to hear what Brian Gillen had to say. The videos he made when he was at MV, explaining the technical details of the engines, were fabulous.

Did you strap the trophy onto the bike for the ride home ‘Brando style’ ?!

Family duties prevented me going this time. Although I did get some time in the shed in the afternoon to fit these fabulous custom made sleeves (thanks @Matchless) to reduce the ports from 36mm to 33mm, I modified and fitted a new manifold to suit too.

All part of converting my 920 from hooligan track toy to sensible old man’s road bike…

IMG_9745.jpeg
 
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Cheers Nigel. Yes Google Maps took me anti-clockwise around the ring road so through Summertown and I thought of you at that point. Shame you couldn’t make it but on the upside in hindsight one less competitor…🤣🤣🤣

Strange how the stuttering has gone/improved though don’t you think or would you expect vibes to mess with the slides? Perhaps something amiss with the vacuum plates/seals? More testing before removal me thinks.
 
Café au Lait said:
Cheers Nigel. Yes Google Maps took me anti-clockwise around the ring road so through Summertown and I thought of you at that point. Shame you couldn’t make it but on the upside in hindsight one less competitor…🤣🤣🤣

Strange how the stuttering has gone/improved though don’t you think or would you expect vibes to mess with the slides? Perhaps something amiss with the vacuum plates/seals? More testing before removal me thinks.
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Unless there was a class for unpolished ex track bikes, I think you’d have been safe !!

Personally, given the fact that your crank will no doubt have been balanced, and your carbs are rubber mounted, I would doubt that your iso adjustments have made any difference.

It could just be that it needed using, clear the carbs a bit, etc.

I’d still try the needles…
 

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