Winter Projects For Your Commando?

Saber said:
For us in the northern part of the world, the riding season has ended and we are likely into our winter Norton projects. Mine are

1. New seat cover.
2. Swing arm oil.
3. Install rebuilt horn.
4. Front isolastics.

Whats yours?
Click to expand...
Convert all isolastics to new vernier type. Check 2 year old Amal Premier carbs for occasional sneeze on throttle openings.
 
Torontonian said:
Sweetheart neighbor Julie , across the street , will let me put the MK 111 into her back yard , covered . No salt damage and blizzard wind / dirt / salt damage this year . Then fly away till spring .
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Dug out Julie's warped backyard gate and cut away a lot of vines and dead weeds today , to free it all up , for the Norton's winter push it over move - in , tomorrow . Kinda fun . Afo ( my bicycle guy neighbour ) will help push . 3 months storage , covered by slip , but I have a new ( Bike Bag item , as well ) , but it's all outdoors . Battery and seat pulled and now indoors into the art studio . -2 C . , no snow .
 
After hearing your stories about storing and repairing it on the street in the winter I can feel your appreciation for the opportunity to store it in a back yard.
 
Saber said:
After hearing your stories about storing and repairing it on the street in the winter I can feel your appreciation for the opportunity to store it in a back yard.
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Yes Julie is a real find . Creative , nice person. Her son Ben is a musician and swing dance teacher . The back yard is a wreck . I offered tonight to clean it up . She has ideas to build a coach house there and rent it out . Norton is off the street this winter . Yay !
 
Torontonian said:
Dug out Julie's warped backyard gate and cut away a lot of vines and dead weeds today , to free it all up , for the Norton's winter push it over move - in , tomorrow . Kinda fun . Afo ( my bicycle guy neighbour ) will help push . 3 months storage , covered by slip , but I have a new ( Bike Bag item , as well ) , but it's all outdoors . Battery and seat pulled and now indoors into the art studio . -2 C . , no snow .
Click to expand...
Glad you found a place off the street!
Mike
 
Torontonian said:
Dug out Julie's warped backyard gate and cut away a lot of vines and dead weeds today , to free it all up , for the Norton's winter push it over move - in , tomorrow . Kinda fun . Afo ( my bicycle guy neighbour ) will help push . 3 months storage , covered by slip , but I have a new ( Bike Bag item , as well ) , but it's all outdoors . Battery and seat pulled and now indoors into the art studio . -2 C . , no snow .
Click to expand...
Leaving a desirable bike parked on a city steet all winter is asking for this:
Winter Projects For Your Commando?
 
At the end of last summer, had the bike done- a two year project with fresh paint and running like the proverbial top........

Until the dreaded Combat engine destruction reared its ugly head. (and no, I wasn't riding it like I stole it or close to red line)

So, my winter/spring project is replacing the bottom end, and doing a rebore, etc..

So 2025 will be a brand new engine. At 74 though I was done building bikes- but there you have it.
 
trappnman said:
At the end of last summer, had the bike done- a two year project with fresh paint and running like the proverbial top........

Until the dreaded Combat engine destruction reared its ugly head. (and no, I wasn't riding it like I stole it or close to red line)

So, my winter/spring project is replacing the bottom end, and doing a rebore, etc..

So 2025 will be a brand new engine. At 74 though I was done building bikes- but there you have it.
Click to expand...
You are never done . I goes on and on ... until you can't ride anymore and have to let someone with a better body have it . Then they can resume all the tinkerings and improvements themselves .. on and on .
 
trappnman said:
At the end of last summer, had the bike done- a two year project with fresh paint and running like the proverbial top........

Until the dreaded Combat engine destruction reared its ugly head. (and no, I wasn't riding it like I stole it or close to red line)

So, my winter/spring project is replacing the bottom end, and doing a rebore, etc..

So 2025 will be a brand new engine. At 74 though I was done building bikes- but there you have it.
Click to expand...
Well if you rebuild it with all the upgraded parts you will never have the Combat problem again, I love the 2S cam profile in my 850 as well the port work and balanced crank, just makes my motor breath and better pick up when opening the throttle and still keeping it very reliable to boot.
 
Commando is in the living room of the house I've spent the past 18 months building. Designed new wiring harness, timing cover at AMR, looking at upgrading charging system but mostly sitting by the wood stove, looking at the Norton and avoiding hanging more doors...
 
Towards the end of the riding season, my commando was running really great ( which reminds me of the old saying about how things always run best right before they blow up) but I would occasionally hear a grinding sound at idle. Sometimes the bike would sound normal, sometimes not. I have a belt drive so there's less mechanical noise overall than a chain drive primary bike, so I'm pretty sure the noise is not in the primary. I also safety wired everything that might "jingle" like the exhaust rose spiders and anything loose to try to quiet any competing noises.

I don't really have a work space besides the woodshop which is packed to the rafters with stuff and it's winter here with my commando in the vestibule of my house against the stairway wall. If I move the bike into the spare bedroom to work on it (again), then I have to pull up the carpet or it will get ruined (like last time I did a minor rebuild in there) I guess I could also pull it apart right in the vestibule, ruin that carpet this time, and spend most of the winter with a disassembled motorcycle right in front of the main door to the house... 😞

It's just one of those things where I know I have to pull the head and barrels to inspect them, then I have a look at the cam lobes and feel the connecting rods to see if they are solid. My instincts to have a look inside when I hear something that sounds problematic has paid off in the past, and I know better than to ignore my instincts because "funny noises" always have a cause...

I'm also sitting comfortably next to the warmth of a woodstove wondering what I'm going to find, where I should make the mess, and when I should begin... 🤯
 
For us in the southern part of the world, it is getting towards mid -summer. We have small windows of opportunity at both ends of summer and winter, when it is comfortable in my shed. Our weather has become crap - no more longer spring and autumn days. I am pretty sure that I am not imagining the cold has become colder and the hot has become hotter.
 
o0norton0o said:
Towards the end of the riding season, my commando was running really great ( which reminds me of the old saying about how things always run best right before they blow up) but I would occasionally hear a grinding sound at idle. Sometimes the bike would sound normal, sometimes not. I have a belt drive so there's less mechanical noise overall than a chain drive primary bike, so I'm pretty sure the noise is not in the primary. I also safety wired everything that might "jingle" like the exhaust rose spiders and anything loose to try to quiet any competing noises.

I don't really have a work space besides the woodshop which is packed to the rafters with stuff and it's winter here with my commando in the vestibule of my house against the stairway wall. If I move the bike into the spare bedroom to work on it (again), then I have to pull up the carpet or it will get ruined (like last time I did a minor rebuild in there) I guess I could also pull it apart right in the vestibule, ruin that carpet this time, and spend most of the winter with a disassembled motorcycle right in front of the main door to the house... 😞

It's just one of those things where I know I have to pull the head and barrels to inspect them, then I have a look at the cam lobes and feel the connecting rods to see if they are solid. My instincts to have a look inside when I hear something that sounds problematic has paid off in the past, and I know better than to ignore my instincts because "funny noises" always have a cause...

I'm also sitting comfortably next to the warmth of a woodstove wondering what I'm going to find, where I should make the mess, and when I should begin... 🤯
Click to expand...
Since you got a belt drive and seems you have not taken the primary drive apart, I would start there as some of those belt drives (read clutch hub) might be machined too thick and rub on the inner primary drive housing. I would check the back of the clutch hub before going into the engine. It's also easier to get in there...
 
ashman- Im not doing the work on the bottom myself- thought about it, but decided to let a true expert (Greg Marsh) put it together with all the improvements. If an ironhead I'd do it myself, but I've never touched a Norton bottom end, let alone a complete rebuild. Taking the jugs and new psitons in to get them rebored today-
 
trappnman said:
ashman- Im not doing the work on the bottom myself- thought about it, but decided to let a true expert (Greg Marsh) put it together with all the improvements. If an ironhead I'd do it myself, but I've never touched a Norton bottom end, let alone a complete rebuild. Taking the jugs and new psitons in to get them rebored today-
Click to expand...
Norton bottom ends aren't that hard to pull apart or work on and replacing bearings, I wasn't a true expert when I built my Norton 850 motor for the Featherbed frame back in 1980/82, in fact it was my first ever motor rebuild, the crank balance and 2S cam grind and porting was the only thing done out of my hands and after all these years my motor is still going, I have rebuilt 10 Norton motors in the last 40 years and so far have never had one blow up or fail.
Also easier when you have all the right tools and pullies to do the job and a great way to learn all about your own bike/motor, anyway good luck with the rebuild, the 2S cam works really well in my motor.

Ashley
 

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